Above: The Grand Place in the center of Brussels, Belgium
Wine route PORTO TO POCINHO, PORTUGAL • 1-2 DAYS Portugal’s most scenic rail route takes you out of the northern city of Porto and into the vineyard-clad Douro Valley. The Linha do Douro takes 3.5 hours and departs from the beautiful, UNESCO-listed São Bento station in Porto’s Old City, and traces a 100-mile route alongside the River Douro to the sleepy village of Pocinho, where you’ll find excellent tabernas (restaurants) and prehistoric rock art sites in the Côa Valley. The track swaps from shore to shore during the journey, meaning seats on both sides get the opportunity to experience riverside views. Expect simple comfort onboard as you trundle through quaint stations such as Pinhão and Régua, clad with azulejo tiles. The verdant valley is filled with quintas (wine estates), sprawling vineyards and rural scenes. Boats depart from Pocinho or Régua to take you back to the city if you’d like to vary your transport options on the return journey.
Night owl BRUSSELS TO BERLIN • ONE NIGHT This iconic night-train route reopened in 2023 to much fanfare. Streamlining journeys across western European cities by night and also connecting London to Berlin (with the addition of the Eurostar leg to get you to/ from Brussels), the European Sleeper made the German capital a flight-free destination once again from many major cities. But what’s more, all the destinations on the itinerary are well worth a stopover, making it a desirable option for those wanting to explore a range of European highlights. Departing Brussels on Mondays and Fridays (plus Wednesdays in peak months), the itinerary sweeps through the cities of Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Berlin. The sleeper train is equipped with different sleeping options at different price points, from seated compartments to couchette options and three- bed sleepers. The service is set to extend to Dresden and Prague from March 2024.