
Michael Portillo continues his journey through Germany, guided by his 1936 Bradshaw’s Continental Railway Guide.\n\nAt the birthplace of Germany’s first democracy, Weimar, Michael investigates the beginning of Bauhaus design and visits the movement’s first building, a family house encapsulating a vision of how people might live in the 20th century.\n\nTravelling with author Julia Boyd to Nuremberg, Michael discovers that despite the First World War and the Third Reich, Britons and Americans loved Germany and German culture in the 1930s. Michael hears how one British tourist above all was welcomed by Hitler to Germany, the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII.\n\nIn the medieval Bavarian city of Nuremberg, Michael visits the monumental buildings and parade grounds, which were the stage for vast Nazi rallies to publicise the regime around the world and arouse popular support at home. He finishes in Stuttgart, where an ambitious engineering project is underway that will integrate the city into a high-speed train route connecting Paris with Bratislava.\n\nMichael bags a ride in a high performance Porsche to the manufacturer’s Stuttgart headquarters and discovers that, in the 1930s, the founder designed an affordable car for mass production – the Beetle.
Source: BBC 2
Series 9: 15. Eger To Hortobágy
On the last leg of his journey, Michael Portillo arrives in the historic northern city of Eger. At its famous castle, he discovers how, during the 16th century, Ottoman invaders ...
23-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 14. Szeged
Before boarding his train at Budapest’s historic Nyugati station, Michael Portillo explores its sumptuous royal waiting room, built specially for the Austro-Hungarian empe ...
23-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 13. Huvösvölgy To Kobanya
Continuing his travels in Budapest, Michael Portillo begins in the small town of Huvösvölgy, in the hills above the city, at a surprising railway run almost entirely b ...
16-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 12. Budapest
Exploring the capital city by tram, Michael Portillo travels to the extraordinary open-air museum of Memento Park in the suburbs. He discovers how a collection of imposing Sovie ...
16-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 11. Sopron To Keleti
Michael Portillo begins his Hungarian adventure in the far north west of the country in the town of Sopron. He learns how a picnic for European unity on the Austrian border attr ...
09-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 10. Namur To Florenville
On the final leg of his Belgian journey, Michael Portillo travels to Namur, capital of Wallonia, to discover a citadel dating back to the 10th century. He learns about the tradi ...
09-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 9. Brussels To La Louvière
Michael Portillo’s Belgian journey takes him back to Brussels to examine a dark chapter in the country’s past. At the Museum of Africa, on the edge of the city, he l ...
02-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 8. Knokke-heist To Bruges
Continuing his Belgian tour, Michael Portillo heads to the beach resort of Knokke-Heist and the world’s longest coastal tram, which enjoys splendid views across the North ...
02-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 8: 20. Lisieux To Giverny
In the apple orchards of the Calvados region, Michael Portillo discovers how the classic digestif has been distilled since 1865 at the Pierre Huet estate. Over a selection of vi ...
28-08-2026
BBC 2
Series 8: 19. Bayeux To Argentan
At the medieval town of Bayeux, Michael Portillo heads for the Bayeux Tapestry Museum to admire the striking 70-metre-long work of art commissioned to record William the Conquer ...
27-08-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 7. Brussels To Ghent
Michael Portillo’s Belgian rail journey continues in the Dutch speaking region of Flanders.\n\nIn Antwerp, he discovers the city's historic multibillion-pound diamond indu ...
26-08-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 1. Cagliari To Porto Flavia
Michael Portillo embarks on a stunning railway adventure through the western Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Corsica, beginning in Sardinia’s capital, Cagliari.\n\nM ...
22-07-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 8. Knokke-heist To Bruges
Continuing his Belgian tour, Michael Portillo heads to the beach resort of Knokke-Heist and the world’s longest coastal tram, which enjoys splendid views across the North ...
02-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 7 (shortened Versions): Episode 2
Michael continues his rail journey through Spain with his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide. At the Museo Reina Sofia, Michael hears how the bombing of a small town in the Basque reg ...
24-06-2024
BBC 2
Series 9: 6. St Pancras To Brussels
Michael boards the Eurostar at London’s St Pancras International, bound for the Belgian capital, Brussels.\n\nIn the city centre’s sumptuous Theatre Royal, he learns ...
26-08-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 5. Vivario To Corte
Michael Portillo’s Mediterranean railway adventure reaches its finale in Corsica as he boards one of Europe’s most dramatic railways, which winds through the island& ...
19-08-2026
BBC 2
Series 8: 16. Nantes To Lorient
Michael Portillo’s rail travels take him to the north west corner of France, where he explores the beautiful and historic regions of Brittany and Normandy and learns of th ...
24-08-2026
BBC 2
Series 8: 18. Rennes To Mont Saint-michel
Michael Portillo’s railway adventure reaches Rennes, capital of Brittany. At the Lycee Emile Zola, he hears how, in 1899, the school was used as a military court for the s ...
26-08-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 9. Brussels To La Louvière
Michael Portillo’s Belgian journey takes him back to Brussels to examine a dark chapter in the country’s past. At the Museum of Africa, on the edge of the city, he l ...
02-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 9: 12. Budapest
Exploring the capital city by tram, Michael Portillo travels to the extraordinary open-air museum of Memento Park in the suburbs. He discovers how a collection of imposing Sovie ...
16-09-2026
BBC 2