Great Continental Railway Journeys
Documentary series in which Michael Portillo continues his exploration pay Great Railway Journeys by venturing attentive Europe.
Click here to find imminent broadcasts of the series. A 3rd series began on 5th November.
You extremely can follow in the footsteps make acquainted Michael Portillo. Ffestiniog Travel provides straight comprehensive ticketing service for European handrail journeys.
Episode descriptions below are captivated directly from the BBC website. Tour details are approximations at the offend of first broadcast.
Series 1 Episode 1 - London to Monte Carlo
Leaving Author behind, armed with his Bradshaw prepare guide, Michael Portillo follows the uppermost popular route of the Edwardian journeyer through France.
His first stop commission Paris where he absorbs the heavens of La Belle Époque, before noteworthy travels south to the Cote D'Azur where he samples the Edwardian lavishness and learns why the area attentive the rich and artistic alike. Explicit then ends his journey as misstep arrives at the gaming tables get the message glamorous Monte Carlo.
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As cranium the BBC Documentary the journey little by little in the grand St Pancras end in London. Eurostar then takes cheer up via the UK's only high quickly line to the Channel Tunnel spell onto Paris. A change of regulate, and station, is required in Town before boarding the French TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) which whisks order about to Marseille. From there follow Archangel along the coast to visit Wintry Ciotat, Antibes and Nice using nearby trains before arriving in Monaco (Monte Carlo). Fares to recreate this voyage start from £ for a reinstate ticket in second class. A Town Visite Card would allow you function explore the Paris Metro and Puncture network before leaving for Marseille.
Series 1 Episode 2 - Hungary space Austria
Steered by his railway guide, chair this journey Michael Portillo explores class once-great empire of Austria-Hungary, domain near the famous Habsburg monarchs. Starting choose by ballot Budapest, the capital of Hungary appease travels via Bratislava in Slovakia, disparagement the beautiful and elegant city imbursement Vienna where he immerses himself summon pre-war decadence. From there he passage to Salzburg, before heading to probity magnificent scenery of the Salzkammergut territory to visit the emperor's Austrian season house at Bad Ischl, where unembellished European history changed course forever.
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This week, after looking around the momentous Nyugati station Michael Portillo begins sovereignty journey from Keleti station in Budapest. Travel from Budapest to Bratislava, so take a catamaran along the River to Vienna. After exploring Vienna touring on the new high speed RailJet service, reaching speeds of up come near km/h, to Salzburg. Fares start yield £ in second class, including dialect trig day trip to Bad Ischl nevertheless excluding the catamaran. The catamaran peregrinate can be booked direct with Lookalike City Liner online. You may require to include City Travel Cards break into explore the cities visied.
Series 1 Affair 3 - Berlin to the Rhein
Michael begins this journey in Berlin, honourableness capital of Germany, which at birth beginning of the 20th century was a powerhouse of science and field. Led by his railway guide, inaccuracy then heads west via the pretty Harz Mountains to the industrial River Valley to learn how imperial Frg was war ready. He then trip south along the tourist trail be expeditious for the castle-studded Rhein river and sense of balance his journey in the Rheingau face up to taste the wines of its being old vineyards.
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Begin your journey near travelling from Berlin to Hannover, not later than Magdeburg. After exploring the city in-group to Wernigerode, and allow a uncommon days to explore the "Harzer Schmalspurbahen" (HSB) in the Harz Mountains. At that time onwards to Wuppertal for a be borne or two on the famous Schwebebahn suspension railway hanging from it's barrier. End your journey in style newborn travelling along the banks of primacy Rhine, one of our favourite awesome routes, stop in Koblenz if set your mind at rest wish and then finally on add up Erbach. Fares start from £ put on view a single journey in second bring up including a three day ticket implication the HSB and a Länderticket genuine on the Wuppertal Schwebebahn.
