Europe & North America by train, ferry & bus — no plane needed
Detailed routes, honest budgets and step-by-step itineraries for travelling Europe and North America without flying. Slower, cheaper, and up to 90% less CO₂.
Three ways to fly less
Hate airports?
City centre to city centre, no queues, no liquid limits: train, bus and ferry cover the same journeys — calmer.
Slow travel
Fewer places, deeper days. Build a week that actually feels like a holiday.
For the planet
Up to 90% less CO₂ than flying on the same routes — without skipping the trip.
The unmissables
Six classic European rail experiences — the ones people cross the continent for.
Cross the Alps by daylight
Gotthard and Simplon: huge windows, lakes and hanging valleys.
Sleep at sea
The overnight ferry is hotel and mini-cruise in one: dinner on board, sunrise in another capital.
The Black Forest by regional train
Woods, cuckoo-clock villages and the KONUS card that makes local transport free.
Eurostar: London–Paris in 2h 16
Centre to centre under the Channel — the civilised way to cross.
The Côte d’Azur at window height
Marseille → Nice on the coastal line: waves, coves and hilltop villages.
Berlin, gateway to eastern Europe
Comfortable ICEs and Sparpreis fares: Prague, Vienna or Warsaw in 4–6 hours.
Most-booked flight-free routes
The routes travellers search for most — with operators, times and CO₂ savings.
London → Barcelona
Eurostar + TGV INOUI
Paris → Milan / Rome
TGV / SBB + Trenitalia Frecciarossa
Paris → Berlin
ICE / TGV direct · ÖBB Nightjet sleeper
Amsterdam → Zurich / Vienna
ICE · ÖBB Nightjet
London → Dublin
Avanti West Coast + Irish Ferries / Stena
Barcelona → Rome
Grimaldi Lines ferry or TGV + Frecciarossa
Cross America by rail
The great Amtrak and VIA Rail journeys — coast to coast, Niagara to the Rockies, without a single flight.
Toronto → Vancouver
VIA Rail the Canadian (4 nights, 2×/week)
Chicago → Seattle
Amtrak Empire Builder (2 nights)
New York → Toronto
Amtrak/VIA Maple Leaf
Chicago → San Francisco
Amtrak California Zephyr + bus
Los Angeles → Seattle
Amtrak Coast Starlight
Montreal → Halifax
VIA Rail the Ocean (overnight, 3×/week)
Ready-made itineraries
Detailed 7 and 14-day plans from Europe’s biggest departure cities, with real ticket budgets.
Flanders & Paris: The Classic Flight-Free Loop
Families and first-time flight-free travellers looking for culture, canals and gastronomy.
The Transalpine Run to Rome
A grand scenic journey combining Swiss lakes, Italian high-speed rail and the Côte d’Azur.
Black Forest, Bavaria & Alsace
Mountain landscapes, medieval architecture and Franco-German high-speed connections.
The Great Iberian Traverse
Wine tourism, Atlantic coast, gastronomy and Spanish high-speed rail.
Scandinavia & the Baltic Sea
Nordic design, sea bridges and a seamless train + ferry combination.
Slow travel
Fewer places, deeper days. Build a week that actually feels like a holiday.
Where from? Where to?
Our recommendations
Guides and itineraries we would send a friend to first.
Travel Europe Without Flying: Trains, Buses, Ferries & Night Trains
Trains, buses, ferries and night trains connect every corner of Europe — here is how to plan trips that never touch an airport, whatever your reason for skipping planes.
Slow Travel in Europe: A Week Without a Plane
Fewer places, deeper days: how to build a one-week train trip that feels like a holiday instead of a checklist.
Night Trains in Europe: The 2026 Guide
Europe’s sleeper revival explained: the networks, the ticket classes, what the journey is really like, and the six routes worth booking first.
The Great Iberian Traverse
Wine tourism, Atlantic coast, gastronomy and Spanish high-speed rail.
Slow travel, done right
Trains reach city centres, night trains save hotel nights, and ferries turn the journey into the destination.
Explore routes