Win a copy of Platform Europe + an Interrail Pass! (closed)

My favorite route is from Germany to Kiruna. Driving through Sweden, you can see so much nature, and it's incredibly beautiful how untouched parts of it still are. Everyone should do this trip at least once.

My favourite train ride was from Kars to Ankara with the Doğu Express. It was a very slow train journey through fantastic landscape. And the best was that I could easily take my bicycle in the train with me. 

From Geneva to Bern--my face was glued to the window in awe with the mountains coming out of Lake Geneva on the other side. Plus the near side had small villages and vineyards :)

A route I never tire of is the Cambrian Coast line which hugs the coastline up North Wales from Machynlleth to Pwllheli. Fabulous scenery any time of year.

A bucket list route would be across Canada from Ontario to Vancouver.

So far one of the most viewtiful rides I’ve yet experienced has definitely been with the famous Bernina Express 1st class seat from Tirano Italy to Chur Switzerland ❤️🍷

Since reading about it in a lonely planet book, I have been dreaming about going on the inlandsbanan in Sweden. This summer it's finally happening! So I think that is gonna turn from bucket list to favourit. 

My favorite journey is Paris - Are in Sweden

My wishlist travel by train would be the Trans-mongolian railway. But, indeed, I WANT to explore more Europe 😍

The train route on my wishlist is a beautiful, scenic route from Rome to the national park Majella. The route is supposed to be wonderful start to hiking the park, and you can either choose an old fashion steam train with trips and guided tours involved, or a more modern train. 

My favorite train route so far was the night train between Stockholm and Kiruna, waking up to see so much snow was incredible :) This summer, I would like to explore Berlin, Budapest, Vienna and Constance with my best friend!

Stockholm to Narvik was amazing in early spring with all the snow. A stop around Kiruna or at some cabins close to the fjords around Narvik is amazing - especially if Northern Lights come out.

My favourite route is from Hamar to Alvdal (or a bit further) in Norway. It is pitoresque, quiet and constantly changing a bit along the Glomma- river and the small tops all very close to the rails. Lots of wood, small stops and a very cosy train with good vending automates, social seating (if you like to) and a view over the shoulder of the locomotive driver! I hope, they still have some trainsets running - it´s some time ago. 

I loved the train along the south coast of France, including a great day trip to Monaco from Cannes. I also love the stretch across Devon into Cornwall for an amazing coastline view. 
my next dream trip is to Italy from SW England, a trip I planned in 2023 but didn’t quite manage as I lingered in France. Pisa, Pizza and piece of history ahead! 

It’s hard to pick one favourite journey, but one that used to be my favourite is the line from Maribor or Ljubljana to Koper. The great variety of stunning landscapes is really quite unique, from Alpine scenery to Karst potholes and rocky plateaus to the horseshoe descent down to the coast, and finally the Adriatic coastline. Coming from Maribor you also get plains and even the river Drava.

My favourite route is from lisbon to Sintra. Upon arrival, you can see the beautiful old castles already from the train.

We’re celebrating the release of Platform Europe, the latest book written by our longtime friend Bart Giepmans. Bart is an author, travel journalist, photographer and a passionate advocate for exploring Europe by train.

He is a true champion of slow travel and spends much of the year discovering Europe by rail, embracing historic stations, meaningful encounters and the stories found along the tracks. He wrote and photographed most of the journeys featured in Platform Europe!

😍Win a copy of Bart’s beautiful book AND a FREE Interrail Global Pass (7 days in 1 month)!

Participation is open to all persons 16+ living in Europe. The giveaway ends on 28 April 2026 at 12 pm CET. Five winners will be randomly selected and contacted via the community DM on 28 April 2026. The winners will receive 1x Interrail Global Pass for 7 travel days within 1 month (2nd class) and 1x Platform Europe book. The book will be shipped free of charge.

📄 Read the full Terms & Conditions, here.

How to enter the giveaway

Whether you are an experienced rail traveller or still dreaming about your first trip:

💬 Tell us your favourite slow travel train route – or the train journey that's next on your wishlist – and why.

Share your answer in the comments below to enter the giveaway👇

My favourite travel train route is the french riviera. The beautifal coastal line from Nice till Ventimiglia in Italy is still the nicest route I have ever taken! This summer I hope to see the pretty mountain views from the train in Austria with my best friend!

From Jammu to Simla (India)in 1982. A long, slow extraordinary train journey on a small train up, up, up to Simla in the foothills of the Himalayas. 
A magnificent and never to be forgotten experience and ‘in the footsteps’ of my mother who had visited Simla as a child with her parents pre Indian independence when my grandfather worked on the Burmese railways as part of the British Raj.

I’ve loved several routes but two of them are the Tatra railway in Slovakia and the route I travelled in Romania between lovely Sighisoara, Brasov and Sinaia. Next time I think I’d like to go to the Pyrenees.

My favorite journey must be the train from München to Bled, I adore the views of the rivers, villages and mountains :)

I haven’t done many slow travel train routes, but I like to keep it simple when it comes to the things that I love the most. I loved the route going from Montauban to Hendaye. It is just a lovely journey and you get to see heartwarming landscapes of the river. Also, when it rains it is so relaxing and peaceful to just enjoy the view through the window(that ‘s what I love the most).😉

I took the sleeper train from Hohhot (the capital city of Inner Mongolia) to Beijing the night of Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) in 2019. Private fireworks displays and bonfires are illegal in Chinese cities, but permitted in the countryside, so the we passed through small villages and farms who were celebrating the new year as we trundled along.

I love train travel in Europe. This summer we’re travelling by Eurostar to Paris, then onward to Turin for an overnight stop, and thence to Rome, Terni & finally Spoleto, where we start our cycling holiday. Following a week cycling, we make our way home via Milan, Lyon & Paris! The train travel enhances our holiday & saves on the greenhouse gases!

Hard to choose because we have a lot of scenic routes in Europe, but the train from St Moritz to Tirano was truly breathtaking. With the interrail ticket you can use the same path as the official “Bernina Express” train but for free and with less people. You have windows on the both sides just for you so you can really get the most of it.
One personal advice : there’s a really nice pizzeria right next to the train station at Tirano. Eating a delicious Pizza while traveling through the mountains was really one of my best Interrail moment ever !

Mainz to Koblenz on the west side – a journey that lets you soak in the beauty of castles, vineyards, charming small towns, and gentle river traffic, making it a truly relaxing and heartwarming experience.