Hidden Europe

09/04/2024

Dating back to 1893, the station building at Boden in Sweden is a place for passengers to emerge from their sleeping compartments and taste the air of a clear northern morning on their journey to Narvik.

The night train to Narvik is Route 28 in , which takes the traveller north to the end of the line before we catch the bus to Lofoten. You can see a map of the journey on our website: https://www.europebyrail.eu/online-route-maps-17th-edition/17th-edition-night-train-to-narvik-route-28/

Photo © Johannes Hansen / Dreamstime

08/04/2024

The places of hidden europe - the park and manor house at Baruth in eastern Germany was the cover star of hidden europe 64, an issue in which we took some time to explore the glacial legacy of the landscape around Berlin…

Elsewhere in hidden europe 64 we headed south to a town in the Sicilian hills, went in search of Tesla on the road to Smiljan and had a flashback to 1971 and the travels of yesteryear.

As with all our issues, hidden europe 64 is available via our online shop – where rail fans will also find signed copies of our book for all your railway adventures: hiddeneurope.eu/shop

05/04/2024

The places of hidden europe - what fires the imagination? The Trossachs can be found on OS Landranger 57, and in hidden europe 37 we explored how maps tell stories, just like men in pubs. Which map fires up your imagination the most?

Elsewhere in hidden europe 37 we took in Basel and Zagreb, headed deep into the forests between Poland and Belarus, and met a violin maker in the Alps before seeking sanctuary in San Marino.

As with all our issues, hidden europe 37 is available via our online shop – where rail fans will also find signed copies of our book for all your railway adventures: hiddeneurope.eu/shop

Photo © Dennis Dolkens

03/04/2024

The places of hidden europe - the stilt houses of Sankt Peter Ording in the north of Germany are the cover stars of hidden europe 69, an issue in which we explore the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that stretches from Denmark to the Netherlands.

Elsewhere in hidden europe 69 we relaxed in a riverside park in Bulgaria, watched the Danube waters slip by, and had a distinctly Danish coastal experience as we ventured out to Grenen at the extremity of the great sandy spit at Skagen.

As with all our issues, hidden europe 69 is available via our online shop – where rail fans will also find signed copies of our book for all your railway adventures: hiddeneurope.eu/shop

Photo © Arnd Drifte / Dreamstime

01/04/2024

The places of hidden europe - the funicular railway to the Cafe Diana in the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary featured back in hidden europe 43, as we reflected on 100 years of the little train carrying patients up to the lookout spot…

Elsewhere in hidden europe 43 we tasted ‘smashed’ salt in Macedonia, visited the Bosnian town of Visegrad, reflected on issues of ethics and integrity in travel writing, and visited a village that has both a German and an Austrian postal code.

As with all our issues, hidden europe 43 is available via our online shop – where rail fans will also find signed copies of our book : https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/shop/

29/03/2024

A lovely old wooden station at Semsales in , the highest point on the line from Montbovon to Palézieux. This 80-minute journey (although you’ll want to get off and explore) can be included as part of a circuit from Lausanne or Montreux… a fine day trip.

So much so, that we have written about it for our latest Rail Journey of the Month for … “Serene, pastoral landscapes with superb views of mountains make a winning combination.”

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2024/mar/28/rail-route-of-the-month-switzerland-montreux-lake-geneva-gruyeres

26/03/2024

The places of hidden europe - a mock Greek temple above the River Danube turns out to be an interesting spot to reflect on what it means to be German. Walhalla is an idiosyncratic hall of fame which honours great Germans… generally favouring those of Christian persuasion.

No space for Marx? That was the question asked when we visited Walhalla for hidden europe 47, an issue which also took in Geneva and Berlin, Saxon heritage in Transylvania and the slow train from Zagreb to Sarajevo…

As with all our issues, hidden europe 47 is available via our online shop, where you’ll also find bundled sets and copies of our book . You’ll find the shop and all in contains via our website: https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/shop/

21/03/2024

The places of hidden europe - the seaside town of Binz on the German island of Rügen is not only a charming destination in its own right, but it also graced the cover of hidden europe 58…

In hidden europe 58 we roamed from the Baltic States to the French coast, from Galway to Romania, mapping a mix of cultures and communities along the way while taking time out to consider what shapes a place and how it figures in the psyche.

