2021 Rail Tour of Imperial Europe

Autumn 2021. In theory we could travel to other continents, but destinations we had in mind such as Japan or the United Kingdom were impossible to plan ahead. Instead we organised a rail trip to Eastern Europe, travelling to Berlin, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Karlovy Vary, Pilsen, Bratislava, Poprad, Vienna, Linz and Salzburg. By travelling to Germany, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Austria, we explore an area which was in the (not too distant) past bonded together by the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and by Austria-Hungary.

Three weeks, some twenty-six trains, nine train operators, nine hotels and host cities. Many, many rail kilometers, countless meals and way too many desserts. This sums up our 2021 Rail Tour of Imperial Europe. In a transition year from COVID-19 lockdowns to more pragmatic coronavirus countermeasures.

In 63 blogpost, we tell the tale of an epic tour of parts of Europe which were at one point in the Second German Empire (1871-1918) or part of Austria-Hungary (1867-1918).

  1. POTSDAM 2021 | Schloss Sanssouci.
  2. 1945 Potsdam Conference’s Cecilienhof Palace.
  3. Potsdam 2021.
  4. REVIEW | InterContinental Berlin.
  5. BERLIN 2021 | Pergamon, ‘Das Panorama’.
  6. BERLIN 2021 | Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace.
  7. BERLIN 2021 | The Bundestag in the Reichstag.
  8. Berlin 2021.
  9. By train from Berlin to Gdansk via Szczecin.
  10. Stopover in Szczecin.
  11. REVIEW | Restauracja Ritz in Gdańsk.
  12. REVIEW | Holiday Inn Gdansk.
  13. GDAŃSK | Museum of the Second World War.
  14. GDAŃSK | European Solidarity Centre or Europejskie Centrum Solidarności.
  15. A walk through Gdańsk.
  16. Gdańsk 2021.
  17. POLAND | PKP Intercity Gdansk to Wroclaw via Warsaw.
  18. Wrocław Museum of Architecture.
  19. The Dwarfs of Wrocław.
  20. Wrocław.
  21. Poland 2021.
  22. By train from Wroclaw to Karlovy Vary.
  23. Karlovy Vary.
  24. REVIEW | Hotel Imperial Karlovy Vary.
  25. Czechia’s Great Spa Town of Europe Františkovy Lázně.
  26. CZECHIA | Pilsen Historical Underground Tunnels.
  27. CZECHIA | Pilsner Urquell Brewery Tour.
  28. CZECHIA | Pilsen.
  29. CZECHIA 2021 | Cheb and its castle.
  30. Hotel room for one.
  31. By train from Karlovy Vary to Prague via Pilsen.
  32. Czechia 2021.
  33. RegioJet from Prague to Bratislava.
  34. Bratislava Castle.
  35. REVIEW | Crowne Plaza Bratislava.
  36. Bratislava on a rainy Monday.
  37. ZSSK Fast Train Tatran from Bratislava to Strba.
  38. The Tatra rack and electric Railway from Strba via Strbske Pleso to Poprad tatry.
  39. SLOVAKIA | AquaCity Poprad.
  40. REVIEW | Hotel Seasons AquaCity Poprad.
  41. Slovakia 2021.
  42. Poprad – Bratislava – Vienna with ZSSK’s intercity train.
  43. VIENNA | Restaurant Steirereck.
  44. REVIEW | InterContinental Wien.
  45. VIENNA | Luxury Sisi’s in Schönbrunn Palace.
  46. The Hofburg in Vienna.
  47. Vienna’s Furniture Museum.
  48. Vienna 2021.
  49. Pöstlingberg & Grottenbahn in Linz.
  50. REVIEW | Motel One Linz.
  51. Linz.
  52. AUSTRIA | ÖBB RailJet from Linz to Salzburg.
  53. BAVARIA | Lokwelt – Locomotive World in Freilassing.
  54. REVIEW | Hotel Sacher Salzburg.
  55. SALZBURG | Mirabell Palace and the Mozart Residence.
  56. SALZBURG | Hohensalzburg Fortress.
  57. Salzburg Cathedral + Salzburg Residenz = DomQuartier museums.
  58. SALZBURG | Formula 1 cars and the Flying Bulls at Red Bull’s Hangar-7.
  59. AUSTRIA | Salzburg 2021.
  60. Austria 2021.
  61. Salzburg – Frankfurt by DB Intercity.
  62. RAIL TOUR OF EUROPE | How easy is touring Europe by train? .
  63. RAIL TOUR OF EUROPE | Berlin, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Karlovy Vary, Pilsen, Bratislava, Poprad, Vienna, Linz and Salzburg.