Explore the continent by train

To get around Europe, many travelers turn to low-cost airlines. However, the train, which generally connects the cities by their center, proves to be more comfortable, and often faster and not more expensive than the plane. It is also greener. Tips to take advantage of it. With perhaps a little boat trip as a bonus…

Simon Chabot
The Press

The carrier Ryanair offers flights at unbeatable prices, sometimes as low as 10 euros, between major European cities. Of course, the bill goes up, and often a lot, if you have to check in luggage and pay for your journey from the center of a city to sometimes very remote airports. And if the flight lasts two or three hours at most, you have to take into account the time spent getting to the terminal, then going to town, going through security, boarding and waiting for your luggage. In the end, a hop on a plane often ends up taking up very long hours…

This is why Isabelle Eon, from the agency Dessine-moi un voyage, suggests that many customers take the train to visit different cities or regions of Europe, even if it means renting a car afterwards. “We will easily win half a day,” she says. Flying is much more of a headache than taking the train directly into town. »

And it is a much less polluting means of transport than the plane or the car over comparable distances. A good way to limit the carbon footprint of your trip.

Between Paris and the rest of France

From Paris, where Quebecers passing through France like to spend at least a few days, you can reach many provincial towns in record time, thanks to the TGV. For example, the Paris-Bordeaux journey, which takes six hours by road (with often high tolls), only takes two hours by train. The one to Marseille is completed in three hours. Always from city center to city center. “By purchasing in advance, there are very affordable prices,” adds M.^me Aeon. Me, it even happened to me to have first class specials at ridiculous prices. And it is very comfortable, especially for families. We have space on a train, we can walk around. »

The TGV to Rennes gives access to Brittany, the one to Bordeaux opens the door to Aquitaine and the Basque Country. From Lyon, one can go fairly quickly to the Alps; from Strasbourg, explore the vineyards of Alsace; and Marseille, Provence, for example. “If you want to walk a bit and make visits, you just have to rent a car in the city of arrival”, underlines the tour operator.

From Paris, you can also quickly reach other European capitals by rail, such as Brussels (in 1 h 30 min), London (in just over 2 h) or Amsterdam (in around 3 h 30 min). “These journeys are reliable on the timetable… as long as there is no strike, of course”, specifies M^me Aeon.

Spain and Italy by rail

Isabelle Eon does not hesitate to offer train trips elsewhere in Europe. Especially in Spain and Italy. “Someone who wants to discover Andalusia can do it entirely by train, observes M^me Aeon. We arrive in Malaga by a direct flight, and then from there, we walk to Seville, Cordou, Granada… we can even go as far as Ronda, all that by train, on journeys that take between 45 minutes and 3 hours. And without having to think about parking around historic centers that are sometimes closed to cars.

In Italy, the Cinque Terre region can be explored wonderfully without a car, thanks to a ticket which gives access for a given period to all trains, boats, hiking trails, buses, etc. Circuits between Italian cities are also very practical. From Venice (direct flight from Montreal in summer) to Bologna, Florence, then Rome, Naples, etc. “We can do the big cities without having to rent a vehicle,” says M^me Aeon. To explore the countryside of regions like Tuscany or Puglia, however, the car is still necessary, she believes.

Scandinavia on land and water

A trip to Scandinavia by train? Why not ! “It’s super comfortable to go by train from one city, where you’ll sleep two or three nights, to another. Stockholm-Copenhagen is a six-hour journey. Then, we take a night boat to Copenhagen-Oslo, where you will arrive at sunrise with a panoramic view of the entire bay. That’s wonderful ! “says M.^me Aeon. Travelers can then continue by night train to Bergen, to explore the fjords (by rental car), and even go by boat to the Lofoten Islands, north of the Arctic Circle, before returning to Montreal from one of the major cities in the region.

To buy train tickets in Europe, travelers can contact a local travel agency, which will take care of car rental on site if necessary, do so with the carriers of each country (such as the SNCF in France) or through the distributor Rail Europe, which sells tickets for 105 rail operators in 24 countries.