Public transport isn’t just a way to get from point A to point B—it’s a gateway to experiencing a city in its truest, most authentic form. It’s one of the most sustainable and eco-friendly ways to travel, helping reduce congestion, cut down on emissions, and lower your carbon footprint. We have spent many journeys on trains and buses in European cities. And some rides, for the cost of the train ride you can be part of a folk train, a sauna train, or the Techno Train. Let’s see how European cities compare in prices, to each other, with inclusions from the Levante.

Single-Ride City Bus/Train Fare Comparison

Inside cities, trains are more than just transportation; they’re stages for spontaneous experiences and unexpected adventures. From techno parties to educational lectures, trains around the world are transforming the way people travel, making public transport a fun, engaging, and sustainable option.

In Germany, the Techno Train doubles as a nightclub on rails, powered by renewable energy and offering an eco-friendly alternative to car travel. It’s not just about the music—it’s about reducing carbon footprints while dancing the night away. Meanwhile, in Israel, professors turn commuter trains into mobile classrooms, giving passengers a chance to learn about everything from physics to Einstein’s love letters. It’s proof that even a daily commute can be inspiring.

For those who love culture and tradition, Germany’s MusikWinkel Express serves local beer with live accordion music, turning a simple ride into a festive celebration. Japan takes a quieter approach with garden-themed trains that promote relaxation and biodiversity, offering passengers a breath of fresh air even in bustling cities like Tokyo and Kyoto.

Other unique experiences include London’s Supper Club Train, combining fine dining with scenic views, and Taiwan’s educational trains where kids can participate in science experiments on the go. For thrill-seekers, Belgium’s Rampage Express pre-party train brings the festival vibes before you even reach the event.

These examples show that train travel can be an adventure in itself. Whether it’s learning, partying, or just enjoying the ride, taking the train offers endless possibilities to connect with others, explore new ideas, and experience the city in a completely new way. So next time, skip the car and hop on a train—who knows what kind of journey you’ll have?

Data source: public transport sites of cities in Europe. Report an inaccuracy, add a city: transport@greenprophet.com

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Up Norway, Scandinavia’s sustainable luxury travel curator, shares with Green Prophet, its top recommendations for romantic train journeys. The unforgettable escapes were designed for honeymooners, couples in love, solo travelers indulging in self-romance, or families embracing quality time together to experience the true magic of travel by rail.

Everyone is advertising rail travel these days as a slow mode to see where one travels, offering affordable journeys and local insights. Some trains like Saudi Arabia’s new slow train are also offering luxury options.

Blending intimacy, adventure, and the unhurried rhythm of slow travel, each recommended train route can be seamlessly integrated into any Up Norway itinerary or crafted into its own fully customized adventure, making them the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for a year-round romantic getaway.

Up Norway’s recommended train routes where the journey itself becomes as memorable as the destination include:

Head North:

Travelers can begin their journey in Oslo aboard the Dovre Railway, which winds through the scenic Norwegian countryside with views of rolling hills and forests. In 90 minutes, the train arrives in Brumunddal, near Hoel Manor, a lakeside estate on the Nes Peninsula where couples rediscover romance through farm-to-table dining, lakeside wellness experiences that include saunas, cold plunging and hot tubs, and scenic bike rides to Helgøya Island—a heart-shaped gem celebrated for its panoramic views and tranquil setting.

Continuing along the Dovre Railway for another 25 minutes brings couples to Lillehammer, a historic Olympic town known for its alpine landscapes. From the train windows, passengers can glimpse snow-covered peaks and frozen lakes, adding to the anticipation of their arrival. Here, the brand-new Nermo Hotel, launched late last summer and still relatively undiscovered, offers stabbur suites—converted Norwegian storage houses offering panoramic views, crackling fireplaces, and access to winter sports like skiing and bobsledding.

Further along the Dovre Railway is Otta, a gateway to UNESCO-protected farm culture, and Hindsæter Lodge, which invites guests to unwind with gourmet dining and spa indulgence amidst dramatic mountain trails.

