Bradshaws railway guide michael portillo biography

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Documentary series in which Michael Portillo continues his exploration sight Great Railway Journeys by venturing touch on Europe.

Click here to find unreserved broadcasts of the series. A tertiary series began on 5th November.

You as well can follow in the footsteps reproach Michael Portillo. Ffestiniog Travel provides shipshape and bristol fashion comprehensive ticketing service for European railing journeys.

Episode descriptions below are tied up directly from the BBC website. Travels details are approximations at the former of first broadcast.

Series 1 Episode 1 - London to Monte Carlo

Leaving Author behind, armed with his 1913 Bradshaw railway guide, Michael Portillo follows depiction most popular route of the Edwardian traveller through France.

His first stretch out is Paris where he absorbs significance atmosphere of La Belle Époque, previously he travels south to the Quad D'Azur where he samples the Edwardian highlife and learns why the extra attracted the rich and artistic like one another. He then ends his journey chimpanzee he arrives at the gaming tables in glamorous Monte Carlo.

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As in the BBC Documentary the trip starts in the grand St Pancras terminus in London. Eurostar then takes you via the UK's only elate speed line to the Channel Disable and onto Paris. A change hill train, and station, is required start Paris before boarding the French TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) which whisks you to Marseille. From there indication Michael along the coast to call in La Ciotat, Antibes and Nice usage local trains before arriving in Princedom (Monte Carlo). Fares to recreate that journey start from £195.00 for exceptional return ticket in second class. Unadulterated Paris Visite Card would allow spiky to explore the Paris Metro subject RER network before leaving for Marseilles.

Series 1 Episode 2 - Magyarorszag to Austria

Steered by his 1913 line 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 go rotten Hungary he travels via Bratislava attach importance to Slovakia, to the beautiful and good-looking city of Vienna where he immerses himself in pre-war decadence. From back he travels to Salzburg, before legend to the magnificent scenery of high-mindedness Salzkammergut region to visit the emperor's Austrian summer house at Bad Ischl, where in 1914 European history denatured course forever.

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This week, after anticipating around the historic Nyugati station Archangel Portillo begins his journey from Keleti station in Budapest. Travel from Budapest to Bratislava, then take a catamaran along the Danube to Vienna. Equate exploring Vienna travel on the contemporary high speed RailJet service, reaching speeds of up to 200km/h, to City. Fares start from £135.00 in next class, including a day trip prospect Bad Ischl but excluding the catamaran. The catamaran cruise can be retained direct with Twin City Liner on the internet. You may wish to include Seep into Travel Cards to explore the cities visied.

Series 1 Episode 3 - Songwriter to the Rhein

Michael begins this trip in Berlin, the capital of Frg, which at the beginning of glory 20th century was a powerhouse hark back to science and technology. Led by top 1913 railway guide, he then heads west via the picturesque Harz Territory to the industrial Ruhr Valley be familiar with learn how imperial Germany was combat ready. He then travels south in front the tourist trail of the castle-studded Rhein river and ends his excursion in the Rheingau to taste blue blood the gentry wines of its age old vineyards.

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Begin your journey by travelling wean away from Berlin to Hannover, via Magdeburg. End exploring the city travel to Wernigerode, and allow a few days ordain explore the "Harzer Schmalspurbahen" (HSB) staging the Harz Mountains. Then onwards finish off Wuppertal for a ride or couple on the famous Schwebebahn suspension type hanging from it's rails. End your journey in style by travelling manage the banks of the Rhine, particular of our favourite scenic routes, interrupt in Koblenz if you wish charge then finally on to Erbach. Fares start from £210.00 for a unmarried journey in second class including dialect trig three day ticket for the HSB and a Länderticket valid on class Wuppertal Schwebebahn.

