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Due to the geopolitical crisis, the price of a metric ton of jet fuel has risen from $750 to nearly $1,900 in just a few weeks. Some media outlets are even reporting that airline tickets will be 20 to 40% more expensive this summer than in 2025, and airlines like KLM, Lufthansa, and easyJet are already canceling flights. The cause? A small strait less than 40 km wide, 6,000 km from your home: the Strait of Hormuz. To better understand what’s really going on and why it’s driving up the price of your plane ticket, check out this explanatory video:
But in this article, we're mainly offering you 5 Destinations You Can Reach by Train This Summer on a Budget, without ever setting foot in an airport. It's a great way to travel without blowing up your carbon footprint—or your wallet!
What if, instead of heading south, you headed north to enjoy the mild Scandinavian climate? Since mid-July, Sweden has been accessible by train with just one transfer, thanks to the combination European Sleeper + Snälltåget. European Sleeper relaunched the Paris-Berlin overnight train in March 2026 and added a stop in Hamburg starting July 13: a perfect hub for traveling to Scandinavia.
For its part, Snälltåget operates a Hamburg–Copenhagen–Stockholm overnight train all summer long (and, more recently, a daytime service on the same route). The result: a Paris-Stockholm trip with just one connection in Hamburg, often for less than €200 round-trip, not to mention the savings from sleeping on the train. And the Scandinavian summer, with its long days, forests, and lakes, is clearly one of the best times to enjoy it.
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Traveling to Scandinavia by train: Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Lapland from France (2026 guide)
No need to introduce the country of dolce vita. But people often forget that it's one of the best destinations for traveling by train! From Paris, Lyon, or Chambéry, the overnight TGVs and Frecciarossa trains take you directly to Turin or Milan.
But there's another, much more economical route: head toward Nice (by Ouigo or INTERCITÉS overnight train from Paris, by TER from Marseille and most cities in the south), then a TER to Ventimiglia. The road runs along the Mediterranean, and there are frequent round-trip trips to less than 100 € from Paris or Marseille. Once in Ventimiglia, the Italian rail network takes over, making it easy to explore the country, often at very affordable fares.
From Paris, Lille, or Brussels, just one connection is all it takes to reach Scotland: Eurostar all the way to London, then either a fast daytime train or the famous Caledonian Sleeper, the overnight train that drops you off in the early morning right in the heart of the Highlands.
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The Caledonian Sleeper: travel to Scotland by night train from London
From there, you’re free to explore Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fort William, or the lochs—more than enough to keep you busy for your entire stay and soak up plenty of Scottish magic In the footsteps of our favorite heroes, from Indiana Jones to Harry Potter and Brave.
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Discover Scotland by train: the ultimate guide (7, 10 and 15-day tours)
Two destinations we love, simply because they're both enjoyable and easy to get to. Thanks to European Sleeper, you can fall asleep in Paris or Brussels and wake up right in Berlin or Prague.
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European Sleeper: Brussels–Milan, Paris–Berlin, and Prague night trains in 2026
And if you're looking for inspiration, feel free to check out our guides on Berlin and Prague !
As we know, during peak season, a Paris-Barcelona trip on the TGV can quickly become prohibitively expensive, especially if booked at the last minute. However, there is a little-known alternative route that’s much more affordable: take the overnight train to the border and continue on to Cerberus, then transfer to the Catalan regional train Rodalies R11, which gets you to Barcelona in just under 3 hours. You can often find round-trip tickets from Paris to Barcelona on this route for less than 80 €.
The current energy situation will clearly make airline tickets more expensive and less reliable this summer (and let's be honest, here at HOURRAIL!, we can't to be glad about it). But between the overnight train heading north to Scandinavia, the secret route to Italy via Ventimiglia, the Caledonian Sleeper to the Highlands, the European Sleeper to Berlin and Prague, or the detour via Cerbère to Barcelona, there are more than enough options to plan a summer trip for less than €200—and without flying!
If these destinations have inspired you, feel free to contact us follow on our social media channels and subscribe to our Locomissive newsletter to get plenty of low-carbon travel inspiration.
And if you'd like to learn more, check out our Online Route Planner (Free) or join the HOURRAIL Club!
Issue du monde de la communication et des médias, Sophie est Responsable éditoriale chez HOURRAIL ! depuis août 2024. Elle est notamment derrière le contenu éditorial du site ainsi que La Locomissive (de l'inspiration voyage bas carbone et des bons plans, un jeudi sur deux, gratuitement dans ta boîte mail !).
Convaincue que les changements d’habitude passent par la transformation de nos imaginaires, elle s’attache à montrer qu’il est possible de voyager autrement, de manière plus consciente, plus lente et plus joyeuse. Son objectif : rendre le slow travel accessible à toutes et tous, à travers des astuces, des décryptages et surtout, de nouveaux récits.
