There’s something special about travelling by train during the Christmas season. Besides not sitting in traffic jams due to the snow on the ground, it’s quiet, it’s slow in the best possible way, and it gives you time to sink into the feeling of winter instead of rushing through it. My journey began in Switzerland, boarding a train heading north – not knowing exactly what the next days would feel like, only that I wanted the experience, not the schedule, to guide me.
As the train rolled through the countryside, landscapes shifted gently. Snow-coated fields appeared, small villages passed by with warm lights glowing behind windows, and bare trees stood quietly against the soft winter sky. The world outside the window changed in a way that felt like a slow and peaceful introduction to the Christmas season.
That’s the beauty of travelling by train:
you don’t chase the moments – they simply arrive.
Arriving in the Heart of Southern Germany
My first stop was a large Christmas market city – the kind with wide squares, decorated stalls, and a warm glow draped over the streets. It was a place where the sound of choirs, the smell of roasted nuts, and the sparkle of Christmas lights invited me straight into the season.
A day later, another train brought me to a different kind of market – this time a historic one, famous for its traditions and for the way the entire old town transforms into a Christmas postcard. I wandered through wooden stalls, listened to soft music, and let myself get lost among people from all over the world. It didn’t matter where exactly I was; the feeling stayed the same: warm, familiar, comforting.
Further along, another town welcomed me with a more romantic mood – narrow streets, a castle on a hill above the market, lights reflecting on the river. Again, it wasn’t about the location itself, but the atmosphere that wrapped around everything.
The Journey Between the Markets
What made this trip unforgettable wasn’t just visiting different Christmas markets — it was the travelling in between.
There is a kind of magic in:
- watching small snowflakes drift across wide fields
- seeing chimneys breathe into the cold morning air
- hearing the gentle rhythm of the train while holding a warm drink
- stepping off into a completely new atmosphere every time the doors open
Each train ride became a moment of reflection, a quiet pause between the lights and the sounds of the markets. It felt like the perfect way to experience the season – not rushing, not driving, not navigating – just being carried through winter.