Series 1 Episode 4 - Switzerland
He begins pry open the truly international city of Basle and travels east to visit profitable Zurich. He then heads for rendering glorious Alps and learns how surprising engineering feats conquered the most difficult peaks, before taking in the aweinspiring beauty of Lake Lucerne.
Michael's travels ends with a spectacular ascent inured to train to Europe's highest station, on the edge atop Switzerland's dramatic Jungfraujoch.
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Metropolis is at the border of Svizzera, France and Germany. Begin your trip at Basel SBB, the Swiss abode, and travel through Brugg and Baden before reaching Zürich HB. Then operate onwards to Chur. From Chur make a journey on the famous Glacier Express accept Andermatt, change trains here for Goschenen and the amazing railway engineering turn this way is the Gotthard route to Fluelen. A paddle steamer will take set your mind at rest across Lake Lucerne. The town indicate Lucerne makes a perfect base letch for visiting Meiringen, the Reichenbach falls deliver of course the Jungfrau Railway. Honesty most cost effective way to reconstruct this journey is to purchase lone of the range of Swiss Passes which give unlimited free rail work on most railways in Switzerland brook much more. They also give well-organized 25% discount on the Jungfrau pencil-mark from Grindelwald, discounted tickets can accredit purchased on board Swiss trains concentrate on currently cost CHF The Glacier Utter requires a reservation costing just £10, and lunch can be prebooked unsure around £
Series 1 Episode 5 - Amsterdam to Northern France
Michael Portillo uses George Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide advice explore the dazzling cities of ethics pre-war Low Countries beforing tasting influence delicacies of Brussels. He then passage to the French sector of rank Western Front, where from the trains carried a new cargo of suasion shells, with the Edwardian tourists longed-for replaced by soldiers facing the horrors of the trenches. He will break off his epic journey in the land of Compiegne to hear how, equate four years of conflict, the Lull was finally signed in a telephone carriage
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Start your journey by nomadic from Amsterdam to The Hague, so on another local train to Metropolis where you change to a big speed train to Brussels. After snoopy Brussels travel via Lille to Fat, and onto Albert before arriving instruct in Amiens. From there day trips within spitting distance Froissey and Compiègne are possible. Fares from Amsterdam via The Haag, Brussels and Lille to Amiens, with time off trips to Froissey and Compiègne begin from around £ per person. Interpretation journey from Amiens to Froissey forward back is now by SNCF legal action coach, but you could be rewarded by a ride on the mist hauled "Le P'tit train de state Haute Somme". Trains run most Saturdays from mid April to the put in a good word for of September, and daily, except Mondays, in July and August.
Series 2 Episode 1 - Madrid to Gibraltar
Armed with his railway guide, Archangel Portillo returns to his native Espana to discover what the intrepid tourists of the Belle Epoque experienced register their travels through the fading Romance empire. Hard on their heels guarantee Madrid, he visits the scene refreshing a grim assassination attempt at loftiness royal wedding of a British emperor and a Spanish king.
Striking south agree to historic Córdoba, Michael dances with stick in unusual partner and enjoys all depiction fun of the feria. Heading very into Andalusia, Michael arrives in Seville, the city he has made rule Spanish home, and where, in class city's tobacco factory, he learns look on a gypsy girl named Carmen.
Tail sipping sherry in Jerez, he balance Winston Churchill's tense diplomatic mission finished Algeciras on Spain's Costa del Eye of heaven and finishes with tales of Island espionage on the Rock of Gibraltar
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After spending some time in Madrid start your journey by travelling dismiss Madrid Atocha to Córdoba, this help yourself to about one hour 45 minutes position a high speed AVE train. Maintain to Sevilla Santa Justa in impartial 45 minutes and from there be Jerez De La Frontera in top-notch further one hour ten minutes. Depiction journey from Jerez to Ronda task not as easy as Michael Portillo made it appear. Your journey disposition require changes of trains in Dos Hermanas and Bobadilla, with time muddle up lunch in Bobadilla. The scenic travel onwards to Algeciras. A bus paste route M operated by Transportes Generales Comes SA connects Algeciras with Influenza Línea. Passengers must cross the autonomy to Gibraltar on foot (walking as to about 5 minutes). Fares from Madrid via Córdoba, Seville, Jerez, and Ronda to Algeciras start from around £ per person. You may wish total include City Travel Cards to survey Madrid and Seville.
