Whether chugging along the Italian coastline or flitting past fjords and soaring peaks in Scandinavia, these European train journeys highlight the joy of slow travel
In recent years, trains have found new fans as travellers seek more affordable, sustainable and flexible modes of transport, and reconsider their need for privacy, space and comfort. A fresh enthusiasm for rail has led to much-needed investment in infrastructure and innovation, with ambitious plans afoot for 2025. Among them, Austria’s state railway will introduce its brand new Nightjet fleet to existing routes and Belmond launches the Britannic Explorer in July – the first luxury sleeper train in England and Wales.
Ten years ago the romance of railways appeared to be fading as a mass cull of European sleeper trains gave way to budget airlines and high-speed rail. However, with climate change an ever-growing concern, travellers are drifting back to the rails, partly in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions and embrace the joy of slow travel – with the world’s most beguiling landscapes as a backdrop. In 2023, Interrail experienced a record year of sales, while night trains continue to undergo a renaissance.
From Scandinavian sleeper trains to a romantic ride through Istanbul, here are 12 of the best European train trips to book this year.
Stockholm, Sweden to Narvik, Norway
Duration: 18 hours overnight
Price: From 980 SEK (70 GBP) one-way or 1,264 SEK (90 GBP) for a six-person couchette
The night train to Narvik in Norway sets off just after 6pm from Stockholm Central Station, taking a little over 18 hours to travel up the backbone of Sweden and more than 100 miles into the Arctic Circle. While the route is popular year-round, it’s best experienced in winter, when passengers mill about in base layers and boots, unwrapping slabs of smoked salmon and making friends in the dining car. Over steaming bowls of reindeer stew and mash, passengers see black forests flit by the window, the golden lights of ski resorts, and snow shovelled into peaks. Seats are wide and reclining, but it’s better to reserve a comfortable couchette or a private cabin with an en-suite shower if your budget allows. In the morning, passengers disembark at the town of Kiruna in Swedish Lapland for cross-country skiing and to chase the Northern Lights, while those remaining on the train to Narvik are privy to the grand finale of Norway’s fjords, twisting around the cliffs below.
Oslo to Trondheim, Norway
Duration: Eight hours overnight
Price: Twin sleeper compartment from 1,691 NOK (120 GBP) for two
Departing Oslo just before 11pm, this plush sleeper train offers passengers a smooth ride in warm, comfortable berths, with trackside views of the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park’s mountains and rivers that thrash at every bend. Ride the train in winter and you’ll witness ice-fringed farmhouses, frozen lakes and possibly a spritz of the neon Northern Lights. However, for around eight weeks between May and July, Norway experiences the natural phenomenon known as the Midnight Sun, when the sun stays above the horizon, the landscape bright from 3am. During this time, passengers will see cyclists out in tandem, hikers appearing on the hillsides and anglers thigh-deep in waders – all before 5am. The train arrives into the city of Trondheim at 6.30am, where it’s worth spending a few days wandering its colourful, cobbled streets and discovering why this gastronomic haven – home to three Michelin-starred restaurants – is fast becoming a key culinary destination.
Brussels, Belgium, to Venice, Italy
Duration: 19 hours
Price: One-way tickets from 109 EUR (90 GBP); couchettes from 139 EUR (116 GBP); private compartments from 149 EUR (124 GBP)
In May 2023, Belgian-Dutch collective European Sleeper launched the inaugural Good Night Train, which took passengers from Brussels to Berlin via Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Sourcing old rolling stock (coaches built in the mid 1950s), the concept has attracted everyone from families with young children to tourists from Tokyo and older European couples who have given up flying. Its low prices – seats start from 49 EUR one way – have been a welcome relief to passengers wanting to travel by rail but unable to afford the often eye-watering prices. Since launching, European Sleeper has expanded with routes through Dresden, Prague, Innsbruck, Bolzano and Venice. The rail group recently introduced a dining car on certain routes, but otherwise, an attendant serves sandwiches, crisps and instant noodles, along with an ample breakfast box in the morning. Dine before boarding or pack a few goodies for the ride.
Cannes, France to Ventimiglia, Italy
Duration: One hour 30 minutes
Price: One-way tickets from 14.30 EUR
Known for its glitz, glamour and curving beaches, the French Riviera is home to one of the world’s most glorious train rides. Nothing more than a regular commuter service, this double-decker train departs multiple times a day, taking just over 90 minutes from Cannes to Ventimiglia on the Italian border. Sit upstairs on the right for views of the ocean fizzing its way up the shore, bronzed men playing volleyball and yachts bobbing about in the harbour. On board, you’ll find a mixed crowd of students reading Kindles and and grandmas with baguettes in their baskets and tiny dogs curled at their feet. There’s graffiti on the windows and gum under the seats, but it’s in keeping with the spirit of the ride. On the approach to Cagnes-sur-Mer, look left towards pink villas lined with cypress trees, and purple flowers pouring down balconies, before a lovely long stretch of the Ligurian sea sparkles towards Nice. Consider hopping on and off this train to explore the towns in between before arriving in Ventimiglia for a sundowner and a stroll around its markets.
The GoldenPass Express from Montreux to Interlaken, Switzerland
Duration: Three hours and 15 minutes
Price: Single tickets from 76 CHF (68 GBP)
One of Europe’s newest tourist trains, the GoldenPass Express has revolutionised train travel through the Alps. Previously passengers had to travel by metric gauge between Montreux and Zweisimmen in Switzerland and change trains to complete the journey to Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland. Today, a single elegant locomotive pulls passengers around mirror-like lakes and flower-filled meadows, thanks to revolutionary technology that permits the train to change the gauge of its wheels and the height of its coaches mid-journey. Setting off from the shores of Lake Geneva, this service is an ideal way to spend an afternoon, nursing a glass of wine (or three) as the train takes three hours to circle valleys, vineyards and green-tinged glaciers before drawing into Interlaken. Tickets can be purchased up to two months before departure.
