BY TRAINHOTEL TO SPAIN

Every night, two special sleeper trains link Paris with Spain. The Francisco de Goya heads for Madrid; the Joan Miro for Barcelona. Each has cosy bedrooms (some with toilet and shower), an elegant restaurant and a vibrant cafe-bar.

After a top-drawer dinner, complete with coffee and liqueurs, you’ll retire to bed, waking to fresh croissants and great scenery. On the Francisco de Goya, the views are framed by distant snowcapped mountains, and you’ll pass right beside the Spanish royal palace at El Escorial before arriving in Madrid. On the Joan Miro, you’ll catch a glimpse of the Med if you’re up early enough – or why not alight at Figueres, for the sensational Salvador Dali museum?

From Madrid, Seville is 2hr 20min away and Malaga less than 3hr, on a high-speed line that tunnels its way through eye-catching mountain scenery. From Barcelona, air-conditioned trains run on to Valencia and Alicante, or you can hop on a ferry to Mallorca and Ibiza.

To Rome by rail

Stephen McClarence starts his trip to Rome's St Pancras church in the eponymous London station

• The complete rail guide to Europe

Your Top 10 rail travel questions

Ginny McGrath raids the archive and finds a carriage load of your questions about train travel worldwide

• 10 classic railway journeys

Continental holidays by rail

Clean, comfy and convenient – trains are a great way to travel, says Stephen Bleach

• 100 summer holidays for '08

A slow train tour of eastern Europe

Discover the magic of Vienna, Prague and Budapest travelling at a relaxed, genteel pace

Related Internet Links

• More ideas from our rail travel section

Related Links

• Your Top 10 rail travel questions

London to Barcelona or Madrid starts at £167 return, including sleeper

TO MARRAKESH IN A WEEKEND

You can travel to Africa in a leisurely long weekend, taking in a splendid European capital on route, and all without going anywhere near an airport.

First, take Eurostar to Paris, then the trainhotel to Madrid (see previous page), and spend the day exploring the Spanish capital. In the late afternoon, catch the Altaria train, which traverses wild Andalusian scenery on its way to Algeciras, across the bay from Gibraltar.

Spend the night here before boarding the ferry for Tangier. Crossing the straits takes 2hr 30min; you then hail a taxi to Tangier Ville station and head south on the real-life Marrakesh Express – Morocco’s air-conditioned trains are comfortable, and cheap, too. At the end of the line is a stunning destination – and there’s no more stately way to arrive.

London to Marrakesh starts at £269 return, including sleeper and ferry tickets

HIGH SPEED TO THE ALPS

Here’s another quick flit to the beautiful heart of Europe, with the Eurostar to Paris as your launch pad. Make a quick change from Gare du Nord to Gare de l’Est via the Métro, then you’re heading for Geneva aboard a high-speed Lyria TGV, one of my all-time favourite rail rides, racing across France at 168mph, then slowing right down for a meander through the beautiful Alpine foothills.

Times recommends

• Dubai cheaper than Doncaster as room rates tumble
• World Cup 2010 - how to follow England
• Copenhagen: Europe's greenest city