Great Continental Railway Journeys
If you have been inspired by the BBC series Great Continental Railway Journeys and would like to follow Michael Portillo’s footsteps please consider one of the following railway packages we have created based on the popular TV series. Each package mirrors the episodes that saw Michael Portillo use his 1913 Bradshaw railway guide to follow the most popular routes of the Edwardian railway traveller through Europe.
Please note: The railway holidays below are not escorted tours and the sightseeing excursions are offered as suggestions and are not included in the published price. We can arrange excursions and guided sightseeing tours in advance of your journey at an extra charge (subject to availability). Please call us on 01766 772030 to discuss further.
Episode 1 - Monte Carlo
Day 1
Depart St Pancras midday by Eurostar to Paris. Afternoon/evening free in Paris. Overnight stay in Paris.
Day 2
Travel by high speed TGV service from Paris to Marseille, onwards to Le Ciotat for the Eden Theatre visit, then via Antibes to Nice for an overnight stay at the luxury 5* Hotel Le Negresco.
Day 3
Local trainservice along the Cote d’Azur coast to Monte Carlo. Stay 2 nights in Monte Carlo.
Day 4
Free day to explore Monte Carlo.
Day 5
Leaving Monte Carlo at breakfast and travelling via Nice and Paris, arrival back into St Pancras early evening.
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| Prices from £820 (per person on a shared basis) | |
Episode 2 - Austria-Hungary
Day 1
Depart St Pancras mid-morning by Eurostar to Paris. Transfer to TGV service to Zurich, where you pick up the night sleeper train to Budapest.
Day 2
Arrive Budapest mid-morning. Rest of the day is free to explore. Stay 2 nights in Budapest.
Day 3
Free day in Budapest for sightseeing both Buda and Pest sides of the river as well as visiting the thermal baths.
Day 4
Morning train from Budapest to Bratislava. From Bratislava cruise the Danube by catamaran to Vienna. Stay 2 nights in Vienna at the 5* Imperial hotel. (Please note: Danube catamaran cruise can be pre booked from the UK but not pre paid).
Day 5
Free day in Vienna for sightseeing by way of a traditional carriage ride. Make time for coffee and cake in a traditional Viennese coffee house.
Day 6
Mid-morning train for the short journey to Salzburg. Stay four nights in Salzburg.
Day 7
Full day trip leaving Salzburg by bus to St Gilgen where you can connect with the paddle steamer on the Wolfgangsee to St Wolfgang. You can take a trip on the Schaffberg mountain train or travel by bus to Bad Ischl, the former summer capital of the Austria-Hungary dynasty. Here you can visit the Kaiser Villa. Leave Bad Ischl by train and travel back to Salzburg.
Day 8 & 9
Free days based in Salzburg for city/local area sightseeing. Salzburg is the home of Mozart and various tours are available.
Day 10
Depart Salzburg late morning on a direct train to Cologne, Stay one night in Cologne.
Day 11
Depart Cologne after breakfast to Brussels to join Eurostar back to St Pancras, arriving early afternoon.
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| Prices from £1,310 (per person on a shared basis) | |
Episode 3 - Germany
Day 1
Depart by Eurostar at lunchtime for the short journey to Brussels. Stay 1 night in Brussels.
Day 2
Leaving Brussels mid-morning, travel by ICE services via Cologne to Berlin, arriving late afternoon. Stay 3 nights in Berlin.
Days 3 & 4
Free days based in Berlin with a public transport pass valid on buses, trams and Underground trains.
Day 5
Leaving Berlin after breakfast time to travel via Magdeburg to Hannover. Stay one night at the 5* Hotel Luisenhof.
Day 6
By rail after breakfast for the 2 hour journey to Wernigerode in the Harz Mountains. Arrive lunchtime and rest of the day free to explore - stay 2 nights in Wernigerode. Your Harz rail pass will start today to allow you to travel immediately if you wish and a must is the return trip by steam train to the top of the Brocken Mountain, a no-go area during the Cold War era.
Day 7
Explore the Harzer Schmalspurbahn with your unlimited travel pass.
Day 8
Leave Wernigerode after breakfast and by changing trains in Hannover you reach the industrial Ruhr area and Wuppertal by early afternoon for an overnight stay. Spend some time in the afternoon exploring the famous “hanging railway” the Schwebebahn .
Day 9
Wuppertal to Cologne is an easy journey and allows free time in the afternoon to visit the Old Town and the Fragrance Museum. One night stay in Cologne.
Day 10
Take the train along the banks of the Rhine to Koblenz, where you stay for 2 nights. You could spend the afternoon visiting Stolzenfels Castle.
Day 11
Consider a full day excursion from Koblenz, first by paddle steamer as far as Eltville, then bus to Eberbach Vineyard. Return by train to Koblenz.
