Slow Trains to Venice: A Love Letter to Europe

by Tom Chesshyre

Do you love trains? Do you love adventure? If so, join Tom Chesshyre on his meandering rail journey across Europe from London to Venice.

Escaping the rat race for a few happy weeks, Chesshyre indulges in the freedom of the tracks. From France (dogged by rail worker strikes), through Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland he goes, travelling as far east as Odessa by the Black Sea in Ukraine. With no set plans, simply a desire to let the trains lead the way, his trip takes him onwards via Hungary, the Balkans and Austria. Along the way he enjoys many an encounter, befriending fellow travellers as well as a conductor or two.

This is a love letter to Europe, written from the trackside.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Trains, Travelogue, Historical

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 9, 2019

About the author

Tom Chesshyre has been writing travel stories for UK national newspapers for over15 years. After reading politics at Bristol University and completing a journalism diploma from City University, he had stints at the Cambridge Evening News, Sporting Life and Sky Sports. During this period he won the Independent's young sports writer of the year competition and was runner-up in the Financial Times young business writer awards. His first travel piece was about England's cricket fans in Barbados for the Daily Telegraph. He freelanced for the Daily and Sunday Telegraphs, wrote a column for Conde Nast Traveller, and contributed to the Express, the Guardian, and the Independent, before working on the travel desk of the Times. He has assisted with the research on two books - W. G. by Robert Low, a biography of W. G. Grace, and Carlos: Portrait of a Terrorist by Colin Smith, a biography of "Carlos the Jackal". He has written magazine pieces for Wanderlust, Geographical and Business Traveller - and contributes book reviews to the TLS. His travel writing has taken him to more than 75 countries. He lives in south-west London and was born in 1971.

His first book, How Low Can You Go: Round Europe for 1p Each Way (Plus Tax) was published by Hodder in 2007. To Hull and Back: On Holiday in Unsung Britain was published by Summersdale in July 2010, followed by Tales from the Fast Trains: Europe at 186 mph is published in July 2011.

Reviews

[Jamie Horan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhere between a 2 and 3 out of 5. The premise is a very interesting one and I usually love travel books but this one was a bit heavy on mundane details and short of the interesting anecdotes you usually get in these types of book.

[Nigel Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable slow amble around Europe in a time of change. Rather than a travel guide around the tourist hot spots most places visited were not ones usually on most itineraries. I like the idea of no specific plan but sometimes taking chances on the next destination. It also taught me a great deal about life in Eastern Europe.
A very pleasant read.

[Jennifer Barclay · Rating 5 out of 5]

On this slow meander around Europe by train, something I truly enjoyed was the random nature of the details Tom picks up and decides to include - it feels authentic and unforced and made me feel I was on that journey too. What's more, he made me want to do it - just set off with a couple of destinations in mind, and see where the trains take me. I liked the fact that although Tom's been a newspaper travel journalist for years, in this book he veers from the standard way of 'covering' a place, simply giving us a snapshot of what he saw and experienced on that particular day when passing through. He isn't pretending to be an expert on anything or analyse very much. Perhaps it's because he makes a decision about his career and life partway through the book but the joy of travel for its own sake is infectious - although clearly he is thinking along the way about the entity of Europe as well as the nature of train travel, both treated with a light touch. A very pleasurable read. I've hesitated a lot over the question of 4 or 5 stars, because 'it was amazing' suggests something life-changing, and yet 'really liked it' seems too faint praise, so I'll give it a 5.

[Kasia M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spodziewałam się lekkiej i naszpikowanej filozoficznymi dumaniami, kolorowymi postaciami i wnikliwymi uwagami książki. Dostałam gniota pełnego niepotrzebnych szczegółów, bezkrytycznie powtarzanych opinii i powierzchownych analiz historii Europy. Plus jeden za pomysł podróżowania osobówkami po Europie.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful travelogue about a meandering journey across Europe via train. Covering the period between Britain's vote to leave the EU and the actual departure, the timing is particularly poignant, as Chesshyre explores issues of national and community identity and the varying attitudes within Europe. It's shocking to consider how much has changed in the few years since this book was published in 2019. Chesshyre's visits to Lviv and Odessa in Ukraine are particularly poignant - I wonder what has happened to Maria, the cheerful tourist guide who was so upbeat about her country's future - "everything will be ok". Or Dmitri & Maria, the couple he befriends in Odessa.

Although Chesshyre covers some tough topics including attitudes to immigration, racism, poverty and 'over tourism', plus Brexit, of course, the overall tone of the book is surprisingly positive, and I found his enthusiasm for trains very engaging. The book would have benefited from characters and places being given more depth and detail - for a book about slow travel, we do seem to whiz across Europe quite quickly! - but I still found it very enjoyable, and it made me want to hop on a train and follow in the writer's footsteps, which in my view, is a sign of a good travel book. I'll definitely be looking out for more of his work.

[Rebeccajr7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

British train travel enthusiast Tom Chesshyre goes on a 4,000 mile railway journey across Europe, delighting in the idea of slow conscious travel and a sense of journey over destination. It took me a moment to get used to his style of writing and the pacing but I eventually came to admire his captivating sense of presence and in a technology saturated world makes me rethink how I react with the fleeting sensory moment. The writing was simple but well researched and the curation of experiences and insights abled me to see how the political climates among the EU impact and connect with one other- from brexit in the Uk to tensions between Bosnia and Croatia. The only thing lacking at times was the non-existence of my narrators personal voice and how that played into his opinions and biases, I think if that had been divulged I would have a greater sense of perspective and drive when reading. All in all a very insightful and interesting read of a not so common journey in the 21st century!

