Traveling by train is always a pleasure for me, the beginnings of a great adventure, a moment of tranquility where I let my mind wander. Of course, I am also sensitive to the environmental issues of our planet and I therefore wish to favor it as much as possible. Recently, I shared with you my advice for traveling by train in France and following on from this article, here are my tips for making lovely rail getaways in Europe.
This content was produced as part of my podcast “behind the scenes of travel”, so you can also read these tips in audio format using the player below.
Where to go easily by train in Europe?
I think we underestimate thethat can be achieved in Europe. To be aware of this, I think you first need to have a clear vision of the European rail network.
European rail map
For example, by examining this map, I realized that I could reach Barcelona quite easily from Grenoble. I could actually see that there were connections between Grenoble and Valence, then Valence and Barcelona by train. Secondly, I went to look at the time it took. Only 6 hours! I also realized that from Chambéry (easily accessible by train from Grenoble), I could easily reach northern Italy.
I invite you to do this little exercise. It is certain that we are still privileged if we live in Paris because we immediately have quick access to England, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. In particular, I was able to discover the amazing city of Rotterdam a few weeks ago.
Sustainable city trip in Rotterdam
If you are in the south of France, you can realize that finally, by taking a few connections, you can easily go to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, etc.
If you want to discover a particular country, I recommend that you go to the website of the main rail operator of the country concerned. To find it easily, go to this page which brings together the European
Easily find achievable routes
Connections and changes of operators depending on the country can complicate the organization of your train itinerary in Europe. If you have to look operator by operator, then find the right times to ensure connections, it can quickly be a real hassle.
Fortunately, today, there are many platforms that allow you to view these routes, to see the possible routes between point A and point B, even if you are traveling in Europe.
I recommend that you search your routes on several platforms to compare the results. I took the test for several destinations and often had very different results. By dint of using the platforms, you can choose the one that seems to you the most efficient and the most intuitive. At the moment I don’t have a favorite platform.
Organize your train trip in Europe thanks to a specialized agency
If the organizational aspect of a train trip puts you off, be aware that there are also travel agencies specializing in train travel or low-carbon travel.
In Europe, I can tell you about the rail travel agency called Rail Trip Travel . It offers trips that range from 5 to 10 days with simple and quick itineraries so as not to spend your entire trip in transport. The proposed budgets seem reasonable to me. What I like about this travel agency is that it has really done a lot of research work to find the routes that are the easiest and fastest so as not to put off people who are starting out on the trip by train.
“Traditional” travel agencies are also developing more and more train travel offers. This is the case for example of Nomade adventure, travelers of the world…