It’s no secret that one of the best things about traveling in Europe is the trains. But with hundreds of thousands of miles of steel tracks, some routes are undoubtedly more popular than others.
Travel + Leisure recently received stats from the European rail pass network, Eurail, about all the places where American travelers visited by train this year—here’s what you need to know.
Where American Travelers Actually Went
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Two countries dominated the Eurail rankings this year: Switzerland and Italy. Florence to Rome (Santa Maria Novella to Roma Termini) was the most popular journey of 2025. Switzerland’s Interlaken Ost-Lauterbrunnen line and the Visp-Zermatt connection followed—with mountain villages, waterfalls, and alpine views, both routes are stunning. Paris to London via Eurostar came in fourth, and Milan to Florence rounded out the top five. Since most American travelers have limited time in Europe, it makes sense that these buzzy routes between vibrant cultural hubs are the most popular rail options.
The Fastest-growing Destinations
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Some train stations saw significant increases in American visitors, which could indicate a rise in those destinations’ popularity. Amsterdam Zuid (a major hub for those heading into the Dutch capital or for passengers continuing onto other Dutch cities) topped the list of stations that saw the largest growth in American travelers.
However, other stations in this category are much smaller and lesser-known—they include Rheine in Germany; Bischofshofen in the Austrian Alps; Bettembourg in Luxembourg; and Mühldorf in the German state of Bavaria.
But what does it all mean? The increase in interest in smaller destinations indicates that Americans may be venturing beyond Europe’s most well-known cities for more authentic experiences in off-the-beaten-path places.
Here’s what’s coming in 2026.
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Some parts of the Eurail network seemed to be almost entirely off of most U.S. travelers’ radars—namely, the Balkan Peninsula, Eastern Turkey, and the Baltic states. Though Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are trending with European travelers (many are drawn by cultural sites that have fewer crowds than those in Western Europe), they haven’t yet gained as much traction with Americans.
However, this may change in 2026, with soon-to-come Eurail infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe. The new Koralm Railway will connect Vienna with smaller Austrian and Slovenian cities, including Graz and Ljubljana, as well as the Italian port city of Trieste. Direct trains are returning between Munich and Vienna (cities Americans already visit) and Zagreb, Croatia. Berlin and Leipzig will get new connections to Krakow, Poland, and Przemysl, near the Ukrainian border. Poland-Lithuania routes will expand from one daily train to three, making it easier to travel between Krakow, Warsaw, and Vilnius.
For now, American Eurail travelers in 2025 favored Switzerland’s stunning mountain scenery and Italy’s art cities—next year’s expanded network will test whether U.S. travelers are ready to go farther east.
