Man in Seat 61's eight great train escapes

[John Ashworth]

Man in Seat 61's eight great train escapes
The Sunday Times
June 29, 2008


Mark Smith founded the much vaunted rail website. Here's his guide on how to make the most of trains on the continent
Switzerland, Canton of Bern, Bernese Oberland (highlands), Interlaken, Schynige Platte (1967 m), Schynige Platte Railway on the way

"Getting there is half the fun.”

Whoever coined that phrase probably wasn’t squeezed into an EasyJet or Ryanair seat at the time, nor standing in Terminal 5, wondering whether their luggage would ever reappear. Doesn’t sound like fun to me.

And I’m not the only one. Something strange is in the air – or, rather, isn’t.

There has been a modest backlash against the boom in short-haul flights, with a growing number of travellers rediscovering the pleasures of overland travel to Europe, driven by the desire to cut down their carbon footprint and cut out the hassle of modern-day flying.

Research commissioned by Eurostar suggests that you can trim your carbon emissions by up to 90% if you switch from air to rail for short-haul journeys to the Continent. But it’s not all about putting on sackcloth and ashes to save the planet. The best thing about European train travel is how painless it can be.

Trains arrive and depart at city-centre railway stations, often within walking distance of all the sights. There’s an easy 30-minute check-in for Eurostar and no check-in at all once you’re on the Continent. There are no seat belts, you have room to spread out and move around, and there are big picture windows through which to watch all that sumptuous scenery roll by. And feel free to bring a favourite bottle of wine along for the ride.

The biggest perceived disadvantage is that rail travel will cost more and take longer. Thanks to “budget” fares, however, going by train is often surprisingly affordable.

If you book a month or two in advance, London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £59 return, with Paris to Geneva by TGV from about £30 each way. Paris to Barcelona or Madrid starts at £54 each way, including a bed in a proper sleeper. And you can get from Paris to Rome, Florence, Verona or Venice from £28 each way, including couchette.

In making comparisons, it pays to be realistic about the true cost of “cheap” air travel. Your train fare is city centre to city centre, with no airport taxes, no baggage fees or weight limits, and nothing extra to pay for taxis, buses or trains from remote airports. If you’ve a toddler in tow, you’ll be pleased to learn that under4s go free.

It’s getting faster, too – Eurostar now reaches Paris in 2hr 15min, and Paris to Geneva takes just 3hr 20min. Sleeper trains from Paris to Italy and Spain make long journeys both comfortable and time-effective: leave central London at 3.30pm and you’ll arrive in Barcelona by 8.30 the next morning, having slept in a cosy bedroom aboard the excellent Paris-Barcelona “trainhotel”.

If you’d left central London at the same time by air – or, rather, by suburban train to Luton, then a shuttle bus to the airport, followed by the two-hour recommended check-in, then a two-hour flight – you’d probably reach downtown Barcelona by 10pm, saving little useful time and costing you an extra night in a hotel.

Convinced yet? Overleaf is a failsafe step-by-step guide to planning your trip and finding the best fares on the rails. But first, to whet your appetite, here is a selection of my favourite European train escapes.

The Man in Seat 61’s top trips

BY TGV TO THE RIVIERA

It’s the most relaxing way to reach the south of France – and the most picturesque. Take a morning Eurostar to Lille and change onto a high-speed TGV to Marseilles, Cannes or Nice. No need to cross Paris, let alone brave the madness of aiport check-in and security.

As far as Lyons, the TGV surges through rich, green farmland and pretty villages adorned with ancient churches. Then it runs along the Rhône Valley on its ground-level flight through the Provençal hills. Approaching Avignon, the train vaults a dramatic viaduct with views of the Palais des Papes to the left; and just before arriving in Marseilles, you’ll glimpse the Château d’If, of The Count of Monte Cristo fame.

The best is still to come. Beyond St Raphaël, the rails run right along the Côte d’Azur to Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo, passing yacht-drenched harbours, rocky inlets and millionaires’ villas. Settle back and enjoy the ride – you’ll be there in time for dinner.

London to Marseilles, Cannes or Nice starts at £109 return.

