TRAIN TRIPS??
 

Hi <BR> <BR>Looking for highly recommended train journeys throughout Europe. I have a one month all zone Interrail pass and a flexible itinary, although I leave in 2 weeks. Any suggestions greatly welcomed!!

Try the Bernina Pass trip from Tirano, Italy to St. Moritz, Switzerland. It is the only crossing of the Alps that does not go through a tunnel. It is supposed to be the prettiest train ride in Europe. My wife and I made the trip last year and it would be difficult to imagine a more beautiful ride.

If you've got time before you go call or visit your nearest Thomas Cook Travel Agency, where they will sell the Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe, on which ALL the scenic sections of lines throughout Europe are shaded in green. This map will help you plan your trip to travel the most scenic routes.

I enjoy windy river valley routes that slow the pace and provide a new visual experience around every bend. Germany provides a number of these, including the Mosel (Koblenz to Wittlich), the Rhine (Koblenz to Bingen), the Lahn (Koblenz to Marburg), the Altmühl (Eichstätt to Treuchtlingen), the Nahe (Bingen to Türkismühle), and the Neckar (Heidelberg to Heilbronn.) It's hard to go wrong here. Trains are frequent, so you can get out and wander around some of the interesting towns you'll find for an hour or two, then hop back on. If you're a detail-person, I'd recommend getting a route map that highlights the sights along the way (castles, ruins, well-known vineyards, monuments, etc.) from a bookstore there so that you know what you're seeing -- and you'll see a lot. E-mail me if you'd like a tip or two on where to stop along these routes for a short hike or a refreshment with a view.

<BR>I agree with Mr Albury: scenic trips are too many to list here, and the Thomas Cook map is good. <BR> <BR>A particularly pleasant experience is to use both a sleeper and a restaurant car in one train, on a journey long enough to use both. Examples are <BR> <BR>The Night Caledonian train from London Euston to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands: you often see deer as you breakfast. <BR> <BR>The Orient Express from Paris to Budapest (in the Romanian sleeper, twice a week) <BR> <BR>The night trains from Paris to Venice, to Florence, and to Rome (but the food on these is not worth the price) <BR> <BR>The summer weekend express from Friesia (around Emden) to Munich <BR> <BR>The Berliner City Night Line express from Berlin to Basle <BR> <BR>The Donau Kurier City Night Line Express from the Rhineland (around Cologne) to Vienna. <BR> <BR>The Bathory Expressfrom Warsawto Budapest <BR> <BR>The Cracovia Express from Krakow to Pecs <BR> <BR>The Dacia Express from Vienna to Transylvania (around Brasov) <BR> <BR>Most Turkish night trains, including <BR>The Toros Express from Istanbul to Adana (for the bus to Aleppo) <BR>The Cukurova Express from Ankara to Adana <BR>The Ankara Express from Istanbul to Ankara <BR>The Dogu Express from Istanbul or Ankara to Erzerum and towards Armenia <BR> <BR>So you can still travel in this style Fort William, London, via Dover and Calais on a SeaFrance boat with splendid food, Paris, Gyor, Transylvania, Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, Aleppo (but by bus, alas: the weekly train is slow, and without sleeper nor restaurant car), Adana, Istanbul, Bucharest, Budapest, The Rhineland. <BR> <BR>Another special pleasure is to sail in a train -- to have your berth in a train in the bowels of a train ferry. Two stretches still offer this, from north east Germany to Sweden, and from Italy to Sicily. The Baltic journey is too short to be worth making. But the Messina crossing fits into some good long sleeper nights to Lombardy. The northbound Freccia della Laguna lets you leave Palermo, dine on board from 1925 to 2050, and reach Venice in the morning. Three different trans let you leave Sicily, dine on shipboard at 1840, 2000, or 2045 and reach Florence or Milan next morning. <BR> <BR>Finally, I know two arrivals which are worth savouring slowly. When I arrive at Venice Santa Lucia I leave the train, walk out of the station, and stand to do nothing but look at Venice, the water, the domes, the buildings, spread before me. And when I come to Edinburgh Waverley I take my taxi or my bicycle slowly up the ramp from the station, and watch as the two splendid cities, Edinburgh Old Town and Edinburgh New Town, unfold before me. <BR> <BR>Please write if I can help further. For example, I have on disc a note on night trains in Europe and the Balkans -- any use ? <BR>