Introducing Great Trains of Europe Tours
How did the Great Trains of Europe Tours begin?
In 1977 I was a beginning teacher of History at a grammar school on the Gold Coast. One day half the class were missing: they were on a Geography excursion. “Why can’t we have a History excursion, sir?” one student asked. “OK,” I replied, “let’s go to Europe.”
We were studying the Causes of the First World War at the time. At the end of the lesson, two boys asked, “Did you mean that, Sir, about an excursion to Europe?” I had travelled Europe as a student and undertaken some post graduate study there, so why not?
For the next thirty years in five schools as History teacher and School Principal, the European (magical) History Tour was feature of our lives.
I retired and licensed my own travel agency and tour operator business “Great Trains of Europe Tours” and so continue my lifelong passion for Europe, her history and culture, and her great trains.
If you think that there has to be a better way to see Europe than from the inside of a tourist coach hurtling down the motorway, lunching at motorway cafes, and making whistlestop overnights in plastic “look alike” motels, then we invite you to join us on a rail tour by the Great Trains of Europe Tours.
We are a boutique Australian-based tour company specialising in historical / cultural tours of Europe, travelling on Europe's great trains.
We offer only a limited number of tours each year, all personally led by the company owner / manager, Mr Stan Klan of Toowoomba, who has more than 35 years’ experience as an historian / tour guide. Travel Agent enquiries welcome.
We also offer Independent Touring - Depart Any Day or can also tailor Individual Tour Itineraries especially for you!
We accecpt online credit card payments via TravelPay ›
Great Trains - Travel on Europe’s Great Trains:
On the Great Trains of Europe Tours, we travel in reserved First Class seats (except on second class only local trains) and take the most scenic routes. No 12 hour days on the motorway!
Europe's trains are the finest in the world - from the High Speed French TGV streaking crossing the continent at 320kph to quaint Swiss mountain trains.
Travelling by train permits you to meet locals, to stroll down to the restaurant car and bar, or simply to take in the ever changing scenery - European vineyards, alps and lakes.
Trains featured on tours include great “name trains” such as the English Channel Eurostar, the French TGV, the German ICE, the Eurostar Italia, the Britrail 125, and the Cisalpino, as well as scenic trains such as Switzerland’s Glacier Express and Jungfraubahn, and the historic North Yorkshire Moors Steam Railway and the Carlisle to Settle train through the Yorkshire Moors and Dales in England.
Leisurely Pace - 3 nights minimum stops:
Travellers quickly tire of relentlessly packing up every morning to move on to a new town, just to unpack again for another night. On the Great Trains of Europe Tours, every stop is at least 3 nights, giving you time to unpack, to get your bearings and to start feeling like a local. You don't feel that you are “living out of a suitcase.”
Quality Central Hotels:
Were you ever on a tour where your accommodation was a motel on the motorway outside Venice or Amsterdam? Do you remember dining in the hotel coffee shop because it was just too much hassle working out the buses and trams to get you into town? You might just as well have been in Dubbo or Rockhampton.
On the Great Trains of Europe Tours we use centrally located First Class hotels, offering buffet breakfasts. They are all in walking distance of the main sights, or close by an underground station. Hotel star ratings vary from tour to tour, but are clearly described in the “Included” panel for each tour.
Group Size:
The maximum number of participants on each tour is limited to 25 guests. This makes the groups small enough to avoid the “herd mentality”, yet big enough to offer a variety of new friends.
Full luggage handling provided:
Some people have tried rail travel but have found loading and unloading of their luggage a major problem, particularly when making a tight connection. No problems on the Great Trains of Europe Tours. Your luggage is collected from your hotel room on departure morning and is transferred on ahead to await your arrival in your new city. Because of Customs regulations on the English Channel Eurostar, we must travel with our own luggage. Acting on local security advice in Russia and the Balkans, we travel with our luggage.
Tipping / Porterage:
No need to keep dipping into your pocket for tips and no embarrassment at not knowing how much to tip. All tips are prepaid. Porterage on one suitcase per person is included on arrival and departure at all hotels.
The European Experience
Continue reading about how to capture something of the European Experience › in a Great Trains of Europe Tour.
How did the Great Trains of Europe Tours begin?
In 1977 I was a beginning teacher of History at a grammar school on the Gold Coast. One day half the class were missing: they were on a Geography excursion. “Why can’t we have a History excursion, sir?” one student asked. “OK,” I replied, “let’s go to Europe.”
We were studying the Causes of the First World War at the time. At the end of the lesson, two boys asked, “Did you mean that, Sir, about an excursion to Europe?” I had travelled Europe as a student and undertaken some post graduate study there, so why not?
For the next thirty years in five schools as History teacher and School Principal, the European (magical) History Tour was feature of our lives.
I retired and licensed my own travel agency and tour operator business “Great Trains of Europe Tours” and so continue my lifelong passion for Europe, her history and culture, and her great trains.
Great Trains of Europe Tours:
ABN: 75 325 010 987
IATA/TIDS #96 83611 0
A member of the Concorde Independent Agents Network
Gay Friendly tours.