Break-up with flying, fall in love with slow travel with these romantic getaways accessible by train
Happy Valentine’s day from everyone at Possible. Plenty of the most romantic getaways are accessible by train which means you can treat yourself and the one you love to a romantic trip away without undermining your commitment to climate action.
Yes, Love Actually may have made airports seem like pretty romantic spaces but there's nothing less romantic than the noise and stress of the departure lounge. Going flight-free means dumping airport stress altogether in favour of slower, more peaceful train travel.
Paris
The city of love is of course first on our list and, luckily for us in the UK, it is one of the easiest locations to get to. Simply head to London St Pancras International, hop on the Eurostar and arrive just 2 hours later right in the middle of Paris!
Juliet’s Balcony, Verona
2. Verona
What better place to spend a romantic weekend than the home of the Star-crossed lovers themselves: Verona. Beginning with the trusty Eurostar again, head to Paris from London before taking a high-speed TGV to Milan. Once you’re in Milan, it’s just over an hour’s train journey to Verona, with direct trains running every 30 minutes. For double the romance, you can hit Paris and Verona in one trip; take an evening Eurostar to Pari and, stay overnight in the city of love before continuing onto Verona the next day.
3. Venice
Another famous romantic spot is, of course, Venice. To get to Venice you can take the same journey as you would to Verona but once you arrive in Milan hop on a train to Venice instead. Alternatively, if you’re wanting to splash out a little more, the Venice Simplon Orient Express is a sleeper train that takes you there from London via Paris. With afternoon tea,full-courserse meal and live music available on the train, the journey will be almost as romantic as the destination.
4. Bruges
Bruges is perhaps less well known as a romantic city, but with canals, cobbled streets and beautiful medieval buildings it’s a perfect spot for Valentine's day. It is also home to the Lake of Love which, according to legend, will make you and your partner’s love eternal when you cross it. Belgium is also famous for gourmet chocolate - making a nice change from a box of Quality Street. And on top of this, it’s a quick trip! Take the Eurostar from London to Brussels Midi in the morning and an hour train on to Bruges, arriving that afternoon.
5. Vienna
For the ultimate romantic getaway why not take a luxurious sleeper train to Vienna. Get the Eurostar from London to Paris or Amsterdam. Then after spending some time in the capital of your choice, take the Nightjet sleeper train to Vienna.
Of course if you don’t want to pay for a luxury sleeper train there are also cheaper ways to get to Vienna. Seat 61 is a really comprehensive travel guide, especially of the UK and Europe but it also has information on how to get as far afield as Asia and Australia without flying. You can find more useful resources for travelling flight-free in our recent blog post here.