Brisbane · Singapore · Milan … Helsinki · Amsterdam
Lyndal's long way round · October to December 2026
This isn't a schedule. For each leg it shows when the trains actually run, the best time of day to leave, and the few trains worth booking ahead. Decide the rest as you go.
Trains at least hourly. Decide over breakfast.
A handful a day. Look the night before.
One or two a day, or limited pass seats. Lock it in once the date is set.
A sample, not a plan. It shows the trip fits comfortably, with slack, and lands you in each Christmas city after its market opens.
Only 3 to 5 direct fast trains a day, the last around mid-afternoon, and a limited number of pass seats. Reserve as soon as the date is set (about €25 to €35 each). If sold out, local trains via Portbou and Cerbère need no reservation.
No direct train. Two departures a day, three trains, about 11 hours. Pick the day and treat it as the day's outing. Or take the 1h15 flight.
One train a day: Krakow 06:13 or Warsaw 08:57, change at Mockava for Vilnius. The Lithuanian leg needs a €5 reservation on ltglink.lt, which opens about 30 days ahead.
One direct train a day until the December timetable change. The fallback is a change at Stuttgart or Karlsruhe.
Nightjet couchettes and sleepers sell out, and pass prices rise as they fill. Book the moment you decide.
Bologna to Valencia on 28 Oct. Helsinki to Amsterdam and home. Not covered by the pass.
Your 06:20 plan works. Going to Alp Grüm and back is smart and you'll see the best of it. If you're feeling good at Alp Grüm, the summit is only about 15 minutes further.
Sit on the left going up from Tirano for the Brusio spiral viaduct and Lago Bianco. Sit on the right coming down.
Best window. The 06:20 from Milano Centrale arrives Tirano about 08:50.
Trenord regional trains are fully on the pass. No reservation, no fee.
SourceBest window. Take the 09:41, not the 08:58. The 08:58 leaves only about 8 minutes after you arrive from Milan. The 09:41 gives you a relaxed 50 minutes.
Use the ordinary red regional trains, not the Bernina Express. Same line and views, windows that open, no CHF 32 to 44 panorama fee.
SourceBest window. Leave Tirano between 16:00 and 18:00 to be back in Milan by about 18:30 to 20:30. The last train is 20:08, arriving about 22:40.
Back in Tirano with time to spare? The café by the station watches the red train run down the main street.
SourceBest window. Any direct Regionale Veloce between 14:00 and 16:00. You'll be in Modena by late afternoon.
Skip the Frecciarossa. It means a change at Bologna and a €13 reservation for no real time saved. Italo isn't on the pass.
SourceBest window. Ryanair flies Bologna to Valencia at 09:35 on Wed 28 Oct. Leave Modena 06:00 to 06:30.
Florence has no Wednesday flight to Valencia and Milan means backtracking. Bologna is the one.
SourceBoth loops end in Barcelona. The Barcelona to Montpellier train is the one to reserve early.
Best window. Anything mid-morning. Plenty of choice all day.
Choose Renfe AVE. Ouigo and Avlo trains on the same line are not on the pass.
SourceBest window. Whenever suits. Córdoba to Seville is only 45 minutes, so it's easy to do both.
Granada is the exception: only about three direct trains a day from Madrid (3h05). Check the evening before.
SourceBest window. Madrid Chamartín 08:30 (arrives Lisbon about 19:45) or Atocha 10:55 (arrives about 22:25). The 08:30 is the kinder choice. Coming back, Lisbon has departures at 08:00 and 12:30.
The overnight sleeper ended in 2020 and isn't coming back. The middle leg is a single 1950s-style railcar through the Alentejo, part of the charm. Or fly in 1h15.
SourceBest window. Any Alfa Pendular or Intercidades from mid-morning.
Until 1 Nov, engineering works put a bus between Aveiro and Porto. After 1 Nov you are clear.
SourceBest window. Short flight. The all-rail way back is the 11-hour Lisbon to Madrid day again, then Madrid to Barcelona.
Don't go back via Vigo. Buses replace the train on the Spanish side until April 2027.
SourceBest window. Mid-morning or early afternoon. Avoid 07:00 to 10:00 and 16:30 to 19:30 when pass seats go first.
