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

I'm 24 years old, the same age as Le Corbusier did his Oriental trip through Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece and Italy. As an architecture student I would love to make the same trip as him to learn more about the cultures. I think it will very much change my perspective of life :) 

My favorite train is the one going from south of France to Italia (Nice - Ventimiglia), amazing view on the seacoast. Would love to discover Greece trains and ferries though :)

My favorite slow train trip is the one I'm organizing with my girlfriend starting from Italy and then doing the stops in Berlin, Oslo, Bergen, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Paris.

The reason why is easy, that is, to spend time alone on a trip to which we will have many beautiful experiences including two concerts. :)

The route forever engraved in my memory — and one I must return to, this time with my partner and future wife — is the one heading to the far north: Zagreb → Hamburg → Copenhagen → Stockholm → and further into Lapland, all the way to Rovaniemi.

I once arrived by train to the Arctic Circle, where the night lasts forever and the sky dances in waves of green. I visited Santa Claus in the middle of polar cold — it sounds like a fairytale, but it was one of the most beautiful moments of my entire journey. Travelling by train through Scandinavia teaches you what it truly means to slow down — an hour of riding, and before you unfolds an endless canvas of forests, fjords and snow to the horizon. 😍🌎

The route on my wish list? To repeat exactly that, but now with my futured wife, during the Christmas season — so she can witness what it looks like when the sky ignites in colours that don't exist on any palette. Because some places deserve to be shared. 🚂❄️🌌

My favorite journey so far was taking the “arctic express” from Stockholm to Kiruna, all the way in the north of sweden! it felt like taking the polar express from the famous christmas movie

My favourite journey was slowly crossing the Romanian countryside, watching rows of sunflowers meet the sky as I nodded off to sleep. I woke up in Bulgaria to a new language and alphabet. 

Since brexit in 2016, as a citizen of uk and sadly no longer a citizen of EU, i dream of going to visit every country in the EU by train,… many of us voted to stay with our sisters and brothers in the EU

The train journey that is next on my wishlist is to go through italy from Domodossola until puglia with different train. I love italy and being able to enjoy it slowly but surely would be an amazing opportunity. This summer being my last before working full time I will be able to make the most of this pass for sure.😊

do have a few favorites—it really depends on the season, location, and opportunity. Here are my top two:

Winter – India:
The narrow-gauge railway in South India, specifically the Nilgiri Mountain Railway to Ooty. The journey happens in two phases: the first powered by a classic steam engine, and the second by a biodiesel engine. Since most of South India doesn’t have any mountain railways, this makes it a rare and memorable experience.

Summer – Switzerland:
The Glacier Express, especially the stretch from St. Moritz to Chur. Some coaches feature open or panoramic windows, which made the trip particularly special for me and my aging parents—we could take in the Swiss Alps at a relaxed pace while enjoying a good cup of coffee.

Really enjoyed riding in the old Czech trains with the food carriages. Would love to ride those trains again! Next train trip will hopefully be up to Norway!!!

I am looking the most forward to traveling to Croatia this fall and stopping in Prague and Budapest along the way! 

Best route made: Przemysl - Praha

Bucket List: Bar-Beograd

My favourite way of slow travel is the train from Sofia to Istanbul. 

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👇

One of my favourite train trips in Europe is travelling from the South of France to Spain, next to the Mediterranean and watching the birds in the wetlands from the train 😍 Especially the flamingos! With REGIONAL trains you get to see even more of the landscape.

The trip I'm dreaming about is travelling through Eastern Europe and the Balticum, then taking the ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki and travelling through all of Scandinavia before returning back to Germany.

I loved to travel in the south of Italy, the region of Calabria. To travel there from one place to the next is amazing with all the stunning views and lovely towns to visit. To go there in low season is great, then you have the beaches for you. 😊 Also the food is very good, especially the freshly catched swordfish.

Night train between Venise and Vienna! That was a fun ride in the alps 🙌😁

The West Highland line from Glasgow to Oban (or, occasionally, Fort William). I find myself on this route several times per year.  At it’s best when the weather is warm and the carriage windows are opened so that the calming “clickety-clack” of the wheels on the track segments comes through.

My favorite journey is journeys together with the family. We use interrail as an alternative to drive a car on holiday. Inside the train we all have time for each other instead of one parent driving and the other one navigating. Some times we also look a outside the windows... 

One of my favourite trips ever was a very last-minute interrail trip. I had bought a 1-month global pass and was all set to go to a trip through Italy with a friend of mine, but tested positive for COVID the night before we were meant to leave! 

I had already activated my pass so spent most of my isolation period planning a solo interrail trip. As a 22 year-old female traveller I had some reservations but was excited for the challenge. 

1 day before leaving, I booked all my trains and hostels - Paris-Strasbourg-Munich-Salzburg-Venice-Turin-Paris. 

It was the trip of a lifetime!
Being on my own allowed me to really slow down (or speed up), and experience everything so intensely. I met so many people (locals and travellers) along the way. I was able to do exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it and it felt like a magical time. 
My night train from Salzburg to Venice was particularly special as I realised the 2 people in my carriage had been to the same university in Scotland as myself!

I loved the journey from the alps through the Channel Tunnel and the english landscape into the Lakes to go hiking and Camping!

My favorite travel route was last year, from Paris to Austria, in Bregenzerwald, using only regional trains and bike to discover. I went all along Alsace, the Rhine valley, Bodensee and between the mountains, it was lovely ! I hope to discover more further eastern Europe, Czechia, Poland and Slovakia next summer !

A train journey I would love to take is the West Highland Line in Scotland, which runs from Glasgow to Mallaig and passes over the Harry Potter bridge!

The trainride between Oslo and Bergen was one of my favorites. With a stop at Finse for a beautiful snowwalk and eating freezedried dinner from the bag with uncooked whater because of the wind. 🥰

My favourite so far has to be the Orient Express - the Maharaja’s Express is next on my bucket list

For me it would be from Marseille to Barcelona … enjoying the endless coast of the Mediterranean Sea, especially passing by the famous “étangs” that reflecting a rose light. Listing to “La mer” by Mireille Mathieu“. Knowing that people are enjoying their seafood and wine on the terraces next to the sea while aspire the fresh air ! And to continue the ride between Pyrenees and Sea at the board of France and Spain, seeing one adorable village after another in a waggon that meanders through the rocky landscape… just a dream …