One of the world's most thrilling vintage steam train rides, it takes an hour and 40 minutes to reach Brocken's summit, which, at 3,743 feet, is the Harz mountain's tallest peak and home to Brockenbahnhof, Germany's highest narrow gauge railway station.
Slowly chuffing along, you'll have plenty of time to admire the snow-capped mountain scenery complete with fairytale forests, streams and medieval villages. The summit is also famously known as the centre for witches revelry in Goethe's Faust. It's a unique steam-hauled journey which promises to be the highlight of this new five-day self-guided tour of a beautiful and unspoilt part of Germany.
With dates available in September this year as well as in May, June and July 2021, this is the perfect European break to look forward to. You'll be based for the first three nights in the charming town of Wernigerode, which boasts one of Germany's most romantic hilltop castles, the beautifully baroque Wernigerode Castle. You'll also have plenty of time to enjoy the surrounding area as well as spend a day and night in Hanover, thought to be one of Germany's most underrated cities.
Fly from UK to Hanover and then take the train to the beautiful town of Wernigerode where you will check-in to your three-star hotel for three nights.
Ride this unique narrow gauge railway, which has three
interconnecting lines extending just over 140 kilometres and
serving 48 stations, which criss-cross the former border between
Germany's East and West.
It's Europe's longest railway network with a daily steam operation
and there are more than 400 bridges with steep gradients and
countless tight bends around the narrow valleys, as well as
panoramic views from Brocken mountain's peak.
You will have plenty of time to go walking in the beautiful Harz Mountains National Park and visit fascinating former East German villages such as Quedlinburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as Wernigerode itself and its stunning hilltop castle.
Take the train to Hanover where you will check-in to your four-star hotel for a night. Explore the capital of Lower Saxony with its stunning New Town Hall, which amazingly survived the Second World War when 96 per cent of Hanover was destroyed. There's also plenty of metre-long sausages, lovely shops and lively beer gardens to enjoy.
Enjoy a final breakfast before flying home to the UK from Hanover.
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