We are sharing more train journeys that could help you get to some of our holiday destinations if you have time – we hope you do.
We are lucky to have such a passionate train user in Teresa who shares 2 recent trips . One to Falset in the Priorat region in Spain and one to Zug,Austria where we have holidays.
If you fancy going by train to Spain – WalkingWomen Wine Walking in Priorat
or to Austria – WalkingWomen Summer in Austria
Read on and be inspired by slow train travel…
Meet Teresa..
I am a passionate train traveller. I love the journey as much as the destination. I especially enjoy interrailing around Europe, often taking in a Walking Women holiday mid-trip. I look for hotels and hostels near train stations that are safe, clean, good value and en-suite. My main frames of reference are the book Europe by Rail Guide written by two women Nicky Gardener and Susanne Kries. Plus the website www.seat61.com (I cannot recommend the latter enough).
I also value personal recommendations so let me know if you have any! For how to book trains, consult seat61 for all your options and the DB website Deutsche Bahn website (for Eurowide train timetables … personally I then either book direct with operators or via Trainline. You will sometimes need to book specific seats even with an interrail ticket so do plan ahead. Always book hotels direct with the establishment – they really appreciate it and you usually get better prices than on platforms that take big commissions .
Note: WalkingWomen can recommend hotels to stay in some destinations that have been recommended by women travellers.
How to get to … Falset via Barcelona
Getting to Barcelona from London is a lot easier and quicker than you might think … at a stretch you could probably do it in a day (although I wouldn’t recommend it as so much to see enroute)
Take the Eurostar to Paris, spend a couple of nights there eg at the People Paris Marais Hostel near the Gare de Lyon. To get across Paris to your next station ( Gare de Lyon) use the RER D or #5 metro between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon NOT a taxi. As you come off your train from London and into the main hall of Gare de Nord Station you will see signs down to the local trains and Metro. Whilst in Paris how about a lovely early morning walk via Ile St-Louis to Notre Dame to beat the crowds.
Then take a direct train to Barcelona; the stretch along the Med coast is particularly stunning with the sea on one side and flocks of flamingos in lagoons on the other.
A good hotel in Barcelona is H10 Art hotel or try the Century Hotel Barcelona
Then on from Barcelona it is just an easy 2 hours direct train to Falset (train station Marca-Falset) if you’re joining the WalkingWomen Priorat Wine Walking holiday there.
On the way back, you can bypass Paris if you want and change at Nimes and Lille.
I did a night in each and loved both cities – Nimes has splendid Roman architecture and gleams like it has been jetwashed; and in Lille (art deco everywhere!) we went to the swimming pool art museum at Roubaix which was simply stunning. Stay in Nimes at Ibis by the central station (nb the intercity train station is slightly out of town so you have to use the local train service to hop into the city) and in Lille at Hotel Brueghel.
With train travel you can get into the heart of cities and towns – sometimes even villages. You can pop off the train and visit some amazing sights.
Approx times:
DOWN (via Paris): London STP – Paris GdN 3.5 hrs, Paris GdL – Barcelona Sants 7 hrs, Barcelona Sants – Falset 2 hrs
RETURN (via Nimes): Falset – Barcelona Sants 2hrs, Barcelona Sants – Nimes Pont Du Gard 4 hrs, Nimes Pont du Gard – Lille Europe 5 hrs, Lille Europe – London STP 90 mins
I wouldn’t use an interrail pass for this journey as you’ll have to book all the trains (except the Nimes cityhopper) well in advance anyway.
How to get to … Zug (Austria) via St Anton in Arlberg
Zug is situated on the Alberg pass in West Austria, which is one of Europe’s finest train journeys. You can come to Zug by rail from two angles – via France and Switzerland (and Liechtenstein) or via Germany and Salzburg. Your rail destination is St Anton (from here there is a bus or private transfer to Zug), and you’ll get a taste of the Alberg pass whichever way you come. I have done both routes, and both are spectacular, although the German route is a lot cheaper! Perhaps go one way and go back the other.
For the first, I stayed en route in Paris (see above re People Marais Hostel). In Zurich, where I haven’t stayed, 25hours hotel Langstrasse is recommended close to Zurich main station 25hours Hotel Zurich
Dadaism was born there so there is plenty to explore.
For the German route, you change in Brussels Zuid aka Midi (much easier than changing in Paris as you just switch platforms rather than travelling across the city) for a train into Germany (look out for the spectacular coloured glass station as you travel through Liege) where you’ll need to change in Cologne. However, if you want to break your journey, I recommend stopping short in Aachen or travelling on to Bonn rather than Cologne. Cologne is okay but a bit rough and I’ve yet to find a reasonably priced nice hotel centrally (recommendations pls!). See www.hotel-bb.com for a reliable and value for money German business hotel chain.
From Cologne (or wherever) take the train along the Rhein to Munich for a really stunning train trip (hint: don’t take the fast train route via Frankfurt but take one that goes via Koblenz or you will miss the river). Stay in Munich ( I liked Cocoon HBF) or head on direct to Salzburg for some Sound of Music location spotting. You can always stay in the Sound of Music Hotel … so excited to see it !
Then take the train from Salzburg east to west across Austria to St Anton either direct by RTZ trains or via Innsbruck (Motel One is a recommendation – fantastic views with your breakfast).
You can definitely use interrail for this route – and I’d recommend it not least because I’ve found Deutsche Bahn to be (surprisingly) somewhat unreliable so it’s always a relief to know you can hop on the next train
Approx times
Route 1 via France: London STP – Paris GdN 3.5 hrs, Paris GdL – Zurich HB 5.5 hrs, Zurich HB – St Anton 2.5 hrs
Route 2 via Germany: London STP – Brussels Z/M 3 hrs, Brussels Z/M – Cologne 2 hrs, Cologne – Munich 4.5 hours [fast train] but take Cologne – Munich via Koblenz ~6 hours with a change at Stuttgart or Mannheim, Munich – Salzburg 2 hours, Salzburg – St Anton 3 hours.
Thank you to Teresa for her tips and we hope to see some of you on the train!
