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Above:  Arriving in Greece by train+ferry from London, under blue skies and even bluer sea...

If you don't like flying or want to avoid flying for the sake of the environment, most big holiday companies can offer you nothing much more than a short break on Eurostar to Paris.  Which is crazy, because it's so easy to spend a week in Spain, Italy or Malta, or a fortnight in Morocco or Greece, without setting foot on a plane.  I know it's possible, because I've done all of those myself!  The journey becomes part of the holiday, an experience in its own right.  On this page you'll find ideas for holidaying abroad from the UK without flying.

Here are some suggestions:

• Arrange your own holiday to Spain, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Malta, eastern Europe or Scandinavia...  There is no reason why you shouldn't book a resort or hotel, then arrange train travel separately.  Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Malta, Morocco, Eastern Europe or Scandinavia can all be reached easily and affordably by train and ferry.  There are some ideas and help on this page.

• Escorted tours to Morocco, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, eastern Europe.  Great Rail Journeys (www.greatrailuk.com) and sister company Treyn Holidays offer organised all-inclusive tours to all of these places with travel from London by train, an excellent choice if you prefer everything arranged for you and enjoy travelling with others.

• Short breaks to Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam by Eurostar.  Great for a short break.

• Minicruises by sea to Spain or Scandinavia.  Good for a short break or longer...

Sponsored links:

The simplest non-flying holiday to Europe is a short break to the ever-popular French capital.  A number of companies offer short breaks or longer holidays to Paris or Brussels by Eurostar, including:

• www.eurostar.com

• www.lastminute.com

Amsterdam:  How about a short break to both Brussels & Amsterdam?  Take a Friday night Eurostar to Brussels, and stay the night there.  On Saturday, explore the Grand Place before hopping on the hourly train to Amsterdam (3 hours).  Spend Saturday night there, return around 16:30 on Sunday afternoon Amsterdam-Brussels-London.  Book London-Brussels at www.eurostar.com, buy your Brussels-Amsterdam ticket at Brussels station, no reservation necessary.

Several ferry companies offer mini-cruises, around trip from the UK on a comfortable cruise-ferry.  Some operators also offer longer holidays:

• DFDS Seaways Sail from Newcastle to Amsterdam, Harwich to Denmark and (until September 2008) Newcastle to Norway.

• P&O ferries sail from Portsmouth to Bilbao in Spain.

• Brittany Ferries sail from Plymouth to Santander in Spain.

• You can book all these ferries at the Seat61 Ferry Shop

If you'd like a holiday in Europe by train, but want to travel with a group of fellow travellers, a tour manager and all the legwork done for you, two companies (part of the same group, in fact) run escorted tours from the UK to Italy, Switzerland, Spain, France, eastern Europe and even Morocco by train, with regular departures from London by Eurostar, no airport hassles and no whole days spent in cramped coach seats on motorways.  Seat61 gets some commission to support the site if you book your holiday through these links or phone numbers.

	0845 402 2069
	0845 402 2068

Treyn Holidays, www.treynholidays.co.uk, 0845 402 2069...

Treyn Holidays run regular tours to a number of European countries, with 3* hotels and overland travel from the UK by Eurostar and high-speed TGV.  For example:

• 9-day tour from London to Bologna, Florence, Venice & Rome, by train from London from £795 per person

• 8-day tour combining Mont Blanc with the fantastic Glacier Express across Switzerland, by train from London from £695

• 10-day tour to Vienna, Prague & Berlin, by train from London from £795.

• 6-day Rhine cruise from £615, by train from London.

• See www.treynholidays.co.uk for more options...

Great Rail Journeys, www.greatrail.co.uk, 0845 402 2068...

Great Rail Journeys runs five-star inclusive tours from the UK to many European countries, with 1st class train travel and 5-star hotels. Check the tour details online, then call 0845 402 2068 to book or use their online booking form.  Tours include:

• 14-day Grand Tour of Italy with travel by train from London to Florence, Venice & Rome, from £2,195;

• Bay of Naples, Capri & Amalfi with travel by train from London, from £1,795;

• Switzerland & the amazing Glacier Express with travel by train from London, from £1,280;

• Vienna, Budapest & Prague by train from London, from ££1,750;

• Marrakech Express, a remarkable 5* tour from London to Madrid, Seville, Tangier & Morocco overland by train from £2,395;

• Train + cruise from London to Rome, Naples, Athens, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Alexandra, Cairo, by train & Princess Cruises from London, from £2,350;

• See www.greatrail.co.uk for more options...

Go independent!  Nothing stops you deciding where you want to go, booking a hotel and a train ticket or two, and heading off independently.  It can seem daunting if you've always booked a package holiday, but it's really easy to book train travel from London to anywhere in Europe and choose your accommodation separately.  None of the big package tour companies offer an overland option instead of a flight for their packages to Morocco, Greece, Malta and so on, so booking independently is the way to go.  Here are some ideas:

Holidays to Italy by train:

• Choose whether to stay in one place (for example, the coastal villages of Cinque Terre, the wonderful Naples/Pompeii/Sorrento/Capri area, or Sicily) or to travel around seeing the great cities such as Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona, Naples.

