Railway adventures

All we have to do is mention train travel, and we’re transported to vast imaginary worlds. We think of the advent of the railroad in the early ^19th century, and the development of rail networks that made vast lands accessible. We dream of crossing North America or India, or of the Trans-Siberian Railway linking Moscow to Vladivostok over nine thousand kilometers.

The train is undoubtedly one of writers’ favorite themes. Ever since it was invented, authors have enjoyed evoking journeys by rail, the landscapes crossed and the encounters made. Often elevated to the rank of protagonist, the railways are the stage for the wildest adventures: mysterious crimes, painful separations, unexpected reunions… It’s also a source of inspiration for the cinema, where this moving in camera setting gives rise to some of the most captivating scenarios.

Train travel, that suspended time in a closed space so conducive to daydreaming, introspection and rambling, invites us to imagine the lives of other passengers. We immerse ourselves in moments of life, observe habits, make up novels. We recall our own travels: the summer departures of childhood, the night trains, the smells, the noises that echo in the middle of the night, the stifling heat…

To accompany your vacation, we offer you guides that will invite you to discover the world in a different way on board a train, unusual stories that will fill you with wonder, and a selection of works by writers and film-makers that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the journey.

To be borrowed from June 30 to July 31, 2025 at the Agora entrance on the Riponne site.