Explore Train Routes Across Europe

Glide beneath the English Channel and emerge in the heart of the French capital.

The Eurostar Continental route — from Gare du Nord to the canal-ringed heart of the Netherlands.

The fastest link between France and Belgium — Gare du Nord to Brussels-Midi in about 1h 22m, city centre to city centre.

One of Europe's easiest international train journeys — Brussels-Midi to Amsterdam in under two hours, via Antwerp's railway cathedral.

The fastest link between Belgium and Germany — Brussels-Midi to the cathedral doorstep of Köln Hbf in about 1h 47m by ICE.

The Cross-Channel Giant — beneath the sea, through Belgium and Rotterdam, into Amsterdam Centraal.

Britain's direct rail gateway to Brussels — the Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels-Midi in about 2 hours, and the first leg into Europe.

Direct Eurostar from 14 December 2026 — until then via a change in Brussels, and the return to London stays via Brussels for the UK border checks.

London to the Rhine by rail — the Eurostar to Brussels, a change onto an ICE, and on to Cologne Cathedral in around five hours, no direct train needed.

The new direct ICE from Köln Hbf to Antwerpen-Centraal — twice a day via Aachen, Liège, Leuven and Brussels Airport, in about 2h20 to 2h50.

The easiest day trip in Belgium — a frequent direct SNCB train from Brussels to the medieval canals of Bruges in about an hour, no reservation needed.

A Mediterranean arc through sun-drenched Languedoc and into vibrant Catalonia.

France's flagship high-speed line — the original 1981 LGV, Paris to the gastronomic capital in about 2 hours, around 30 trains a day.

The seasonal direct Eurostar Snow from Amsterdam to the French Alps — winter Saturdays only, about 9 hours via Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels to the Tarentaise.

France's easiest gateway to Alsace — direct TGV from Paris Gare de l'Est to Strasbourg in under two hours, and onward to the Rhine and Germany.

The easiest day trip in Alsace — a frequent direct TER from Strasbourg to the storybook old town of Colmar in about half an hour, no reservation needed.

Across the Rhine from Alsace to the edge of the Black Forest — the RS4 to Offenburg and a change for Freiburg, around 1h 10m at best, plus the occasional direct TGV.

France's high-speed run to the sea — Lyon down the Rhône to Marseille in around 1h 40m, and the gateway to the whole Mediterranean south.

France's spectacular Côte d'Azur railway — along the Mediterranean past Toulon, the Esterel cliffs and Cannes to Nice in around 2h 30m, by TER or TGV.

The Riviera crossing from France into Italy — along the coast past Monaco, changing at Ventimiglia, on through Genoa to Milan in about 5h 30m.

Direct high-speed trains from Paris Gare de Lyon to Milan in around 7 hours — TGV INOUI and Frecciarossa through the Alps and the Fréjus tunnel, via Turin.

Milan to Turin by Frecciarossa in about 45-50 minutes, or by hourly regional train across the rice fields — with a guide to the two stations at each end.

Britain's flagship intercity — arrives directly beneath Edinburgh Castle in 4h 20m, no Heathrow security required.

Germany's fastest domestic corridor — 300 km/h ICE with free Wi-Fi and at-seat power, every hour.

One of Germany's busiest intercity corridors — a frequent direct ICE from Nuremberg to Munich in about 1h 10m down the Bavarian high-speed line.

Germany's headline intercity journey — a direct ICE from Berlin to Munich via Erfurt and Nuremberg, normally around 4h on the fastest trains, city centre to city centre.

Same door-to-door time as flying — but with the Elbe sandstone gorge and Dresden's Baroque skyline from your window seat.

A scenic cross-border day trip — the direct EuroCity from Prague to Dresden down the Elbe valley and its sandstone gorge in about 2h 15m.

Germany's flagship ICE journey — Berlin to Hamburg in about 1h 45m, city centre to city centre, fast and frequent with optional reservations.

Germany to Scandinavia by rail — the direct EuroCity from Hamburg to Copenhagen via Jutland and the Great Belt in about 4h 40m.

Between two Nordic capitals — the direct Snälltåget train from Copenhagen to Stockholm across the Øresund in around six hours, with SJ high-speed via a change at Malmö.

Central Europe to Scandinavia in a day — the direct daytime ComfortJet from Prague to Copenhagen via Dresden, Berlin and Hamburg, launched in 2026, in just under twelve hours.

The direct rail link between two capitals — Amsterdam to Berlin on the modern ICE 3neo, city centre to city centre, no flying. Diverted via Hamburg during engineering works (from 2 Oct 2026, scheduled until Dec 2027), about 7h.

One of the easiest international rail trips in Europe — Munich to Mozart's Salzburg in about 90 minutes, with the Alps along the windows.

Direct Railjets from München Hbf up the Inn valley via Kufstein to Innsbruck in about 1h 55m — or the slow, scenic Karwendel line via Garmisch and Seefeld.

Austria's classic westbound run — the imperial capital to the foot of the Alps in about 2h 25m, with ÖBB Railjet and WESTbahn sharing the line.

Between the two Danube capitals — Vienna to Budapest across the plains in about 2h 20m, with ÖBB Railjet and RegioJet running the line.

Two capitals, one easy hour — direct regional trains from Wien Hauptbahnhof to Bratislava, no reservation needed, an ideal day trip.

The classic journey across the Austrian Alps — the fast Railjet via Germany, or the scenic Giselabahn past Zell am See and Kitzbühel to Innsbruck.

