$6600 v $127: How to travel Europe’s spectacular train routes on the cheap

No other continent is as spider-webbed by train lines as Europe, nor offers such a variety of tourist trains, which meander through splendid landscapes, haul you onto mountain summits, or waft you in luxury between glamorous cities.

But while special tourist trains are the subject of plenty of marketing hype, they’re far from cheap. The Orient-Express takes you from Paris to Venice for $6600, but you can make the same rail journey in a sleeper, with one change in Milan, for about €80 ($127).

You won’t get the luxe or meals of the Orient-Express, but $6600 will buy you a whole week of very posh hotel rooms and dinners, instead of a single night.

One of Europe’s most popular tourist trains takes you atop the Jungfrau in central Switzerland and costs CHF 119.40 ($194). But if you’re feeling frisky, you can enjoy the most scenic parts of the ride for free.

The all-day return hike from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg takes you beneath the north face of the Eiger amid a panorama of other snowy summits and meadows in which cows clank their bells.

You miss out on Jungfrau summit views but get a far more enjoyable experience of the Alps away from the confines of a train which, from Kleine Scheidegg onwards, anyway runs through a tunnel.

Another thing to consider is a lower-priced alternative. The train ride up Mount Rigi near Lucerne costs CHF 78 ($126), or nothing if you already have a Swiss rail pass. It offers fabulous views without the tourist crowds or distractions – such as a Lindt shop and ice palace – that confront you on the Jungfrau.

You don’t have to take a tourist train at all. Of course, there are places you can’t access on regular trains, such as the summit of Snowdon in Wales or Schafberg in Austria, but regular trains have their compensations.

You’re more likely to encounter locals, and you don’t have to reserve weeks in advance. Trains are less crowded, so you can swap seats as scenery unfurls on either side.