The Best Episodes of Great Continental Railway Journeys

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8.7/10(21 votes)
#1 - Amsterdam to Northern France
S1:E512/6/2012
Michael Portillo uses George Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide to explore the dazzling cities of the pre-war Low Countries before tasting the delicacies of Brussels. He then travels to the French sector of the Western Front, where from 1914 the trains carried a new cargo of artillery shells, with the Edwardian tourists of 1913 replaced by soldiers facing the horrors of the trenches. He will end his epic journey in the forest of Compiegne to hear how, after four years of conflict, the Armistice was finally signed in a railway carriage.
Director:Cassie Farrell
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Cassie Farrell
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8.5/10(25 votes)
#2 - Berlin to the Rhein
S1:E311/22/2012
Michael begins this journey in Berlin, the capital of Germany, which at the beginning of the 20th century was a powerhouse of science and technology. Led by his 1913 railway guide, he then heads west via the picturesque Harz Mountains to the industrial Ruhr Valley to learn how imperial Germany was war ready. He then travels south along the tourist trail of the castle-studded Rhein river and ends his journey in the Rheingau to taste the wines of its age-old vineyards.
Director:Cassie Farrell
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Cassie Farrell
Writer:Unknown
8.3/10(30 votes)
#3 - Madrid to Gibraltar
S2:E110/27/2013
No description available
Director:Tom Richardson
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Tom Richardson
Writer:Unknown
8.3/10(15 votes)
#4 - Tula to St Petersburg
S3:E111/5/2014
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Director:Tom Richardson
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Tom Richardson
Writer:Unknown
8.3/10(25 votes)
#5 - Pisa to Lake Garda
S4:E310/30/2015
Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide in hand, Michael Portillo visits Italy, where he experiences first-hand the nation's need for speed in a state-of-the-art Maserati sports car. Michael discovers how the leaning tower of Pisa was rescued from near collapse. In Carrara, he finds out how the marble used by Michelangelo is still quarried today and is invited to chip away at a contemporary sculpture. In Bologna, he embarks on a doomed search for spaghetti Bolognese until a cookery teacher shows him how to make a much more authentic tagliatelle al ragu. Following in the footsteps of Bradshaw's travellers, Michael explores the cradle of the Renaissance through Edwardian eyes. Heading north to Gargnano, Michael discovers the romantic hideaway of one of Britain's most famous writers, DH Lawrence, whose affair with his professor's wife scandalised his home country. Michael ends his journey in futuristic style with a high speed boat trip across Lake Garda.
Director:Tom Richardson
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Tom Richardson
Writer:Unknown
8.2/10(27 votes)
#6 - Switzerland
S1:E411/29/2012
Michael Portillo uses George Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide to explore Switzerland, whose remarkable railways helped make it a favourite with Edwardian tourists. He begins in the truly international city of Basel and travels east to visit industrial Zurich. He then heads for the glorious Alps and learns how astonishing engineering feats conquered the most challenging peaks, before taking in the striking beauty of Lake Lucerne. Michael's journey ends with a spectacular ascent by train to Europe's highest station, perched atop Switzerland's dramatic Jungfraujoch.
Director:Dave Minchin
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Dave Minchin
Writer:Unknown

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8.2/10(24 votes)
#7 - Vienna to Trieste
S4:E210/23/2015
In Vienna, Michael Portillo encounters a pre-Cold War spy and learns about the concert that caused a riot in 1913. He then travels the Habsburg imperial line across the Semmering Pass, a line blasted through the Alps. In Graz, the former politician ventures underground at the Lurgrotte Caves to find out about a famous rescue operation of the past, then in Slovenia discovers how an earthquake in Ljubljana prompted its citizens to assert their national identity in architecture and art. Arriving in the Italian port of Trieste, Michael savours the imported coffee that fuelled a cafe culture.
Director:Dave Minchin
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Dave Minchin
Writer:Unknown
8.2/10(30 votes)
#8 - The Black Forest to Hannover
S4:E511/20/2015
Armed with his 1913 Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo ventures deep into the Black Forest on a quest to discover the essence of Germany and discovers how Hansel and Gretel helped to unify the nation. A humbling masterclass in carving cuckoo clocks shows him how the nation's reputation for quality and reliability in manufacturing was established from the early 18th century. A romantic stop at the ruined Schloss in Heidelberg follows before Michael gets an insider's guide to share dealing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. At Goettingen University, Michael discovers two sides of student life at the turn of the 20th century - the duelling fraternities and the groundbreaking scientists who laid the foundation for Germany's world class transport technology today. Braving the force of the Goettingen wind tunnel, Michael investigates the track where model trains are fired at up to 360km per hour.
Director:Ben Rowland
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Ben Rowland
Writer:Unknown
8.1/10(25 votes)
#9 - London to Monte Carlo
S1:E111/8/2012
Leaving London behind, armed with his 1913 railway guide, Michael Portillo follows the most popular route of the Edwardian traveller through France. His first stop is Paris, where he absorbs the atmosphere of La Belle Époque, before he travels south to the Cote D'Azur, where he samples the Edwardian highlife and learns why the area attracted the rich and artistic alike. He then ends his journey as he arrives at the gaming tables in glamorous Monte Carlo.
