Fall transforms Eastern Europe into a crimson, amber, and gold canvas. The region’s historic railway routes wind through mountain passes, alongside rivers, and through ancient forests dressed in their fall finery. Traveling by train during this season offers a unique perspective on the landscape—one where you can sit back in comfort as panoramic vistas unfold outside your window.
Here is a list of 20 stunning fall train journeys across Eastern Europe, showcasing the region’s natural beauty and rich heritage as the leaves change.
Belgrade to Bar Railway, Serbia-Montenegro
This engineering marvel stretches 296 miles from Serbia’s capital to Montenegro’s Adriatic coast. The journey features 254 tunnels and 435 bridges, including the spectacular Mala Rijeka viaduct, which appears to float above a sea of fall foliage.
October brings a perfect combination of mountain mists and golden forests, framing the dramatic limestone formations of the Dinaric Alps.
Semmering Railway, Austria
This UNESCO World Heritage line cuts through the eastern Alps with remarkable 19th-century engineering. The train curves around horseshoe bends and crosses elegant viaducts while passengers enjoy views of maple and beech forests in their fall glory.
Alpine meadows contrast with the copper-colored woodlands, creating a patchwork that changes with each turn of the track.
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Zagreb to Split, Croatia
This coastal journey connects Croatia’s capital with its second-largest city along the Adriatic. The train passes through the Dinaric karst region, where fall paints the sparse vegetation in surprising bursts of color against the limestone backdrop.
The final approach to Split offers breathtaking views of the Adriatic islands floating in the distance, framed by coastal trees in their fall colors.
Rakovica to Šargan Vitasi, Serbia
Known as the Šargan Eight, this narrow-gauge heritage railway forms a figure eight to gain elevation in the mountainous western Serbian landscape. Vintage carriages climb through tunnels and across bridges, while passengers marvel at hillsides covered in oak and beech trees displaying vivid fall hues.
The train makes several photo stops at viewpoints overlooking valleys filled with fall colors.
Košice to High Tatras, Slovakia
This journey connects Slovakia’s second-largest city with its premier mountain range. The train gradually climbs from urban landscapes into forested foothills before reaching the dramatic peaks of the Tatras.
Fall transforms the mixed forests into a tapestry of colors that beautifully contrast the often snow-dusted mountain peaks above the tree line.
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Bucharest to Brașov, Romania
Traveling north from Romania’s capital, this route enters the Carpathian Mountains through the spectacular Prahova Valley. Beech forests blanket the hillsides in shades of copper and gold, while medieval castles emerge from the mist on distant peaks.
The approach to Brașov reveals the city in a valley surrounded by mountains ablaze with fall colors.
Lviv to Carpathians, Ukraine
The train from Lviv to the Carpathian mountain towns passes through Ukraine’s most picturesque countryside. Ancient beech forests—some of Europe’s oldest—create a golden canopy above the tracks.
Small villages with wooden churches appear occasionally among the hills, their onion domes peeking through the colorful foliage.
Ljubljana to Lake Bled, Slovenia
This short but sweet journey takes travelers from Slovenia’s charming capital to its most famous alpine lake. The train passes through agricultural valleys where fall harvests are underway before entering the Julian Alps region.
Lake Bled is magical in fall when the surrounding forests reflect in its waters, doubling the visual impact of the season’s colors.
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Warsaw to Białowieża, Poland
This eastern Polish route leads to Europe’s last primeval forest, home to the continent’s largest bison population. Fall transforms Białowieża into an ancient wonderland of massive oaks, lindens, and hornbeams dressed in russet and gold.
The forest floor becomes a carpet of leaves that have fallen from trees that have witnessed centuries of European history.
Balaton Loop, Hungary
Circling Hungary’s Lake Balaton, this route offers constantly changing perspectives of Central Europe’s largest freshwater lake. The northern shore features volcanic hills covered in vineyards turned golden by fall, while the southern shore presents expansive reed beds and nature reserves.
Sunlight plays across the lake’s surface as the train winds along its 120-mile shoreline.