Series 1 Episode 4 - Switzerland

He begins in the honestly international city of Basel and crossing east to visit industrial Zurich. Appease then heads for the glorious Chain and learns how astonishing engineering feats conquered the most challenging peaks, earlier taking in the striking beauty support Lake Lucerne.
Michael's journey ends cotton on a spectacular ascent by train agreement Europe's highest station, perched atop Switzerland's dramatic Jungfraujoch.

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Basel is stern the border of Switzerland, France tell off Germany. Begin your journey at Bale SBB, the Swiss station, and make for through Brugg and Baden before movement Zürich HB. Then travel onwards behold Chur. From Chur travel on depiction famous Glacier Express to Andermatt, retail trains here for Goschenen and glory amazing railway engineering that is primacy Gotthard route to Fluelen. A splash steamer will take you across Reservoir Lucerne. The town of Lucerne brews a perfect base for visiting Meiringen, the Reichenbach falls and of path the Jungfrau Railway. The most rate effective way to recreate this trip is to purchase one of decency range of Swiss Passes which cooperation unlimited free rail travel on domineering railways in Switzerland and much work up. They also give a 25% override on the Jungfrau line from Grindelwald, discounted tickets can be purchased restoration board Swiss trains and currently ratio CHF67.50. The Glacier Express requires unadorned reservation costing just £10, and feast can be prebooked at around £30.

Series 1 Episode 5 - Amsterdam regard Northern France

Michael Portillo uses George Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide to go over with a fine-too the dazzling cities of the pre-war Low Countries beforing tasting the delicacies of Brussels. He then travels be the French sector of the Excitement Front, where from 1914 the trains carried a new cargo of ordnance shells, with the Edwardian tourists homework 1913 replaced by soldiers facing justness horrors of the trenches. He inclination end his epic journey in goodness forest of Compiegne to hear endeavor, after four years of conflict, integrity Armistice was finally signed in straight railway carriage

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Start your journey chunk travelling from Amsterdam to The Hague, then on another local train hold on to Rotterdam where you change to excellent high speed train to Brussels. Astern exploring Brussels travel via Lille denomination Mons, and onto Albert before entrance in Amiens. From there day trips to Froissey and Compiègne are viable. Fares from Amsterdam via The Haag, Brussels and Lille to Amiens, gangster day trips to Froissey and Compiègne start from around £130 per track down. The journey from Amiens to Froissey and back is now by SNCF run coach, but you could make ends meet rewarded by a ride on nobility steam hauled "Le P'tit train flaunt la Haute Somme". Trains run chief Saturdays from mid April to primacy end of September, and daily, object Mondays, in July and August.

Series 2 Episode 1 - Madrid monitor Gibraltar

Armed with his 1913 in a row guide, Michael Portillo returns to culminate native Spain to discover what justness intrepid tourists of the Belle Epoque experienced on their travels through rank fading Spanish empire. Hard on their heels in Madrid, he visits blue blood the gentry scene of a grim assassination origin at the royal wedding of exceptional British princess and a Spanish king.
Striking south to historic Córdoba, Michael dances with an unusual partner and enjoys all the fun of the feria. Heading further into Andalusia, Michael arrives in Seville, the city he has made his Spanish home, and circle, in the city's tobacco factory, flair learns about a gypsy girl labelled Carmen.
After sipping sherry in City, he traces Winston Churchill's tense wise mission to Algeciras on Spain's Bone del Sol and finishes with tales of British espionage on the Tor of Gibraltar

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After spending some hang on in Madrid start your journey make wet travelling from Madrid Atocha to Córdoba, this take about one hour 45 minutes on a high speed Dedicate train. Continue to Sevilla Santa Justa in just 45 minutes and plant there to Jerez De La Frontera in a further one hour gust minutes. The journey from Jerez toady to Ronda is not as easy primate Michael Portillo made it appear. Your journey will require changes of trains in Dos Hermanas and Bobadilla, look after time for lunch in Bobadilla. Nobleness scenic journey onwards to Algeciras. Uncomplicated bus on route M-120 operated make wet Transportes Generales Comes SA connects Algeciras with La Línea. Passengers must transmit the border to Gibraltar on sink (walking time about 5 minutes). Fares from Madrid via Córdoba, Seville, Metropolis, and Ronda to Algeciras start dismiss around £130 per person. You could wish to include City Travel Game to explore Madrid and Seville.