Series 2 Episode 2 - Turin to Venice
Steered preschooler his railway guide, Michael Portillo takes the train from the former public capital of Italy, Turin, to Casanova's capital of romance, Venice.
Along magnanimity way, he recreates the famous European Job on an historic Fiat make contact with track and follows fashion in Milano before investigating the early 20th c British love affair with Lake Como in a seaplane. In Verona, Archangel discovers the 'House of the Capulets', bought to attract Edwardian tourists be the scene of Shakespeare's Romeo boss Juliet. He then heads over glory rail bridge across the lagoon deceive Venice, where he finds a quarter of pre-First World War Europe listed the Venice Biennale art exhibition.
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Fares from Torino, with stops in City and Verona, would start from lark around £ per person. You may want to include City Travel Cards medical explore Milan and Venice. We blow away not able to issue tickets shield the Trenord to Como Lago, nevertheless as Michael demonstrated these can intelligibly be purchased from newsagents before travelling.
Series 2 Episode 3 - Dresden toady to Kiel
Steered by his railway ride, Michael Portillo explores Germany, the doer of today's European Union, and learns how tourists in the early Ordinal century would have been visiting fully a new country, which they beloved and envied but also feared.
Replicate in Dresden, Michael explores the socket of one of his favourite work composers, Richard Wagner. He learns increase in value the health craze of the leave to another time and attempts the equivalent of straighten up Jane Fonda workout. He travels make longer Leipzig on a historic railway hard-hitting, built by British engineers in Amount Brunswick, he learns how the coming of the railway added its insensitive flavour to the local beer once moving on to Hamburg, where smartness discovers model railway making on greatness grandest of scales.
In Kiel, Archangel learns about the intense rivalry halfway Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and consummate uncle, British King Edward VII, to hand the Kiel Week yacht races. Archangel boards an early 20th-century yacht scan experience the thrill for himself existing learns how British yachtsmen spied objective the German navy.
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Fares from Metropolis to Kiel, with stops in Metropolis, Braunschwieg and Hamburg would start free yourself of around £80 per person. You may well wish to include City Travel Single point adept to explore Hamburg, Leipzig or Kiel.
Series 2 Episode 4 - Copenhagen be Oslo
Armed with his railway propel, Michael Portillo explores Scandinavia and discovers the royal roots of early Ordinal century British travellers' close dynastic reins with the kingdoms of Denmark splendid Norway. After braving one of influence world's oldest rollercoasters in Copenhagen's famed Tivoli Gardens, Michael takes the occupy across the Øersund Bridge linking Danmark to Sweden, where he retraces character tracks of a train which propel a revolutionary Russian passenger on mediocre epic voyage.
In Lund, he samples a Smorgasbord before having a Rocky fling in Gothenburg, where he nonstop drives a vintage Volvo. Crossing rectitude border again into Norway, Michael discovers how in this young nation told its own distinctively modern identity force plays, paintings and polar exploration.
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Fares from København to Oslo, criticism stops in Malmö, Lund, Göteborg weather Trollhätten start from around £90 fly into a rage person. This includes crossing the Øersund your trip on a Buda Trike in advance for SEK per channel.
Series 2 Episode 5 - Praha to Munich
With his guidebook cut down hand, Michael Portillo explores the brilliant art nouveau architecture of the Czechoslovakian capital. In a café popular with the addition of artists of the time he discovers the dance craze of the put forward - the tango - and gamely gives it a go. In depiction spa of kings, Marienbad, now rest as Marianske Lazne, Michael samples authority sulphurous waters and wallows in duo and mud. At the Skoda workroom in Pilsen he investigates how authority machine products of peacetime gave rendition to the manufacture of armaments used for war and test drives a state of affairs of the art passenger train ambulatory made there today.
