Travelling Europe by Train: Italy, France, Spain and Portugal
30 Sep 2023Two weeks along the Mediterranean by train, trying to reproduce the old-school Interrail trip feeling, minus the dormitories (mostly).
Stops
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14 Sep 2023 The first leg of a two week trip from Vienna to Lisbon. An ÖBB Nightjet to Italy, then a long first day exploring the rugged, multi-dimensional old town of Genoa. |
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15 Sep 2023 One more morning in Genoa, then off to Cannes. Except I boarded the wrong train and ended up half way to Turin before I noticed. |
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16 Sep 2023 A full day in Cannes. Covered markets, a botanical garden, the Palais des Festivals on an open doors day, and a sunset to round it off. |
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17 Sep 2023 Train day to Montpellier with a two hour delay in Marseille, ending in the strangely deserted Antigone quarter after dark. |
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18 Sep 2023 A lively, almost Oxford-like Montpellier in the morning, an evening train to Barcelona, and a windowless hotel room in the Gothic Quarter. |
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19 Sep 2023 One day in Barcelona was nowhere near enough. Sagrada Família, Modernisme tile facades, Sant Pau, and the beach at Barceloneta, all crammed into a hop on hop off afternoon. |
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20 Sep 2023 Spain bites back. Every hotel in Valencia is booked out and I end up in a hostel dorm. After a wander through the Jardín del Turia and the Ciutat de les Arts, I learn the hard way that Spaniards eat dinner later than I'd like. |
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21 Sep 2023 A second loop through Valencia, a more central hotel, and an extremely nervous waiter filleting a whole fish at my table. |
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22 Sep 2023 A fast train almost via Madrid lands me in Seville by lunch. Some hand washed laundry later, I luck into Alcázar tickets and spend the afternoon picking my jaw off the floor. |
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23 Sep 2023 Plaza de España and the leftover pavilions from the 1929 World's Fair, then a slow afternoon and dinner in the courtyard of Corral del Agua. |
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24 Sep 2023 Three days in, the trip catches up with me. No cathedral tickets to be had, but a ridiculous Columbus statue and a roof walk over Setas de Sevilla still do the trick. |
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Lisbon Day One: Bus Ride from Seville 25 Sep 2023 No direct trains between Spain and Portugal, so it's a Flixbus to Lisbon. Loud, WiFi-less, and exhausting. A rooftop glass of wine at Igreja da Graça more than makes up for it. |
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26 Sep 2023 Postcards by the Tagus, a Lime bike misadventure out to the Belém Tower, two botanical gardens, and another sunset from Miradouro do Monte Agudo. |
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27 Sep 2023 A last full day wandering Lisbon's hills. Still mad I never got the photo of a yellow tram climbing one. |
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28 Sep 2023 A pastel de nata breakfast, a chemical smelling Swiss Air flight via Geneva, and an involuntary checked bag. |
Tools
To book the trains I mostly relied on The Train Line, which takes away the hassle of downloading, registering and learning every national train line. One app to book in every country. When you’re in a pinch it even allows you to book Flixbus connections. The only flaws I could find:
- Sometimes it refuses to book a ticket if the train’s departure is too close. In such cases I resorted to buying tickets from machines at the railway stations.
- The algorithm to find connections sometimes didn’t suggest the most efficient route. Sometimes I found it necessary to book hops individually to reduce travel time.
To find hotels I used everybody’s favourite monopolist and had no problems apart from Valencia where for one night the whole town was totally booked out.
Verdict
I like this way of travelling — spontaneous, flexible — but it can get tough with attractions that need pre-planning. I was surprised that one night in Seville was completely booked out. I also didn’t distribute my time well; I’d now always leave as early in the morning as possible, since it’s hard to enjoy a half day when a full trip lies ahead.