Europe by train
After decades of flying around the world, travel writer Manchán Magan has decided enough is enough. He feels guilty knowing that the air miles he’s clocked up over the years have contributed to air pollution, so he has decided it’s time to make greener travel choices that are kinder to the planet.
In Manchán's Europe By Train, a four-part inspirational travel series for RTÉ produced by Tyrone Productions and supported by Coimisiún na Meán, Manchán kicks planes to the curb, grounds himself from air journeys, and embraces the joys of slow travel as he embarks on an epic, environmentally friendly land and sea journey across Europe.
But being greener doesn’t mean Manchán has to give up his sense of adventure. Far from it, in fact. In this series, Manchán shows that eschewing carbon-wasteful practices doesn’t mean calling a halt to fun and discovery, as he travels around Europe with his feet firmly on the ground.
In Manchán's Europe By Train, Manchán embraces the ethos of slow travel, taking the time to get to know people and places, and experiencing local customs and traditions. He hopes that travelling mostly by train will be more relaxing and less stressful than negotiating his way through busy airports, allowing him to relax, enjoy the passing scenery, plan ahead, keep a journal of his adventures - and catch up on some sleep.
During his month-long trip, Manchán leaves and returns to Ireland by ferry and in between, uses the vast rail network system to travel clockwise around the continent of Europe, visiting a range of destinations including Wales, London, Brussels, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Zagreb, Lake Bled, Genoa, Monaco, Toulouse and San Sebastien. The beauty of arriving somewhere by train is that the station is usually in the heart of the town or city, making onward travel easy. And instead of spending his time in the usual tourist traps, Manchán heads off the beaten track to enjoy more undiscovered offerings, as well as many varied locations along the way.