Four long-distance, good-value rail trips from the UK to Europe

Our rail travel expert picks the best routes for exploring mainland Europe by train and ferry

Twenty years ago, as my partner and I prepared to launch Hidden Europe magazine, we both thought we knew Europe pretty well. It was only after we swapped planes for trains that we discovered how much we still had to learn. Two decades on, I am still routinely making long journeys across the continent that rely entirely on trains, ferries and buses.

Those who do likewise will discover that journeys matter. There is something recuperative about spending a day or two in transit. It reshapes our appreciation of time and distance. I have learned to escape the tyranny of too much planning and no longer see the journey as something merely to be endured between leaving home and arriving at my destination. I have also discovered that fine journeys don’t need to cost the earth. Here are four favourite slow travel ideas.