A Case For Train Travel: 124 Cities Can Be Reached From London

Forget flying – in under a day’s worth of travel, you can reach 124 European cities from London, including Copenhagen, Berlin and Barcelona.

The Bernina Express train crosses the Swiss Engadin Alps

Departing from St Pancras, the quickest journey of the bunch takes just over an hour to whisk you to Calais, France, with the longest coming in at 940 minutes (15 hours and 40 minutes) to Perugia in Italy, with changes in Paris and Milan.

This aqueduct leads to the historical city of Perugia

Factoring in the time spent schlepping to the airport and waiting in the terminal, the impact on the environment and all the other downsides of flying, like baggage fees and cramped cabins, train travel begins to look pretty favourable. Take Paris, for example: you’re looking at three hours to find your way there from London by train, while flying is just shy of five hours. It’s a similar story for Brussels: it takes just over two and a half hours by train, and almost five hours by plane.

Many of the 124 cities require a few changes, but 12 cities can be reached on one direct train. These include Amsterdam, Lyon (in summer) and Rotterdam, and all take under five and a half hours from London. On the other hand, as the furthest east point you can reach in a single day, Slovakia’s capital Bratislava takes 14 hours and 29 minutes to get to, with stops in Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna. And the most northerly city you can get to in one day, Aarhus in Denmark, takes 15 hours and 9 minutes, with changes in Amsterdam, Osnabrück, Hamburg and Flensburg.

Aarhus is the second-largest city in Denmark

When you bring carbon dioxide emissions into the mix, the numbers do the talking. Flying to Paris emits 91 percent more pollution than hopping on a train, while the difference is 85 percent to get to Nice, and 80 percent to get to Amsterdam. This is feel-good travel in every sense.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.