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Your perfect trip by land and sea, expertly routed

Train and ferry trips, with locally-owned stays

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👇 Find your wonder

Travel through the world instead of flying over it. Slow travel holidays, where the journey is the star of the show. Sign up for the Byway slow travel newsletter: https://www.byway.travel/newsletter

21/01/2025

With 2025 marking the 200th anniversary of modern rail travel, the time for audible-gasping, best-of-the-best train journeys is now. So, we've put together our 5 top rail lines of all time.

First up, Portugal’s Douro Line is a spectacular journey to ‘nowhere’. Board a Wes Anderson-esque carriage that meanders along the Douro River valley from Porto to Pocinho past vineyards and tiny hilltop villages.

Top tip: make sure to get to Sao Bento station early (at least 20 mins) to grab a right hand seat for the best views, and stop off at Pinhão for great wine and scenic picnic spots!

What are your favourite train lines? 👇

📸 Photos by Justin Owers

15/01/2025

A private sleeper train carriage sets the tone. Then, northward to the Arctic Circle. Quiet your mind as you look up at the northern lights, and get under the skin of local foraging traditions and Finnish folklore.

Find more quiet trips for 2025 in the link in our bio 😌

13/01/2025

The Diaccia Botrona marshes are considered the most important wetland in Tuscany, Italy. From recently reintroduced ospreys, to flamingoes, to orange butterflies and thickets of long grass - the entire marsh buzzes with wildlife and sits away from the beaten track.

Read more about Harriet's Tuscany trip in the Byway Journal.

Find more quiet trips for 2025 in the link in our bio 🌾

09/01/2025

The Algarve shows off some of Europe's best sunsets - and is an off-season delight. For true remoteness, Ilha Deserta (meaning 'deserted island') off the coast of Faro is a haven for migrating birds.

Get there the scenic way by train, with stays in Bordeaux, San Sebastian and Madrid - before a coach ride from Seville drops you into Faro's cobbled plazas and golden coastlines.

Find more quiet trips for 2025 in the link in our bio 🌅

24/12/2024

Our founder Cat’s family summer trip to the Dolomites connected her to a sense of wonder. Not the standard seven wonders - but the feeling. The kind you might get as you break through the clouds on a mountain chair lift or find yourself caught up in the evening passegiata in a small Italian town.

This feeling is at the heart of why Cat started Byway. It was wonder she experienced when swapping planes for trains, fast for leisurely, and the tourist track for the road less travelled.

As we come to the end of the year, what was a moment of wonder for you when travelling? ✨

15/11/2024

Don't get booking FOMO!

January is historically the time when most people book their trips for the coming year, but we've seen a growing amount of holidaymakers booking between October-December. Being an early bird gives you more flexibility on dates, accommodation and specific trains or routes.

Trips that often include highly contested accommodation and routes include holidays to Lake Como, the French Riviera, the Highlands, as well as St Ives in Cornwall.

So if you've got a dream overland holiday in mind for 2025 - here's your PSA to get booking before you miss out! 🐦‍⬛

What trips have you already booked for 2025?

01/11/2024

Porto’s São Bento station takes its name from the Benedictine monastery on which it was originally built in 1916. The main hall of the station houses over 20000 traditional azulejos tiles, created by artist Jorge Colaço in the early 20th century, depicting significant moments from Portuguese history, including the Battle of Valdevez and the Conquest of Ceuta. The traditional tiling and French Beaux-Arts influence have made the station a tourist attraction in its own right, even for those who’ve not arrived by train.

Read our full shortlist of beautiful train stations in the Byway journal 👆

What's your favourite train station?

29/10/2024

Dreaming of Vin Chaud?

Set against the backdrop of the illuminated cathedral, Strasbourg's Christmas markets are the oldest and most enchanting in France. They've certainly helped garner the city's reputation as the 'Capital of Christmas'. Amid the bustling Christkindelsmärik, some 300 wooden stalls strung together by twinkly lights create a sensory wonderland of sizzling chestnuts, spicy Vin Chaud and all manner of artisan gifts.

When to go: 24 Nov - 24 Dec

Read our full guide to Christmas markets by train in the Byway journal 📖

28/10/2024

Train station or greenhouse? Take both. In a bid to enhance the station after it was reopened to house the high-speed AVE services, Madrid Atocha station also became home to a lush greenhouse that now houses over 100 different species of tropical plants, koi ponds, and 15 manicured flower beds.

Read our full shortlist of beautiful train stations in the Byway journal 👆

What's your favourite train station?

25/10/2024

Exploring Switzerland and northern Italy by train is a visual delight. Sarah’s journey took her from historic cities to alpine trails, with unbeatable views on the way. One of her favourite memories is being captivated by the views from the window on the Rhaetian Railway as the crystal glaciers and alpine landscapes rolled past.

Looking for tips for your next trip? Sarah suggests swapping your usual Paris stop for Dijon, an easy day’s journey from the UK with a medieval charm all its own.

24/10/2024

📢 Sign Stay Grounded's frequent flyer levy petition: link in bio!

The flight industry is heavily undertaxed, resulting in artificially cheap flights at the expense of our planet.

Taxing excessive flying could help reduce demand and encourage more sustainable forms of travel, and we'd love to see the funds raised being used to improve low-carbon transport and infrastructure. Encouraging overland travel is the biggest impact we can take in the short term for reducing the overall carbon emissions of travel.

At a time when urgent action needs to be taken to combat climate change, surely it should be: fly more = pollute more = pay more. Especially when those who would be affected by this tax are only 4.5% of the European population.

What do you think - should there be a frequent flyer tax?

