Solo Train Trip Through the Heart of Europe

Forget clouds and airports—see Europe at window height. From Bari’s coast to Budapest’s bridges, this solo train adventure reveals how slow travel connects you to the land, its people, and yourself.

I booked my seven-day solo train trip through U.K.-based *Byway Travel, a travel B-Corp that specializes in package and custom train journeys in Europe. Its first-of-its-kind routing technology uses two million miles of local expertise to build a trip by land and sea optimized for the traveler.

Byway Travel

To start, I filled out a quick questionnaire about my travel plans. My Byway concierge, James, built out my trip using this information. He emailed me a personalized travel plan that included the day and time for my individual train trips as well as suggested hotel recommendations.

After reviewing the 11-day itinerary, I scaled it back to seven days and paid my deposit for the US$2,128 trip. I used all of James’ favorite hotels. But I could have played around with the hotel carousel at each location to see other options available. The trip price would update automatically. (I later updated to first class tickets, which cost an extra £175.)

A month before my trip, Byway sent me the link to the digital Journey Guide, which I could access on my iPhone. It included all the information, including digital train tickets, hotel reservations, Google Maps directions, and information about the cities. I also received an email with all my train tickets so that I could print them.

Why Travel by Train?

There’s poetry in a train window. As the landscape glides by—vineyards, mountains, castles, old farmhouses—you realize this is how travel was meant to be savored: slowly. On this seven-day solo journey from Italy to Hungary, I let the rails write the story, one stop at a time.

Day 1: Adventure Begins in Bari, Italy

My adventure began in Bari, in the southern “heel” of Italy. Byway booked my one-night stay at 200 Rooms & Terrace. The hotel is in a historic building. I contacted the hotel in advance to ask if I could leave my suitcase and backpack at 10 a.m.

But the reception clerk surprised me with the news that my room was ready earlier than expected. She also offered me a beverage. I sat down in the small dining room to sip my café latte and savor my homemade chocolate brioche bun (pangoccioli). Dolce vita!

BTW, Byway does not arrange for tours. The traveler is on her own to sightsee or book tours through third-party operators, such as GetYourGuide or Viator.

I booked an afternoon walking tour of Old Bari and a pasta-making class. My cooking teachers were a mother and a grandmother (nonna). They didn’t speak English, but I still learned how to mix the flour and water, knead the pasta dough, and then cut and pinch it into orecchiette (“little ears”). Check out my cooking class reel on my Instagram page. In the evening, I headed to a trattoria near my accommodation for pizza Neapolitana.

Tip: Byway’s Journey Guide recommended visiting the Basilica di San Nicola and having a “panino col polpo” for lunch. (I wasn’t brave about sampling an octopus sandwich, but I did like the Puglian cheese and rapini vegetable served in my pasta dish.)

Day 2: Bari to Padua – Through the Heart of Italy

My solo train trip began with an early wakeup call. I pulled up my Journey Guide to follow the Google Map directions to the Bari Central train station. Worried about locating my platform, I arrived 45 minutes before departure. Byway booked my 8-hour trip on Frecciarossa, Italy’s high-speed train line.

Leaving Bari’s sunlit shores behind, I boarded the morning train north. For eight hours, olive groves turned to vineyards, and the sea surrendered to mountains.

“Nowhere can I think as happily as in a train.” (A. A. Milne)

The journey was long, but I felt my brain shift gears from analysis to meditation. I stared longingly at the sea.

My first-class ticket included a beverage and a snack (sandwich or pastry). But I wished that I had followed the savvy Italian passengers. A focaccia sandwich, cheese, and fruit can turn any train seat into a picnic.

I also made a furry friend! A woman traveling with her German shepherd dog sat one row behind me in First Class. I stole glances at the dog during the journey. The dog made me very homesick for my Golden Retriever (Parker).

First Stop: Padua

I was definitely ready to get up and move when my train finally arrived at Padua at 5 p.m. As I walked through the old town, it felt like entering a medieval world. (Check out my Padua reel on my Instagram page.) It is famous for its Scrovegni Chapel frescoes by Giotto and the Basilica of Saint Anthony. I walked along the river, pulling my suitcase along the cobblestone streets. Pedestrians rushed past me on their way home from work.

“Padua stands in the midst of the country, smiling,” wrote author Henry James, and he was right. The Basilica of Saint Anthony glowed in candlelight, and locals gathered at cafés in Prato della Valle, sipping Aperol Spritz and talking softly in the evening light.

This is where I began to fall in love with slow travel.

Byway booked me at Palazzo Mantua Benavides, where architect Bartolomeo Ammannati worked, building the tallest statue in Europe. This historic 16th-century palace now operates as a hotel. After dropping off my suitcase, I wandered down to the private garden to wander among the statues and bushes.

Then I walked through the old town and found a trattoria where I could eat outside.

Day 3: Padua to Trieste – Where Italy Meets the Adriatic

Trieste was the last city I visited in Italy and my introduction to central Europe. “My soul is in Trieste,” wrote James Joyce, who lived and wrote here. Its Habsburg-era architecture curves around the harbor, and its coffeehouses hum with the ghosts of old writers and sea captains.

I am fascinated by Art Nouveau architecture, so I searched ChatGPT for famous buildings. (This architectural style is known as Liberty in Trieste.) I found the style was typically used for residential buildings. So I walked down quieter streets to find the facades festooned with floral and vegetal motifs, wrought-iron balconies, and decorative friezes. I visited Casa Bartoli on Piazza della Borsa and Casa Tierni/Smolars (see below).

