It is certainly possible to get all over Europe without flying. We have been on holidays in Spain, Corsica, Italy, Austria and Greece without flying.
Some recent changes have made some routes easier but others more complicated. The reappearance of the Brussels - Vienna and Amsterdam - Vienna sleepers makes journeys to Austria and beyond simpler, but the through train from London to Marseille not being reinstated post-covid has made getting to Corsica less convenient, and the recent demise of the Thello (the Paris - Venice sleeper) complicates getting to Italy and onward to Greece.
millimole wrote: ↑6 Jan 2024, 11:55am
we did, and came back via Vienna and the sleeper train to Amsterdam (never again - I'm too old for that, even in the luxury compartment!)
Sympathies. Not being able to get comfortable on sleepers must be a real nuisance. It seems to vary a lot between individuals. On that particular route you might find that a private couchette compartment is more comfortable as well as cheaper than the sleeper compartment. (It is possible on that route to book a whole couchette compartment, intended for six people in medium comfort, for use by two occupants at a bit less than the fare for a two-berth sleeper compartment. The couchette compartments are a bit bigger and have two 'ground -floor' beds rather than the bunks in sleeper. The only real gains of a sleeper compartment are that you get a washbasin in the cabin and a bigger breakfast).