Iryo trains also take the pass (with a fee). Ouigo does not.
SourceBest window. Morning. The last direct train leaves Barcelona around 16:30.
If the fast trains are full: local train to Portbou, walk across to Cerbère, French TER to Montpellier. No reservations, all on the pass.
SourceMarkets open in this order: Vienna 13 Nov, Budapest mid-Nov, Salzburg 19 Nov, then Prague on 28 Nov. So Budapest, then Vienna, then Prague lines up nicely. Use spare days on Bratislava, Salzburg or Brno.
Best window. Leave 08:00 to 10:00. You arrive at Gare de Lyon early afternoon with time to cross to Gare de l'Est for tomorrow.
TGV pass seats are rationed. Reserve once you know the day.
SourceBest window. There is one direct train, usually early morning. Otherwise change at Stuttgart or Karlsruhe.
Munich's own Christmas market opens 20 Nov, a bit late for this route.
SourceBest window. Leave mid-morning and arrive in the evening. Or take the 23:35 night train and wake up in Budapest.
Both go through Vienna. You could stop there first and do Budapest after.
SourceBest window. Day 1: Montpellier to Zurich, stay the night. Day 2: explore Zurich, board the 21:40 Nightjet, arrive Budapest Keleti about 09:30.
The Paris to Vienna sleeper ended in December 2025. Zurich is now the best way to get a night train into Central Europe.
SourceBest window. Around 10:00 to 11:00 for a midday arrival and the afternoon free.
RegioJet also runs this route but needs its own ticket. Stick to the ÖBB and MÁV railjets.
SourceBest window. Any morning. Salzburg's market opens 19 Nov, so a night there works well.
These are the ideal way to use spare days before Prague's market opens on 28 Nov.
SourceBest window. A mid-morning railjet arrives Prague early afternoon.
Brno is on the way and worth a night if you have days to fill.
SourceIn December, go north in the morning. Every leg here has a good early train that arrives before the 15:15 sunset. The only train with no backup is Kraków to Vilnius, which runs once a day, so leave a spare day around it.
Best window. The 10:08 'Cracovia' arrives 16:41. The 06:08 'Silesia' arrives 12:10 if you're early risers. The 22:16 sleeper arrives 07:25.
Krakow's market on the Main Square opens 27 Nov.
SourceBest window. Krakow 06:13, or Warsaw 08:57 if you stop in Warsaw. The Warsaw 14:57 gets to Vilnius near midnight.
This is the one train with no backup. Book the LTG Link reservation as soon as it opens, about 30 days out.
SourceBest window. 06:55, arriving Riga 11:33 with the afternoon for Dome Square.
On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays this train carries on to Tallinn.
SourceBest window. The 07:30 reaches Tallinn at 13:18, in daylight. The 11:45 gets in after dark.
To be fair to the bus: the coach takes 4.5 hours with no change. The train works fine and is more comfortable.
SourceBest window. A morning or midday sailing puts you into Helsinki before dark.
Book direct on tallink.com with the EURAIL code rather than through a ferry website.
SourceBest window. Pick the flight that fits your Amsterdam to Singapore connection. Finnair ~08:10 and ~16:40, KLM ~13:55.
The airport train from Helsinki Central runs every 10 to 20 minutes and takes about 30 minutes.
SourceColoured bars show when each market is open. The dark marker shows when the sample plan has you in town. Munich isn't open yet on Route A, but Tallinn, Helsinki, Vienna and Salzburg are.
Regional trains everywhere: Trenord, the red Bernina trains, Italian Regionale, Czech and Austrian railjets (reservation optional), Estonian Elron.
Frecciarossa €13 · Spanish AVE ~€10 · Portuguese Alfa Pendular small fee · French TGV €10 to €20 · Spain to France €25 to €35 · Baltic LTG Link €5 · night trains vary.
Italo, Ouigo, Avlo, Bologna's Marconi Express monorail, Helsinki airport train, all flights. Ferries get a discount only.
The Rail Planner app or eurail.com, or a station ticket counter. Station counters in Spain and Italy are quick and friendly.
Italy's rail strikes are usually announced only about 10 days ahead. Check the scioperi page the week before each Italian travel day. Europe's timetables change on Sun 13 Dec 2026, after you've left.