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25TH SEPTEMBER 2023 THE TRAVEL GUIDE DISTRIBUTED WITH


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It’s packed full of breathtaking photography and authentic stories, plus the lowdown on the best places to visit and the essential kit to take with you.


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EUROPE Pages 4-5


VERBIER Page 6


RUTLAND Page 8


KITLIST Page 8


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BUDAPEST DONAU RIVER WATERFRONT HISTORIC YELLOW TRAMWAY VIEW/GETTY The big trip


There are few trips more romantic than crossing a continent by rail, watching landscapes and cultures change outside the windows. Here’s how to plan the ultimate route Words: Ben Lerwill & Monisha Rajesh


Standing under the iron ribcage of London’s St Pancras station, it’s impossible not to feel a thrill as Eurostar trains whisk passengers away from the city and under the sea. In just two-and-a-half hours, travellers can step out into the French capital, where one of the greatest railway journeys begins. Launched in 1883 by the


fabulously named Georges Nagelmackers, the Express d’Orient was, at fi rst, a regular passenger service rather than a luxury train. Initially, it took a combination of trains and ferries to complete the journey from Paris to Istanbul: trains departed Paris for Vienna, then travelled through Budapest and Bucharest to the southern Romanian city of Giurgiu. Passengers transferred to a ferry


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across the Danube to Bulgaria before boarding another train to the Black Sea coast, where a steamer tied up the journey to Istanbul. However, in 1889 the line was completed, and that June the fi rst direct train departed Paris, taking passengers to Istanbul’s Sirkeci Station over three nights. With night trains enjoying a


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resurgence and climate change at the forefront of our minds, now is the time to embrace the joys of slow travel by rail. Even though the service was discontinued in 2009, it’s perfectly possible to follow the same route, with Munich wound in. A direct fl ight from London to Istanbul costs from £100 and takes


four hours, but there’s no charm in lifting out of one city and dropping into another. On a train, passengers can press


up to the window, watching French farms and villages whizz by, lakes sparkling in the sunshine. German towns rise up on grassy slopes where cows graze in meadows deep with purple asters, snow-capped peaks in the distance. Fortifi ed towns roll by in Romania, ducks and geese waddling around allotments as the train clanks through the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Raging sunsets are liable to light up the fi nal ride through Bulgaria. And within the walls of the


carriage, friendships will form, food will be shared, secrets divulged and cultures examined. T ere will be talk of politics, cards will be dealt, drinks cracked open, and all the while towns and cities pass, their people coming and going, the journey your ultimate destination


London to Paris Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes T e journey to Gare du Nord is a quick, uneventful one, with little in the way of scenic highlights, but the expeditious leap from the Borough of Camden to the cobbles and bistros of the 10th arrondissement opens up endless onward rail options. Another key Paris terminus, Gare de l’Est, where trains head east towards Germany and Switzerland, is less than 10


minutes’ walk from Gare du Nord. Call in for an espresso en route at Café les Deux Gares, or extend your time in Paris to soak up other parts of the city. T e hilltop district of Montmartre, the thronged streets of Le Marais and the galleries of the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay are all easily reached by Métro or taxi from the Eurostar terminal. Stay: Near Gare du Nord, Hoy


is a 22-room wellness hotel with a restaurant serving plant-based cuisine. hoyparis.com Top tip: Head to eurostar.com/


uk-en/fi nd-lowest-fares for a handy overview of cut-price ticket prices in the coming months.


Paris to Munich Duration: 5 hours 40 minutes Au revoir, Paris. A direct, high- speed, double-decker service covers the 425 miles to Munich every afternoon, departing Gare de l’Est at 3.55pm (5.55pm on Saturdays) and reaching Bavaria’s self-confi dent capital at 9.36pm (11.29pm on Saturdays). Once in Munich, you can dive into the city’s stock-in-trade: traditional beer halls such as Augustiner-Keller and Hofbräuhaus, which close at midnight and serve hearty food, as well as frothing steins. Alternatively, make a stay of it and explore the centre. T e spectacular main square of Marienplatz and centuries-old food market of Viktualienmarkt are both big historical draws, and there’s world-class art aplenty at


both the Alte Pinakothek gallery and its neighbour, the Pinakothek der Moderne. Stay: Eden Hotel Wolff is a


smart option just steps away from Munich’s Hauptbahnhof (central station) and 15 minutes’ walk from the Old Town. eden-hotel-wolff .de Top tip: Munich bills itself as


Germany’s bike capital — there are plenty of cycle routes and rental outlets dotted around the city.


Munich to Vienna Duration: 4 hours T e journey from Munich to Vienna meanders across almost the entire breadth of Austria. Highlights include Salzburg, where you’ll be treated to views of medieval Hohensalzburg Fortress, as well as a shifting spread of lakes, onion- domed churches and distant mountains. Trains run every couple of hours from Munich, so you can time your arrival to your choosing. T e Austrian capital was recently named the best city to live in worldwide, and off ers plenty for visitors, too. T is year marks the 150th anniversary of its hosting of the 1873 World’s Fair, and many of the city’s key sights were present back then. Prime examples are the 1,441-room Schönbrunn Palace — a baroque behemoth and once the summer residence of the Habsburg rulers — and the opulent Vienna State Opera, which stages performances throughout most of the year. More contemporary


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