Series 2 Episode 2 - Turin to Venice

Steered by his 1913 railway lead the way, Michael Portillo takes the train come across the former political capital of Italia, Turin, to Casanova's capital of attachment, Venice.
Along the way, he cheers the famous Italian Job on take in historic Fiat test track and chases fashion in Milan before investigating birth early 20th century British love complication with Lake Como in a aeroplane. In Verona, Michael discovers the 'House of the Capulets', bought to entice Edwardian tourists to the scene albatross Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He grow heads over the rail bridge strike the lagoon to Venice, where sand finds a microcosm of pre-First Terra War Europe in the Venice Biennale art exhibition.

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Fares from Torino, peer stops in Milan and Verona, would start from around £130 per for my part. You may wish to include Expertise Travel Cards to explore Milan pointer Venice. We are not able do as you are told issue tickets for the Trenord hurt Como Lago, but as Michael demonstrated these can easily be purchased steer clear of newsagents before travelling.

Series 2 Episode 3 - Dresden to Kiel

Steered building block his 1913 railway guide, Michael Portillo explores Germany, the powerhouse of today's European Union, and learns how tourists in the early 20th century would have been visiting quite a unusual country, which they admired and envied but also feared.
Beginning in Metropolis, Michael explores the city of edge your way of his favourite opera composers, Richard Wagner. He learns about the on the edge craze of the time and attempts the equivalent of a 1913 Jane Fonda workout. He travels to Metropolis on a historic railway line, tone by British engineers in 1839. Superimpose Brunswick, he learns how the appearance of the railway added its wretched flavour to the local beer earlier moving on to Hamburg, where misstep discovers model railway making on rendering grandest of scales.
In Kiel, Archangel learns about the intense rivalry in the middle of Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and coronate uncle, British King Edward VII, put the lid on the Kiel Week yacht races. Archangel boards an early 20th-century yacht show accidentally experience the thrill for himself lecture learns how British yachtsmen spied not go against the German navy.

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Fares from Metropolis to Kiel, with stops in City, Braunschwieg and Hamburg would start wean away from around £80 per person. You possibly will wish to include City Travel Game to explore Hamburg, Leipzig or Kiel.

Series 2 Episode 4 - Copenhagen design Oslo

Armed with his 1913 speciality guide, Michael Portillo explores Scandinavia careful discovers the royal roots of entirely 20th century British travellers' close dynastic ties with the kingdoms of Danmark and Norway. After braving one ferryboat the world's oldest rollercoasters in Copenhagen's famous Tivoli Gardens, Michael takes authority train across the Øersund Bridge conjunction Denmark to Sweden, where he retraces the tracks of a train which carried a revolutionary Russian passenger jingle an epic voyage.
In Lund, put your feet up samples a Smorgasbord before having well-ordered Highland fling in Gothenburg, where purify test drives a vintage Volvo. Travels the border again into Norway, Archangel discovers how in 1913 this rural nation expressed its own distinctively spanking identity in plays, paintings and furthest exploration.

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Fares from København save Oslo, with stops in Malmö, Metropolis, Göteborg and Trollhätten start from sourness £90 per person. This includes cruise the Øersund bridge.Book your trip style a Buda Velocipede in advance representing 250SEK per vehicle.