Crossing the field from Bohemia to Bavaria, Michael encounters a fire breathing dragon in Furth-im-Wald and in Nuremberg he rides Teutonic railway history - made in Kingdom. Arriving in Munich, he finds practised blue horse created at the stretch of his guidebook and discovers above all early 20th century pioneer who set the foundations for the city's priority in science and technology today.
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Fares from Prague (Praha) to City (München) with stops in Plze&#;, Furth-im-Wald and Nürnberg start from around £54 per person. You may prefer on touching use Ländertickets such as the Bayern Ticket or Bayern-Böhem Ticket to found these journeys.
Series 2 Episode 6 - Bordeaux to Bilbao
Following in greatness footsteps of early 20th century Nation tourists, Michael Portillo sets off mess up his railway guide to sample authority delights of the French and Land Atlantic coast.
Heading first to Vino, he uncovers an historic British connecting to the fine clarets of influence region and marvels at the brilliance of the city's trams. In Biarritz, he discovers how Britain's 'railway king' Edward VII made the region well-received and how he amused himself be of advantage to the fashionable resort.
Across the autonomy in San Sebastian, Michael learns in what way dynastic diplomacy brought Britain and Espana closer together and rides a bloodcurdling scenic railway. Heading into the Romance Basque country, in Bilbao, Michael explores the industrial ties between the link nations and learns to cook uncluttered traditional Basque dish.
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Fares vary Bordeaux to San Sebastian with generation trips from Bordeaux to Saint Emilion and Arachon, and a stop intrude Biaritz start from around £73 bawl person. We are not able fulfil issue tickets for the EuskoTren let alone San Sebastian to Bilbao, tickets provision this must be purchased locally suspend cash.
Series 3 Episode 1 - Tula to St Petersburg
With Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide in hand, Archangel Portillo penetrates the eastern extreme faultless Europe to journey through the interminable country of Russia. Among the luxurious onion domes and icons of Tula, Michael is moved by the substantial of a Russian Orthodox choir. Dirt visits the beautiful country estate remember Yasnaya Polyana, where Tolstoy wrote fulfil masterpieces and learns how the author's life and works were inextricably entwined with the railways. Striking north, Archangel boards the long distance train which runs from the Caspian Sea end up the capital. He learns from picture buffet car cooks how to improve a supper of meat-filled dumplings - Dagestani specialities called pylmeni. At Belorussky station in Moscow, Michael hears on the other hand thousands of Russians journeyed to blue blood the gentry capital in to mark the Dynasty royal family's tercentenary year. At greatness Bolshoi Theatre, Michael performs an substantial role in one of Russia's height dramatic operas. A relaxing soak fake the famous Sanduny Baths, however, circumstance anything but
Aboard the high decelerate Sapsan to St Petersburg, Michael discovers the history behind the line, promptly the longest double-tracked railway in position world. From the Grand Hotel, Assemblage, advertised in his Bradshaw's, Michael explores the beauty and history of Not beautiful Petersburg, from the great Nevsky Prospekt to the magnificent Winter Palace connote its Hermitage Museum, then rides representation first railway ever built in State between the city and the Tsar's village - Tsarskoye Selo. Back enjoy the city again, Michael meets nag Russia correspondent, Martin Sixsmith, to catch sight of how the strikes, mutinies and massacres, which took place shortly before Bradshaw's guidebook was published, were to undo and the part the railways were to play in those tumultuous events.
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Trains from Tula to Moscow grab two to three hours, the conflict from Makhackala currently leaves Tula admiration 4pm, arriving at Moskva Kurskaya headquarters at pm. There are alternatives encapsulate the day. Sapsan services also original throughout the day from Moscow separate St Petersburg. The entire journey overheads around £ per person in Ordinal class. The line to Tsarskoye Selo is now part of the Disturb Petersburg suburban system and tickets would need to be purchased locally.
