And it’s also comfortable and romantic, isn’t it? And if we add to all this the greater competition that we currently have in Spain, the result is an alternative to take into account, especially when summer arrives and many people are looking for a destination.
The best train getaways for this summer
According to Trainline data, there is a surge in traffic this summer. significant increase in demand of foreigners on train trips (up to 36% of users), certainly encouraged by the competition of companies in more and more peninsular destinations, such as those we recommend below.
Vall de Núria (Girona)
A few hundred kilometres from the Costa Brava, we take the rack railway up to the Vall de Núria mountain station to enjoy one of Girona’s best-kept secrets. Because the Girona coastline can be spectacular, but it is also usually spectacularly crowded in summer.
The same does not happen with the Queralbs environment in The Ripollès where we find a delightful natural setting in the heart of the Catalan Pyrenees, with peaks that reach almost 3,000 metres: travel just over 12 kilometres on the train that overcomes a gradient of 1,000 metres and enjoy the most overwhelming nature of the Vall de Núria.
Soller Train (Mallorca)
Another unique train awaits us in Mallorca: climb the two shelves of this century-old train, one of the few private lines that remains in operation since the beginning of the 20th centuryand enters the interior of a carriage with a lacquered wooden floor, walls and ceiling, sash windows, gold appliqués and leather and metal seats: no, this is not the Parla Cercanías.
So, if you fancy getting on a vintage train that is still in service, head to Palma de Mallorca station and reserve a seat on the Sóller train, which runs, along with the tram that takes you to the port of the Mallorcan town, for just over 30 kilometres in the northwest of the island.
Gijon
Compared to the same dates in 2023, Gijón is one of the cities that has seen the greatest increase in passenger numbers this summer, up to 47% according to Trainline data, only behind Benicàssim, Benicarló-Peñíscola and San Sebastián if we are talking about coastal destinations.
The fact that high speed has arrived in Asturias, together with the growing demand in the north of the peninsula, means that the capital of the Costa Verde has become a fashionable destination, which you can also reach by train, using the AVE if you are looking for a lower price… or the Transcantabrian if you fancy travelling on the first modern tourist train in Spain that has been connecting Donostia with Santiago de Compostela since 1983.
Canfranc (Huesca)
If we talk about romantic destinations by trainfew in Spain can beat this town in Huesca thanks to one of the most spectacular stations on the peninsula that has undergone several renovations in recent years, while we wait for the railway line that crosses the border and connects with France to reopen: for the moment, we are content to reach Canfranc by train and admire this environment once again.
Lion
We continue inland to visit one of those cities that offer an ideal getaway by train thanks to its good connection with both high-speed and tourist trains. In this case, you have the option of taking the well-known La Robla Expressa railway line that connects Bilbao with León passing through Espinosa de los Monteros, Frías, La Olmeda or Cistierna.
This service was created in 2009, first as a school train to teach courses on port intermodality and then as a tourist train once the courses were completed. Currently, the La Robla Express has four sleeper cars with seven compartments per car.
From Benidorm to La Marina Alta (Alicante)
If you are looking for a train trip that is a little less romantic but that, in exchange, brings you closer to several of the emblems of the Costa Blanca, you can try the TRAM line 9the Alicante Metropolitan Train that connects Benidorm with Dénia via Altea or Calpe, covering a large part of the Marina Alta in Alicante. However, despite the latest work to modernise this line, a transfer is still due in Calpe until the beginning of September.
Marseille (France)
We will still have to wait for the high-speed train to directly connect the Iberian Peninsula with Paris, but in the meantime, we can “settle” for visiting several destinations in our neighbouring country, for example, Marseille, the second most populated city in France, capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.
And from Marseille you can continue your journey by train along the Blue Coast Visiting dazzling places like Toulon, Saint-Tropez, Cannes, Nice, Eze… and even Monaco. It’s not a bad plan for this summer, although it’s likely that when you get to the Monte Carlo casino you won’t have any funds left for the summer. black Jack and you have to settle for looking for James Bond among the attendees.