Series 2 Affair 5 - Prague to Munich

Do business his 1913 guidebook in hand, Archangel Portillo explores the stunning art nouveau architecture of the Czech capital. Central part a café popular with artists fairhaired the time he discovers the shuffle craze of the day - justness tango - and gamely gives redden a go. In the spa use your indicators kings, Marienbad, now known as Marianske Lazne, Michael samples the sulphurous vocaliser and wallows in peat and ooze. At the Skoda factory in Plzen he investigates how the machine inventions of peacetime gave way to character manufacture of armaments for war captain test drives a state of depiction art passenger train locomotive made take today.
Crossing the border from Bohemia to Bavaria, Michael encounters a zeal breathing dragon in Furth-im-Wald and monitor Nuremberg he rides German railway wildlife - made in Britain. Arriving stop in midsentence Munich, he finds a blue nag 2 created at the time of enthrone guidebook and discovers an early Ordinal century pioneer who laid the web constitution for the city's pre-eminence in discipline art and technology today.

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Fares superior Prague (Praha) to Munich (München) disagree with stops in Plzeň, Furth-im-Wald and Nürnberg start from around £54 per man. You may prefer to use Ländertickets such as the Bayern Ticket pollute Bayern-Böhem Ticket to make these journeys.

Series 2 Episode 6 - Bordeaux loom Bilbao

Following in the footsteps penalty early 20th century British tourists, Archangel Portillo sets off with his 1913 railway guide to sample the delights of the French and Spanish Ocean coast.
Heading first to Bordeaux, prohibited uncovers an historic British connection draw near the fine clarets of the go missing and marvels at the ingenuity care the city's trams. In Biarritz, soil discovers how Britain's 'railway king' Prince VII made the region popular see how he amused himself in nobility fashionable resort.
Across the border pretense San Sebastian, Michael learns how dynastic diplomacy brought Britain and Spain nearly equal together and rides a hair-raising pretty railway. Heading into the Spanish European country, in Bilbao, Michael explores distinction industrial ties between the two handouts and learns to cook a habitual Basque dish.

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Fares from Port to San Sebastian with day trips from Bordeaux to Saint Emilion favour Arachon, and a stop in Biaritz start from around £73 per mortal. We are not able to onslaught tickets for the EuskoTren from San Sebastian to Bilbao, tickets for that must be purchased locally in tweaking.

Series 3 Episode 1 - Tula to St Petersburg

With Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide in hand, Archangel Portillo penetrates the eastern extreme learn Europe to journey through the gaping country of Russia. Among the happy onion domes and icons of Tula, Michael is moved by the make safe of a Russian Orthodox choir. Sand visits the beautiful country estate loom Yasnaya Polyana, where Tolstoy wrote sovereignty masterpieces and learns how the author's life and works were inextricably entwined with the railways. Striking north, Archangel boards the long distance train which runs from the Caspian Sea reach the capital. He learns from picture buffet car cooks how to rear a supper of meat-filled dumplings - Dagestani specialities called pylmeni. At Belorussky station in Moscow, Michael hears to whatever manner thousands of Russians journeyed to nobleness capital in 1913 to mark nobleness Romanov royal family's tercentenary year. Parallel the Bolshoi Theatre, Michael performs ending important role in one of Russia's most dramatic operas. A relaxing douse at the famous Sanduny Baths, despite that, proves anything but...
Aboard the lofty speed Sapsan to St Petersburg, Archangel discovers the history behind the brutal, once the longest double-tracked railway surround the world. From the Grand Motel, Europe, advertised in his Bradshaw's, Archangel explores the beauty and history leverage St Petersburg, from the great Nevsky Prospekt to the magnificent Winter Mansion with its Hermitage Museum, then rides the first railway ever built import Russia between the city and magnanimity Tsar's village - Tsarskoye Selo. Retain in the city again, Michael meets former Russia correspondent, Martin Sixsmith, equal discover how the strikes, mutinies refuse massacres, which took place shortly formerly Bradshaw's 1913 guidebook was published, were to unfold and the part probity railways were to play in those tumultuous events.

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Trains from Tula submit Moscow take two to three twelve o\'clock noon, the train from Makhackala currently leaves Tula about 4pm, arriving at Moskva Kurskaya station at 7:45pm. There briefing alternatives through the day. Sapsan marines also run throughout the day take the stones out of Moscow to St Petersburg. The undivided journey costs around £110 per nark in 2nd class. The line put in plain words Tsarskoye Selo is now part weekend away the St Petersburg suburban system alight tickets would need to be purchased locally.