Read the full article and comment from our CEO, Cat, in the Byway Journal

23/10/2024

Aiesha and Sade from Byway hopped on the Eurostar from St Pancras and spent a day exploring Lille. From cosy cafés to bustling boutiques, they enjoyed the relaxed pace of the city. Lille is perfect for a quick day trip or stopover by train - close enough for a spontaneous adventure but with enough charm to leave a lasting impression.

What are your top recommendations for Lille? 🇫🇷

15/10/2024

In anticipation of the new edition of Europe By Rail: The Definitive Guide, we sat down with author Nicky Gardner (aka one half of Hidden Europe) to chat all things rail travel.

A small initiative based in Berlin, hidden europe was started by Nicky and her partner Susanne Kries, to explore Europe's cultures and communities. A project close to both of their hearts is Europe By Rail: The Definitive Guide - a book filled to the brim with routes and tips for travelling by rail through Europe, that's helped shape travellers' journeys for over 30 years.

Hidden europe are a huge part of the Byway story, continuing to provide our team with precise and rich overland knowledge, and helping refine our product with gorgeous off-the-beaten-path suggestions.

The 18th edition focuses on local rail routes (over popular tourist trains), and journeys rather than places. "Journeys matter, and journeys are too important to just be undertaken by plane," says Nicky, "we don't take a hard and fast view on flying, but we do think so much is missed when you fly."

📚 Giveaway 📚 to celebrate the 18th edition of the book, we're giving away 10 free copies to our newsletter subscribers! To find out how to enter and to read the full interview, make sure you subscribe to our newsletter before 19/10/24: https://www.byway.travel/newsletter
T&Cs apply.

19/09/2024

What gives a holiday that touch of je ne sais quoi for you? A bottle of bubbly at sunset? Fresh dips in a saltwater pool, or soak at the spa? Splashing out on a hotel upgrade or first-class carriage? Those thoughtful extras, or a once-in-a-lifetime experience?

When it comes to travel, a holiday should always feel celebratory. With moments to toast over the Amalfi sunset, or mark a new chapter overlooking a city skyline. Our motto? Celebrate the big - and the small. Do it well, and do it often. We love these special moments from recent Byway trips that show how it's done.

🥂 Last call for free first-class upgrades: if you're feeling inspired to travel for toasting, don't miss out on free first-class upgrades on any winter trips between November 2024-March 2025. Offer ends midnight tomorrow!

Full T&Cs in the link in our bio.

What's that extra touch that makes a trip feel special for you?

11/09/2024

September is here, and that means woollies, candles and misty orange hues are just around the corner 🍂 In the space between summer vitality and winter hibernation, the changing natural world encourages us to slow down and connect.

Travelling off-season can take you away from the peak summer crowds, plus helps distribute tourist spend more evenly across the year to benefit local communities, and lessens the strain of overtourism in the busy periods.

And why not get there first-class? We're offering free first-class upgrades on all trips departing between November-March if you book before 20/09/24 - so you can embrace off-season travel from a first-class seat. Head to the link in bio for full T&CS.

Here’s our favourite spots for an autumn/winter getaway:

🇫🇮 Finland's Lake District: get your cold water fix in the Saimaa waters and get toasty in the sauna capital of Tampere.

🇨🇭 Swiss mountains: weave through golden larch and pine trees along Switzerland's most scenic Alpine railway.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Whisky and walking: discover one of Scotland's most prestigious whisky regions. A single malt is the perfect end to an autumnal amble along the Speyside Way.

🇩🇪 The Moselle Valley: Germany never looked prettier than the Moselle in autumn. But don't take our word for it, take Turner's paintings that capture the light mist and fiery hues of the river valley.

🇫🇷 Harvest in Alsace: Autumn is grape-harvesting season on the banks of the Rhine. Along the Burgundy Wine Trail, you’ll find age-old harvesting traditions in the vineyards that stretch out from Dijon.

What's your favourite thing about autumn travel? 🍂

29/08/2024

Lovely moments from Kevin and Rachel's train trip through Austria and Italy, stopping along the way for hikes and street-side dining 🍷

What’s that extra touch that turns a holiday into something unforgettable for you?

07/08/2024

Fresh insights from our Byway team: a last-minute trip to Paris is back on the cards after the peak of the first weeks of the games. Hotels and restaurants are dropping their prices due to unexpected quietness, meaning you can enjoy fewer crowds and a more laid-back trip.

Sade recently spent 48 hours exploring the tastes and sights that line the cobbled streets - returning with her top tips and favourite spots to grab a bite.

So, whether it’s a long weekend or a stop off on a last min Europe jaunt, Paris by train is back on the menu 🇫🇷

Do you have any Paris recs?

05/08/2024

Sometimes it's all about the train carriage. We'd go so far as to say they're a work of art (some of them, at least).

The GoldenPass is one such train. A serious rival to the interiors of the Orient Express, without the exclusive price tag. Part of the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway (MOB), it's one of the oldest electric railways in Switzerland, with the first stretch of track laid in December 1901.

With its plush, wood-panelled interiors and spectacular views, you can traverse the scenic route from Montreux to Zweisimmen in true Belle Époque style.

What's your favourite train ride? 👇

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Our Mission

Our mission is to make sustainable, thoughtful travel mainstream. We provide sustainable holiday experiences that take travellers off the beaten track, via trains, boats and more - but more than that, we want to create a movement that helps the world travel thoughtfully and sustainably once it can travel again. ‍ Byway is all about taking the time to appreciate the journey, starting a slow travel experience the moment you step out of your door. Our vision is that Byway will open people's eyes to a new way of holidaying, experiencing the lesser-known parts of the world instead of flying over them, and will blaze a trail into a new travel ecosystem growing up around sustainable, authentic and conscious travel.