Quick links to Steve and Ted’s journeys across Europe (roughly from North to South):
Denmark, Sweden and Norway: The Scandinavia Trip . Ireland: The Irish Trip . Netherlands, Belgium (and France): Leiden, Brugge and Lille . Budapest, Slovakia, Prague and Berlin: A journey in Central Europe . Germany: Dusseldorf and Wuppertal ; The Harz Mountains and Saxony (photographic introduction), The Harz Mountains and Saxony 2016 (full account, PDF 3.3Mb) ; Germany (plus bits of Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Belgium) Freiburg, Strasbourg and Luxembourg . France: Spain to UK by train 2023 . Austria (plus Czech Republic): AUSTRIA Linz and Graz (PDF 2.6Mb) , Austria (plus Italy and Germany): Bergamo, Innsbruck and Salzburg . Switzerland: Switzerland by Rail ; The Swiss Trip 2023 ; Around Lake Lucerne ; WALKS Switzerland (PDF 1.9Mb). Italy: Italian journeys ; Tuscany, Genoa and Milan . Portugal: The Portugal Trip . Greece: Corfu notes on Arillas . Malta:Malta and Gozo .
For further information and background scroll down.
Ted and Steve have travelled widely in Europe, and this page contains the accounts of our journeys. This page covers continental Europe, with the exception of Spain which has its own page. The UK also has a separate page. The focus is on recent journeys, before the information becomes out of date, with some notes of earlier travels where relevant. Additional information on travelling and walking in Switzerland has been provided as a result of Steve’s many visits to the country as a tour manager with Great Rail Journeys.
Ted and Steve’s journeys in Europe
A few times each year Ted takes Steve to visit new places in Europe. The trips tend to revolve around scenery and beer and always involve using public transport, usually trains. The accounts are not standard tourist guides, though they provide some background to the places visited. The focus is on the practicalities of getting around for those who wish to avoid driving, where to go for a few beers, and what to look out for on the journey. In addition to the description of the trip the write-ups include useful practical information for anyone wishing to follow in our footsteps and where relevant, a bit of train buffery, though nothing too technical. Click on the links for the blogs of each trip. The trips currently included are:
Hallstättersee, Austria, from above
- SCANDINAVIA. A one-week round trip from Copenhagen taking in Denmark, southern Sweden and Norway visiting Goteborg, Oslo, Bergen and Odense, travelling on the Bergen railway, and having some excellent beers when I could afford them – The Scandinavia Trip .
- IRELAND. A visit to the Irish Republic, travelling by train and including Kilkenny, Cork and Galway, and a pub or two: The Irish Trip
- NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM and FRANCE. A journey across the Low Countries, sampling the beer in Leiden, Middelburg, Brugge and Lille – Leiden, Brugge and Lille
- CENTRAL EUROPE. A train journey from Budapest to Berlin via Bratislava, the High Tatras, Banská Bystrica and Prague – A journey in Central Europe
- GERMANY. A brief visit to sample the beer that made Dusseldorf famous, with a side trip to the Wuppertal monorail – Dusseldorf and Wuppertal
Freiburg, Germany
- GERMANY. A ten day trip to eastern Germany taking in various steam and unusual railways, plenty of beer and currywurst, based in Quedlinburg, Bamberg and Dresden. A photographic introduction to the jaunt is here: The Harz Mountains and Saxony – an introduction and the full account is here: The Harz Mountains and Saxony (pdf, 3.3Mb).
- GERMANY, FRANCE and LUXEMBOURG. A trip to Freiburg, Strasbourg and Luxembourg with visits to the Black Forest, Mulhouse and Karlsruhe. Plenty of railway buffery, beer and useless facts among the useful information.
- FRANCE and SPAIN. A journey by train from Malaga to Durham, breaking the journey to explore Burgos, Bordeaux and Angers – Spain to UK by train 2023
- AUSTRIA. A visit to Austria by train from Prague, visiting the cities of Linz and Graz and the Salzkammergut lakes, and taking in some of the more interesting railway lines in Austria – AUSTRIA Linz and Graz (pdf, 2.6Mb)
Linz, Austria
- ITALY and AUSTRIA. A journey from Bergamo in Northern Italy, via Innsbruck and the surrounding mountains, a day trip into Germany and a visit to Salzburg – Bergamo, Innsbruck and Salzburg
- SWITZERLAND. A wander around Switzerland, visiting Fribourg, Murren in the Bernese Oberland, Andermatt and Zurich – The Swiss Trip 2023.
- SWITZERLAND. A holiday based around the Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne) taking in unusual transport including paddle steamers, funiculars, cable cars and a lift –Around Lake Lucerne
Gornergrat and the Matterhorn, Switzerland
- ITALIAN JOURNEYS. A look back at our journeys through Italy over the years, as an introduction to the country – Italian journeys
- ITALY – TUSCANY, GENOA and MILAN. A trip is Northern Italy, including Florence, Siena, Genoa and Milan – Tuscany, Genoa and Milan
- PORTUGAL. A trip across Portugal, staying in Coimbra and Porto – The Portugal Trip
- GREECE. We visited Corfu for a week for a friends wedding in the village of Arillas Corfu – notes on Arillas
- MALTA and GOZO. A week spent exploring Malta and Gozo – Malta and Gozo
More about Switzerland
The Aletsch Glacier from the Eggishorn, Switzerland
Steve was a freelance tour manager with Great Rail Journeys until 2017, leading rail-based tours to Europe. Ted often stowed away. The most frequent destination was Switzerland and the information from these visits has been collected as a guide to Switzerland by Rail .
Walks in Switzerland
A walk in the Bernese Oberland, from Schynige Platte, Switzerland
During our visits to Switzerland we managed to fit in a walk or two, sometimes in free time and sometimes with members of the tour group. They are all in spectacular scenery, fairly short walks and mostly gentle – on tour we didn’t have room to take the full gear with us. The walks are described here: WALKS Switzerland (pdf, 1.9Mb).
Links:
Ted and Steve’s journeys in Europe
Go with Ted 