Great Continental Railway Journeys

  

Snapshots

Great Continental Railway JourneysZermatt to Geneva: Michael Portillo travels from the Swiss Alps to the shores of Lake Geneva. Along the way, he is caught in a war zone with the Red Cross and rescued from an 'avalanche'. [S]Thu, Jan 2, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysBarcelona to Mallorca: Travelling from Barcelona to Majorca, Michael Portillo traces the early roots of the Spanish Civil War, which divided his family and sent his father into exile. [S]Tue, Dec 31, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysZermatt to Geneva: Michael Portillo travels from the Swiss Alps to the shores of Lake Geneva. Along the way, he is caught in a war zone with the Red Cross and rescued from an 'avalanche'. [S]Thu, Dec 12, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysPrague to Munich: Michael Portillo travels through Bohemia and Bavaria, test driving a state-of-the-art passenger train in Pilsen and sampling the spa waters of Marianske Lazne. [S]Thu, Dec 12, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysTransylvania To The Black Sea: Armed with his trusty 1913 Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo ventures east through Romania to the shores of the Black Sea. [S]Wed, Dec 11, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysCopenhagen to Oslo: Michael Portillo travels through Scandinavia, crossing the bridge linking Denmark to Sweden to retrace the train journey of a revolutionary Russian passenger. [S]Wed, Dec 11, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysBarcelona to Mallorca: Travelling from Barcelona to Majorca, Michael Portillo traces the early roots of the Spanish Civil War, which divided his family and sent his father into exile. [S]Tue, Dec 10, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysDresden to Kiel: Michael Portillo travels through Germany, revealing how British yachtsmen spied on the German navy in the early 20th century. [S]Tue, Dec 10, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysThe Black Forest to Hannover: Michael Portillo goes deep into the Black Forest, and he discovers how Germany's reputation for making quality goods was established. [S]Mon, Dec 9, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysTurin to Venice: Michael Portillo travels from Turin to Venice, recreating a scene from The Italian Job and investigating the British love affair with Lake Como in the 20th century. [S]Sat, Dec 7, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysAthens to Thessaloniki: Michael Portillo travels from the Athens port of Piraeus, north to the city of Thessaloniki, exploring the Acropolis and sampling moussaka and baklava. [S]Fri, Dec 6, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysMadrid to Gibraltar: Michael Portillo travels through Spain as he once again ventures onto the European rail network, visiting Madrid, Cordoba, Seville, Algeciras and Gibraltar. [S]Fri, Dec 6, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysPisa to Lake Garda: Michael Portillo experiences first-hand Italy's 'need for speed' in a Maserati sports car, and discovers how the leaning tower of Pisa was rescued from near collapse. [S]Thu, Dec 5, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysAmsterdam to Northern France: Michael Portillo travels through Holland and Belgium and ends his journey in France's Forest of Compiegne, where the WWI armistice was signed. [S]Thu, Dec 5, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysVienna to Trieste: Michael Portillo travels the Habsburg imperial line from Vienna across the impressive Semmering Pass, a railway line through the Alps, as he heads toward Trieste. [S]Wed, Dec 4, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysSwitzerland: Michael Portillo makes the spectacular ascent by train to Europe's highest station. [S]Wed, Dec 4, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysSofia to Istanbul: Armed with his 1913 Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo travels from Sofia to Istanbul along part of the route taken by the Orient Express. [S]Tue, Dec 3, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysBerlin to The Rhein: Passing through the Harz Mountains, Michael Portillo travels from Berlin to the Rheingau. [S]Tue, Dec 3, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysLyon to Marseille: Michael Portillo travels through France from Lyon down to Marseille on the Mediterranean coast, where he joins a pilot boat leading a supertanker to its berth. [S]Mon, Dec 2, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysHaifa to the Negev: Michael Portillo travels through Israel and Palestine, visiting Jerusalem's Christian, Jewish and Muslim quarters and Bethlehem in the West Bank. [S]Fri, Nov 29, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysLondon to Monte Carlo: Armed with his 1913 guide, Michael Portillo follows the most popular Edwardian route through France, stopping at Paris and the Cote D'Azur along the way. [S]Fri, Nov 29, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysLa Coruna to Lisbon: Michael Portillo travels through Spain and Portugal, meeting people from all over the world on the pilgrims' trail to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. [S]Thu, Nov 28, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysWarsaw to Krakow: Michael Portillo uses his 1913 copy of Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide to explore Poland, visiting Warsaw, Lodz, Poznan, Wroclaw and Krakow along the way. [S]Wed, Nov 27, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysRome to Taormina: Michael Portillo travels down the spine of Italy from Rome to Sicily, along the way visiting Naples to find out about the country's first railway. [S]Tue, Nov 26, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysBordeaux to Bilbao: Michael Portillo travels from Bordeaux to Bilbao, exploring