Great Continental Railway Journeys
Great Continental Railway Journeys is a TV show on BBC2. Michael Portillo ventures onto the European rail network. The program has been available since 2024. A total of 27 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in July 2024.
Last episode
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Michael Portillo continues his journey from Stockholm to the Arctic Circle. On the way he decorates a Dala horse and learns how Sweden created a welfare state.
Catching up on Great Continental Railway Journeys?
Don't want to miss an episode anymore? Set up a free alarm and receive an email when new episodes are available. Handy!
1:00:00
Armed with a 1936 edition of Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo ventures onto the European rail network in Spain.
1:00:00Michael Portillo takes in Georgia and Azerbaijan as he journeys through the former Russian empire. He visits a tea plantation and a museum dedicated to Joseph Stalin.
1:00:00Michael Portillo travels through Ukraine, starting in the capital of Kiev, where he encounters mummified monks and two of the world's strongest women.
Michael Portillo embarks on a scenic thousand-mile rail journey from the Swedish capital, Stockholm, to Abisko in the northern reaches of the Arctic Circle, steered by his 1936 Bradshaw’s Guide.
Michael continues his railway journey from Sicily’s capital, Palermo, through the ancient town of Agrigento and the port of Siracusa to Europe’s largest volcano, Mount Etna.
Michael’s 1936 Bradshaw’s Continental Railways Guide brings him to the Italian 'treasure island' of Sicily, full of natural beauty and 'scenery of the greatest charm'.
1:00:00Michael Portillo concludes his journey in the Netherlands, where he travels from Rotterdam to Utrecht, including a visit to the world's largest flower auction.
1:00:00Michael Portillo finds medieval knights in Tallinn, grills sausages in Helsinki and samples cloudberry liqueur while travelling in Latvia, Finland and Estonia.
1:00:00Michael Portillo travels from the Italian Riviera to the Austrian Alps, starting in Genoa, where he learns how football was introduced to the port.
1:00:00Michael Portillo travels from the Mediterranean port of Tangier to the Berber city of Marrakech, including a trip to the most famous gin joint in the world.
1:00:00Michael Portillo travels from the Swiss Alps to the shores of Lake Geneva. Along the way, he is caught in a war zone with the Red Cross and rescued from an 'avalanche'.
1:00:00Armed with his trusty 1913 Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo ventures east through Romania to the shores of the Black Sea.
June 2024
1:00:00
1:00:00Travelling from Barcelona to Majorca, Michael Portillo traces the early roots of the Spanish Civil War, which divided his family and sent his father into exile.
1:00:00Michael Portillo goes deep into the Black Forest, and he discovers how Germany's reputation for making quality goods was established.
1:00:00Michael Portillo travels from the Athens port of Piraeus, north to the city of Thessaloniki, exploring the Acropolis and sampling moussaka and baklava.
Michael travels across Paris, learning about the avant-garde artists of Montparnasse, going backstage at the legendary Folies Bergere and heading east to explore the cellars of Champagne country.
Michael Portillo travels from the chateaux of the Loire Valley to the heart of the Champagne region at Reims, seeing stained-glass windows in Orleans that celebrate the life of Joan of Arc.
Michael Portillo visits the ancient kingdom of Spain, the land of his father, who was forced into exile by the fascist regime of General Francisco Franco.
Michael continues his rail journey through Spain with his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide. From the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, Michael travels north, meeting the son of the novelist George Orwell.