Central Norway:

For a dramatic fjord experience, couples can transfer to the Rauma Railway at Dombås, a mountain town in central Norway, to embark on a one-hour, 40-minute journey through one of Norway’s most iconic rail routes. The train passes deep gorges, cascading waterfalls, and towering peaks before reaching Åndalsnes, where a short transfer leads to Storfjord Hotel. This Relais & Châteaux retreat offers outdoor hot tubs and private fjord cruises to immerse couples in the region’s breathtaking beauty.

Arctic Norway by train:

The Ofotbanen Railway offers a 43-minute journey from Narvik to Riksgränsen, Sweden, crossing the Arctic with snow-covered plains and towering peaks. Here, Niehku Mountain Villa offers activities like snowmobiling and snowshoeing by day, followed by magical moments beneath the northern lights on winter nights.

Southern Norway:

The Sørlandsbanen Railway provides a four-hour, 20-minute route from Oslo to Kristiansand—recently featured on this year’s New York Times list of 52 best places to visit— passing through coastal forests and charming towns before arriving at Boen Manor. This riverside estate combines gourmet dining with access to the historic Setesdal Line, where guests can embark on nostalgic steam train rides through Norway’s idyllic countryside. Guests can also visit Kunstsilo, Norway’s celebrated contemporary art destination, for an inspiring blend of heritage and modern creativity.

Western Norway:

Lastly, the Bergen Railway crosses Europe’s highest mountain plateaus on a three-hour, 45-minute route from Oslo to Ustaoset. Here, the exclusive Hallinghi Lodge near Geilo—where only one group or couple can stay at a time—offers a remote, off-the-beaten-path experience with secluded dining, scenic hikes, and sauna rituals, all set against awe-inspiring highland vistas.

Want to start booking your train? Try Rail Ninja for scheduling and prices in Europe.

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Egypt is getting better trains and Saudi Arabia is getting a slow luxury train. And an Israeli company helps make booking on European trains more streamlined. Turkey, which is has relied on buses for travel between cities, is now building a high-speed railway from Yerköy to Kayseri.

The project involves collaboration with Turkish companies Doğuş İnşaat, Çelikler, and Özkar, with backing from the UK’s Department for International Trade. The funding includes a 1.027 Billion Euro credit from the European Export Credit Agencies and a 220 Million Euro commercial credit line supported by the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit.

Related read: Istanbul’s best second hand clothing shops

The British Exporters Association believes these investments can stimulate UK business development, benefiting material and equipment suppliers. Meanwhile Turkey just rebuffed its export agreements with Israel siding with Hamas. Turkey has long sought entrance into the EU, but the UE has never considered membership seriously. Members place the blame for that not only on one side, but largely on one man: Erdoğan himself.

Meanwhile Turkey is moving on, solidifying agreements with Iran, China, and Russia.

The new Istanbul-Sivas line will take seven hours and 18 minutes, serviced by trains accommodating up to 483 passengers.

Osman Boyraz, deputy minister of transport and infrastructure, emphasized Türkiye’s strategic importance in international freight and passenger transportation. According to Boyraz, Türkiye invested 57 billion US dollars in building and renewing its railways over the last 22 years, increased the line length from 10,948 km to 13,919 km, and built 2,251 km of high-speed train lines.

The line between the capital city of Ankara and Eskisehir was the country’s first high-speed rail that went into operation in 2009, and the line was successfully extended to Istanbul in 2014 with a total length of 533 kilometers.

China Railway Construction Corporation and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation, in partnership with two Turkish companies, built parts of the Ankara-Istanbul line.

According to Boyraz, high-speed trains have facilitated the transportation of 85 million passengers since 2009.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group is the sole authorized coordinator and bank agent, while parts of the credit are reinsured by financial institutions in Italy, Poland, and Austria.

This marks the third railway construction project in Turkey financed by the UK, SACE, and OeKB, with a combined length exceeding about 900 km.

The new high-speed railway, started in August 2022, will connect to the Ankara–Sivas high-speed line, reducing traffic on the Yerköy–Kayseri route and cutting harmful emissions by 6.5 million tons annually.

