Lonely Planet’s Guide to Train Travel in Europe

The first Lonely Planet’s Guide to Train Travel in Europe comes in response to travellers becoming more conscious about their carbon footprint and the growing demand for slower, more immersive travel. The guide is designed to help a wide variety of travellers plan sustainable and stress-free journeys through Europe using the intricate network of Europe’s rail system. 

Increased competition from new operators and new routes, combined with more thoughtful approaches to travel, is driving a renewed interest in journeys by rail and an ever more practical, appealing and time effective rival to flying. 

Sleeper train services are also enjoying a renaissance. Austrian operator Nightjet has significantly expanded its routes in recent times including adding options to central Europe from Paris and Brussels. 

The new guide explains how the European rail network can be broken down into achievable, bite-sized trips. 

Five of the best scenic journeys around Europe, from the book are: 

1) Locarno, Switzerland to Domodossola, Italy 

Travelling between Locarno in Switzerland and Domodossola in Italy, the Centovalli (Hundred Valleys) Railway is a short but scenic service travelling past 52km of waterfalls, chestnut groves, church-topped villages, deep ravines, and vineyards. 

Highlights include the Isorno Bridge near the village of Intragna and the gorge connecting Intragna and Re. 

2) Oslo to Bergen, Norway:

The Begensbanen A contender for Europe’s best train trip, the Bergensbanen goes past southern Norway’s mountains and lakes between Oslo and Bergen, reaching 1222m at Finse station. 

3) The Black Forest Railway, Germany 

This line slices through southern Germany while, at BadenBaden, there's the chance to join trains travelling south. This enables alighting enroute in the half-timbered town of Gengenbach (30 minutes from Baden-Baden), where taverns cluster under pointed towers at the threshold of the woods. Pressing on southeast, the train swerves among the rushing rivers and dense woodland of Kinzigtal, looping up to an elevation of 600m. 

4) North Wales, Llandudno to Porthmadog loop 

Some of the world’s most popular narrow-gauge railways can be found in Wales Two of the best can be combined in a loop to take in the mountains and coastal scenery of Snowdonia. Catching a service from Llandudno Junction, with its mainline connections, one travels down the Conwy Valley to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Here it's a chance to change to the Ffestiniog Railway, a distinctive steam-hauled line which winds 13 miles down to the coast at Porthmadog. The return is via the sublime steam service of the Welsh Highland Railway under the summit of Snowdon to Caernarfon, where there is a bus back to Bangor and the main line. 

5) Paris to Latour de Carol, France 

Heading first to the city of Toulouse and then south past dramatic castles and hilltop scenery, this route terminates in the Pyrenees with onward connections to Barcelona. It can be achieved on a sleeper or as a series of day trains. Lonely Planet’s Guide to Train Travel in Europe also includes detailed maps of rail networks, information on where the main stations are, the best ways to get to them, as well as where to stay and eat in their locale. There is also advice on ticketing, what to expect from a sleeper train experience and tips for different kinds of travellers, including families and those with disabilities. Also featured are under-the-radar ‘branch line’ destinations that can be reached with one change of train.

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Sam Tillotson at Lonelyplanet@goshpr.co.uk