Snow, Ice and Steam in the Balkans

This new tour gives customers the opportunity to travel through some of the most scenic and mountainous areas of Bulgaria and Northern Greece.

We expect there to be a reasonable amount of snow in Bulgaria particularly in the Bansko area, terminus of the narrow gauge train from Septemvri.

Saturday 5th March

Sofia

Our flight with British Airways takes us direct from London Heathrow departing approximately 08:00 to Sofia arriving about 13:00, where we check into our 4-star hotel. In the afternoon, we have arranged a city tour and a tram ride.
Dinner is at our hotel. (D)

Sunday 6th March

Steam train in Velingrad

We depart Sofia hauled by steam locomotive 2-8-2 (01.23) and head for Septemvri. A light lunch will be served in the restaurant car on the train. At Septemvri we transfer to our special narrow gauge train hauled by a very large tank (class 609.76 2-10-4). Our climb into the mountains takes us through dramatic gorges with fast flowing rivers, before arriving at Velingrad, a winter sports resort high in the mountains.
On arrival we transfer to the Hotel Velingrad for dinner and overnight accommodation (B L D) 

Monday 7th March

To Dobrinishte

We rejoin our steam hauled train at Velingrad station. On departure No. 609.76 will be working hard as we climb through the magnificent scenery of the snow covered Rila Mountains. Along the way you’ll pass through the highest station in the Balkans (Avramavo 1627 metres), eventually arriving at Bansko and then Dobrinishte later in the afternoon. We will have a picnic lunch en route. Bansko, a major tourist resort, stands in a beautiful spot in the Piril Mountains. We return to Velingrad by coach to our hotel for dinner and overnight accommodation. (B L D)

Tuesday 8th March

Steam through the Balkan Mountain Range

After breakfast we return to Septemvri by coach where our special steam hauled charter will be waiting for us hauled by Mikado 01.25.
Our locomotive hauls us via Plovdiv and Dolna Mahala to Karlovo. Here we change steam locomotives in favour of a 16 class 2-10-0 which will haul our train through Kilsura and Pirdop our line runs along a valley between the Stredna Gora and Balkan Mountain Ranges, it is a very scenic line with potentially awesome winter landscape. We steam into Sofia Station and transfer by coach to our 4-star hotel in Sofia. (B L D)

Wednesday 9th March

Steam south from Sofia towards Greece

After breakfast we transfer to Sofia Station where we board our special steam hauled train hauled by a 16 class 2-10-0. We travel out via the mountain line through Pernik before taking the steeply graded Gyueshevo branch at Radomir.
We hope for some spirited runpasts before we arrive at Gyueshevo. We return to Radomir where Mikado 01.23 takes over for our southbound run through Dupnitsa and Strumjand to Sandanski. On arrival into Sandanski we check into the 4-star Inter hotel for dinner and overnight accommodation. (B L D)

Thursday 10th March

Crossing the Greek Border by Steam and on to Volos

After breakfast we rejoin our train hauled by the 01 Mikado and we continue south to Kulata where we go through customs and immigration formalities before entering Greece (as both countries are EU members that should be much easier than in the past). We continue south into Greece through Strymonas and Doirani to Thessaloniki. On arrival we have arranged a city tour or a visit to the locomotive depot and the dumped steam locomotives. Dinner and overnight accommodation in a 4-star hotel in Thessaloniki. (B L D)

Friday 11th March

The Pelion Railway

After breakfast we transfer by coach to Ano Lehonica where we board our special steam charter to Milees and back hauled by two foot gauge 0-6-0T Jason. This little railway is known as the Pelion Railway, it is normally worked by steam out then diesels, but steam is available for winter charters. The line is highly scenic with spectacular viaducts and we will be able to arrange some runpasts. On arrival back at Volos there will be time to view the dumped steam locomotives before we join an old metre gauge railway railcar on the last surviving metre gauge section of the Volos Kalambaka line. The metre gauge run takes us to Paleofarsalos, from here we will return to Thessaloniki by OSE service train or our coach depending on time. (B D)

Saturday 12th March

Return to UK

Breakfast and free time to explore Thessaloniki. At around 12:00 we transfer from our hotel to Thessaloniki airport for our return flight to London Gatwick. (B)

Meals included each day are shown as:
B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D= Dinner