July/August 2023


Aux Etangs du Bos, a fun-filled water park, and Parc Le Bournat, a model French village and theme park from the 1900s. On the west coast of France is the Vendée,


a fantastic destination for family camping holidays. Home to more than 90 miles of safe, sandy beaches and a climate to rival the Med, it’s not surprising that this is one of France’s most popular holiday destinations. It’s also very easy to get to, being located just a few hours from the nearest ferry port. You could spend your entire camping holiday in Atlantic Loire Valley cycling from beach to beach thanks to a network of family-friendly cycle routes criss-crossing the region. Or, for something a little more thrilling, try sailing or windsurfing. Beyond the sand and the sea there are picturesque market towns to discover and charming fishing harbours to explore. You must visit the islands of Île d’Yeu and Noirmoutier while you’re here, too. The latter is famous for its oysters, potatoes and salt and is attached to the mainland by a centuries-old causeway and a modern bridge. The Vendée is well-known for its seafood, meaning that you can end your day around the campfire with a bowl of freshly cooked mussels. When it’s finally time to go home, it’s easy


to make your way back over the Channel. Brittany Ferries run regular ferry services from a number of ports, meaning all you have to do is load up your car with French cheese and wine and wave goodbye until the next time.


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YOU’RE reading while being served a coffee or a delicious dinner, listening to a piano play in the background, and then suddenly you look out of the window of a historic carriage and see the sun set on the horizon, and everything seems perfect. This scene, or something similar, is what you can expect to experience on several tourist trains around Spain,


and these


trains mean the journey is as exciting as the destination. You can go on luxury week- long journeys that hark back to the long railway journeys of the past and day trips that are brought to life by actors. Travelling by train is one of the greatest pleasures a traveller can experience, especially if it comes with a buffet breakfast, product tastings, exclusive tours, and


so on.


The Transcantábrico The Transcantábrico Train is the oldest


and most quintessential luxury tourist train. This route is a dream: travel around the north of Spain, known as Green Spain for its stunning landscapes, on board a train that preserves the romanticism of the great trains of the early 20th century but also has modern facilities. The most glamorous version is the Transcantábrico Gran Lujo, which takes 8 days to travel from San Sebastián to Santiago de Compostela. Travellers can try the cuisine of Castilla y Leon, the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia, while enjoying gala evenings, live music on board and tickets to museums and monuments with a multilingual guide. The Al Andalus People say the Al-Andalus Train is like a


palace on wheels. In fact, the carriage-suites are part of the very series constructed to transport the British Royal family between Calais and the Côte d’Azure. Passengers on this train will visit Andalusia over seven days, ending in Seville. The experience of travelling on one of the world’s most spacious trains is combined with the chance to try dishes by prestigious chefs and discover cities such as Cadiz, Ronda, Cordoba, Úbeda and Baeza and sights like the Alhambra. Galicia’s tourist trains Did the previous idea tempt you to visit Galicia? Then you will be happy to hear that every year in Galicia, they run various themed tourist trains. They usually run between May and October and travel the most beautiful routes, such as the Lighthouses Route, the Mansions and Historic Gardens Route, the Roman Lugo Route, the Ourense Spa and


DESTINATION MED: MAINLAND EUROPE | 15


Spend your days travelling...


Shopping Route, etc. Galician wine has become very famous and one of the most original ways to try it is on board one of these trains, on routes such as the Rías Baixas Wine Route and the Ribeira Sacra Wine Route. Get ready to see landscapes of valleys and vineyards, monasteries hidden among the mountains and incredible scenery along the Sil and Miño rivers.


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