Our back issues are available via our online shop, including as bundled sets, and you’ll also find copies of our book - 50 great routes, travel tips and information to plan your next adventure by train. The link to our online shop is on our website: https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/shop/

Photo © Szabolcs Kiss / Dreamstime

19/03/2024

The places of hidden europe - a church among the vines at Hunawihr, Alsace, right in the heart of the winegrowing region. Not only that, but the church and the vineyards were the cover stars of hidden europe 59…

Beyond the hill country of the Vosges, hidden europe 59 roamed from Spain to Slovenia, taking in the Polish city of Krakow and a train to Sweden. We also looked at how the expectations of tourists can help shape the identity of places.

Our back issues are available via our online shop, including as bundled sets, and you’ll also find copies of our book - 50 great routes, travel tips and information to plan your next adventure by train: https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/shop/

11/03/2024

What are your plans for the summer? How about a journey across ? How about hopping on a double-deck TGV in Paris to head south for the culinary delights of Lyon? Or maybe a train high into the Swiss mountains or down the boot of Italy? Across Germany and into Denmark, or a night train speeding through the darkness?

We have loads of ideas about how to explore Europe by Rail, and we have gathered 50 of our favourite routes (plus loads of other travel tips and ideas) in our book called… you’ve guessed it… Europe by Rail: https://www.europebyrail.eu/

Photo © Olrat / Dreamstime

28/02/2024

The places of hidden europe – A visit to the Arctic port of Vardø, on an island off the eastern extremity of the Varanger Peninsula, prompted us to reflect on Fridtjof Nansen’s visit to the same place in 1893…

“Nansen arrived in Vardø on the Fram. It was the ship's last port-of-call in Norway on the great voyage of exploration that was to take Nansen closer to the North Pole than any earlier expedition.”

On the Nansen trail: https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/the-nansen-trail

26/02/2024

Shades of cyan around the Mont Blanc massif – For Swiss scientist and mountaineer HB de Saussure, the sky held "in its grandeur and its dazzling purity, an element of death and infinite sadness."

In hidden europe 45, Iain Bamforth invited us to jump into the blue:

“Saussure’s hand-painted simple circular cyanometer had fifty-two shades from white (‘zero degrees’) to black (‘51 degrees’) to measure the blue of the sky…”

https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/into-the-blue

Photo © Bogdan / Dreamstime

24/02/2024

The places of hidden europe – the Neolithic standing stones at Callanish on the Isle of Lewis attest to a long, long history of human settlement in the Outer Hebrides, stories told through Old Norse sagas, accounts from the Middle Ages and more recent literary works…

Peter May's novels set in the Outer Hebrides communicate a strong sense of Hebridean landscapes. May is the latest in a long line of writers who have helped inscribe the islands on the public imagination – as explored in hidden europe 50.

The back issues of our print magazine continue to be available via our online shop – 70 editions of fine travel writing from the cultures and communities of Europe, and we are delighted that so many continue to enjoy the stories of hidden europe: https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/shop/

21/02/2024

Fancy a rail journey through Poland, from Krakow to Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains? Then check out our latest rail route of the month for the Guardian:

Brilliant rail explorations of some of Europe's finest scenery and most interesting culture

20/02/2024

The places of hidden europe – the cultural landscapes of the Po Delta have been shaped by changing patterns of agriculture and settlement, something we explored in the pages of our magazine in hidden europe 67…

“It is into these melancholic flatlands that many poets and writers have ventured, among them Gianni Celati who in the early 1980s made a series of four journeys along the River Po, the last of which focused on the seaward end of the river…”

https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/landscape-poetics-along-the-adriatic-shore