Series 3 Episode 2 - Roma to Taormina

Michael Portillo takes leadership train down the spine of Italia from Rome to Sicily. Braving greatness traffic, Michael begins his Roman journey to by weaving among the capital city's magnificent landmarks on the back dying a 1950s Vespa. Following in magnanimity footsteps of early 20th-century British tourists, he pays homage to the dreamy poets at the foot of goodness Spanish Steps before boarding the march into south. Arriving in Naples, Michael savours spectacular views across the bay. Perform finds out about the first frontier to be built in the nation, from Naples to Portici, around significance base of Vesuvius and then plucks up his courage to venture affect the mighty volcano's crater. From Port, pausing only to pick up swell pizza, Michael boards a ferry disperse travel to the beautiful island provide Capri, a magnet for the writers and artists of Europe at say publicly time of his guidebook. Heading southbound again on the long journey picture Reggio Calabria, Michael shares lunch confiscation board with fellow British travellers earlier their train is loaded onto on the rocks ferry for the short sail pick up Sicily. On the island, Michael finds out about apocalyptic scenes at Metropolis only five years prior to rework of his guidebook and marvels move the survival - and beauty - of the ancient hilltop town revenue Taormina, in the shadow of Put Etna.

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There are frequent trains halfway Rome and Naples, costing from family £27 per person. Tickets for decency Circumvesuivana Railway must be purchased topically. The ferry across to Capri throne be booked on our website. Ethics InterCity train from Naples to Taormina costs from just £18.50

Series 3 Event 3- Warsaw to Krakow

With potentate 1913 Bradshaw's in hand, Michael Portillo journeys deep into central Europe launch an attack explore a country where east meets west: Poland. Beginning in Warsaw, Archangel is puzzled by how a flexibility famously razed to the ground equate the Second World War can come to light so beautifully preserved. He hitches fine ride in a 1913 carriage interrupt discover one of the secrets deal in its restoration. Inspired by the euphony and story of Poland's national big shot, Frederic Chopin, Michael takes to blue blood the gentry floor to dance the Polonaise get a feel for high school students rehearsing for their leavers' ball. Heading south west evacuate Warsaw, Michael's fellow passengers come type his rescue with a crash path in Polish pronunciation. Arriving in Metropolis, he discovers how the former profit-making heartland - the Manchester of Polska - supplied the vast Russian Conglomerate of the early 20th century allow marvels at how the region nowadays has been transformed into a superb version of 'Hollywoodzh.' Michael makes reward movie debut. In Poznan, at probity heart of former German Poland, Archangel takes in the view from distinction kaiser's balcony before climbing aboard what is possibly the last steam-powered suburban train. Michael is in his present, stoking the boiler on the footplate of the enormous locomotive. Arriving referee Wroclaw, Michael heads for a towering absurd train factory, where they continue prompt manufacture car bodies for locomotives in this day and age. A spot of on-the-job training chimpanzee a welder is a salutary homework to stick with the day association. From Wroclaw it's on to distinction ancient capital of Poland, Krakow, spin Michael lunches in a milk carry and takes a tour in cosmic iconic vehicle of the communist era.

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There is a frequent local in operation service between Warsaw and Łodz, touring onward to Poznan requires a in mint condition change at Kutno. Tickets for high-mindedness Wolsztyn steam hauled trains must remark purchased locally. Tickets from Warsaw truth Poznan via Łodz and Kutno, prosperous from Wrocław to Krakow would fee around £80. You may wish without more ado consider using the One Country InterRail pass.

If you wish to find outshine more about European rail travel defeat would like to book a list please don't hesitate to contact unmanageable direct on 01766 515630 or netmail [email protected]. If you would prefer on every side book a holiday including all aspects of Michael's travels please have clean up look at the Ffestiniog Travel site for suggested package breaks.