BY SLEEPING-CAR TO ITALY

Boarding a lunchtime Eurostar from London to Paris allows you plenty of time to catch the sleeper to Italy. You then have two options: the Palatino train leaves Paris every evening at 7pm for Florence and Rome; the Stendhal leaves 40 minutes later at weekends (6.55pm on weekdays) for Verona and Venice.

You’ll accelerate away through the Paris suburbs, and on into the lush valleys of the River Yonne, past bucolic villages and crumbling churches. In the sleeper carriages (there are also couchettes), a steward takes reservations for dinner: the simple but good-value menu costs £20 for three courses. After a night’s shuteye, you’ll raise the blinds on a distinctively Italian landscape of red-roofed villas and poplars.

The Palatino reaches Florence in time for breakfast, and Rome’s Termini station a couple of hours later. You can change here for Naples, arriving in time for lunch – or head on to Sicily, arriving in late evening.

The Stendhal calls at Verona and Venice Mestre, then rumbles across the causeway to Santa Lucia station, on the banks of the Grand Canal – just a stroll from the Rialto Bridge and St Mark’s Square.

London to Rome, Florence or Venice starts at £115 return for a couchette or £279pp return for a two-berth sleeper

BY TRAINHOTEL TO SPAIN

Every night, two special sleeper trains link Paris with Spain. The Francisco de Goya heads for Madrid; the Joan Miro for Barcelona. Each has cosy bedrooms (some with toilet and shower), an elegant restaurant and a vibrant cafe-bar.

After a top-drawer dinner, complete with coffee and liqueurs, you’ll retire to bed, waking to fresh croissants and great scenery. On the Francisco de Goya, the views are framed by distant snowcapped mountains, and you’ll pass right beside the Spanish royal palace at El Escorial before arriving in Madrid. On the Joan Miro, you’ll catch a glimpse of the Med if you’re up early enough – or why not alight at Figueres, for the sensational Salvador Dali museum?

From Madrid, Seville is 2hr 20min away and Malaga less than 3hr, on a high-speed line that tunnels its way through eye-catching mountain scenery. From Barcelona, air-conditioned trains run on to Valencia and Alicante, or you can hop on a ferry to Mallorca and Ibiza.

London to Barcelona or Madrid starts at £167 return, including sleeper

TO MARRAKESH IN A WEEKEND

You can travel to Africa in a leisurely long weekend, taking in a splendid European capital on route, and all without going anywhere near an airport.

First, take Eurostar to Paris, then the trainhotel to Madrid (see previous page), and spend the day exploring the Spanish capital. In the late afternoon, catch the Altaria train, which traverses wild Andalusian scenery on its way to Algeciras, across the bay from Gibraltar.

Spend the night here before boarding the ferry for Tangier. Crossing the straits takes 2hr 30min; you then hail a taxi to Tangier Ville station and head south on the real-life Marrakesh Express – Morocco’s air-conditioned trains are comfortable, and cheap, too. At the end of the line is a stunning destination – and there’s no more stately way to arrive.

London to Marrakesh starts at £269 return, including sleeper and ferry tickets

HIGH SPEED TO THE ALPS

Here’s another quick flit to the beautiful heart of Europe, with the Eurostar to Paris as your launch pad. Make a quick change from Gare du Nord to Gare de l’Est via the Métro, then you’re heading for Geneva aboard a high-speed Lyria TGV, one of my all-time favourite rail rides, racing across France at 168mph, then slowing right down for a meander through the beautiful Alpine foothills.

London to Geneva starts at £118 return

OVERNIGHT TO PRAGUE

This journey involves three trains in all – but switching between them requires only painless platform changes, rather than cross-city treks.

Check in at St Pancras at 6pm for a Eurostar to Brussels, where you’ll then catch the City Night Line, an overnight express to Berlin. Choose between a comfortable couchette and a modern sleeper – some of the sleepers come with private shower and toilet. Wake to a light breakfast in the bistro car, and arrive refreshed at Berlin’s impressive new glass and steel Hauptbahnhof just after 8am.

After a quick change onto a smart, air-conditioned EuroCity train, you’re passing Dresden and snaking through the picturesque Elbe valley into the Czech Republic. Treat yourself to an early lunch in the restaurant car – you’ll be in Prague just after 1.30pm.

