Belgrade, Serbia
3. Belgrade-to-Bar Railway, Serbia and Montenegro
Route: Belgrade to Bar
Best bit: Levitating atop the 499m-long (1637ft), 198m-tall (650ft) Mala Rijeka Viaduct, one of the planet’s highest railway bridges, before the train glides over the Balkans’ largest lake, Skadar
Distance: 476km (296 miles)
Duration: 12 hours
Dramatic is the operative word for this route, which rumbles over an unsullied, mountainous landscape from Serbia's capital, Belgrade, to Montenegro’s Adriatic Coast. During the 12-hour journey, the train disappears into the Dinaric Alps, charges through canyons, teeters on stilted bridges spanning river gorges and skims atop an ancient, tectonic lake.
Like the region it serves, the railway, which chugs across the heart of the Western Balkans, eludes most tourists’ maps. The reward for treasure-hunting travelers, who are informed (or lucky) enough to know where to dig: an embarrassment of authentic culture and pristine geographic riches at every bend.
Nova Gorica, Slovenia
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8. Nova Gorica to Jesenice, Slovenia
Route: Nova Gorica to Jesenice
Best bit: Catching a glimpse of picture-perfect Lake Bled’s church, castle and bright-blue water
Distance: 89km (55 miles)
Duration: 2 hours
Here is a near-perfect railway adventure that most people have never heard of. Then again, you could be forgiven for missing it. The Bohinj Railway, after all, connects two places whose significance can be lost to modern travelers. Europe’s shifting borders and politics may have rather marooned the Nova Gorica–Jesenice line, but that only adds to the appeal.
An unassuming regional train rattling out of a faded-grandeur halt on the Italy–Slovenia border doesn’t even hint at what’s to come. The journey is a spectacular tour of Slovenia’s upland highlights, climbing through mountain towns and villages along the Soča River, passing through superb Alpine scenery close to Lake Bohinj, and past world-famous Lake Bled, offering photo opportunities galore.