Lonely Planet has written a brilliant book ‘Flight-free Europe’ about how to explore Europe using low carbon routes. They suggest 80 itineraries where you can visit numerous countries within a week or two using mainly train, but also boat, cycling and walking routes. They recommend that to make this type of trip successful, you should follow these rules:

1) Know when to book because many fast trains go on sale 90 days in advance and the cheapest tickets go first.

2) Pack light on these itineraries because you will be travelling by train or cycling. Reducing your luggage will make it easier and cheaper to travel.

3) Book accommodation ahead, particularly in the summer when travelling in Europe.

4) Expect to pay just a little bit more than flying: cheap airlines like EasyJet make it hard to resist flying by air compared to taking a train instead. But when you include the costs of getting to and from the airport, baggage fees and food and drink, the difference is not that big.  

5) The journey is part of the fun: you can enjoy the scenery roll by when you are on a train, boat, bicycle or walking. In comparison, airports are never fun.

Below are some examples of great excursions by train across Europe:

Three capitals in one week

The north of France, Belgium and the Netherlands are very close to each other. You can travel from Paris to Belgium within two hours and then Amsterdam will be only an extra hour on the train from Belgium. Depending on what type of trip you want to make it, whether an art trail to see Europe’s best art galleries (Paris-Antwerp-Amsterdam), a ‘beer pilgrimage’ or want to see three capital cities in a week (Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam), trains are the most efficient way of travelling. Lonely Planet show how you can pack in much more adventure and culture in a week than just staying in one country for the whole time.

Southern Germany, Austria and Slovenia

Southern Germany is close to Austria, and it is possible to get from Munich to Innsbruck or Salzburg in a couple of hours. From there, it is easy to travel to either Italy or Slovenia. It is only 4 hours from Austria to the Slovenian capital Ljubljana.

Combining France and Northern Spain

The fast trains across Europe make it easy to enjoy the beaches of France and Spain. You can travel from Paris to Montpellier in the South of France and visit the beaches nearby. From Montpellier, you can take the train to Barcelona, which only takes three hours.

Route of the Orient Express

The famous Orient Express route, from Paris to Istanbul, can be done on a budget of 600 euros per person. Starting at Paris, you can catch a fast train that gets to Munich in six hours. From Munich, you can get an overnight train to Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Several options are available when travelling from Budapest, but Lonely Planet recommend travelling to Bucharest and then onto Istanbul by sleeper train. This journey should take about two weeks.

East Mediterranean adventure

You can visit four countries in a month by combining train and boat across the East Mediterranean. Starting from Rome, you can take trains towards Bari, (whilst visiting other cities) which is a departure point for ferries crossing the Adriatic Sea. You can take a ferry to the capital of Croatia, Dubrovnik, and move onto Albania, then Corfu and Athens. Greece is close to Turkey and the holiday can be extended by visiting the coast of Eastern Turkey by ferry and taking a train to Istanbul, the capital of Turkey.