Wanderlust UK – September 2019

(Axel Boer) #1

25 BEST EUROPEANRAILJOURNEYS


wanderlust.co.uk September 2019 71

20


Bohinj


Railway,


Slovenia&Italy


Bestfor...Sloveniamadesimple

Thejourney:JesenicetoTrieste
(approx150km; 3 hours)
Wesay...Tofordthepeaksofthe
JulianAlpstothenorthernmost
sliverofItaliancoastline,theBohinj
Railway(slo-zeleznice.si)mustslice
arouteithaspliedforover 110 years.
Itwasbuiltasastrategicnetwork
fortheAustro-Hungarianmonarchy,
butthesedaysit’scatnipforhikers
andcyclistswhorevelintheeasy
connectionstoMostnaSoci,Lake
BledandNovaGorica’swineries.
Toptip:Foraspecialtrip,catch
theheritagesteamtrain(May–Nov)
betweenJeseniceandNovaGorica,
wheresta†stilldontheuniformsof
theoldAustro-HungarianEmpire.

21


Semmering


Railway,Austria


Bestfor...UNESCO-listedjoys

Thejourney:Gloggnitzto
Mürzzuschlag(41km; 40 minutes)
Wesay...PraisedbyUNESCOas
‘oneofthegreatestfeatsofcivil

engineering’,theSemmering(oebb.
at)teetersontwo-storeyviaducts
andnarrowmountainpasses,with
twistsandsteepinclinesaplenty.
Therewardforyourfortitude?
Swoon-worthyviewsoftheAustrian
Alps,andopportunitiesforgreat
hikingorskiing.Ittooksixyearsand
20,000labourerstobuildthistrack,
andthispioneeringprojectfrom
the1850sbecametheblueprintfor
mountainrailwaysallovertheworld.
Toptip:Gloggnitzisjustanhourby
trainfromVienna,sodon’tmissout.

22


Bergen


Railway,


Norway


Best for... Scandi splendour

The journey: Oslo to Bergen
(500km; 6.5 hours)
We say... Even in the cosy comfort
of your compartment, Norway’s
desolate Hardangervidda plateau
will send a shiver down your spine.
While the forests and lakes outside
Osloarebeautiful,it’stheBergen
Railway’s(vy.no/en)eerilyempty
mountainpassesthatstealthe
show.StretchyourlegsatFinse, the
higheststationontheline(1,222m),
toseewhereRobertFalconScott
andhiscrewtrainedinadvance
oftheirinfamous 1912 SouthPole
expedition.Alonelyspotindeed.
Toptip:Hopo†atMyrdaland pick
uptheextraordinary20kmbranch
linetoFlam(1hour),whosespiral
tunnelsandsteepgradientwill
sweepyouupfurtherintothese
breathtakingmountains.

DID YOU
KNOW?
The Bohinj
Railway’s Solkan
Bridge was built
in 1906 and is
the longest stone
railway bridge
in the world,
with a whopping
85m span.

Shutterstock; Alamy



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