MY WIFE AND I AND A COUPLE OF FRIENDS ARE VISITING MAINLAND EUROPE IN JUNE FOR AROUND SIX NIGHTS. WE'D LIKE TO STAY TWO OR THREE NIGHTS IN TWO DIFFERENT CITIES WITH A TRAIN TRIP IN BETWEEN. WHICH WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?
D. GETHINGS, ST PETERS
My perfect pairing would be Paris and Amsterdam. These are two varied and hugely enjoyable cities, whether your interests are art, food, architecture, history, street life or just stumbling around in a daze, which is what I usually do. They're sufficiently different to keep you entertained and stimulated yet they're close. The fastest trains take just over three hours to travel from one to the other, and they're frequent. For example you could take an evening train, to make the best possible use of your time.
Another prime option would be Rome and Venice, less than four hours apart aboard the fastest trains.
You can find information about high-speed train services in northern Europe and make bookings on the Thalys website (thalys.com), or here in Australia at Rail Europe (raileurope.com.au).
