4 great train trips from Barcelona

BarcelonaSummer vacation is already behind us, and although the beginning of autumn can bring a certain melancholy, it's actually a great time to get away and travel leisurely. Watching the landscape change from a bicycle, a ferry, or a train window seems light years away from a quick getaway, but more and more travelers are opting for this more leisurely and conscious way of getting around, making the journey itself one of the most essential parts of the trip. Also known as slow travelThis type of experience not only aims to be slower, but also seeks a purpose: to connect with the territory, have time to discover every detail, and reduce the environmental impact. To achieve this, one of the main objectives is to stop traveling by plane and opt for the train.

Fortunately, Europe remains an ideal place for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint. Currently, there is a growing offer of high-speed trains, which in many cases already compete with airplanes in duration, and which extend from northern Norway to the gates of Morocco or the border with Asia. This makes travel ideas almost endless. In the book Europe without a plane (Lonely Planet, 2025), there's a compilation of eighty inspiring routes, many of which can be started from Catalonia. You can go as far from the continent as you like, depending on how many days you have free and how eager you are to experience a unique journey where you savor every part of the journey. But you have to change your mindset: the hours spent on a train aren't wasted; they're part of the journey and are enjoyed like everything else.

Artistic route through the Netherlands

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Barcelona-Paris (6 h 30 min)

Paris-Lille (1 h)

Lille-Antwerp (1 h 30 min)

Antwerp-Amsterdam (1 h 14 min) ~BK_SLT_LNA

This route combines several cities known for their museums and artwork, from the French Impressionists to the masters of the Dutch Golden Age. The route takes advantage of the high-speed train connections between Barcelona, ​​​​Paris and Amsterdam, while also allowing you to visit more interesting destinations that are just a few hours away. This is the case of Lille, with the Palais des Beaux-Arts, built by order of Napoleon and home to works by Raphael and Rembrandt, as well as the LaM contemporary art museum and sculpture park. From Lille, there are many fast train services to Antwerp, the home of Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens, where you can visit his studio. There's also the Plantin-Moretus Museum, a medieval building that houses the world's earliest printed works. From Antwerp, you can take one of the many trains that, in just one hour, reach Amsterdam, home to major museums such as the Stedelijk Museum, with its distinctive design, and the towers of the Rijksmuseum. A visit to the Van Gogh Museum, home to the world's largest collection of works by this artist, is also a must. To return to Barcelona, ​​you can take one of the eleven high-speed trains that connect Amsterdam to Paris every day in three and a half hours, and from there, directly home.

From Barcelona to Glasgow

Train sheet:

Barcelona-Paris (6 h 30 min)

Paris-London (2 h 30 min)

London-Birmingham (1 h 30 min)

Birmingham-Manchester (1 h 30 min) ~- h)

Windermere-Glasgow (2 h 30 h)

Who says you can't get to England by train? This route runs along the backbone of the United Kingdom, stopping in various industrial cities that today have a great cultural offer, until reaching the south of the Scottish Highlands. First and foremost, you must reach Paris by high-speed train. There, you can visit the city and take one of the fourteen daily trains that take you to London in two and a half hours. Once in England, the length of your stay in each city depends on your time and your desire for sightseeing. The point is that, as you head up to Scotland, you have the opportunity to visit cities like Birmingham, with a glorious industrial past; Manchester, known for being the home of bands like The Smiths, Joy Division, and Oasis; and reach the Lake District area in Windermere, home to the largest natural lake in the country, ideal for kayaking or hiking in natural settings. And finally, Glasgow, known for its boatbuilding and its variety of museums, such as the museum ship. GlenleeBefore returning home, if you have more time, you can take a train that takes you to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, in almost an hour and a half. Edinburgh is home to many interesting historical monuments. On the way back, there are fast trains from Glasgow that take you to central London in less than five hours.

The Orient Express route

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Barcelona-Paris (6h 30min)

Paris-Munich (6h)

Munich-Budapest (10h)

Budapest-Bucharest (17h)

Bucharest For those who want to relive the spirit of the Orient Express, there is the option to recreate parts of the journey and get some of that essence. As with the other routes, the journey first takes you to Paris. From there, there is the option of taking one of the twenty daily services that will take you to Munich in around six hours. After having a beer at the Hofbräuhaus, a 16th-century brewery, you can stretch your legs a little in the English Garden before catching a night train that takes you to Budapest in ten hours. This Hungarian city is ideal for relaxing, as it has a wide variety of thermal baths, such as the Széchenyi, one of the largest in the city built in the style art nouveauOr, we also recommend trying the Gellért Baths, which have been in operation since the Ottoman occupation. Once you've had enough, you can take an overnight train to Bucharest. The Romanian capital offers café-lined avenues and relics from the communist and Ceausescu eras, such as the imposing Palace of Parliament, one of the largest buildings in the world. Finally, a nineteen-hour overnight train takes you to Istanbul, the gateway to Asia and the icing on the cake of an epic train journey. Seeing the minarets of the Blue Mosque, the fishermen of the Galata Bridge, and the Bosphorus at sunset is a great way to end a journey for those who want to relive classic train journeys. To return home, the quickest way is to retrace your steps or take a more southern route that connects Munich via Sofia, Belgrade, Zagreb, and Ljubljana. It all depends on the number of days and your desire to continue walking.

Cultural capitals of Central Europe

Train sheet:

Barcelona-Paris (6 h 30 min)

Paris-Cologne (3 h 30 min)

Cologne-Berlin (5 h)

Berlin-Wroclaw (4 h)

Wroclaw

This route takes you straight to some of Europe’s most vibrant and cultural cities. From Barcelona, you can reach Paris by high-speed train. From there, more than thirty trains will take you to Cologne in less than four hours, a German city full of breweries, art galleries, and imposing buildings such as the Kölner Dom, a Gothic cathedral that was once considered the tallest building in the world. From Cologne, there are several trains that take you five hours to the heart of Berlin, a city full of life and culture that never ceases to amaze. Just four hours by train from Berlin, we find ourselves in Wroclaw, a Polish city with a stately square full of bars and cafes. One of the city's unique features is its bronze gnomes, which you'll find at every turn. Finally, three hours from Wroclaw, we arrive in Krakow, home to one of the largest medieval squares in Europe and a Jewish quarter steeped in history.