5 Travel Destinations You Can Reach By Train

Ever since the harmful impact of carbon emissions has been made official, many of us have chosen to keep plane travel at a bare minimum. Luckily, there are so many other forms of transport available in these times. Most trips may take a bit longer, however they guarantee a fantastic adventure in itself!

We have listed below 5 exciting travel locations that you can reach by train or bus. Although, travelling by train is so much faster! Here goes...

Paris, The City of Love

Visit The Wall of Love (Le Mur Des Je t'aime), hang a lock with a loved one. Afterwards, enjoy a Picnic at the Luxembourg Palace and Gardens.

Early evening is the best time to sit back and relax on a sunset cruise along the River Seine, sipping on a glass of Champagne and taking in the sights.

During the evening get glammed up and head over for dinner at Hôtel Plaza Athénée.

Getting to Paris is very simple and quite affordable: the Thalys trains departs ten times a day from Amsterdam, tickets range from 50 to around 100 EUR.

Dusseldorf, The City of Culture Beer and History

Check out the city just across the border in neighboring Germany!

An important cultural centre containing dozens of museum and inspiring art galleries. Take a stroll along the River Rhine, down the Rhine Embankment Promenade and pass by the numerous cafes, restaurants and galleries which give out an almost Mediterranean vibe. Visit the Old Town or walk through Nordpark’s Japanese Garden. If you’re on the look-out for vegan dining, check out the popular buffets named Sattgrün. Grabbing a beer at one of the many beer halls won’t hurt either – after all, life is about balance!

You can already travel there starting from 45 EUR by train.

London, The City of Sights

Visit the Big Ben in London!

This diverse city has a treat for everyone: historical buildings (everyone’s heard of the Big Ben!), music and art culture and many undiscovered sustainable hotspots.

Besides from having your compulsory English High Tea in Mayfair, why not visit The Food Court at Buckstreet Market, Camden?

It’s London’s first sustainability-focused shopping hub, where the market is zero plastic waste!

Or, if manage to catch some sun, sit back and relax at The Roof Garden at the Culpeper, Spitalfields. Searching for ethical clothing? See the Fashion Boutique (Pop London, Wood Green).

Now, is four hours by train a long journey or short one? Considering you will venture all the way to the UK, we find it surprisingly short! Also, if you are clever enough to book train tickets early, you can pay as a little as 100 EUR for a two-way ticket.

Zeeland, Bask in Lovely Scenery

Some may wonder: why travel far when we live in such a beautiful country?

If you’re searching for a relaxing nature escape in the Netherlands, the province of Zeeland is a top choice. There is a vast array of accommodation you can stay at, ranging from camping spots and farms to sustainable hotels. Visit the stunning city of Vlissingen, wander down the boulevard and explore!

 This charming city of narrow, cobbled roads and cafes with vast terraces stretching over the sidewalks is sure to make you fall in love.

 Explore the Zeeuws Museum, or simply just relax at the Nature Resever de Manteling. What we love best is staying at cabin or camping and enjoying the simplicity of preparing your own food and meditating in nature.

Taking the train takes 3.5 hours and costs 26 EUR.

The Wadden Islands, A Weekend Getaway

Lighthouses, spacious green plains filled with sheep and beaches.

Stay in either a classic Dutch cottage or go camping. Perfect for long walks along the seashore and connecting with nature. These associations come to mind when thinking of the Dutch islands lining the North coast of the Netherlands: Terschelling, Texel, Schiermonnikoog, Vlieland and Ameland.

Ok, so we cheated a bit here: you will need to catch a ferry in addition to the train. Depending on which island you wish to reach, you can either travel to Den Helder or Leeuwarden, or another coastside city...

Getting to Texel takes less than 4 hours (connection via Den Helder) and the price is around 20 EUR one-way.

We are curious if any of these options caused you to raise an eyebrow, and perhaps inspired you to choose for conscious travel above flying via plane. With today’s options, we can always think twice before booking the most popular options of travelling. Train travel usually doesn’t even take longer than travelling by air: count the extent of time you spend getting to the airports and going through security checks.

Trains are fast, cheap and just so much more fun!

- Written by Michelle Prygiel