• Find a hotel or guesthouse at www.venere.com, a company specialising in accommodation in Italy with a very wide choice of guesthouses and hotels in all price ranges.  Also try www.laterooms.com.

• It's easy to travel from London to anywhere in Italy by train.  Plan and book your train travel to Italy following the steps shown on the London to Italy page.

• If you need transport between cities once in Italy, just use www.trenitalia.it (Italian Railways official site) to check train times and fares.  You can book online, or simply buy your ticket at the station when you get to Italy.  It's not difficult..!

• Feel free to stop off in Paris on the way if you like..!  It makes no difference to the cost.

Holidays to Spain by train:

• Choose your holiday location:  For beaches, there's the Costa del Sol around Malaga or the Costa Brava near Barcelona, or even Ibiza or Majorca.  For culture, try Madrid, Cordoba, Seville or Granada.  You can reach Ibiza or Majorca by ferry from Barcelona.  You can even reach Tenerife and the Canary Islands by sea, though this is a voyage taking three nights from Cadiz.

• Find accommodation.  Browse the Spain page on www.venere.com or www.laterooms.com.

• It's easy to travel from London to anywhere in Spain by train.  Plan and book your train travel to Spain following the steps shown on the London to Spain page.

• If you need train travel between cities within Spain, just use www.renfe.es (Spanish Railways official site) to check train times and fares, and book online.

• Feel free to stop off in Paris on the way if you like..!  It makes no difference to the cost.

Holidays to Marrakech & Morocco by train...

Morocco is fantastic, and getting there by train is easy.  You can step ashore in Morocco just 48 hours after leaving London's St Pancras station.  The journey is an experience in itself, and you can stop off on the way to see something of Spain, too.  Far more to write home about than a cramped charter flight!

• The London to Morocco page explains how to plan and book train travel from London to Tangier and Marrakech.  It takes 48 hours, including a free day in Madrid on the way, with comfortable sleepers available for both nights.  Why not travel down over the weekend?

• If you want to stop off longer in Madrid, try www.venere.com or www.laterooms.com to book accommodation.

• Once in Tangier, the Continental Hotel is the recommended (historic, comfortable and remarkably affordable) option in Tangier, contact details are shown on the London to Morocco page.

• Train tickets from Tangier to Casablanca and Marrakech can easily be bought when you get to Tangier.

• After spending a few days in Marrakech, why not hire a car for a few days (www.holidayautos.com) and drive over the spectacular Tizi n Tichka Pass in the High Atlas mountains to the amazing mud-built village of Ait ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, Todra Gorge and the Gorge du Dades?

Holidays to Greece by train + ferry...

Greece is a wonderful, relaxing destination, especially with no airports and planes to stress you out on the way.  You can travel by train and ferry, stepping ashore in Corfu or mainland Greece just 48 hours after leaving London.  The journey is an experience, and you can stop off on the way to see something of Italy if you like.

• The London to Greece page explains how to plan and book train+ferry travel from London to Corfu, Athens, Crete or Rhodes.  The fastest and cheapest way is by train to Bari or Venice in Italy then ferry to Greece, a wonderful journey.

• Try www.laterooms.com for accommodation in Greece.

• Use www.ferries.gr to find and book ferries to and from the Greek Islands.

Tour Eastern Europe by train...

See the London to Prague page, London to Austria page, London to Hungary or London to Poland page for train travel from the UK to Krakow, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest or Prague.  Then simply use http://bahn.hafas.de to find train times between these cities.  Railpasses are available (see the railpass page) but you will probably find normal tickets, buying as you go, the cheapest and simplest option.

Holidays by ferry to the Norwegian Fjords...

• Take a ferry across the North Sea to Norway, see the London to Norway page (runs until September 2008).  For an unforgettable voyage along the Norwegian coastline, book a trip on the coastal steamers of Hurtigruten Line.

Skiing holidays to Switzerland, Austria or the French Alps...

See the London to Switzerland page, London to Austria page, or the London to the French Alps section of the France page for train travel from London to each of those countries.  Many holiday companies offer skiing holidays that incorporate Eurostar travel to and from London, or can offer holidays without flights, allowing you to arrange your own travel to the skiing resort by train.

Compare quotes from both Direct Line & Columbus...

Travel insurance..

Travel insurance is a boring subject, but it's a real necessity, so make sure you budget for it.  Make sure you get adequate cover - for example, at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover, from a reliable insurer.  Remember that an annual multi-trip policy is often cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just two or three trips a year.  Here are some suggested insurers to try.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy after clicking these links.

  If you live in the UK, get quotes from Direct Line (whom I've used myself) and Columbus Direct.

      If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct Australia.

  If you live in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

EU health card...

UK citizens travelling in Europe should carry a European Health Insurance Card.  This replaces the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available free from www.ehic.org.uk and entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the UK's NHS.

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