The idea came about one gloomy November evening when one of my more cultured friends suggested a weekend in Verona to see the opera, La Traviata. I confess that my Spotify playlist is more Pink Floyd-crossed-with-Abba than Verdi or Puccini. So, here was an opportunity to expand my (limited) cultural horizons. Originally, the plan was a fly-in, fly-out weekend. Then, why fly at all? Why not Interrail and help save the planet? And so, just a few months later, the three of us – with a combined age of 220 – were ready to go.
Plotting our route proved almost as much fun as the trip itself. Should we travel directly to Verona via Paris and Milan or take the scenic route through Basel, Zurich and then the Bernina Express over the Alps into Italy? And after Verona, why not just keep going and take in Milan, Lake Como and Strasbourg before heading home?
London to Zurich: 483 miles
It’s amazing what you can achieve in a day. An early start on the 07.04 Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris was well worth the effort to make it to Gare de Lyon in time for an early lunch. If you haven’t been, the sumptuous Le Train Bleu restaurant oozes glamour from a bygone era of train travel – so much so that I half expected to bump into David Niven or Audrey Hepburn.
Then it was just one quick change at Basel, and we were in Zurich in time for dinner. And, here is one of the great joys of train travel: you always arrive slap bang in the centre of town. No hanging around for luggage, no airport bus to find, no passport queues and in our case, a five-minute walk to our hotel. It’s all so civilised.
Zurich to Chur to Tirano: 167 miles
The following morning, we hurried aboard the Rhaetian Railway’s Bernina Express and settled in for the four-and-a-half-hour journey. And oh, what a journey it was. The scarlet panoramic carriages track the Rhine out of Chur and slowly rise through the sheer breathtaking beauty of this Unesco World Heritage site, before reaching the (literally) dizzy heights of the 7,392ft (2,253m) Alp Grüm glacier (the train even obligingly grinds to a halt to let everyone off to take photos).
The stats on this journey are almost as impressive as the scenery: the route crosses the spectacular 65m-high Landwasser Viaduct, passes through 55 tunnels and crosses 196 bridges before slowly creeping down to the 360-degree Brusio Circular Viaduct, from where you can see the front and back of the train at the same time. And finally down we went again, chugging alongside the Poschiavino River into the sleepy Italian town of Tirano.
Tirano to Verona: 67 miles
Day four was our first no-train day and we had finally reached Verona. Yes, it’s a touristy city, but nothing can detract from its magnificence. Another Unesco World Heritage site (our second of the trip), the 2,000-year-old Città Antica is overflowing with faded frescoes and Renaissance architecture, and when I popped out for some milk, there was Juliet’s balcony, tucked away in a secluded courtyard.
We were, by now, all a little giddy, because La Traviata night had finally arrived. We abandoned the shorts and T-shirts for frocks to mark the occasion and headed for the Arena di Verona, built around AD30, smaller than the Colosseum but older and far better preserved.
As those who’ve been will know, the size and scale of the productions here are genuinely hard to believe, even with one’s own eyes: more than 300 cast members dominate a stage which fills a third of the arena – yet still finds space for 15,000 spectators.
Verona to Como (via Zurich) to Strasbourg: 202 miles
Next up was Lake Como via Milan. We were staying halfway along the shore of this long, magnificent lake and – we were reliably informed – opposite George and Amal Clooney’s former home. We hiked up to our Airbnb, huffing and puffing but nevertheless marvelling at the views with every step.
Then came the news we didn’t want – a national train strike beginning the following day: our departure day. Nobody could tell us what to do or expect, so it was every Interrailer for themselves. As dawn broke, we crept down the cobbles to catch the first bus to the station – anything that took us out of Italy – until we got wind of a randomly operating train which was, we were told, leaving imminently for Lugano.
We raced to the station, hopped aboard – and just like that, the crisis was over. We were soon back in Switzerland and hugging the shores of the lakes of Lugano, Lucerne, Zug and Zurich. The train strike, which had initially looked like a disaster, had produced one of the most memorable days of the trip (and a little adventure to boot).
There was just sufficient time to squeeze in one last stop before home. The Grande Île of Strasbourg – yet another World Heritage site, surrounded by canals and locks and half-timbered houses – is dominated by the magnificent Notre-Dame des Strasbourg Cathedral, for which read: Gothic architecture on speed. Strasbourg also happens to be home to the European Parliament, the Palais d’Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. Add to that a gourmet reputation and fine Alsace wines, and you’ve got yourself a city that no discerning traveller could resist revisiting. I will certainly be back.
Strasbourg to London: 403 miles
And with that, our journey was over. One pass, eight days, three countries, 14 trains and 1,322 miles later, would I do it again? In a heartbeat – I would, and I will.
I loved the ever-changing landscape (and realising that some places weren’t quite where I thought they were…); chatting to people in broken French, Italian and German; the sheer civilised pleasure of watching Europe pass by while somebody else did the driving.
And as for age, it simply wasn’t relevant. There was nothing we couldn’t – or didn’t – do, and I’m already planning my next great rail adventure. Who says Interrailing is just for teenage backpackers?
Essentials
Interrail has a wide range of passes to suit many different kinds of trip and traveller. We each bought a first-class seven-day pass for €445/£380 (standard costs €343/£293), which lasts for one year but, once activated, must be used within one month from your first day of travel.