London to Prague starts at about £160 return, including couchette (about £270 for the modern sleeper)

ALL ABOARD FOR ATHENS

A nifty train-and-ferry combo can see you stepping ashore in Greece within 48 hours, via an underrated Italian city. Take a lunchtime Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris, then hop aboard the Palatino sleeper to Bologna. From there, a Eurostar Italia train will whisk you down the Adriatic coastline to Bari.

You’ll have time for a mooch around Bari’s appealing old town before you board the evening cruise ferry to Patras. This is the best leg of the journey: dinner in the ship’s restaurant, a night in a private ensuite cabin, then you wake to the blue skies and bluer waters of the southern Adriatic.

The ship glides past Ithaca and Cephalonia, arriving in Patras at about midday. From there, a scenic train ride will whisk you to Athens for dinner.

London to Athens starts from about £280, ferry cabin extra (about £380pp return from http://www.superfast.com)

AN EPIC RIDE TO ISTANBUL

Getting to Istanbul by train is a proper adventure, involving six trains, four great cities and an inspiring three-night passage across Europe into the Balkans. It’s comfortable and safe, too, if you book a sleeper.

Start aboard a lunchtime Eurostar to Brussels, then board a high-speed Thalys train to Cologne. From there, the overnight City Night Line sleeper will take you to Vienna in time for breakfast, and an onward EuroCity train reaches Budapest after lunch that day.

Now you’ve a few hours to explore before taking the sleeper across Transylvania to Bucharest. Change there and catch the air-conditioned, carpeted sleeping car of the Bosfor, which leaves Bucharest soon after midday and crosses the Danube into Bulgaria.

The train meanders on through cute green valleys and across gentle hills until nightfall. In the small hours, you’ll need to alight briefly at the Turkish frontier to buy a visa (£10) and have your passport stamped. Next morning, the Bosfor sweeps along the Bosphorus and into Istanbul, right under the stone flanks of the Topkapi Palace.

London to Istanbul costs about £470 return, including sleeping berths for three nights en route. Each leg is ticketed separately, so you can choose to stop off in Cologne, Vienna, Budapest, Transylvania or Bucharest

Why Seat 61?

“The Man in Seat 61” is Mark Smith, a former London station manager and train fanatic who has travelled the world by rail. His website is http://www.seat61.com – named, since you ask, after his favourite seat, number 61 in cars 7, 8 and 11 when travelling in first class on Eurostar (because it has a table and lines up with the window). It has become the definitive guide to rail travel across Europe. His book, The Man in Seat 61, is published tomorrow (Bantam Press £12.99).

Line by line? how to plan your trip

CHECKING THE TIMETABLE

You can find train times for almost any journey in Europe using the German Railways online timetable, at bahn.hafas.de – it’s impressive, if you like that sort of thing. For something you can take with you, the extraordinarily detailed Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable, published since 1873, has times for every important route, as well as details of ferries and connecting bus services. It costs £13.50 from Thomas Cook branches or at http://www.thomascooktimetables.com.

For journeys from the UK to most European countries, http://www.seat61.com explains the best routes, train times and what the trip is like.

BOOKING BY INTERNET

European train bookings normally open 90 days before departure, although Eurostar reservations open 120 days ahead. Domestic journeys in countries such as Spain or Italy can be booked 60 days ahead.

You can book tickets from London to France, Spain, Holland, Switzerland and Italy at http://www.raileurope.co.uk. It’s often best to book journeys in two parts – for example, book the Paris to Venice sleeper as one journey, click “continue shopping”, then add a London-Paris Eurostar ticket as a second separate journey, allowing at least 90 minutes to cross Paris. You can pay for both tickets in one transaction. You can also buy tickets to those countries at the French Railways website, http://www.sncf.co.uk.

It’s usually cheaper to buy domestic train tickets direct from the relevant national operator. You can book Spanish trains online at http://www.renfe.es, Italian ones at http://www.trenitalia.com/ en/index.html, German journeys at http://www.bahn.de and Swiss ones at http://www.sbb.ch.

BOOKING BY PHONE

A number of UK agencies sell European rail travel over the phone. For more exotic journeys, such as London to Moscow or Istanbul, you’ll have no choice – they can’t be booked online.

For journeys to France, Spain, Holland, Switzerland and Italy,call Rail Europe on 0844 8484070 (£6 booking fee). It is a subsidiary of French Railways, and has a travel