Photo © Underworld / Dreamstime

16/02/2024

The places of hidden europe – a lock on the Grand Union Canal. This major canal was used by the writer John Hollingshead on his way from London to Birmingham by boat in 1858…

John Hollingshead's account of his 1858 journey is a fine narrative celebrating slow travel; its beauty is in the manner it captures that sense of wonder at navigating so slowly through England. Read more about it from our archive: https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/on-the-canal

Photo © Cpphotoimages / Dreamstime

14/02/2024

The places of hidden europe – Hartenfels Castle, the one-time residence of the Electors of Saxony not only dominates the scene in the German town of Torgau, but was also the cover star of hidden europe 52…

“No one forgets their first glimpse of Torgau. For Katharina, that first view of the small riverside town on the evening of Easter Saturday in 1523 was mightily reassuring. For the entire day, Katharina von Bora and the other runaway nuns had hid among the herring barrels in the back of Herr Köppe’s covered wagon.”

As well as the city by the Elbe, hidden europe 52 also featured puppetry in Prague, keeping land dry in the Netherlands, islands on the edge and imaginary wanderings through Switzerland. You’ll find an overview of the issue on our website: https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/hidden-europe-52

12/02/2024

The places of hidden europe – the Forth Rail Bridge in . In hidden europe 44 we explored the hidden histories of three different bridges that cross the Firth of Forth: https://hiddeneurope.eu/setting-forth

Elsewhere in hidden europe 44 we visit an island in the southern Peloponnese, unravel the mystery of Bosnia’s mediaeval tombstones and find out why asbestos has gone out of fashion on the Karpaz Peninsula: https://hiddeneurope.eu/hidden-europe-44

Photo © Ian Whitworth / Dreamstime

09/02/2024

“These winter days would be perfect for walking through the flatlands of Holland. In fact, we can just imagine ourselves plotting a route from Bovenpolder, making tracks west through brooding earth and ice to Wormerland…”

There’s a village on the polder we really like. It’s called Jisp, and it was the subject of a that we sent from the flatlands of Holland (from the archive): https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/a-village-on-the-polder

Photo © Rudmer Zwerver / Dreamstime

07/02/2024

The places of hidden europe – Stockalper Castle in Brig is named for the man who pioneered trade over the Simplon Pass, linking Switzerland to Italy…

For those without a hint of romance in their souls, it is possible to speed through the Simplon Tunnel from Switzerland to Italy. The train takes just fifteen minutes. But back in hidden europe 27, we took our time and explored the old route: https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/towards-the-simplon

Photo © Ron Sumners / Dreamstime

05/02/2024

The places of hidden europe – the vineyards at Hunawihr in Alsace graced the cover of hidden europe 63, an issue which also took in rural Galicia, the small Italian city of Ferrara and the Strandzha region of southern Bulgaria…

You can read excerpts from the different pieces in hidden europe 63 – as with all the issues of our magazine – on our website, including our journey through the winemaking villages of Alsace: https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/vintage-pleasures-a-taste-of-alsace

03/02/2024

With its handsome villas, lavish gardens and sweeping views over the valley of the River Arno, Fiesole developed as a fabled spot. It was a place for political intrigue, a retreat to be creative and a spot to just relax…

No surprise, perhaps, that Fiesole has attracted generations of artists, scholars and writers – a (from the archive): https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/a-fiesole-residency

Photo © Henrik Stovring / Dreamstime

01/02/2024

The places of hidden europe – the Franja Partisan Hospital can be found in a deep gorge near Cerkno in Slovenia, and is now a museum dedicated to the story of how the Partisans were able to treat their wounded during the Second World War…

Place and memory, and the stories to be found in the Slovenian Hills was the subject of Paul Scraton’s piece for hidden europe 52 as he explored the Cerkljanska, a tucked-away world of forested hills and fertile river valleys, steep gorges and high pastures: https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/slovenia-cerkno-hills-memory-and-place

