W Europe Travel


Feature Writer: Henk Bekker
Henk Bekker, Photo by Arno Johnstone

From the cafes of Paris to the red light district of Amsterdam, from the Bavarian beer halls of Germany to the glitz of the French Riviera, Western Europe offers delectable Belgian chocolates and fine French wines, heart-pounding discos in Berlin and opera houses in Vienna.

Whether it's Versailles's history or quirky attractions like Manneken Pis in Brussels, an evening sing along in Cologne (German optional) or wandering the streets of Avignon once graced by Popes, the jewels of EU await.

We'll check out Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, but if you've been there and done something different, email and tell us about it or post in the discussion forum.

Full W Europe Travel blog

Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. Western Europe, Jan Willem Stad
feature articles
Henk Bekker

Festung Königstein Near Dresden

In: Germany Travel

Germany's largest fortress, Festung Königstein, towers over the Elbe Valley in the Saxon Switzerland area. It is a popular day trip by S-Bahn train from nearby Dresden. more...

Basteibrücke Bridge Near Dresden

In: Germany Travel

The Basteibrücke Bridge and viewing platforms offer the best views of the rocky sandstone peaks and the Elbe Valley in the Saxon Switzerland area near Dresden in Germany more...

See Saxon Switzerland Near Dresden

In: Germany Travel

Nature, rock climbing, hiking, cycling, canoeing, and cultural sights are popular in Saxon Switzerland (Sächsische Schweiz) in the Elbe Valley near Dresden in Germany. more...

Sights in Moritzburg near Dresden

In: Germany Travel

The best sights in Moritzburg near Dresden in Saxony, Germany include the Schloss, Pheasant Castle (Fasanenschlößchen), palace gardens, and Käthe Kollwitz memorial site. more...

Schloss Moritzburg near Dresden

In: Germany Travel

Baroque Schloss Moritzburg Castle, the hunting palace of the kings of Saxony, is a popular day-trip destination from Dresden in Germany. more...

All feature articles in W Europe Travel

Suite101: W Europe Travel articles How to subscribe to article feeds

feature blog
Henk Bekker

May 9, 2008

Top High-Speed Railways in Europe

Europe’s high-speed trains (TGV, ICE, and Eurostar) are increasingly crossing national borders to allow for fast railway travel between major European cities.


For almost three decades, the French Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) has brought the countryside into day and weekend trip reach from Paris. In Germany, sleek white Inter-City-Express (ICE) trains provide fast services between all major German cities.

These fast trains now also operate on international routes. French TGV-based trains are crossing the borders into Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland while the German ICE trains can be seen in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Austria. More recently, TGV trains have made it into Germany (Cologne and Stuttgart) while ICE trains go to Paris.

Eurostar trains go from London to Paris and Brussels and could actually operate on the full TGV network. Persistent rumors that German Railways want to send ICE trains through the Chunnel all the way to London are constantly being denied. A pity, as competition will almost certainly bring prices down.

Just because you are seated inside an ICE or TGV train does not mean the train is actually going at high speed. Trains can slow down significantly on older tracks especially once outside Germany or France.

More than once, on the four-hour ICE journeys between Frankfurt am Main and Amsterdam, I have experienced going flat out at 300 km/h (186 mph) between Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) and Cologne (Köln) just to have the train slow down and outrun by shorter commuter trains once inside the Netherlands.

Fortunately, tracks are constantly being upgraded throughout Europe to speed up journeys. Railteam reckons that business travelers prefer trains to planes if the rail journey is less than four hours while leisure travelers will ride the rails for six hours before low-cost airlines are seen as an alternative. Those numbers sound about right to me.

Full W Europe Travel blog

Suite101: W Europe Travel blogs How to subscribe to blog feeds