An evening self-guided walking tour led me up to the grand square (Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia), waterfront promenade, the old city (Città Vecchia), and the Roman Theater (Teatro Romano di Trieste). I took a selfie with James Joyce’s statue. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to visit Miramare Castle, gleaming above the turquoise bay.

Dinner was hearty: gnocchi with goulash—a fitting dish for a city that has one foot in Italy and another in the Balkans. I sat at my restaurant table on the Canal Grande di Trieste and watched the sun set.

Day 4: Trieste to Lake Bled – Slovenia’s Alpine Gem

My short train trip from Trieste ended at Gorizia Centrale. I then had to take a short bus ride across the border to Slovenia. I had a 2-hour train trip from Nova Gorica to the Bled Jezero train station. There were several complications, including boarding the wrong bus and missing the train connection. But the same thing can happen with missed plane connections. I bought a beer at the train station and read my book until the next train departed four hours later.

As the train rattled eastward, I watched the countryside unfold—vineyards, stone villages, and alpine peaks that seemed to stretch closer with every mile.

My two-hour journey followed the Soča Valley and the Sava River basin. Leaving Nova Gorica, the line roughly parallels the Soča River for stretches, a river famous for its striking emerald-green color. In certain sections, especially near Kanal ob Soči, the train runs close enough to catch glimpses of the water rushing below.

Closer to Bled, the train followed the Sava Bohinjka River, a tributary of the Sava. This river meanders through alpine valleys. I saw meadows and forested hills. (Click this link to read my recent blog post on visiting Lake Bled.)

I walked around Lake Bled in the evening and watched rowboats drift toward the tiny island church. The Alps framed every view.

The next morning, I rose at 6 a.m. and climbed one of the trails leading up to Mala Osojnica, one of Bled’s scenic overlooks.

Solo travel has taught me that the best moments often come when I’m willing to rise early, lace up my shoes, and hike in nature. After a leisurely breakfast at Hotel Park, I caught an Uber to the train station.

Day 5–6: Ljubljana – The Green Heart of Europe

A short hop by train brought me to Ljubljana—a capital that feels more like a secret garden. Architect Jože Plečnik’s touch is everywhere: curved bridges, marble colonnades, and cozy riverside cafés.

I spent my first evening searching for the famous Art Nouveau buildings (known as Secessionist and Vienna-Secessionist). Miklosiceva Street is famous for these historic buildings. I saw the Cooperative Business Bank Building. A husband/wife team designed it in the “Slovene national style.”

The Grand Hotel Union (which opened in 1905) features floral motifs, garlands, and feminine masks on the façade. Architect Josip Vancaš designed the building; it remains a landmark of the Secession style in the city. 

The Galeria Emporium (housed in the historic Urbanc House) features a semicircular glass-and-wrought-iron floral canopy. It served as Ljubljana’s first large department store. 

On day 6, I joined a morning walking tour of the Old Town. The Tourist Information Centre (TIC Ljubljana) guide told us stories about the Triple Bridge, Preseren Square, Dragon Bridge, Central Market, Butchers’ Bridge, Cobblers’ Bridge, the Town Hall, and Ljubljana Castle.

In the afternoon, I took a bike tour to visit Ljubljana’s top landmarks. We pedaled down the river, past the marina, and through the botanical garden. He also led us down hidden backstreets. We explored Tivoli Park and a neighborhood art district.

By the time we returned, the sun was setting. I used my tour ticket to ride the funicular up to Ljubljana Castle and watch the sky turn lavender, orange, and yellow.

Slovenian poet France Prešeren wrote, “Let’s drink to the happy moment.” In Ljubljana, every moment feels like you are toasting with the local blueberry liqueur.

Day 7: Ljubljana to Budapest – The Grand Finale

The final leg of my train journey lasted eight hours, with a stop in Graz, Austria. We rolled across Slovenia, Austria, and the Hungarian plains. As the Danube came into view, the skyline of Budapest shimmered.

Hungarian writer Antal Szerb once said, “Budapest is a world unto itself.” It’s true. From the Parliament Building to Chain Bridge, from thermal baths to ruin bars, the city pulses with old-world magic.

In Hungary’s capital, I would learn a tale of two cities (Buda and Pest). Buda was the royal capital, famous for its castle. Pest was the flat commercial center and a hub of commerce. In 1873, the city was unified into Budapest.Click to link to read my blog post about Budapest: 24 Hours on Foot & Bike.

I only had one day before I returned home to Washington, D.C., so I seized the day with both a morning walking tour and an afternoon ebike tour. (Click to link to read my blog post about Budapest: 24 Hours on Foot & Bike.)

My two-hour walking tour of Pest included landmarks such as St. Stephen’s Basilica, Október 6, Liberty Square, and the Parliament. We stopped to buy homemade strudel at House of Strudel (Első Pesti Rétesház).

My eBike tour consisted of 15+ stops in the Buda and Pest neighborhoods. After picking up my ebike, we rode to Elisabeth Bridge. Then we visited the Buda neighborhood, including the statue of St. Gellart, the Budapest Funicular, the lower and inside Fisherman’s Bastion, Buda Castle, and Sándor Palace.

On my last night in Budapest, sitting in a traditional Hungarian restaurant, I watched the lights dance on the cobblestone streets and felt the journey come full circle.

Reflections on Slow Travel

Flying from Bari to Budapest would take two hours. The train took seven days (850 miles)—and changed everything. Between stations, I rediscovered the beauty of in-between places: the historic “old” towns, the Art Nouveau architecture, and the local guides who shared stories and advice about where to eat. It was in traveling slowly that I was able to experience each place and every moment more deeply.

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