While it’s true that France, Holland, Switzerland, Germany and Catalonia in north-east Spain are the most popular destinations for holidays by rail, there is almost no destination we can’t get you to by rail – by taking advantage of overnight trains (or city stopovers) you can travel by rail to Italy, Austria, Slovenia, southern Spain or Portugal.
With no clouds to obscure your view and no road signs and traffic to concentrate on, you can enjoy your journey so much more than when travelling by aeroplane or car. In fact, the journey forms an integral part of your holiday, and you can sit back and watch the gradual changes in the landscape.
Wherever you’re going, you are initially whisked through the pastoral landscapes of Kent, reaching the Channel Tunnel a mere 35 minutes after leaving London, and emerging onto French soil 20 minutes later. Watch open farmland, traditional villages and an assortment of different-shaped church towers slip by as you cross northern France to Lille or Paris, where you change trains to continue to:
• holidays in France
• holidays in Italy
• holidays in Switzerland
• holidays in Spain
• holidays in Germany and Austria
• holidays in Slovenia
• holidays in Portugal
For information about seating arrangements, catering and upgrades on the trains that you will travel on, read our
trains page.