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

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.

my favourite train ride yet was from Berlin to Leveld (Norway), starting with a night train (pictured: arrival in Malmö (Sweden)). 2nd place: Berlin - Aldeburgh (UK).

The train from Lake Bled to Ljubljana was incredible, running parallel along the almost luminescent blue river!

I would love to see Skandinavia by train, as I've never been there. Taking the train there seems like the perfect way to experience the countries in a slow and comforting way!

My dream Interrail is one I’ve been planning with my boyfriend since 2021. We always imagine starting in Milan, then taking it slow through Lake Como, Venice and Verona, just enjoying every little moment. I always joke (but also secretly hope) that in La Spezia he might surprise me with a proposal…

Then we’d keep going to Bologna, Florence and Pisa, before getting completely lost in Rome and finishing in Naples. It’s not just a trip for us, it’s something we’ve been dreaming about for years, and I really hope next year is finally the year we make it happen.

I love Oslo to Bergen, the change of views are incredible as one starts on low land and soon finds oneself in snowy mountains falling slowly back to an empire of fjords. My second favorite is Munich to Rome, simply because the new OBB nightjets are luxury on tracks - and with interrail surprisingly affordable. I do hope to one day take the route to Istanbul from Budapest, crossing through multiple countries into the city that crosses continents.

If boats can count, I loved taking the train from Berlin to Marrakesch. There is a small taxi gap entering Morocco to get to Tangier train station, but its almost a seamless journey with trains of the same type on both continents. It feels such a short hop takes you worlds away, something you don’t experience by flight.

What can I say, I am a hopeless rails romantic.

Does the Lillafüred State Forest Railway line count? Otherwise the best of the best, Bernina Express. Would love to travel by train in Montenegro, from Podgorica all the way to Bijelo Polje!

Having a whole week to "lose", I loved going from France up to the North of Finland last autumn. Way North through Switzerland, Germany, Poland and the Baltic states, and way South through Sweden, Denmark and Germany again. Travelling just for the pleasure of travelling, reading books, listening music and watching landscapes slowly changing through the trains windows. The only thing in "airplane mode" on this trip was my phone !

I love to travel randomly without a clear plan and let myself surprise by getting out in small unknown places along the way. That makes sure for the best itineraries I believe:)