Girona instead of Barcelona, Kanazawa instead of Kyoto, Ghent instead of Bruges, Bergamo instead of Milan — the same train, the same cuisine, half the line
Girona instead of Barcelona, Kanazawa instead of Kyoto, Ghent instead of Bruges, Bergamo instead of Milan — the same train, the same cuisine, half the line
Girona-Barcelona: 38 minutes on the AVE, average nightly rate between €90 and €140 versus €150 to €250 in Barcelona in 2026
Kyoto charges a lodging tax of up to ¥1,000 per night at luxury hotels; Kanazawa has no equivalent in the same range
Kanazawa sits roughly 2h15 from Kyoto via Tsuruga with a transfer to the Hokuriku Shinkansen
Ghent-Bruges: 30 minutes by train, hotel between €90 and €130 versus €120 to €180 in Bruges
Bergamo-Milan: 50 minutes on a regional train, nightly rate between €80 and €130 versus €150 to €220 in Milan
Girona instead of Barcelona, Kanazawa instead of Kyoto, Ghent instead of Bruges, Bergamo instead of Milan — the same train, the same cuisine, half the line
