ALL ABROAD
Why you should let the train take the strain this summer
In 1853, India’s first passenger train journey took place and, one hundred and seventy years later, the country now has the world’s largest rail network. A number of new train journeys are continuing to make it both easier and cheaper for us to explore our favourite destinations.
One example is the new European Sleeper train, which takes to the rails at the end of May 2023. The train will connect Berlin to Brussels via Amsterdam, and prices for the full 12-hour journey start from £42 for a seat and from £95 for a bed in a deluxe sleeper cabin. The best bit? Over the coming years, several new long distance train services will slash travel times between Europe’s most popular cities. Italy’s national state-owned railway Trenitalia recently announced plans to launch a high-speed Paris to Madrid service in 2024, while European Sleeper plans to launch an Amsterdam to Barcelona service in early 2025.
Heading to Canada? Consider taking a ride on Québec’s new Train de Charlevoix, North America’s first zero-emission train, which launches in June. The only emissions produced by this hydrogenpowered green machine will be water vapour, and passengers will also be able to sign up for agro-tourism tours that include stops at some of the region’s most sustainable breweries. Other highlights of the route include Montmorency Falls, a thundering waterfall near Québec City, and the views of the St Lawrence River. The 90-minute journey starts in Parc de la Chute-Montmorency and finishes in the pretty town of Baie-Saint-Paul.
If you’re partial to a spot of slow travel, consider a barge-based exploration of Canada’s UNESCO-listed Rideau Canal. Le Boat, which rents luxury barges and river cruisers to passengers wishing to explore England’s Thames River, opened a base in Ottawa this May. There will be 32 state-ofthe-art cruisers to rent, and a seven-night self-catered cruise on a five-person luxury cruiser starts from £439pp.
Elsewhere, Ikos Resorts recently launched its Tesla Ikos Resorts scheme, installing fleets of Tesla cars at their properties, which guests can use to explore the surrounding area. At Mallorca’s Zafiro Palace Andratx, guests can use the hotel’s electric scooters. Meanwhile, over in Goa, a partnership between the Alila Diwa Goa hotel and BLive, India’s first e-bike tour operator, is giving guests the chance to explore nearby destinations like Divar Island, famous for its whitewashed churches and birdlife, or south Goa’s villages, which have some of India’s finest examples of Indo-Portuguese architecture.