[Hannah Symonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say first off this is not my usual read however I am very glad I have read it as it was so captivating. I loved the sound of the blurb, Tom is a travel writer and likes to indulge by going on trains to different places. This time he makes his way through France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and Poland. He shows that you don't need to plan every journey, just let nature lead the way. Even though I am not a big train fan, it was the adventure part that really excited me. I loved reading about Tom's many encounters with other travellers and his sense of adventure and has really inspired me to go out and do something I wouldn't normally do. If you are after a great travel read and you love a sense of adventure, read this book.

[Bidasari · Rating 4 out of 5]

London (Mortlake) - Perancis (Calais) - Belgium (Bruges) - Venice dalam tempoh 3 minggu.

Pengembaraan kadang kala tidak berlaku seperti yang dirancang.
Penulis terpaksa membatalkan perjalanan di beberapa daerah di Perancis sebab ada aktiviti mogok oleh pekerja keretapi.
Makanya penulis terpaksa mengambil laluan dan keretapi lain.
Penulis terpergi ke pekan yang dia tidak rancang akibat perubahan itinerari ini.
Dia juga keluar dari Perancis ke Belgium.

Bak kata penulis 'Anywhere is possible. Anywhere is where I am going to. Anywhere the tracks leads'.

Macam itu juga perjalanan hidup kita di dunia ini.
Kadang-kadang kita rasa kita telah rancang sehabis baik tetapi tidak selalunya terlaksana sebagaimana harapan kita.
Akhirnya rancangan Allah yang terbaik untuk kita semua.

[Michael Rumney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice idea where the writer travels through Europe on slow trains to Venice, although it is somewhat debatable there was an slow trains in Germany.
Although in the main the journey was planned there were hap hazard moments to cause Chesshyre concern.
Throughout the shadow of Brexit looms and I found it monotonous that he kept referring to Britain's exit from the EU.
When he goes to the Ukraine you can't help thinking what has happened to the people he met there.
Overall he does have a genuine interest in train travel and the book does give the reader the urge to try it but not necessarily on slow trains.

[Takwa Gweegat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was positively surprised by this book. I didn't even know that this genre existed and I needed its existence. I love to meet a person who just came back from a trip and listen to everything they have to say, from the most mundane anecdote about the couple that was bickering in the park, to the most complicated historical details about the cities they visited. This book was all of this and more. In an era of talkative, superficial and stupid travel bloggers this book comes as a breath of fresh air.

I hope the writer does a similar book riding trains in South America. That would be awesome.

[Mark Allinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rail travel in Europe is one of my favourite things - but unfortunately out of the question since the pandemic began. How wonderful, then, to follow Tom Chesshyre’s journey and feel I was along for the ride myself, particularly down the parts of his itinerary I have travelled myself. Tom is a great travel companion with a fine eye for the detail he observes, and a keen ear for the stories - sometimes depressing - that characterise Europe in the early 21st century. I will certainly travel with Tom again.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 a rail travel enthusiast takes some time off work, buys an inter-rail ticket and arranges to meet his girlfriend in Venice in a few weeks time. Departing from Mortlake station he boards train after train with no set plan other than the Italian rendezvous and trying to always take the slowest train possible. I really enjoyed following him on his travels (taking him as far East as the Ukraine), hearing about the stations, people and places who encounters along the way - but then I do love train journeys and reading about them.

[Isobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this — an account of a guy heading off from London with an interail pass on a journey around Europe taking only slow trains. I liked Chesshyre’s writing style, and being a fan of train journeys myself feel he really captures the sense of adventure unique to railways — flying just isn’t the same!! — without ever being preachy about why you shouldn’t take planes. The joy of the train ride sells itself. I especially liked his accounts of Eastern Europe as I’ve never been. Would like to read some of his other books.

[Christian Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite way to enjoy this book is using DuckDuckGo to perform an image search to see the places the author describes during the journey. I find it odd that the author bemoans the people who take trips just to check off cities and sites from their life-list, when the author is passing through so many towns only long enough to change trains or stay overnight. Still, I suppose that's the kind of trip the Eurail was invented for!

[Grim-Anal King · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I travel I seldom speak to anyone so not much happens. I don't travel much. I wouldn't be an interesting travel writer. Chesshyre seems to stumble into more conversations than me but his insight hit rate may be even lower. The compensation is that his experience is relatable. It feels mundane, it feels real.

[Emily BG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading to prep and inspire for rail trip. Fantastic history, in-depth enough without it being dull. Only thing would be the guy tom - if you merged this guys knowledge with the lady in the prev book who I know cant remember the name of it would be 10/10

[Shuhui Shen]

Tom is not good at writing lucid but artful sentences. I read his book because I crave for travel in a global lockdown. Unfortunately, he did not tell me much about fun things to do in Europe.

[Donald Pryde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes me want to travel again on train around Europe

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking forward to riding some of these trains when I embark on my own European adventure this year.

[WinterGirl83 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story about rail travel from the UK to Venice. Enjoyed hearing about the people Tom met on the way. The narrator was a little over-enthusiastic in places.

[Maja Scepanovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found my new train author - absolute bliss ✨

[Steven Beningo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book on traveling by train throughout Europe!

[Shirley Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

All aboard for a railway journey across thirteen European countries. Delightful and inspiring!

[Lisa Culligan · Rating 4 out of 5]

E njoyed it so much I've bought two more of his books.

[Victoria Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly entertaining whirlwind trip across Europe fro London to Odessa. Small quibble is he spends so little time at some of the stops, only a few hours’ glimpse of a town. Was also thrown early on by some phrases from the 1970s like “a woman from the Far East” and “ghettoes” in America but they were isolated examples.