Hidden europe 52 also took us to Scottish islands and a city by the Elbe, puppetry in Prague and an ancient town in Extremadura. You can find out more about the issue on our website, where you’ll also find a link to our online shop for all our back issues and more: https://hiddeneurope.eu/hidden-europe-52

30/01/2024

The places of hidden europe – a feast of Victorian Gothic at London’s St Pancras Station. A place for adventures to start or to rest your weary head when you’ve finally reached your destination…

We explored the history of how the railway shaped the St Pancras area of London in hidden europe 36, an issue of our magazine that also took us to the Rioja region of Spain, Boulogne in France and Jutland in Denmark: https://www.hiddeneurope.eu/hidden-europe-36

As with all our issues, hidden europe 36 is available via our online shop – where rail fans will also find signed copies of our book , in which Route 13 starts from St Pancras station. You’ll find our online shop on the hidden europe website.

26/01/2024

The places of hidden europe – the vineyards of Lavaux on the shores of Lake Geneva were the cover star of hidden europe 55 and are one of Europe’s oldest winegrowing regions and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

“Lavaux is a tiddler in the world of wine, producing very distinctive niche wines which, though never cheap, are much appreciated by those discerning drinkers who are lucky enough to secure a supply…”

https://hiddeneurope.eu/lakeside-tradition-exploring-the-lavaux-vineyards

Elsewhere in hidden europe 55 we also went in search of the Mingrelians in the Abkhaz-Georgian borderlands on the Black Sea and explored religious architecture in Brittany. Like all our back issues, is available via our shop – you’ll find a link to the online store on our website.

24/01/2024

The places of hidden europe – Duchcov in the Czech Republic. Were it not for a librarian, we would surely never have ventured to Duchcov.

It was in Duchcov that Giacomo Casanova spent the last 13 years of his life looking after the library of Count von Waldstein – a story we explored, along with our love of libraries, for a (from the archive): https://hiddeneurope.eu/cashing-in-on-casanova

22/01/2024

A scene from the Asisi panorama in Wittenberg, depicting a scene from the town in the age of Martin Luther. This immersive experience is a creative and modern take on the traditional installation, and a great aid to historical storytelling.

“This small town by the Elbe is a place of scholarship and learning. But it also has that gritty appeal of all towns in central Europe of the period…”

We explored Lutherstadt Wittenberg – including the Asisi panorama – for hidden europe 70: https://hiddeneurope.eu/the-luther-factor-discovering-wittenberg

You can buy hidden europe 70 via our online shop, where you’ll find copies of all our back issues as well as signed editions of our book Europe by Rail. You’ll find a link to our shop on the hidden europe website.

Photo by Tom Schulz © asisi

20/01/2024

Our latest rail journey of the month for the Guardian was published earlier in the week...

Our slow travel expert alights from the express train in Domodossola to discover a rural route through the hills into Switzerland

18/01/2024

The places of hidden europe – “Think how voices help define a city. Speeches and songs have shaped the soundscape. And they have been more varied in tone than you might expect…”

From our archive – how less likely, and sometimes radical, threads can be found in the soundscape of the German town famous for Goethe and Schiller. Read the piece in full on our website:

Think how voices help define a city. Speeches and songs have shaped the Weimar soundscape. And they have been more varied in tone than you might expect. To be sure, the foremost exponents of Weimar classicism all pitched into the Weimar conversation: Herder, Wieland, Goethe and Schiller. But there a...

16/01/2024

The places of hidden europe – a Hungarian train circles around Tokaji Hill, offering the passengers marvellous views of the region’s vineyards. We explored the joys of railways and wine tourism back in hidden europe 54.

We’ve not only written a lot about rail travel over the years in our magazine, but we are also the authors of , the definitive guide for travellers now in its 17th edition. It features 50 routes, country information and off-beat diversions…

Via the hidden europe shop, we are currently offering a limited number of signed copies of for delivery within Europe (including non-EU countries): hiddeneurope.eu/shop

Photo © Attila Vörös / Dreamstime