From the heart of Bohemia to Austria's imperial capital — Prague to Vienna in about 4 hours via Brno, direct by ČD/ÖBB Railjet or RegioJet.

The direct Central Europe link — Prague to Budapest via Brno and Bratislava in about 7 hours by direct railjet and EuroCity trains.

The restored direct link to Croatia — the daily EuroCity Croatia from Vienna over the UNESCO Semmering and through Slovenia to Zagreb in about 6h 30m.

The direct EuroCity Emona from Vienna over the UNESCO Semmering and through Graz and Maribor to Ljubljana in about six hours — with a faster Villach and Koralmbahn alternative that needs a change.

Direct ÖBB Railjets from Wien Hbf to Venezia Santa Lucia via Graz, the Koralmbahn and Udine — about 7h10, plus a direct Nightjet overnight.

Spain's fastest corridor — city centre to city centre in 2h 30m on Europe's longest high-speed network.

The Frecciarossa arrives on the Venetian islands — no water taxi, no airport transfer, no Marco Polo queue.

Bavaria → Austrian Tyrol → South Tyrol → Venice: three countries, the Alps, and arrival directly on the Venetian islands.

Over the Alps to Milan — a Railjet over the Brenner Pass and one change at Verona, around 7 to 8 hours, with a direct Frecciarossa planned for summer 2027.

The "slowest express train in the world" — 291 bridges and 91 tunnels through the heart of the Swiss Alps.

The highest non-rack railway in Europe — a UNESCO World Heritage crossing from the Swiss Alps into Italy.

The gateway run — direct trains via Bern and along the shore of Lake Thun to the doorstep of the Jungfrau region.

The western gateway to the Jungfrau — Lake Geneva, the Lavaux vines, Bern and Lake Thun in about 3 hours, airport to Alps.

Fifty minutes from Zurich to a lakefront terminus — Chapel Bridge, paddle steamers, and Pilatus and Rigi on the doorstep.

The classic Italy–Switzerland link — past Como and Lugano, then under the Alps through the 57 km Gotthard Base Tunnel.

The direct EuroCity from München Hbf to Zürich HB — about 3h40 via the Allgäu, Lindau, Bregenz and St. Gallen, eight a day in the current timetable.

The Matterhorn gateway — Bern to car-free Zermatt in about 2h 10m, with one easy change at Visp onto the mountain railway.

From Switzerland into Alsace — a direct SNCF TER from the French platforms at Basel SBB to Colmar in around 40 to 50 minutes, no reservation needed.

One of Europe's greatest rail journeys — from the Oslofjord across the Hardangervidda plateau to the fjord city of Bergen.

Norway's great cross-country journey — the Bergen Line and the Dovre Line back to back, over two mountain plateaus via Oslo to historic Trondheim.

One of the steepest standard-gauge railways in the world, plunging through waterfalls into Norway's Aurlandsfjord.

One of Norway's most scenic railways — down the Romsdal valley past Kylling Bridge and the Trollveggen to the fjord at Åndalsnes.

The Dovre Line — north along Lake Mjøsa and the Gudbrandsdalen valley, then over the Dovrefjell plateau to medieval Trondheim.

The Rhine Gorge UNESCO corridor — castles, vineyards, and the Lorelei rock framed from your window seat.

Depart the canals of Amsterdam and wake up beneath the Swiss Alps — no flight, no carbon guilt.

Depart Berlin Hbf in the evening, roll through Bavaria into Switzerland at dawn.

The flying-free overnight link to Italy — the direct European Sleeper from Brussels-Midi over the Gotthard to Milano Porta Garibaldi, three nights a week from September 2026.

The direct night train from Antwerpen-Centraal to Milano Porta Garibaldi — European Sleeper, three nights a week from the December 2026 timetable change, in about 17 hours.

The revived Paris to Berlin night train — the direct European Sleeper from Paris-Nord via Brussels to Berlin Hbf, around three nights a week, seats to sleeper cabins.

The Grand Iberian Arc — Paris to Madrid via the Pyrenees. Ten hours of landscape, no airport required.

The Spanish Mediterranean — coastline, citrus groves, and city-centre arrival in 2h 45m.

Spain's original high-speed line — across the plains of La Mancha and over the Sierra Morena to the Andalusian capital in around 2h 30m.

Capital to coast in under two hours — across the La Mancha plateau and down to the Mediterranean on Spain's most competitive corridor.

The easiest rail link between Andalusia's two great cities — Santa Justa to Granada in about 2½ hours, via Córdoba, no mountain driving required.

The Luxury Escape — 40 minutes from the fashion capital to one of Europe's most celebrated lakes.

The Heritage Dash — Florence to Rome in 89 minutes. So fast that no airline flies the corridor nonstop.

The Northern Italian Dash — Milan to Venice in about 2h 15m, arriving directly on the Venetian islands.

One of Italy's flagship high-speed runs — Milano Centrale to the edge of the Renaissance centre in under two hours, via Bologna.

The northern end of Italy's high-speed spine — Milano Centrale to Bologna Centrale in about an hour, to the country's central railway crossroads.

Italy's flagship high-speed railway — Milan to Rome in under three hours by Frecciarossa or Italo, city centre to city centre via Bologna and Florence.

The Southern Direttissima — Rome to Naples in about 1h 10m, city centre to city centre and the gateway to the south.

Across the Apennines — Venice to Florence in about 2h 05m, island station to a few streets from the Duomo.

The classic route from Florence to the Cinque Terre — down the Arno to Pisa and up the Ligurian coast, no car and no reservations required.