The Observer x Byway

We've partnered with The Observer to offer curated vacations by rail.

When The Observer was launched in 1791, it promised to share “all species of knowledge that may conduce to the happiness of society.” More than two centuries later, that mission still guides them, placing arts and culture at the heart of The Observer.

The newly launched Observer Culture Club offers subscribers exclusive access to the best of arts, culture, and ideas—with premium events, carefully curated offers, priority booking, and unique experiences designed to enrich your cultural life.

As part of this, The Observer is proudly partnering with Byway to bring subscribers premium, slow travel vacations by rail designed to highlight the richness of European arts and culture, curated with The Observer team.

We've partnered with The Observer to offer discounted curated vacations by rail. You can sign up here to become an Observer subscriber today and receive £100 off these trips (valid for trips booked before Dec 31, 2026).

Art and culture trips by train

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a green and white building with a green door

20th-century remade cities

Vienna, Prague, Berlin

Trace the tracks through the 20th-century history of Central Europe. Explore Vienna's Secession Building and Hundertwasser House, Prague's functionalist architecture, and Berlin's Bauhaus Archive.

11 nights

brown and white concrete buildings beside a river under white clouds during daytime

Culture beyond the capitals

Strasbourg, Colmar, Basel, Dijon, Beaune, Amboise

Travel outside the capitals to uncover rich European culture by train. From the Fondation Beyeler in Basel to Alsace's medieval villages, Burgundy's Abbey of Fontenay to the Loire Valley's châteaux.

12 nights

Ancient worlds, modern cities

Turin, Naples, Bari, Athens, Rome, Basel

Few places in Europe bring the ancient world this close. The Acropolis in Athens, the buried streets of Pompeii and Herculaneum near Naples, and Rome's vast forums and baths on a rail adventure.

19 nights

brown and black concrete building under white sky during daytime

Europe’s grand architecture tour

Paris, Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Florence, Rome, Venice, Vienna, Munich, Berlin, Copenhagen, Osnabrück, Amsterdam, Brussels

An overland odyssey by rail through some of Europe's grandest architecture. See Brunelleschi's Duomo, Catalan Modernisme, Art Nouveau in Brussels, Vienna's Ringstrasse and Copenhagen's harbor baths.

29 nights

brown concrete buildings beside the river

Northern European art capitals

Amsterdam, Hamburg, Berlin

Dutch Golden Age masterpieces at the Rijksmuseum, the three buildings of Hamburg's Kunsthalle, Museum Island, and Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, by rail to three Northern European powerhouses of art.

7 nights

silhouette photo of people standing inside a building

Italian art and culture by rail

Turin, Rome, Venice, Florence, Zürich

Renaissance Florence, papal Rome, and mercantile Venice have produced some of the world's greatest art. The Uffizi, the Borghese Gallery, and the Peggy Guggenheim are the spots to experience them fully.

12 nights

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Expertly routed

Support, not supervision

Disruption replanning, journey guide and in-trip chat

More sustainable, by design

Land and sea journeys with locally-owned stays

Our vision, goals, and values

Our vision

A world in which flight-free vacations are the norm, and a vibrant sustainable travel ecosystem flourishes off the beaten path.

Our goals

1. Reduce the climate impact of travel by making flight-free trips mainstream

2. Boost local economies and facilitate environmental recovery by drawing tourists away from hubs suffering from overtourism to the wonderful places in between

3. Increase the proportion of tourist spending on sustainable products and services by prioritizing partnerships with sustainable businesses

Our values

1. Love the journey: Making slow travel mainstream is a journey we approach with the optimism and openness needed to learn and grow.

2. Trust and be trusted: Trust in each other is the foundation of our team. We share insights widely and are grounded in openness.

3. Mainstream means everyone: We listen to, respect, amplify, and support all stakeholders.

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The Observer x Byway

We've partnered with The Observer to offer curated vacations by rail.