Director:Dave Minchin
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Dave Minchin
Writer:Unknown
8.1/10(25 votes)
#10 - Turin to Venice
S2:E211/3/2013
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Director:Tom Richardson
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Tom Richardson
Writer:Unknown
8.1/10(29 votes)
#11 - Copenhagen to Oslo
S2:E411/17/2013
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Director:Dean Griffiths
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Dean Griffiths
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8.1/10(18 votes)
#12 - Berlin to Stuttgart
S7:E38/12/2020
Michael Portillo embarks on a rail journey through Germany, steered by a Bradshaw’s Continental Railway Guide published in 1936. His unique window on Europe between the world wars takes him through a tumultuous period in German history, when the nation’s first democracy and its vibrant culture of art, design and decadence were swept away by fascism, nationalism and the increasing likelihood of war. In a vast stadium, Michael hears how new rail lines were constructed to transport crowds of spectators to the Nazi Olympic Games of 1936. Michael learns how a planned boycott by the United States and other European nations failed and how the success of a black American athlete undermined the Nazi ideology of Aryan superiority.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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8.1/10(16 votes)
#13 - Palermo to Mt Etna
S7:E48/19/2020
Michael Portillo’s 1936 Bradshaw’s Guide brings him to the Italian 'treasure island' of Sicily, full of natural beauty and 'scenery of the greatest charm'. But the interwar guide book also tells Michael that the head of government in Italy is the fascist leader Signor Benito Mussolini. On a railway journey from the capital, Palermo, through the ancient town of Agrigento and the port of Siracusa, to Europe’s largest volcano, Mount Etna, Michael explores Sicilian life under the dictatorship. Michael finds out how the dictator took on the mafia and asks whether it is true that under Mussolini, the trains ran on time.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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8.1/10(18 votes)
#14 - Pula to Pazin
S8:E13/10/2025
Michael Portillo mounts a valiant defence against fierce latter-day Roman gladiators in Pula's amphitheatre as he begins a journey across the Balkan countries of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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8.1/10(15 votes)
#15 - Buzet to Pag
S8:E23/11/2025
Ably assisted by Lila, an expert labrador, Michael Portillo hunts for truffles in the Istrian countryside near the hilltop town of Buzet.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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8.1/10(16 votes)
#16 - Knin to Split
S8:E33/12/2025
Michael Portillo’s railway adventure reaches the Dalmatian coastal city of Zadar, once an important Venetian trading hub and still a centre for the production of Maraschino cherry liqueur.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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8.0/10(24 votes)
#17 - Hungary to Austria
S1:E211/15/2012
Steered by his 1913 railway guide, on this journey Michael Portillo explores the once-great empire of Austria-Hungary, domain of the famous Habsburg monarchs. Starting in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, he travels via Bratislava in Slovakia to the beautiful and elegant city of Vienna, where he immerses himself in prewar decadence. From there, he travels to Salzburg, before heading to the magnificent scenery of the Salzkammergut region to visit the emperor's Austrian summer house at Bad Ischl, where in 1914 European history changed course forever.
Director:Cassie Farrell
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Cassie Farrell
Writer:Unknown
8.0/10(6 votes)
#18 - St Pancras to Brussels
S9:E65/25/2026
Michael boards the Eurostar at London’s St Pancras International, bound for the Belgian capital, Brussels.
Director:Unknown
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7.9/10(15 votes)
#19 - Sarajevo
S8:E43/13/2025
In Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia, Michael Portillo traces the fateful last journey in 1914 of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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7.9/10(17 votes)
#20 - Mostar to Dubrovnik
S8:E53/14/2025
Michael Portillo enjoys a journey on the historic line from Sarajevo to Mostar, descending 600 metres through the Dinaric Alps, reflecting on the divisions which tour apart the old Yugoslavia.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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7.9/10(10 votes)
#21 - Lisieux to Giverny
S8:E204/4/2025
In the apple orchards of the Calvados region, Michael Portillo discovers how the classic digestif has been distilled since 1865 at the Pierre Huet estate.
Director:Unknown
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7.8/10(20 votes)
#22 - La Coruña to Lisbon
S3:E411/26/2014
No description available
Director:Cassie Farrell
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Cassie Farrell
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7.8/10(29 votes)
#23 - Sofia to Istanbul
S4:E110/16/2015
Armed with his trusty 1913 Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo travels east through the Balkans along the most exotic section of the route taken by the Orient Express. His journey begins in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria, and includes stops in the ancient city of Plovdiv, the region of Rumelia, and former capital of the Ottoman Empire Edirne. Arriving in Istanbul, Michael takes a trip on the Bosphorus - a much-coveted stretch of water - finds out about Turkish delight and travels along the Marmaray metro line, which connects European and Asian Istanbul via a tunnel beneath the Bosphorus.
Director:Dave Minchin
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Dave Minchin
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7.8/10(20 votes)
#24 - Tangier to Marrakech
S5:E310/4/2016
No description available
Director:Dave Minchin
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Dave Minchin
Writer:Unknown
7.8/10(16 votes)
#25 - Salamanca to Canfranc
S7:E17/29/2020
Michael Portillo sports a strikingly modern edition of his Bradshaw’s Continental Handbook, dated 1936. His destination lies close to his heart: the ancient kingdom of Spain and land of his father, recommended in Michael’s guidebook for its exceptional climate and glorious history. 1936 was a turbulent time in Spain, with political upheaval descending into a brutal civil war. Michael begins an emotional rail journey, which takes him deep into his family’s past and reveals the tentacles of the regime which forced his father into exile.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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