Long-distance train travel is the stuff of legends, evoking images of adventure, elegance, and nostalgia straight out of the novels of Agatha Christie or the films of David Lean. However, it’s hardly a fairy tale that the longest train journey in Europe is a breeze for modern travelers.
7 Longest Train Journeys In Europe
It is possible to take multiple stops along most transcontinental European rail routes and yet finish your trip within four days. This means that taking a long train journey need not be a chore. Or pricey, as there is no penalty for splitting it up.
That way, you may take in the sights of places as diverse as the Netherlands’ capital, Amsterdam, and Europe’s Alpine region, Austria.
1. The Aberdeen to Penzance
- Country: UK
- Distance: 690.8 mi
- Duration by Train: 1 day 14 hrs
First, we’ll look at the UK’s longest railway rides. Going from Aberdeen to Penzance isn’t ideal if you’re planning to travel the entire length of the United Kingdom. Instead, it is a method of connecting a number of different train lines, and hence a number of different medium-to-large cities would not have easy access to one another without this method.
For a century, “cross-country” trains have traversed the country, but they have been mostly overlooked due to the fact that they traverse the territory of numerous railway companies and, later, British Rail districts.
In order to ensure that these underutilized lines were not left without a designated operator, the government, as part of its privatization of the railways, established a CrossCountry franchise. Trains operated by CrossCountry are the most convenient way to travel between cities like Edinburgh and Leeds or Derby and Bristol.
Once a day, in addition to the standard Edinburgh–Plymouth route, there is an extended service. Unfortunately, just in one direction: there is no train running between Penzance and Aberdeen.
2. Offenburg-Dusseldorf and Griefswald-Cologne
- Country: Germany
- Distance: 1,400 km
Coming in second position on the ranking of longest European train journey right now is the Offenburg-Dusseldorf and Griefswald-Cologne. It’s strange that Germany has a train that’s longer than the country itself, but that’s exactly what happens with Germany’s longest train. The massive C-shape it takes on the map explains why. In order to go to Stuttgart, it does a U-turn.
This path travels along the Rhine, the largest river in western Germany, and passes through the Ruhr region, which includes the cities of Cologne and Dusseldorf and is the most densely populated area in the entire country.
The paths taken by Germany’s second and third-longest trains are likewise quite similar; they all begin and terminate in far-flung regions of the country but pass through the Rhine-Ruhr area somewhere in the center.
If you’re headed from the northeast to the southwest, you shouldn’t travel the IC 2216 because there are faster and more direct routes.
Rather, it is aimed at those who are interested in visiting these metropolitan areas. Instead of running two separate trains, say, Offenburg–Dusseldorf and Griefswald–Cologne, DB is able to better utilize its rolling stock and provide more options for its passengers by consolidating the routes into a single one.
3. Amsterdam to Lausanne
- Country: Netherlands
- Distance: 936km
To further our ranking of the longest train journey in Europe now is the Amsterdam to Lausanne train trip. The travel from Amsterdam to Lausanne will take you from the low to the high country and back again via several different routes. From Rembrandt to Raclette, these trips will take you to Koblenz and the Rhine Gorge, Cologne, Bern, Lucerne, and Lausanne.
4. The Habsburg Empire
An extended train ride along the route of the Habsburg Empire would be a journey fit for a king. In addition to Venice, other places rich in Habsburg history include Ljubljana and Zagreb; a visit to the Adriatic port of Trieste is also possible. Taking the overnight train from Paris to Venice is an added bonus.
5. The Hungaria
- Duration: 14hrs
- Location: Berlin
The train from Hamburg to Budapest is called the Hungaria, and the trip takes 14 hours. This train trip is ideal if you want to see some of the most well-known sites in Europe. You should stop at Berlin, Prague, Bratislava, and finally Budapest.
6. the Swiss Alps to Italy
- Location: Switzerland
Traveling by train from Switzerland to Italy allows you to experience both the majesty of the Alps and the sunshine of the Mediterranean. Get your Swiss Alps vacation started in Chur, the oldest town in the Alps, and end it in the natural splendor of Lakes Lugano and Como by taking in Milan, Zurich, and Arth-Goldau, the gateway to the Rigi Panoramic Trail.
7. Zurich to Vienna
The Arlberg Route, also traversing the Alps from west to east, has been in use since 1884 and may be completed in a single day. However, there are cultural must-sees such as Innsbruck and Salzburg to be enjoyed on the way as well as the alpine journey itself.
The most beautiful alternative is to catch the 08.40 am departure from Zurich on a Eurocity train (it’s worth upgrading to obtain even bigger windows to take in the vistas) and to avoid looking down at your phone or reading a book between Feldkirch and Innsbruck. Quicker travel can be had on a direct Railjet train, but in exchange for these time savings, passengers will miss out on some beautiful scenery.
How Long Is The Train Ride Through Europe?
To cover the entire of Europe by train will take you about 36 days. Thus, the Connecting Europe Express might be thought of as a rolling newsroom. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel 20,000 kilometers throughout Europe aboard a train in just 36 days! Lisbon was the starting point, and Paris is where it will end up.
What Is The World’s Longest Train Journey?
The longest train journey in the world is the Trans-Siberian Express (Moscow to Vladivostok). Russia, the world’s largest country, is also home to the world’s longest train track. Six days and multiple time zones are covered on this train trip. It links the far western part of Russia to the far eastern part.
Can You Travel The Whole of Europe By Train?
Yes! Both the Interrail and the Eurail are popular options for rail travelers throughout Europe. Both passes serve much the same purpose; which one you need depends on your nationality or where you plan to permanently live. Each pass provides unlimited train travel within and between participating European countries.
How Long Does The Longest Train Journey Take?
Because of a newly opened railway in Laos, it is now possible to take the world’s longest train journey without changing tracks at any point. It begins in Lagos, Portugal, in the south and ends in Singapore by way of Paris, Moscow, and Beijing. In addition, the entire trip would take 21 days to complete its 18,755 km.
What Country Has The Longest Passenger Train?
The Ghan, a sleeper service that travels between Adelaide and Darwin once per week, holds the record for the longest passenger train in regular service. Trains can be as long as 774 meters in length, with two locomotives and 30 cars constituting a normal service (2,359 ft)