Japan is a fan of high-speed trains, with its bullet train exceeding 300km an hour. While prices of the bullet train in Japan have doubled over the last year (it costs about $125 USD one way between Kyoto and Tokyo), the quick link between cities means a 6-hour drive from Kyoto to Tokyo can be a swift 2.25 hours. Headaches, vomiting, and dizziness might be a side-effect for first time travelers. I’d rather drive but the cost of driving a car in Japan is on the limit of what people can afford as well. The drive from Tokyo to Kyoto cost over $100 USD in tolls for highway use over 3 days.

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Luxurious Slow Travel: A Sustainable Journey through Egypt’s Ancient Splendor

Travelers usually take a slow boat down the Nile but soon a new luxury slow mode of travel will be available for seeing Egypt’s ancient sites and wonders:

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Moovit, which we’ve written about here, is a social transit app. Much in the same way that Waze crowdsources traffic information, Moovit uses social tools to help you move around public transportation. For most people, unless you are Swiss where the trains and buses run like clockwork, taking public transportation puts your arrival time somewhat in the hands of fate.

Now Moovit lets you track and find when the nxt bus, subway, train or even ferry will arrive, as users logged into the app bring this data with them. It connects with timetable data for better results, and in some destination cities even lets users buy bus and train tickets through the app.

If a bus or train is running behind, is overly crowded (or has a smelly passenger?), the app helps people choose what public situation to “ride” with. This also helps companies that run the lines know if there are certain troubles along the train or bus routes.

Founded in 2012, the company has about 3 million users in 100 cities, mainly in the US, Latin America and Europe. Next up is Asia.

A Waze co-founder sits on the board so we can imagine Moovit will go far, in light speed, even if it is taking the bus.

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Israel’s local and national rail services have often been featured on Green Prophet ever since Jerusalem’s light rail service was completed in 2010, and another light rail line proposed for the coastal city of Tel Aviv .Its national rail service, which now runs from the northern coastal city of Nahariya to the Negev desert city of Dimona has now been given approval to continue its line further south to link up the commercial hub of Tel Aviv with the country’s southernmost city of Eilat. The new 330 km line, when completed, will “link up with the periphery in a way that has not been done up until now and create a very great interest on the part of Asia’s rising powers, China and India,” says Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

One important issue that is still to be decided on (and an important environmental one at that) is whether to continue to use petroleum based diesel fuel to power the train’s engines, or to convert them to run on electricity as was proposed by the management of Israel Railways and reported in Haaretz and other news media articles. Although using electricity would result in less air and noise pollution, an issue of great concern to the country’s  Ministry of Environmental Protection  is the amount of radiation caused by increased electrical current.  This increase could be much greater that that allowed by the ministry and by the various municipalities along which the rail line now runs, including the two major cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv.

According to a Haaretz article,  members of the Return the City to Haifa organization claimed two months ago that based on the survey, the expected radiation would exceed the level to which the Environmental Protection Ministry agreed in the permit it issued.

Haifa, through which the current Israel rail service runs daily, carrying both passengers and large amounts of freight, also has the distinction of having the country’s only subway service. Known as the Carmalit underground railroad, it has only 6 stations, is 1.8 km in length. It is known as one of the shortest subway systems in the world.

Although the Environment Protection Ministry originally approved a plan given them by the railways in which a “safety zone” of 12 meters would be required on either side of the tracks to insure public safety, regulations issued more recently by the ministry now claim that the radiation levels issued by the high speed trains would result in increased radiation levels that would exceed the maximum allowable radiation limit by more than half – from 10 milliGauss (units of radiation ) to 4 milliGauss as recommended by the country’s Health Ministry.

MilliGauss radiation, generated from electro-magnetic fields,  was originally innovated and worked on by Nikola Tesla, whose experiments with electro-magnetic fields and energy were said to have been “buried” by American “Big Oil” companies who feared that energy created by these methods would result in less petroleum being needed.

In a sharp objection to the Environment Protection Ministry’s increased radiation claims, the Israel Railways management, issued a statement that criticized the environment ministry as not being aware that many countries in the world are now switching over to electric trains which are less polluting than diesel oil.

