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Great Continental Railway JourneysSeries 8Episodes

Back up to: Great Continental Railway Journeys

  1. Lisieux to Giverny

    20/20Michael discovers how Calvados has been distilled since 1865 at the Pierre Huet estate.

  2. Bayeux to Argentan

    19/20Michael Portillo admires the 70-metre-long Bayeux Tapestry.

  3. Rennes to Mont Saint-Michel

    18/20Michael Portillo’s railway adventure reaches Rennes, capital of Brittany.

  4. Brest to St Brieuc

    17/20Michael's journey reaches the naval port of Brest, home to France’s oceanographic fleet.

  5. Nantes to Lorient

    16/20Michael Portillo’s rail travels take him to the north west corner of France.

  6. Zweisimmen to Lausanne

    15/20Michael wends his way in style down mountainsides from Interlaken to the Swiss Riviera.

  7. Rotkreuz to Brienz

    14/20Michael Portillo scales the Swiss Alps on one of the steepest cog railways in the world.

  8. Zurich

    13/20In Zurich, Michael has a brush with the absurd in the anarchic paintings of the Dadaists.

  9. Sedrun to Schwyz

    12/20Michael Portillo ventures into the bowels of an immense hydroelectric dam.

  10. Maienfeld to the Rhine Gorge

    11/20Michael Portillo visits the tiny village home of Switzerland’s most famous child, Heidi.

  11. Roskilde to Copenhagen

    10/20Michael Portillo concludes his epic rail journey, crossing an 18-kilometre bridge.

  12. Aarhus to Odense

    9/20Michael Portillo’s Scandinavian rail adventure reaches Denmark’s second city, Aarhus.

  13. Larvik to Holstebro

    8/20Michael is in Larvik in southern Norway, famed for the blue rock larvikite.

  14. Myrdal to Heddal

    7/20Michael Portillo’s rail journey continues towards the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

  15. Bergen to Flåm

    6/20Michael Portillo embarks on a Scandinavian railway adventure from Bergen to Copenhagen.

  16. Mostar to Dubrovnik

    5/20Michael Portillo enjoys a journey on the historic line from Sarajevo to Mostar.

  17. Sarajevo

    4/20Michael traces the fateful last journey of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie.

  18. Knin to Split

    3/20Michael’s railway adventure reaches Zadar, a centre for the production of cherry liqueur.

  19. Buzet to Pag

    2/20Ably assisted by Lila, an expert labrador, Michael Portillo hunts for truffles.

  20. Pula to Pazin

    1/20Michael mounts a valiant defence against latter-day gladiators in Pula's amphitheatre.