Dream trips by train across Europe? There’s a long way to go

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE: £1 FOR 3 MONTHS]( May 26, 2023 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( Across Europe, this is surely the new age of the train? The first journey of a start-up, European Sleeper, arrives in Brussels this morning, filled with passengers who have dreamt their way from Berlin, via Amsterdam, to the Belgian capital. No-fly alternative: a low-cost, high-speed TGV train in France   [Get inspired...]( Bilbao bites]( Plan the perfect pintxos crawl in this northern Spanish city; here's [our expert's guide]( on the best restaurants serving the Basque version of tapas [I'm an image]( [Spectacular rail trips]( If you're looking for your next adventure, stay on the right track with The Independent's [pick of train holidays](, including escorted tours and expert-led trips [I'm an image]( [Back to nature]( Fancy a stripped-back staycation without actually having to camp? Check out these [top UK lodge and chalet holidays](, from luxury retreats to budget family stays   Simon’s dispatches The maiden voyage of the trans-European dream-trip enterprise aims to show that travelling by train through the night is aesthetically as well as environmentally preferable to flying the 400 air miles from Berlin to Brussels. [European Sleeper is one of many positive transport moves]( For proponents of rail travel, this has been a good week. The new night express came hot on the steel heels of headlines announcing: “France bans short-haul flights to cut carbon emissions.” [Reports indicated]( President Macron’s government has outlawed domestic departures between cities where trains can cover the ground in under two-and-a-half hours. The aim: to eliminate the environmental damage caused by airline passengers who could equally easily make the journey by land. So it may come as a surprise to learn that France has definitely not banned short-haul flights to cut carbon emissions. A few “point-to-point” routes between Paris Orly and airports such as Bordeaux, Lyon and Nantes have ended. But anyone who wishes to fly to the metropolis from these fine cities can cheerfully book to or from Charles de Gaulle airport in the French capital instead. Air France is keeping these routes as feeders to its international services. The airline argues that a passenger in Bordeaux who wants to be in Boston or Beijing should be able to fly on their national airline via Paris. If they can’t, they will simply change planes in Frankfurt or Heathrow, Air France believes. Meanwhile it is enthusiastically selling tickets for the domestic legs. On each of the core French domestic routes that were supposed to be eliminated by the new rule – from Bordeaux, Lyon and Nantes to Paris CDG – passengers have a choice of an average of six daily flights each way. Even the 158-mile flight between Lyon and Marseille has survived the cull, despite trains taking 100 minutes or less departing every hour or so. The 55-minute flight paralleling the Rhone costs as little as £44 one way, roughly the same as many of the trains between these two great cities. France has hardly launched a rail revolution, but at least the flimsy new rules have got us talking about how trains can supersede planes on some journeys. The UK government, of course, is marching in entirely the opposite direction: [last month Air Passenger Duty was halved on domestic flights](. The tax cut introduced by Rishi Sunak triggered a surge of new flights. The biggest beneficiaries are travellers between Edinburgh and London who switch from train to plane – except those on British Airways yesterday and today. Ten flights between the Scottish and English capitals have so far been cancelled [as a result of yet another IT failure at BA](, with a further 156 Heathrow departures and arrivals grounded – affecting more than 25,000 passengers. A dozen flights between Edinburgh and London have been grounded in the past 24 hours. I wonder how many of them wish they had taken the train? [How no-frills train firm Lumo lures passengers from planes](     Tip of the week: New transatlantic stopover option: the Faroes The weirdest transatlantic stopover yet becomes a reality this summer. From 22 August until 3 October, Atlantic Airways will fly weekly from its base in the Faroe Islands to New York Stewart International Airport. Travellers from Edinburgh – the only UK point with an air link to the Faroes – will be able to spend time in the North Atlantic archipelago before flying on to New York. Fares for the full journey start at around £500 one-way. [Make the most of the Faroese capital, Torshavn]( Deal of the week: Leave the country for less – by ferry During the coming half-term for many schools, prices to leave the UK have soared to unprecedented levels. But if you are flexible with timings, DFDS Ferries is selling tickets for a car and four passengers on its Newhaven-Dieppe route for £264 return (£66 per person), travelling out on Monday 29 May and back on Sunday 4 June. [Dieppe: the first gateway to welcome back British tourists in January 2022]( £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   Question of the week: What if I travel without a Ghic? Q I have applied for a Ghic health card. What happens if it doesn’t turn up before I go to Italy? A British travellers to the European Union – as well as Switzerland and Norway – are entitled to urgent medical treatment on the same basis as people who live in those countries. The British government defines the right as “healthcare that cannot reasonably wait until you come back to the UK”. Typically this means care for free or at a much-reduced rate, sometimes with nominal extra charges for hospital meals and the like. So it is an extremely valuable benefit. To qualify, you should ideally produce a valid European Health Insurance Card (Ehic) or UK Global Health Insurance Card (Ghic). The Ehic was issued while the UK was in the European Union, and any existing card is valid until its expiry date. You may possibly have an Ehic that is in date for your trip, in which case there is no problem. But if that is not the case, and you wait in vain for a Ghic to arrive before you depart, do not fret. [A celebration of Brexit benefits for travellers]( The Ehic or Ghic is the most convenient way to demonstrate your entitlement to treatment – but there is an equally valid alternative, should you fall ill. You, or someone on your behalf, should call NHS Overseas Healthcare Services on +44 191 218 1999 and ask for a “Provisional Replacement Certificate" (PRC) to be emailed to the hospital. This assures compensation by the UK government for the cost of your treatment. In practice, hospitals in the EU will treat first and ask questions later, so do not hesitate to seek care if you need it. STAT OF THE WEEK 3,000 [Number of flights predicted to depart from UK airports today](, according to the aviation analysts at Cirium – making it the busiest day for aviation since 2019. The British Airways IT collapse will reduce the final figure. What you might have missed... - Spain pain: [Many Spanish aviation workers are threatening to strike]( - East meets west: [Istanbul is an airport with a 100-year plan]( - Flying high: [Ryanair averaged £40 per second in profit in the year to March 2023]( SIMON'S DIARY Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel]( Or you can find me on TikTok. 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