Traveling through Europe in 1970 by train

If you are tired of the same type of tours and beach holidays and you are looking for inspiration for a unique and unforgettable vacation — take a look at this post about how people traveled in the 70s. A trip to Europe by train is worth thinking about, isn't it?

At the dawn of the 70s, the price of a ticket from London to Italy was only $ 24. While the train was monotonously tapping its wheels, rocking soothingly, and constantly changing landscapes flashed past the window, two strangers in the same compartment could start a conversation over slices of Bologna ham. And this conversation could last several hundred kilometers. So a new kind of travelers was born …

In July 1970, LIFE magazine sent a lucky photographer Carlo Bavagnoli to travel around Europe by train.

His story was dedicated to all budget travelers — a new wave of free-spirited graduates of American colleges who want to take a sip of freedom before putting on the yoke of a worker of capitalism.

They traveled in large groups, got acquainted, slept at train stations and played guitars while waiting for the next train.

Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. A mighty masterpiece of architecture on top of a cliff.

Of course, the option of traveling first class was also always available…

View from the window of the Mediolanum train, which swept from Milan to Munich in less than 6 hours.

The platform of the Portuguese railway station.

And the geese are quiet here…

Three American students sleep during a trip from Oslo to Bergen, Norway.

Why are standard train cars not as chic now as they were at that time?

A Spanish train sweeps past a fishing village on its way to the Costa Brava, which was not yet spoiled by mass tourism.

New Eurailpass discounts on second-class tickets gave 26 college graduates the opportunity to travel around Europe, including through France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, as well as a new mandatory stop on the route — Amsterdam!

The train passes over the bridge over the river Duero.

Checking passports at the Swiss border…

Travelers enjoy the scenery from the seven-car Italian train Settobello.

Probably, this is hardly included in the price of Eurailpass, but it's just amazing! A barber on the French Mistral train.

A steam locomotive from 1925, on which tourists are traveling from a vacation in the city of Blon.