the industrial ties between France and Spain and learning how to cook a traditional Basque dish. [S]Fri, Nov 22, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysBerlin to Stuttgart: Michael Portillo goes on a rail journey through Germany, beginning in the vibrant city of Berlin, where he visits the Museum of Modern Art in Kreuzberg. [S]Tue, Nov 19, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysTurin to Venice: Michael Portillo travels from Turin to Venice, recreating a scene from The Italian Job and investigating the British love affair with Lake Como in the 20th century. [S]Mon, Nov 18, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysOrleans to Reims: Michael Portillo travels from the chateaux of the Loire Valley to the heart of the Champagne region at Reims. [S]Sat, Nov 16, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysMadrid to Gibraltar: Michael Portillo travels through Spain as he once again ventures onto the European rail network, visiting Madrid, Cordoba, Seville, Algeciras and Gibraltar. [S]Fri, Nov 15, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysSalamanca to Canfranc: Armed with a 1936 edition of Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo ventures onto the European rail network in Spain. [S]Fri, Nov 15, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysAmsterdam to Northern France: Michael Portillo travels through Holland and Belgium and ends his journey in France's Forest of Compiegne, where the WWI armistice was signed. [S]Thu, Nov 14, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysBatumi to Baku: Michael Portillo takes in Georgia and Azerbaijan as he journeys through the former Russian empire. He visits a tea plantation and a museum dedicated to Joseph Stalin. [S]Thu, Nov 14, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysSwitzerland: Michael Portillo makes the spectacular ascent by train to Europe's highest station. [S]Wed, Nov 13, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysBerlin to The Rhein: Passing through the Harz Mountains, Michael Portillo travels from Berlin to the Rheingau. [S]Wed, Nov 13, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysBerlin to The Rhein: Passing through the Harz Mountains, Michael Portillo travels from Berlin to the Rheingau. [S]Tue, Nov 12, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysRotterdam to Utrecht: Michael Portillo concludes his journey in the Netherlands, where he travels from Rotterdam to Utrecht, including a visit to the world's largest flower auction. [S]Tue, Nov 12, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysHungary to Austria: Michael Portillo explores the once-great empire of Austria-Hungary. [S]Mon, Nov 11, 12:00 pmU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysStockholm to the Arctic Circle: Michael Portillo embarks on a scenic thousand-mile rail journey from the Swedish capital, Stockholm, to Abisko in the Arctic Circle. [S]Sat, Oct 19, 2:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysLinz to Bratislava: Michael Portillo travels by train through Austria and the Czech Republic, beginning in the northern Austrian city of Linz, where Adolf Hitler lived as a boy. [S]Sat, Oct 19, 1:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysRome to Taormina: Michael Portillo travels down the spine of Italy from Rome to Sicily, along the way visiting Naples to find out about the country's first railway. [S]Sat, Oct 19, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysPalermo to Mt Etna: On a railway journey from the capital Palermo to Europe's largest volcano, Mount Etna, Michael Portillo explores Sicilian life under Mussolini. [S]Fri, Oct 18, 2:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysBerlin to Stuttgart: Michael Portillo goes on a rail journey through Germany, beginning in the vibrant city of Berlin, where he visits the Museum of Modern Art in Kreuzberg. [S]Fri, Oct 18, 1:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysTula to St Petersburg: Michael Portillo ventures on to the European rail network once again with his 1913 Bradshaw's guide, travelling through Russia from Tula to St Petersburg. [S]Fri, Oct 18, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysOrleans to Reims: Michael Portillo travels from the chateaux of the Loire Valley to the heart of the Champagne region at Reims. [S]Thu, Oct 17, 2:15 amU&Yesterday45 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysSalamanca to Canfranc: Armed with a 1936 edition of Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo ventures onto the European rail network in Spain. [S]Thu, Oct 17, 1:20 amU&Yesterday55 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysBordeaux to Bilbao: Michael Portillo travels from Bordeaux to Bilbao, exploring the industrial ties between France and Spain and learning how to cook a traditional Basque dish. [S]Thu, Oct 17, 12:20 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysPrague to Munich: Michael Portillo travels through Bohemia and Bavaria, test driving a state-of-the-art passenger train in Pilsen and sampling the spa waters of Marianske Lazne. [S]Wed, Oct 16, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysCopenhagen to Oslo: Michael Portillo travels through Scandinavia, crossing the bridge linking Denmark to Sweden to retrace the train journey of a revolutionary Russian passenger. [S]Tue, Oct 15, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysStockholm to the Arctic Circle: Michael Portillo embarks on a scenic thousand-mile rail journey from the Swedish capital, Stockholm, to Abisko in the Arctic Circle. [S]Fri, Aug 9, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins
Great Continental Railway JourneysLinz to Bratislava: Michael Portillo travels by train through Austria and the Czech Republic, beginning in the northern Austrian city of Linz, where Adolf Hitler lived as a boy. [S]Thu, Aug 8, 12:00 amU&Yesterday60 mins