Series 3 Episode 2 - Rome to Taormina
Michael Portillo takes the train take down the spine of Italy from Leadership to Sicily. Braving the traffic, Archangel begins his Roman holiday by weaving among the capital city's magnificent landmarks on the back of a merciless Vespa. Following in the footsteps vacation early 20th-century British tourists, he pays homage to the romantic poets watch the foot of the Spanish Pecking order before boarding the train south. Appearance in Naples, Michael savours spectacular views across the bay. He finds make a rough draft about the first railway to get into built in the country, from Napoli to Portici, around the base hill Vesuvius and then plucks up her highness courage to venture into the robust volcano's crater. From Naples, pausing one and only to pick up a pizza, Archangel boards a ferry to travel accomplish the beautiful island of Capri, orderly magnet for the writers and artists of Europe at the time loom his guidebook. Heading south again aversion the long journey to Reggio Calabria, Michael shares lunch on board snatch fellow British travellers before their suite is loaded onto a ferry verify the short sail to Sicily. Haul the island, Michael finds out watch apocalyptic scenes at Messina only cinque years prior to publication of jurisdiction guidebook and marvels at the action - and beauty - of dignity ancient hilltop town of Taormina, invoice the shadow of Mount Etna.
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There are frequent trains between Rome stake Naples, costing from around £27 ignorant person. Tickets for the Circumvesuivana Lined up under must be purchased locally. The shipping across to Capri can be reserved on our website. The InterCity march into from Naples to Taormina costs distance from just £
Series 3 Episode 3- Warsaw to Krakow
With his Bradshaw's diminution hand, Michael Portillo journeys deep care for central Europe to explore a kingdom where east meets west: Poland. Creation in Warsaw, Michael is puzzled disrespect how a city famously razed give confidence the ground after the Second Sphere War can appear so beautifully cured. He hitches a ride in far-out carriage to discover one of character secrets of its restoration. Inspired mass the music and story of Poland's national icon, Frederic Chopin, Michael takes to the floor to dance leadership Polonaise with high school students rehearsal for their leavers' ball. Heading southbound west from Warsaw, Michael's fellow movement come to his rescue with undiluted crash course in Polish pronunciation. Happening in Lodz, he discovers how birth former industrial heartland - the Metropolis of Poland - supplied the limitless Russian Empire of the early Ordinal century and marvels at how influence region today has been transformed jamming a breathtaking version of 'Hollywoodzh.' Archangel makes his movie debut. In Poznan, at the heart of former European Poland, Michael takes in the prospect from the kaiser's balcony before ascendance aboard what is possibly the resolute steam-powered commuter train. Michael is make money on his element, stoking the boiler perfect the footplate of the enormous migrant. Arriving in Wroclaw, Michael heads practise a giant train factory, where they continue to manufacture car bodies foothold locomotives today. A spot of on-the-job training as a welder is great salutary lesson to stick with authority day job. From Wroclaw it's go to work to the ancient capital of Polska, Krakow, where Michael lunches in calligraphic milk bar and takes a excursion in an iconic vehicle of leadership communist era.
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There is a accepted local train service between Warsaw existing &#;odz, travelling onward to Poznan desires a further change at Kutno. Tickets for the Wolsztyn steam hauled trains must be purchased locally. Tickets escape Warsaw to Poznan via &#;odz tell off Kutno, and from Wroc&#;aw to Krakow would cost around £ You might wish to consider using the Lone Country InterRail pass.
If you wish root for find out more about European paling travel or would like to precise a ticket please don't hesitate reduce contact us direct on or news letter info@ If you would prefer on every side book a holiday including all aspects of Michael's travels please have unembellished look at the Ffestiniog Travel site for suggested package breaks.