The railways management further noted that the adoption of a more strict radiation threshold of only4 milliGauss  is “unparalleled anywhere in the entire world.” They also say that it has not been actually proven that any increased radiation would be damaging to the public.

Perhaps another  “rail” transportation idea is need, such as the proposed Tel Aviv Sky Tran transport project that will run on a pillow of air.

::Haaretz

More articles on Israel rail issues, including Tel Aviv’s Sky Tran project:

Proposed Tel Aviv Sky Tran Project is “Up in the Air”

Israel’s New Railway to Catalyze Increased Trade With China and India

New Israel Railway Approved Between Tel Aviv and Eilat

Tel Aviv Light Rail Train Chugs Away, Slowly

The post Will Radiation Danger Spoil Israel’s Electrified Train? appeared first on Green Prophet.

At least there is public transport in Dubai. Don’t get too comfy though. You’ll get fined for falling asleep.

We’ve all heard stories of a friend of a friend who was in some remote country: the friend did something perfectly normal in his home country, like walk on the grass, only to be fined by local police in the new country. Take this: in Dubai westerners and travelers beware: you are not allowed to fall asleep on the train. An American girl in town visiting her parents was just fined for dozing on the Dubai Metro, to her “sleepy” surprise. The fine: about $80 US.

According to Gulf News which reports locally in English, a Dh300 fine worth about $80 USD will be given to anyone sleeping in the waiting areas. But no material for travelers is posted about sleeping on the trains themselves.

An official on behalf of the Metro in response said: “It is the rule … [no] sleeping in the waiting areas, shelters or any place in a public transport environment. Fine will be Dh300”.

Other ways you can land a find include drooling, falling over onto someone’s space or snoring.

The newspaper also reported some inconsistencies about whether it is okay or not to sleep on the train.

For my sake, I don’t think I’d enjoy riding the train in Dubai. Trains and buses are where I catch some shut eye. And my baby who I take everywhere likes to drool.

I think these rules discourage the use of public transport. If sex segregation and modesty for the sleeping rule are the reasons for the fines, then I say create same-sex carriages or carriages for idiotic Americans (I am joking of course) who are used to public transport, and who lean on it for a snore.

You can always practice sleeping with one eye open. Or look like the sleeping Sumo pictured above.

My experience in the Middle East is that there is no consistency in the rules that exist or in applying them. If you get caught doing something you are not supposed to, knowingly or unknowingly, try crying. That often works. Then go back to sleep.

::Gulf News

Photo via yiie

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Survey results published this week reveal that the majority of international travelers would prefer to take trains instead of aeroplanes, if they had the opportunity. The poll of 300 consumers, conducted for train technology company Silverrail, showed that 79% would choose trains over planes if high-speed rail options are available, and 61% would choose rail over air if the cost were the same or lower. Two-thirds said that they would add an hour onto train times when comparing them with flights, because they would be spared the time and hassle of check-in queues and increasingly stringent air security.

In Europe, trains are already challenging short-haul flights on routes in France, Spain and Germany where fast rail travel is already well established. But, said travel technology website Tnooz, few tour operators were taking account of customer preferences, with only specialised eco- or train enthusiast organisers offering rail options.

But what about the Middle East? How is the region doing in terms of making train travel a viable alternative for both tourists and locals?

– in Saudi Arabia, the ‘Mekkah metro’ high-speed train, designed principally to ferry hundreds of thousands of Hajj pilgrims between Muslim holy sites, was part-launched for Hajj 2010, and should be fully operational by November 2011;
– in the Gulf, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain have announced plans to invest a total of $106 billion in rail networks around the region
– in Lebanon, campaign groups are pressing for a modern public transport system;
– and in Israel, the centre of the country is increasingly accessible on the train network, but it doesn’t extend far enough to challenge flights to Eilat, and the expansion of the rail network has been blamed for destroying beautiful natural environments.

