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Great Continental Railway Journeys

Great Continental Railway Journeys is a TV show on SBS ONE. Great Continental Railway Journeys is a British documentary written for television and presented by Michael Portillo. For the series he travels on the railway networks of continental Europe while comparing how travel and its destinations have changed between the descriptions in his 1913 copy of Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide and present day. In the person of Portillo Great Continental Railways explores destinations all over Europe, and each episode has an itinerary-style title, such as “Madrid to Gibraltar”, “Hungary to Austria” and “Amsterdam to Northern France”. During the trips Portillo covers some of the major locations, monuments and stories along the way, in the style of the 1913 guidebook he carries with him. The popular program has been available since 2023. A total of 6 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in December 2023.

Last broadcast:21/12/2023 at 06:05Genres:Documentaries

Last episode

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Expired21/12/2023

Season 7, Episode 6

Michael 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 edition of Bradshaw’s Continental Railway Guide, Michael boards a steam train to celebrate Midsummer in Marielu...

Season 7

Season 7, Episode 5

Expired20/12/2023

Michael Portillo travels by train through Austria and the Czech Republic following his Bradshaw’s Continental Railway Guide, published in 1936. Michael’s journey takes him through spectacular scenery, from the handsome Baroque buildings of the northern Austrian city of Linz, through Czech South Bohemia to Prague, the City ...

Season 7, Episode 4

Expired19/12/2023

Michael's 1936 Bradshaw’s Guide brings him to the Italian 'treasure island' of Sicily, full of natural beauty and 'scenery of the greatest charm'. But the interwar guidebook also tells him that the head of government in Italy is the fascist leader, Signor Benito Mussolini.

Season 7, Episode 3

Expired18/12/2023

Michael Portillo embarks on a rail journey through Germany, steered by a Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide published in 1936. His unique window on Europe between the world wars takes him through a tumultuous period in German history, when the nation's first democracy and its vibrant culture of art, design and decadence,...

Season 7, Episode 2

Expired15/12/2023

Michael travels from the chateaux of the Loire Valley to the heart of the Champagne region at Reims. Beginning in historic Orleans, Michael follows his Bradshaw’s guide to the magnificent stained-glass windows of the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix, which tell the story of the heroine of France, Joan of Arc.

Season 7, Episode 1

Expired14/12/2023

Michael sports a strikingly modern edition of his Bradshaw’s Continental Handbook, dated 1936. His destination lies close to his heart: the ancient kingdom of Spain and land of his father, recommended in Michael’s guidebook for its exceptional climate and glorious history.

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