Celebrating 50 Years of Rail Holidays

Rail Tour specialist Ffestiniog Travel will mark its milestone 50th anniversary year in October with a special celebratory tour to Switzerland – the destination of its very first escorted tour in 1974 – complete with the original tour leaders!

The company's founder Alan Heywood established the rail tour company while working as Traffic and Commercial Manager at the Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales. Through conversations with visitors to the heritage railway he realised there was a strong interest to travel further afield by train and experience scenic rail journeys around Europe.

In October 1974 Alan, now 83 years old, escorted his very first overseas tour to Switzerland, a destination he knew would appeal to those who enjoyed the railways of the Welsh Highlands! Such was the interest that a second tour had to be laid on to accommodate over 70 travellers!

Fifty years on and history could repeat itself with the October 2024 celebratory tour fully booked! Alan, who is now a Ffestiniog Travel Board Director and still an active tour leader, will escort travellers on the Swiss celebratory tour alongside fellow original tour leader Liz Turner.

He comments: “We felt it was fitting to return to the place where it all began. Switzerland continues to be one of our most popular rail holiday destinations as it’s amazing railways, that travel through stunning Alpine scenery, never disappoint. I feel very fortunate and privileged to have been able to share my passion for rail travel with thousands of travellers who have joined me on so many wonderful train journeys around the world since 1974.”

Ffestiniog Travel is now a separate company from the Ffestiniog Railway (FR), but it is still owned by the Ffestiniog Railway Trust and has remained loyal to its roots, with profits donated to the Trust for preservation work on the FR which now includes the Welsh Highland Railway too. To date Ffestiniog Travel has donated over £1 million to help finance new carriages, a locomotive and various infrastructure projects.

Alan added; “Ffestiniog Travel, still a small independent tour operator, was one of the first UK rail holiday companies and has remained true to its specialism, creating quality rail holidays, for 50 years. Nowadays our destinations are worldwide and we embrace tailor made individual customers and private groups as well as our traditional escorted rail holidays.

“What we are also proud of is our commitment to promoting rail travel and supporting heritage railways around the world, from financial support to the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways to escorting travellers to the many vintage, steam and narrow gauge lines around the world that continue to provide inspiration for our rail holidays.”

The company continues to create new and interesting tours with 8 new escorted rail holidays departing in 2025 alongside regular favourites. Alan shares his top picks of new tours for the year ahead:

UK

Shetland & Orkney – Wildlife & History – Departs 27 May 2025 – 15 days from £3,475pp

A comprehensive tour of these beautiful islands, alive with wildlife and steeped in history, starting in Glasgow and ending in Edinburgh. Enjoy stays in Aberdeen and Inverness and steaming along on the Keith & Dufftown and Strathspey Railways.

North East England – Stockton & Darlington Railway Bicentenary – Departs 22 September 2025 – 8 days from £1,945pp

A week’s holiday exploring the railways of the North East, with some steam content and incorporating the events surrounding the bicentenary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. We travel to Leeds and Bishops Auckland during the Bicentenary celebrations and visit the Middleton, Tanfield and Keighley & Worth Valley Railways and tour the National Railway Museum in York and Locomotion Museum in Shildon, plus a highlight full length journey on the Stockton & Darlington Railway.

Europe

Portuguese Cities, Trains & Douro Valley – Departs 14 June 2025 – 10 days from £2,895pp

A 10-day holiday exploring Portuguese cities, riding trains and visiting the Douro Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. An opportunity to enjoy the colourful trams of Lisbon and Porto, the picturesque coastal city of Sintra, a Port tasting in Porto as well as visits to several museums.

The French Riviera & More – Departs 12 September 2025 – 10 days from £2,250pp

Join us for an early autumnal tour of the South of France. Includes journeys on the Train des Pignes, Les Trains des Merveilles and Les Petit Train de Jaune with stays in the historical cities of Nice and Perpignan and a visit to the medieval walled city of Carcassone, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Austrian Tyrol & More – Departs 14 June 2025 – 14 days from £3,150pp

An exciting trip with stays in Innsbruck, Salzburg, and Vienna plus journeys on the Semmering line, Zillertalbahn and Achenseebahn. Enjoy a day trip to Bratislava and, whilst in Innsbruck we take the train across the border to Garmisch-Partenkirchen to climb the Zugspitze by rack railway.

Trams of Hungary, Czechia & Slovakia – Departs 29 April 2025 – 15 days from £2,395pp

Budapest, Bratislava, Brno and Prague are home to hundreds of kilometres of tram lines as well as plenty of cultural sights. This 15-day tour of Central Europe provides an excellent opportunity to cover as many as possible.

Small & Traditional Tour Range

Highlights of Bosnia Herzegovina – Departs 14 May 2025 – 8 days from £2,550pp

Sarajevo and Mostar plus Konjic, the beautiful Kravica Waterfalls, Blagaj and Jablanica boat cruise. Rail journeys include the stunning Šargan Eight narrow gauge railway with its hairpins and tunnels across the border in Serbia plus the very scenic Mostar to Sarajevo line.

The Italian Dolomites – Departs 1 October 2025 – 8 days from £3,765pp

Amazing alpine scenery, lush vineyards and apple orchards combine to offer a unique rural experience in Italy’s Süd Tirol region. Rail highlights are the scenic narrow gauge line from Trento to Mezzana, the line from Bolzano to Merano and Malles near the Swiss border and the unusual Ritten tramway high above Bolzano.

Worldwide Tours

The Very Best of New Zealand – Departs 22 February 2025 – 24 days from £8,400pp

A fabulous 24-day tour that covers highlights of both North and South Islands of New Zealand including spectacular rail journeys, scenic sailings and the unique opportunity to self-drive a RailCruiser! Truly a trip of a lifetime, enhanced by stopovers in Singapore to break up the travel.

Japan – Steam, Volcanoes & Bullet Trains – Departs 17 September 2025 – 20 days from £7,650pp

An exhilarating tour that combines vintage steam with modern iconic bullet train journeys that travel through breathtaking scenery. Immerse yourself in Japanese culture with sightseeing tours in Tokyo, Beppu, Kagoshima, Nagasaki and Kyoto plus a stay in a traditional Japanese Onsen.