Wanderlust UK – September 2019

(Axel Boer) #1

25 BESTEUROPEANRAILJOURNEYS


68 wanderlust.co.uk September 2019

15


Krasnaya


Strela,


Russia


Bestfor...Thenoveltyfactor

Thejourney:MoscowtoSt
Petersburg(635km;8.5hours)
Wesay...TheKrasnayaStrela
(pass.rzd.ru)–RedArrow–hasbeen
ridingRussia’srailssincethe1930s,
andwhileitsovernightservicecan’t
keepupwiththenewhigh-speed
daytrain(theSiemens-builtSapsan)
thatridesthisroute,it’sstillthrilling
toboardaSovietrelic–justdon’t
expectaseamlessnight’skip.
Bedtimeisabumpya‰air,although
amedicinalvodkamighthelp...
Toptip:Whenthetraindeparts
StPetersburg,loudspeakersplay
‘HymntotheGreatCity’.Stirring.

16


ElTrans-


cantábrico


Clásico,Spain


Bestfor...Exploringthenorth

Thejourney:LeóntoSantiagode
Compostela(643km;4–8days)

Wesay...Neverhasthepilgrimage
toSantiagodeCompostelafelt
soindulgent.ElTranscantábrico’s
(renfe.com)lavishcompartments
andplentifulexcursionsmakefor
aneasy,enlighteningride.The
Clásicoitineraryhugsthenorthern
coast,withstop-o‰satthe
GuggenheimMuseuminBilbao,
seafoodsuppersinSantander
and,onlongertrips,hikinginthe
UNESCOBiosphereReserveof
PicosdeEuropaNationalPark.
Toptip:Therailnetworkactually
runsbetweenSanFelizandFerrol


  • afewkilometresshyofLeón
    andSantiagodeCompostela–
    sothetripisbookendedbybrief
    coachjourneys.


17


Belgrade


toBar,


Serbia,Bosnia


&Montenegro


Bestfor...Across-countrycaper

Thejourney:BelgradetoBar
(476km; 10 hours)
Wesay...ThisBalkanlinecan’t
bebookedonlinewithnational
operators,soyou’llneedtoget
ticketsatthecounter,butonceon
boardyou’llhopravinesandrivers
withthegreatestofease,thanks
toits 254 tunnelsand 435 bridges.
Ittookrailwayengineersdecades
toblastthroughtheDinaricAlps,
traversethethickbirchforests,skirt
theshoresofLakeSkadarandbuild
the200m-highMalaRijekaviaduct,
which,until2001,wasthetallest
railwaybridgeintheworld.
Toptip:Therearetwotrainsaday;
seto‰earlyforthebestviews.

18


Golden


Eagle


DanubeExpress,


Turkeyto


Hungary


Bestfor...Theeastwithease

Thejourney:Istanbul(Turkey)to
Budapest(Hungary)viaBulgaria
&Romania(1,832km; 7 days)
Wesay...OntheDanubeExpress’s
‘CastlesofTransylvania’route
(goldeneagleluxurytrains.com),
you’llwhizzbetweentwoofEurope’s
mostbeguilingcitiesinthelapof
luxury.O‰-trainexcursionsallowfor
easyexplorationofmedievaltowns
andRomaniancastles,whiletheon-
boardexperienceincludesopulent
perks:thinkplushdoublecabins,
starchedlinensandpianorecitals.
Toptip:Spendyourtimesocialising
inthecocktaillounge;thisjourney
tendstoattractfascinatingsouls.

DID YOU
KNOW?
Legend says the
big bend in the
otherwise straight
railway between
St Petersburg
and Moscow
came of Tsar
Nicholas marking
a line on a map and
accidentally
drawing around his
„inger. The builders
were so scared
that they copied it.

Shutterstock; AWL Images

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