We\u2019re nearing the end of a week-long rail holiday<\/a>, standing in an immaculately restored bar car, with a grand piano and a very talented musician taking requests.<\/p>\n Moments before the train manager\u2019s unwelcome intervention, the carriage was alive with the sounds of \u201cSweet Caroline\u201d, \u201cMy Way\u201d and \u201cYellow Submarine\u201d, with even the barman joining in.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n Over the course of the Harz Mountain Belle tour<\/a>, this express steam locomotive has transported us 900 miles across Germany, eschewing the likes of Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt for lesser-visited destinations such as Nuremberg, Dresden and the Harz mountains, from which the tour takes its name.<\/p>\n The trip is organised by new player in the market, Belle Trains, whose founder, Marcus Robertson, made his name with Steam Dreams<\/a>, a company specialising in UK steam train tours in historic carriages.<\/p>\n After leaving the company, he decided to replicate his success abroad with this new venture.<\/p>\n For a rail enthusiast like me, the real highlight of the trip was spending entire days with my head out of the window, listening to the roar of the DRB Class 01.10 steam locomotive.<\/p>\n For others it was exploring the underrated city of Dresden, or a visit to the summit of the Brocken, Germany\u2019s tallest mountain<\/a>, which was a strategic centre of listening stations and surveillance posts during the Cold War.<\/p>\n I was in the three-star class, priced at around \u00a33,000, which entitled me to a seat in a restored 1960s compartment with windows that opened.<\/p>\n Meals weren\u2019t included in the overall cost, but could be ordered, coming freshly cooked \u2013 and reasonably priced.<\/p>\n The \u00a34,000 four-star class was in 1960s panoramic carriages, while those happy to splash out \u00a35,600 travelled in wonderfully restored Belle Epoque-style Swiss Prestige Continental Express carriages, fitted with wood panelling, lamps and aircon \u2013 as well as the piano bar. <\/p>\n Nights were spent in well-located three-star hotels, including the Altora Hotel in Wernigerode<\/a>, where a model railway served drinks in the bar.<\/p>\n The train would set off again in the late morning, allowing for a leisurely hotel breakfast, and we\u2019d generally reach the next accommodation by the late evening.<\/p>\n During the day there were photo stops \u2013 some involving the train passing us <\/a>on a platform and reversing to pick us up again \u2013 as well as sightseeing trips. <\/p>\n When we were \u201coff-train\u201d, the rails were rarely far away.<\/p>\n Excursion options included trips to two narrow-gauge lines in the Dresden area and the opportunity to ride around the 90 mile network of the Harz Railway.<\/p>\n But there were a wide range of alternatives, including castle visits, walking tours and a trip aboard a paddle steamer.<\/p>\n We enjoyed a whirlwind three hours<\/a> in Leipzig, and I spent a lovely afternoon wandering along Nuremberg\u2019s rivers in sunshine.<\/p>\n Our time in Dresden<\/a>, meanwhile, coincided with an outdoor jazz and food festival, which brought a lively mood to the city\u2019s cobbled streets and squares.<\/p>\n I also took part in an early-morning rail charter to the summit of the Brocken, which would have provided spectacular views, had the weather been on our side.<\/p>\n Of my 140 fellow passengers on the Harz Mountain Belle<\/a>, around 60 were American, including Kimberly Coughlan. She\u2019d travelled from Wisconsin with three family members to join the tour.<\/p>\n \u201cLanding in a country that is so much older than our country has much more of a story \u2013 the buildings are so attractive.<\/p>\n \u201cTravelling by steam is amazing \u2013 the sounds and smells and getting to see the run-pasts has been awesome,\u201d she told me.<\/p>\n Other passengers seemed equally thrilled. Fergus McDonald and Norman Foster, both from Dublin and in their 80s, told me on the final day: \u201cWe\u2019ve had a fantastic time, and it was more than what we expected. There\u2019s a tremendous mix of people who are friendly and happy to talk to one another.\u201d\u202f<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re getting an awful lot of people saying they\u2019re coming again; many are saying they\u2019ll bring friends,\u201d said Robertson after the trip.<\/p>\n The first tour has been such a success he\u2019s already planned next year\u2019s: a journey around the Austrian Alps with stays in Innsbruck<\/a> and Salzburg<\/a>.<\/p>\n With the trip\u2019s compelling combination of stunning scenery and stylish surroundings plus its friendly ambiance \u2013 not to mention the draw for steam enthusiasts \u2013 it\u2019s no surprise so many people want to return. Or simply don\u2019t want to leave.<\/p>\n \nGetting there<\/p>\n The writer travelled with Eurostar. UK-Germany connections include Dusseldorf, Dortmund and Cologne, with a change in Brussels. eurostar.com<\/a><\/p>\n Booking it<\/p>\n The writer was a guest of Belle Trains. The next trip is the Alpine Belle, from Cologne to Lindau, 4-12 June 2026. From \u00a32,995pp, including hotels and breakfasts, belletrains.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n More information<\/p>\n![\"Harz](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEI_256086399.jpg\")
The train\u2019s elaborate interiors (Photo: Belle Trains)<\/p>\n![\"default](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEI_256086322.jpg\")
It is a special way to see Germany\u2019s lesser-known landscapes (Photo: Belle Trains)<\/p>\n![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEI_256093509.jpg\")
Medieval buildings on Pegnitz river bank in Old town Nuremberg (Photo: Aliaksandr Antanovich\/Getty\/ iStockphoto)<\/p>\n![\"Dresden,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEI_256124957.jpg\")
The Frauenkirche cathedral in Dresden (Photo: Nikada\/Getty\/iStock Unreleased)<\/p>\n