Seat61.com, the website of international train travel guru Mark Smith, has information (including timetables, ticketing instructions and traveller reviews) on train trips all over the world. It shows that the situation across much of the rest of the Middle East is patchy, but improving. In Egypt, for example, sleeper and seat accommodation is available between major destinations such as Cairo, Alexandria and Aswan. Most trains are modern and comfortable. The trains in Morocco are described as “some of the best in Africa, and they’re the ideal choice for getting around between cities. Fast, modern, air-conditioned” and the Tunisian railways are also said to be “comfortable, modern and air-conditioned”. The website also includes information on how to get to North African countries like Morocco and Tunisia by rail and ferry from Europe, rather than by air.

Of Turkish train travel, Seat61 declares that: “Guidebooks may tell you that Turkey has a good bus network and that ‘buses are faster than trains’. The thing is, do you really want to spend 12 hours in a bus? When you can travel on a civilised inexpensive air-conditioned train, with a bed to sleep in in your own private sleeper, a restaurant car for your meals & space to move around, through fantastic Turkish scenery that’s unspoilt by roadside development? Travellers who take the train, ignoring the misguided advice to always ‘take the bus’, rave about their train experiences.” The website also states that major improvements and the addition of some high-speed lines have reduced Istanbul-Ankara train times to just 5 hours, and that by 2013 they’ll be down to 3 hours – faster than travelling by plane.

Travellers coming from Europe can also head from Turkey south to Syria, a route which stops in Aleppo with changes for trains to Damascus and Latakia. Repairs to the historic Hijaz Railway route now mean that since 2010 travellers can extend their journeys even further south by rail, reaching Amman in Jordan and even further south to major tourist destinations such as the Nabatean city of Petra. However, travellers are warned that this route is still often disorganised and subject to delays or timetable changes. And as well as travelling by train from Istanbul south to Syria and Jordan, it’s also eminently possible to use railways to go east to Iran, via Ankara and a ferry across Lake Van, on smart modern trains with comfortable couchettes.

One deterrent to many prospective train tourists is probably, however, the difficulty in buying tickets. Many countries still only sell tickets in person; internet systems are confined to one country’s services. In Europe a slowly-increasing range of websites offer such a service (RailEurope is one example). But, as Tnooz noted from the results of the Silverrail survey, “90% say they would like to see rail fares displayed alongside flights when searching for prices on travel sites”, and it may be that integrated ticket sales could be one of the biggest steps which Middle Eastern countries could take to tempt train travellers.

(Photo by Paul Dandini on Flickr)

Read more about public transport on Green Prophet:
Gulf States On Track To Build “European-Style” Rail System
Why Masdar’s Personal Transport System would have been great
How To Live A Car-Free Existence

The post Travellers Want Trains – What is the Middle East Doing? appeared first on Green Prophet.

There is a serious chance you can die in Israel from taking the train, riding the bus or driving a bike. Electric bikes are mowing down people left, right and center but even the train is a risk.

It’s official. Using any form of responsible or public transportation in Israel can get you killed: three carriages of a commuter train between the cities of Herzliya and Netanya caught fire this morning, seriously injuring one passenger, with 78 others moderately or lightly injured. Several were hurt while jumping off the train.

In November, one man was killed and three more severely injured when a truck driver intentionally smashed his truck into a bus stop in Akko. And in May, 5 people were killed on the Egged bus around the Akko area as the bus driver side-swiped a transport trailer. Fifty-six more people were injured. The bus driver was charged for aggressive driving.

Cycling accidents are growing exponentially in the country. Hits and runs, and deaths by car are far too common. Marine environmental activist from Ecoconcrete Shimrit Finkel was killed on a scooter going to pick her kid of from pre-school.

“Riding in Israel today is super-dangerous,” says Bonnie Eshel who heads an Israeli biking federation. “Practically every day there are accidents, and the fact that we don’t have a higher number of fatalities is more a matter of luck. I feel this personally. One time they will throw things at me from a car that is traveling 80 kilometers an hour, another time they spray water, and once they even held a knife to me from out of the car window.”

All arrows are indicating that people start buying ecologically disastrous cars to stay safe. What do you think?

Update 2023: the electric scooter, mopeds and electric bike scene is out of control with accidents daily, usually involving pedestrians on the sidewalk.

More about public transportation in Israel:
The Tel Aviv Train Project Chugs Along
A Converted Bus in Israel
Israel a Nation of Cycling Freaks

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