Day 12
Leave Koblenz after breakfast and by changing trains in Cologne and Brussels, board the Eurostar service back to St Pancras, arriving late afternoon.
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| Prices from £1,355 (per person on a shared basis) | |
Episode 4 - Switzerland
Day 1
Depart mid-morning by Eurostar to Paris. Transfer to TGV service to Basel for an overnight stay.
Day 2
Explore Basel before taking the train to Brugg, to visit the roman ruins of Vindonissa, then on to the spa town of Baden, terminus of the first entirely Swiss railway line. The line was built to allow the residents of Zurich to take the waters, and is known affectionately as the “Spanisch Broetli-bahn” in honour of a local Baden pastry. Stay overnight in Zurich at the 5* Savoy hotel.
Day 3
Free morning to explore Zurich which has much more to offer than its reputation as the financial hub of Switzerland and what better way to get around than to use the efficient tram network. Take an early afternoon train to Chur, the cantonal capital of Graubunden. Stay 1 night in Chur.
Day 4
Time to explore the wonderful Old Town of Chur, the oldest city in Switzerland before departing on the Glacier Express, the slowest express train in the world! The panoramic coaches allow you to have the most wonderful views as the train winds its way via the Oberalp Pass to Andermatt. Change trains here for Goschenen and the amazing railway engineering that is the Gotthard route to Fluelen. From Fluelen the final leg of the journey is by lake steamer to Lucerne. Stay 1 night in Lucerne.
Day 5
A free morning in Lucerne then early afternoon train to Meiringen, home of the legend that is Sherlock Holmes. Stay 2 nights at the 4* Parkhotel du Sauvage.
Day 6
A full day out by train to Junfraujoch, the highest station in Europe. From Kleine Scheidegg, the line is 9 km long, 7 of which is in tunnel under the peaks of Eiger and Mönch. It emerges at Junfraujoch where there is a 360° panorama of the Italian Alps, Germany’s Black Forest and the Vosges in France. You can also see the Jungfrau and Aletsch glaciers from here.
Day 7
Consider a visit to the Reichenbach falls, made famous as the place where Sherlock Holmes met his “death” following a meeting with his enemy Moriarty! A funicular operates in the summer season and takes you to a vantage point for the falls. Return to Meiringen and take the train to Basel for an overnight stay.
Day 8
Depart Basel after breakfast on the TGV to Paris, where you connect with the Eurostar service back to St Pancras, arriving mid afternoon.
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| Prices from £1,840 (per person on a shared basis) | |
Episode 5 - Low Countries and the Western Front
Day 1
Depart mid-morning by Eurostar to Brussels. . Transfer to InterCity service to Amsterdam. Stay 2 nights in Amsterdam.
Day 2
Day trip by train to Den Haag, home of the Dutch Royal Family and the Dutch parliament. The city is also known for the Peace Palace and being the location of the International Court of Justice.
Day 3
Free morning to explore Amsterdam which is famous for its canals and diamond trade. Afternoon express train from Amsterdam to Brussels. Stay 1 night at the 5* Metropole hotel.
Day 4
Free time to explore Brussels. As well as being home of European politics the city also houses the Museum of Chocolate in the Grand Place. Chocolate is one of Belgium’s claims to fame as it is in Brussels that the first ever box of chocolates was produced. Late afternoon leave the city for the short train journey to Mons. Stay 1 night in Mons.
Day 5
Free morning in Mons. Prior to 1914 Mons was the centre of the Belgian coalfields but WW1 was to change its legacy to the site of the first British casualties of the conflict. Later in the day take a train via Lille to Albert which was situated on the Western Front during WWI. Stay 3 nights in Albert.
Day 6
Albert is an ideal base to visit the various Somme Memorials, the largest of which is the Thiepval. It represents more than 72,000 British soldiers who lost their lives and whose remains were never found.
Day 7
Today it may be possible to visit the Petit Train de la Haute Somme (subject to timetable). This tourist steam train is built on the last remaining section of narrow gauge line that was part of a huge network laid during the WW1 to transport troops and artillery.
Day 8
Morning train from Albert to Amiens. Stay 2 nights here. The town is the former capital of Picardy and is famous for its 13th Century Gothic cathedral.
Day 9
Travel by train to Compiegne where you can visit the forest and a replica of the carriage in which the WWI Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918. The original carriage was taken to Berlin in 1940 and subsequently destroyed in a bombing raid in 1943. Return to Amiens.
Day 10
Depart Amiens after breakfast on the train to Paris, where you connect with the Eurostar service back to St Pancras, arriving mid-afternoon.
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| Prices from £1,020 (per person on a shared basis) | |
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