Murders, spectres and smugglers: Here are 5 spooky train journeys in Europe

Railways have it all: abandoned stations; the screeching of rusty tracks; the shadowy corners of a vintage rail car. - Copyright Derek Story

By Rebecca Ann Hughes

Published on 19/10/2023 - 11:41•Updated 11:56

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The only thing that’s not scary is the carbon emissions you’ll save from not flying.

As spooky season looms, one mode of transport comes into its own.

Train travel has long been a popular motif in nail-biting detective films, jump-scare thrillers and to ferry witches and wizards to school.

Railways have it all: abandoned stations; the screeching of rusty tracks; the shadowy corners of a vintage rail car.

To get in the mood for Halloween, flight-free holiday company Byway has put together some of the most spine-chilling train journeys to take in Europe - if you dare.

Murder on the Orient Express

They may ooze opulence, but the restored 1920s carriages of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express can’t help but carry associations of mystery.

The name Orient Express conjures up scenes of snowed-in rail cars as detective Poirot prowls the corridors in search of a murderer in Agatha Christie’s thriller.

Whodunnits are now rigorously avoided on the luxury service, but if you bring a crime novel to read you’ll find the velvet-enveloped cabins and low lighting make for an enigmatic setting.

A steam train up the Brocken

For a journey steeped in spooky legends, follow German poet Goethe's tracks up the Brocken mountain, the highest peak in northern Germany.

You can ascend the slopes by steam train to where Goethe set the scene of his character Faust’s devilish immortalisation.

Shrouded in mist for up to 300 days a year, the area is haunted by the 'Brocken spectre' - an ethereal mirage of an enormous creature caused by low sun - which has inspired German myth and folklore.

Across the viaduct to Hogwarts

One of the most scenic train journeys in the world became yet more legendary when it made an appearance in the famed Harry Potter films.

You can ride the real-life steam-powered Hogwarts Express through Scotland’s remote mountain landscapes and across the 21-arch Glenfinnan viaduct.

It is quite literally a magical journey, just keep your fingers crossed for no dementor appearances.

A nighttime journey to Penzance

The Cornish coast of England is shrouded in terrifying tales of shipwrecks and smugglers.

Under the cover of darkness, you can journey on the Night Riviera sleeper train from London Paddington to Penzance, a historic port town in West Cornwall.

After a night dreaming of sailors’ hair-raising stories, you can trace the trails of smugglers' paths, revel in pirate legends and warm up with spiced rum in age-old taverns.