5 European Breaks by Train

Train Travel

Selected Breaks in Europe

Travelling by train could give you and your travels a new lease of life as you realise there is a more civilised way to travel. Enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. Let the journey become part of an adventure. Here's a selection of long weekends or even a week for that well needed break. All available from the UK, France, Belgium etc by train.

Berlin and Colditz

Jump on the 6pm Eurostar from Waterloo to Brussels, change onto a German sleeper train which will send you on an overnight journey to the capital of Germany. Coffee and croissants are delivered to your compartment door just in time for your arrival at 8.30am the next morning. An hour and a quarter south of Berlin is Leipzig and a further hour away the infamous castle at Colditz stands. German railways have a number of packages available including Eurostar plus Sleeper train fares for each way for a two bed sleeper, or each way with couchette.

Dublin

One of the most popular short break destinations in Europe is Dublin. Reaching Ireland is easy especially using a train-and-ferry fare. London to Dublin is £24 each way with unlimited availability. You could also get to Ireland from any British rail station at an equally reasonable rate. For example Norwich to Galway is £39 each way, Oxford to Dublin is £24 each way and Manchester to Dublin is £20 each way.

Barcelona and Figueres

For a weekend to remember, jump on the 3pm Eurostar on Friday from London to Paris, a quick detour to a café for a small glass of wine and then hop on the ‘trainhotel’ to Barcelona. With dinner, a warm bed in your sleeper, coffee and croissants for breakfast you’ll wonder where the time went when you arrive at 8.30am on Saturday morning in central Barcelona.

After an eventful sightseeing weekend in Barcelona, visiting Las Ramblas a wonderful street with entertainers and street traders, visiting the architectural buildings of Gaudi and tasting the tapas, catch the 9pm Sunday trainhotel back to London which will arrive in the capital at 11.55am on Monday morning.

If you want to add something extra then get off the trainhotel at Figueres a couple of hours before Barcelona – you’ll need to find a café for breakfast as you won’t get this on the trainhotel, then visit the amazing Salvador Dali museum. Dali’s home is just a few miles away by taxi or bus on the coast at Cadaques.

To catch the Eurostar to Paris starts at £59 return, the trainhotel fares start at £50 each way in a four-bed sleeper or £75 each way in a two-bed sleeper. The great thing about travelling by train is that you don’t have extra expenditure by way of airport taxes, taxi’s to and from airports and arriving in the morning and leaving in the evening mean smaller hotel bills compared with flying.

General Information: Ads are not allowed on this site. It's for this reason that I do not include contact or other details. These are available on my website. Most articles mention trains starting from London but you can join these trains in Europe.

It's goodbye from me,

That's it folks

Barry