What you learn on a 24-hour train trip through Europe

Take a map of Europe, locate Paris, and draw a line headed east. How far can you get given a full day and night? With the right mix of trains and lots of patience, it is possible to cross France and Germany, then Austria, Hungary and into Romania. That country’s second-biggest city, Cluj-Napoca, lies 1,597km (992 miles) as the crow flies from Paris, or 2,100km as the track meanders. The view from the trains—some darting, others dawdling along—offers scope for contemplation. A journey of similar length to Paris-Cluj in America, from New York City to Topeka, Kansas, would take 32 hours; in China, the 1,651km trip from Shanghai to Chengdu takes under 12 hours. Here is what you discover about Europe in 23 hours and 59 minutes staring out of a train window.Visiting places helps dispel stereotypes about them. As the train leaves the Gare de l’Est at 7:20am, Parisians are queuing for Starbucks: so much for the lazy French wary of American imports.