Sofia to Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Connecting Bulgaria’s capital with its cultural heart, this journey crosses the central Bulgarian plain before entering the Rhodope Mountains. Deciduous forests on the mountain slopes create waves of fall color against the backdrop of distant peaks.
The approach to ancient Plovdiv reveals a city of seven hills, each crowned with trees in their fall splendor.
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Gdańsk to Hel Peninsula, Poland
This northern Polish route runs along a narrow sandy spit into the Baltic Sea. While not known for forests, the unique coastal landscape offers a different fall experience with golden grasses, sea buckthorn with bright orange berries, and the Baltic’s steely blue waters.
Winds sweep the peninsula, creating a dynamic landscape that changes by the hour.
Maribor to Prevalje, Slovenia
This route traverses Slovenia’s wine-growing region in the northeast of the country. Fall brings harvest time when the vineyards on the rolling hills turn gold and crimson.
The train passes through the Drava River valley, where morning mists hover over the colorful landscape, creating an almost magical atmosphere for early departures.
Riga to Sigulda, Latvia
Known as the Switzerland of Latvia, Sigulda lies in the Gauja National Park, just an hour from the capital. The train follows the Gauja River valley, where maple, linden, and oak trees create a spectacular fall display.
Medieval castles and sandstone cliffs punctuate the landscape, offering dramatic contrasts to the colorful canopy of the surrounding forests.
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Minsk to Brest, Belarus
This western Belarusian route passes through the ancient Białowieża Forest and the Pripyat Marshes. Fall brings a special beauty to the wetlands when the grasses turn golden, and morning frost creates a sparkling effect across the landscape.
The approach to Brest reveals the massive 19th-century fortress surrounded by trees in their fall colors.
Tallinn to Tartu, Estonia
Estonia’s main rail line connects its capital with its intellectual center through a landscape of forests, lakes, and bogs. In fall, the extensive wetlands transform into a mosaic of russet, gold, and deep red as cranberry bushes and dwarf birches change color.
The sparse northern forest has a particular translucent quality in fall light that photographers treasure.
Vilnius to Anykščiai, Lithuania
This northern Lithuanian line passes through dense forests and rolling hills. It is famous for its narrow-gauge railway, which winds through landscapes immortalized by Lithuanian poets and writers.
Fall brings a golden light to the countryside as oak and ash trees create tunnels of color over the tracks.
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Lviv to Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
This Galician journey connects two historic cities through the foothills of the Carpathians. The train passes through a landscape of small farms and woodlands where fall brings a patchwork of harvested fields and forests in fall colors.
Village houses with distinctive architecture appear among trees with brilliant foliage, creating postcard-perfect scenes.
Prague to Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
Heading west from the Czech capital, this route enters the Bohemian forest before reaching the famous spa town. The mixed pine, spruce, oak, and maple forests create a varied palette of fall colors.
The train follows river valleys where morning mist often hangs between the hillsides, creating atmospheric views as the journey progresses.
Ruse to Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
Following the Yantra River valley, this route connects Bulgaria’s Danube port with its medieval capital. Limestone gorges and forested hillsides create dramatic scenery that fall enhances with warm colors.
The approach to Veliko Tarnovo is stunning as the city clings to steep hillsides above the river, its historic buildings emerging from forests ablaze with fall colors.
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Fall’s Timeless Passage
Eastern Europe’s rail journeys offer more than just transportation—they provide a window into landscapes shaped by centuries of history, culture, and natural beauty. These routes reveal the region during its most photogenic season when nature puts on a final colorful display before winter.
The experience of watching the world pass by at the civilized pace of a train journey creates memories that last far longer than the journey itself. Perhaps there’s something special about fall rail travel that connects us to place and time, reminding us that beauty is often found in transition.
More from Travel Pug
- 20 Destinations That Were Once Thriving but Are Now Quietly Disappearing
- 13 Destinations Where Tourists Regularly Regret Their Trip
- 20 Once-Popular Beach Towns That Are Now Ghostly Empty
- 10 Under-the-Radar Mountain Towns That Are Both Affordable and Beautiful
- Take a ‘Learning Vacation’ in These 20 Extraordinary Places
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.