Rail’s sustainability credentials mean it’s a no-brainer to swap the stress of the airport and traffic jams for the more scenic and greener option. With Europe’s extensive rail network ready to take you directly from city centre to city centre or guide you through some of the best scenery on offer, forget flying or driving, hop on the train. You could stay in Britain and explore unfamiliar parts of the country you don’t normally get to see, or you could take the Eurostar from London to mainland Europe and connect with an international system of high-speed trains and quaint branch lines.
Rail is convenient, competitively priced and environmentally friendly. It’s also a reminder that travel is as much about the journey as the destination. It allows you to slow down and think.
What are you waiting for?
Here are five routes – two at home, three abroad – to get you started. All can be booked through Trainline’s app or website.
1. The Iron Road to the Isles
Glasgow to Mallaig via Fort William
If you want to get kids used to travelling by train, take them north to see the magnificent curving viaduct of Glenfinnan, which is used to carry the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films. The West Highland line is regularly described as one of the most scenic in the British Isles, if not the world (beating even the Trans-Siberian), being a procession of mouthwatering lochs, moors and mountains. From Mallaig you can take ferries to several of the islands of the Inner Hebrides.
Getting to Glasgow: you have a choice of trains from London (or other mainline stations in Britain).
Typical journey time: Glasgow to Mallaig, 5 hours 16 minutes direct.
2. The Italian Riviera
Nice (Provence, France) to Pisa (Tuscany, Italy)
Steep wooded hills tumble into the sea all along the beautiful coast of Liguria from the French border near Ventimiglia to the ancient port city of Genoa and beyond. This trip makes a relaxing way to get to Tuscany along the Riviera. If you are tempted to break up the journey, you may want to visit the resorts of San Remo or Portofino, or one of the dramatically sited and colourful towns of the Cinque Terre.
Getting to Nice: take the Eurostar and change at Paris Gare du Nord/Paris Gare de Lyon.
Typical journey time: 6 hours 30 minutes, with one or two changes at Ventimiglia and/or Genova.
3. Over the Alps in Austria
Vienna to Klagenfurt via the Semmering Pass
This trans-Alpine line was built in 1854 to link the capital of imperial Austria with the Mediterranean. It was a huge engineering achievement and set the standard for mountain railways, for which it has been declared a world heritage site. Take a seat on the left side of the train by preference. The views are superb as you cross the 895-metre (2,900 ft) Semmering Pass, the highlight of the journey. You can extend your trip via Villach to reach Venice: travelling from central to southern Europe in one exhilarating journey.
To get to Vienna: take the Eurostar and change at Brussels and Frankfurt.
Typical journey time: Vienna to Klagenfurt, 3 hours 55 minutes direct.
4. The Yorkshire Highlands
Leeds to Carlisle via Settle
It has been described as the line that should never have been built, being a technical challenge that was financially ruinous and costly in the lives of navvies. When it was threatened with closure in the 1980s, the Settle-Carlisle line was rediscovered by train lovers, day-trippers and hill walkers and given a second life. Leaving industrial West Yorkshire, climb into the Yorkshire Dales national park via the Ribblehead viaduct to reach the highest mainline station in England, Dent, at an altitude of 350 metres (1,150 ft). Great views of the austere Pennines are guaranteed.
Getting to Leeds: there are plenty of high-speed mainline trains from London.
Typical journey time: Leeds to Carlisle, 2 hours 40 minutes direct.
5. Castles of the Rhine, Germany
Cologne to Mainz
Fancy a river cruise through the Rhine Gorge – only, by train? There are railway lines on both banks of the river, giving splendid views of the gorge, which stretches for 40 miles between Koblenz and Bingen. The east bank line is more scenic, but not as well-serviced as the western side, which has a wider choice of trains – so take the west-bank mainline through Bonn. Or, if you don’t mind taking a slightly more circuitous route, you could go down one and back up the other. Either way, en route are innumerable magnificent castles – whether real, mock or ruined – and pretty villages with half-timbered houses.
To get to Cologne: take the Eurostar from London St Pancras and change at Brussels.
Typical journey time: Cologne to Mainz, 1 hour 40 minutes.
Journey times and ticket prices vary according to which particular options you choose.
Ticket to ride
It is easy to book the train for your next adventure. With Trainline, you instantly get prices, times and tickets for journeys in and across 45 countries. World Car-Free Day is on 22 September, so get booking.
