There’s plenty to say about riding the train being a better way to travel than flying, especially in Europe: It’s more convenient, it’s more comfortable, there’s no luggage restriction, there’s no security line, it’s better for the planet, etc. One aspect of train travel that worries travelers, however, is how long it takes to get from one place to another. While some train routes, like the Eurostar between London and Amsterdam, or the high-speed train that runs between Paris to Zurich, are just as fast as flying, riding the rails can sometimes be slow.
Map: Chronotrains
This Map Shows How Far You Can Travel Europe by Train in 8 Hours or Less
Pressed-for-time travelers who like to plan their train trips well ahead, as well as those who fancy spontaneous day trips to unknown destinations, can make good use of Chronotrains’ fantastic interactive map which shows how far you can travel in eight hours or less by train anywhere in Europe. By just hovering your mouse above a point on the website’s isochrone map, you can see the areas you can visit by train within a certain time period, with one hour being the minimum and eight hours being the maximum.
How far you can travel from Paris by train in eight hours. Map: Chronotrains
How far you can travel from Paris by train in five hours. Map: Chronotrains
How far you can travel from Paris by train in two hours. Map: Chronotrains
Once you’ve chosen your point of departure, you can zoom in on the area and see all the destinations at your disposal within the time frame you selected, with the route highlighted in blue, the exact time it takes to get there displayed, etc.
The maps below show all the train travel options from Paris within an eight-hour time period, including lesser-known and underrated French cities like Brest and Reims, as well as international destinations like Barcelona, Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Luxembourg, etc.
All the cities you can travel to by train from Paris, including Barcelona. Map: Chronotrains
All the cities you can travel to by train from Paris, including Amsterdam. Map: Chronotrains
All the cities you can travel to by train from Paris, including Berlin. Map: Chronotrains
Paris to Brest by train. Map: Chronotrains
Paris to Reims by train. Map: Chronotrains
Once you’ve chosen your destination, Chronotrains will give you an idea of the price that your trip will cost and provide the links to the websites you need to make a booking.
While chronotrains does not display every rail route and every single train station in every European country, it’s still a valuable tool to plan a trip, especially if you’re a Eurail Pass holder who has access to unlimited train travel. 