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Best Train Journeys in Europe for People Who Hate Flying

Flying between European cities is an act of geography-denial. The train puts the journey back in travel: you board in a city centre, you arrive in a city centre, and somewhere in between you watched the Alps pass your window with a coffee in hand. These are the routes worth your time.

I had a 6am flight from Milan to Barcelona booked. I cancelled it forty-eight hours before departure, booked the overnight Elipsos train instead, drank two glasses of Catalan red in the dining car somewhere around Lyon, fell asleep to the sound of the train moving through France, and woke up pulling into Barcelona Sants as the city was warming up. The flight would have cost me a 4am alarm, a taxi, a budget terminal, and the existential dread of Ryanair’s boarding music. The train cost me twelve more euros and gave me one of the best travel days I’ve had.

Here are the European rail journeys that are genuinely better than flying.

1. Glacier Express, Zermatt to St. Moritz, Switzerland

The classic. Eight hours through the Swiss Alps on a narrow-gauge railway, 291 bridges, 91 tunnels, and the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 metres. Panoramic windows. A three-course lunch served at your seat. Snow-capped peaks in every direction. This is what train travel is supposed to feel like, turned up to eleven.

2. Eurostar, London to Paris

The one that made Britons realize that the Continent was actually accessible. Two hours and sixteen minutes from St. Pancras to Gare du Nord, with passport control handled at departure. Compare this to: getting to Heathrow, checking in, the flight, baggage, the RER. The train wins on actual door-to-door time for most London addresses.

3. Paris to Barcelona (TGV/Renfe)

Six and a half hours through the south of France, past Montpellier and the Languedoc hills, under the Pyrenees via the high-speed line, into Barcelona Sants. The city-centre-to-city-centre advantage over flying is enormous on this route. Book on Renfe or SNCF directly; prices are reasonable if booked three or more months out.

4. Bergen Railway, Oslo to Bergen, Norway

Seven hours across the Hardangervidda plateau, through the Finse snowfields (even in summer), down into the fjord country. One of the most dramatic pieces of railway engineering in Europe. The descent into Bergen through the forest is extraordinary. Take the full journey, don’t fly the stretch.

5. Bernina Express, Chur to Tirano, Italy via Engadin, Switzerland

UNESCO World Heritage route. The Landwasser Viaduct. Morteratsch Glacier views. The train descends 1,800 metres from the Alps to the Italian lakes without a single rack rail — pure adhesion engineering. Tirano has a café where you eat pasta and feel you’ve earned it.

6. Prague to Kraków (via Ostrava)

Seven and a half hours through Bohemian countryside and into southern Poland. Peaceful, underrated, and genuinely beautiful through the Beskid mountains. This route is why people buy Interrail passes and don’t regret it.

7. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE)

This one is in a different category: it’s a luxury product, not a transport choice. But the journey from London or Paris to Venice on the restored 1920s carriages, through the Alps overnight, with dinner service in the Art Deco dining car, is one of the great travel experiences in the world. It costs accordingly.

8. Madrid to Seville (AVE)

Two hours and thirty minutes. High-speed, reliable, and departs every thirty minutes through the day. Spain’s AVE network makes the idea of flying domestically within Spain largely absurd. Book the early service, you arrive before the Alcázar opens.

9. Stockholm to Copenhagen

Five and a half hours through Sweden and across the Øresund Bridge into Denmark. The moment the train crosses the bridge and you see Copenhagen below is one of the great arrival experiences in European rail travel.

10. Scenic Bern–Lucerne leg of the Swiss Pass

Not a named train, just a section — but the route from Bern around Lake Lucerne through the Emmental valley, connecting to the William Tell Express, is a morning well spent. Build it into any Swiss rail pass itinerary.

Route	Journey time	vs. Flying (door-to-door)	Best booking platform
London–Paris Eurostar	2h 16m	Faster	Eurostar.com
Paris–Barcelona	6h 30m	Similar	Renfe / SNCF
Madrid–Seville	2h 30m	Faster	Renfe
Glacier Express	8h	N/A (no direct flight)	SBB.ch
Oslo–Bergen	7h	Similar	Vy.no
Stockholm–Copenhagen	5h 30m	Similar	SJ.se / Oresundstag
Prague–Kraków	7h 30m	Comparable	CD.cz / PolRail

Is an Interrail / Eurail pass worth it? For three or more countries in under three weeks, yes — the maths usually work. For a single return journey, booking point-to-point tickets three months out beats the pass price almost every time.

How far in advance should I book? For high-speed routes (London–Paris, Paris–Barcelona, Madrid–Seville): three months or more for the best prices. For regional routes (Prague–Kraków, Bergen Railway): a few weeks is fine. The VSOE books out a year or more ahead.

What about overnight trains? They’re back, genuinely. The Nightjet network (Austria/Germany/Switzerland), European Sleeper (Brussels to Prague), and Caledonian Sleeper (London to Scotland) are all good products. Book a couchette or private cabin; the seat carriages are for the young and flexible only.

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