Conscious Journeys
Train routes

Europe, one train at a time

Ten journeys we love, from the West Highland Line to the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Use them as single trips or link them together into a longer adventure.

Schematic map of featured train routes across EuropeFeatured routes: London to Paris, Paris to Barcelona, Glasgow to Mallaig, Zurich to Milan, Vienna to Venice, Oslo to Bergen, Amsterdam to Berlin, Berlin to Prague, Lisbon to Porto, London to Inverness.London to ParisParis to BarcelonaGlasgow to MallaigZurich to MilanVienna to VeniceOslo to BergenAmsterdam to BerlinBerlin to PragueLisbon to PortoLondon to InvernessLisbonPortoMadridBarcelonaParisLondonBrusselsAmsterdamBerlinHamburgCopenhagenPragueMunichZurichMilanVeniceRomeViennaBudapestGlasgowEdinburghMallaigInvernessOsloBergenGothenburg
Featured routeOther rail linksSchematic, not to scale

Scenic routes

Mountains, lochs and fjords: routes where the view is the destination.

Scenic≈ 5 h 20 min

GlasgowMallaig

Loch Lomond, the wild expanse of Rannoch Moor, Fort William and the Glenfinnan Viaduct, ending at a fishing port with ferries to Skye.

Often voted one of the world's great railway journeys

ScotRail — West Highland Line

Scenic≈ 3 h 20 min

ZurichMilan

Lakes, alpine valleys and the 57 km Gotthard Base Tunnel, the longest railway tunnel in the world, before descending into Ticino and Lombardy.

From Swiss lakes to Italian lakes in an afternoon

SBB / Trenitalia EuroCity

Scenic≈ 7 h 30 min

ViennaVenice

Over the UNESCO-listed Semmering railway and through Carinthia's lakes and mountains, arriving across the lagoon at Venezia Santa Lucia.

Step out of the station straight onto the Grand Canal

ÖBB Railjet

Scenic≈ 7 h

OsloBergen

Northern Europe's highest mainline railway climbs over the Hardangervidda plateau, topping out at Finse at 1,222 m before dropping to the fjords.

Snow on the plateau, even in early summer

Vy — Bergen Line

High-speed routes

City centre to city centre, faster than flying once you count the airport.

High-speed≈ 2 h 20 min

LondonParis

St Pancras to Gare du Nord through the Channel Tunnel. No airport transfers and no long security queues: you arrive in the heart of Paris.

One of the lowest-carbon ways to cross the Channel

Eurostar

High-speed≈ 6 h 30 min

ParisBarcelona

A direct high-speed train south through Burgundy, the Rhône valley and Languedoc, then along the coast into Catalonia.

Mediterranean views for the final hours

SNCF (TGV)

Intercity routes

Relaxed direct trains linking great cities, with plenty to see on the way.

Intercity≈ 6 h 20 min

AmsterdamBerlin

A relaxed, direct InterCity across the Dutch polders and the North German Plain — plenty of time to read, work or watch the windmills go by.

Two capitals, no change of train

NS International / DB

Intercity≈ 4 h 20 min

BerlinPrague

After Dresden the line follows the Elbe through the sandstone cliffs of Saxon Switzerland — sit on the left-hand side heading south.

The Elbe valley is the show

DB / ČD EuroCity

Intercity≈ 2 h 50 min

LisbonPorto

Portugal's tilting train links its two great cities, passing Coimbra and the Atlantic coastal plain on the way.

Faster door to door than flying

CP Alfa Pendular

Night trains

Fall asleep in one country and wake up somewhere new.

Night trainOvernight

LondonInverness

Board at Euston in the evening, sleep through England and wake up among the hills of the Highlands — no hotel night lost.

Your bed is your transport

Caledonian Sleeper

Journey times are typical fastest direct services and are rounded. Timetables and operators change, so always check with the rail operator before you travel. New to rail travel? Start with our guide to planning your first trip.