Train travel to

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How to buy

European Train Tickets . . .

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London to Paris for £39?  Paris to Geneva for £23?  London to Berlin for 49 euros?

Paris to Rome for 40 euros?  Amsterdam to Prague for 49 euros?

If you know where to look and book in advance, there are some amazingly cheap train fares out there for train travel to and within Europe.  There are no airport taxes to add, no baggage fees or weight limits, the trains run centre-to-centre with no extra costs getting to and from remote airports, and infants go free.  Sleeper trains can save a hotel bill, too!  This page recommends the best and cheapest way to buy train tickets both for journeys starting in the UK and for train travel around Europe, online and by phone.  The best website or agency to use depends on which journey you want to book.

Buying tickets online...

The best way to buy European train tickets is online direct from the various European train operators.  It's the cheapest way, as it means no booking fees or agency mark-ups.  It puts you in control, so you can easily browse availability & prices for different dates & departure times at your leisure.  Unfortunately, there isn't just one website for all European trains, so you will need to use different websites depending on what journey you're trying to book.  But don't worry, Seat61 will explain which website to use for which journey.  Just click one of these links:

How to buy European train tickets online if you're a UK, Irish or other European resident

How to buy European train tickets online if you're a resident of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or worldwide

There are a few situations where it can be better to buy tickets by phone:

• First, if there's a persistent technical problem with the online systems, it can save further frustration to just pick up the phone (people seem to forget you can still do this!);

• Second, if you have any very specific requirements, such as wanting a specific seat or a seat in a specific carriage;

• Third, there are many journeys that simply can't be booked online at all, for example the Lisbon-Hendaye 'Sud Express' and many eastern European journeys such as Cologne-Moscow, Warsaw-Kiev or Bucharest/Belgrade-Istanbul to name just a few;  These can all be booked by phone, although there's a few trains which can't be booked at all outside the country in question, for example trains within Greece.

• Finally, if you're booking a more complex journey online this sometimes means making two or three bookings on two or three websites, and making sure that each of these connects.  For example, London to Malaga might mean booking London-Paris & Paris-Madrid at www.raileurope.co.uk, then Madrid-Malaga with Spanish Railways at www.renfe.es.  Seat61's step-by-step instructions make this easy, but if you really find this too daunting you may prefer to book by phone and let someone do it all for you.

Buying tickets by phone...

You can usually buy exactly the same train tickets by phone as online, by calling a specialist UK European rail booking agency.  However, a booking fee (which varies between £6 and £25 depending on the agency) normally applies to phone bookings.  Some agencies are better than others for particular journeys because of the reservation systems they use, so for journeys starting in the UK, simply select your destination country from the menu on the left and the relevant country page of this website will recommend the best agency or agencies to call for that particular journey.  For general advice on which agencies to call to book European train tickets, use the links below:

How to buy European train tickets by phone or in person in the UK

How to buy European train tickets by phone or in person in the Republic of Ireland

How to buy European train tickets by phone in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand & worldwide

Just click on the city or country in which your train journey starts:

Bookings open 90 (in some cases 60) days in advance.  Remember that you can't book before reservations open, but no-one else can book before reservations open, either, so don't worry!  More information about when bookings open.

Ingenuity is sometimes required...  Bear in mind that for longer or more complex journeys, it's often necessary to break the journey into logical sections.  For example, none of the websites recommended here is capable of booking an entire journey from (say) Naples to (say) the town of Haarlem in the Netherlands all in one go.  But you can get train times from Naples to Haarlem using http://bahn.hafas.de.  Using this as a guide, you can use the Italian railways website to book the train from Naples to Milan, and once you have booked that you can use the City Night Line sleeper website to book the sleeper from Milan to Amsterdam, with your ticket printed out on your own PC printer.  The Dutch railways website will then give you fares and times for the last short hop from Amsterdam to Haarlem, but for purely domestic Dutch tickets no reservation or advance booking is necessary, you can buy this ticket when you get to Amsterdam.  A bit of creative thinking is often required!

Journeys starting in London / UK

Each seat61 country page gives specific step-by-step instructions for booking a journey from the UK to that particular European country, so just select your destination country from the menu on the left.  But just for the record, here's a general summary of the best way to buy train tickets from the UK to Europe:

...train journeys wholly within the UK:  See the UK page or Northern Ireland page

UK to Ireland:  See the Ireland page

You can buy combined train+ferry tickets from London or any station in Great Britain to Dublin online on the Ireland page from just £27 one-way, or you can buy them by phone from the SailRail telesales line on 08450 755 755.

UK to Paris & Belgium:  www.eurostar.com

If all you want is a Eurostar ticket from London to Paris or Brussels, the best way to book is online direct from Eurostar at www.eurostar.com.  Tickets will be sent to any UK, French or Belgian address or (if travelling at short notice or booking from overseas) you can choose to collect them at the station in London, Paris or Brussels using the e-ticket machines.  If you're only going one-way, see this advice on one-way Eurostar fares.  Eurostar bookings open 120 days before departure.  Although www.eurostar.com is capable of booking through tickets from London to many cities in France, it won't book overnight trains or tickets to every destination, so I'd recommend using either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents) or www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country) for destinations beyond Paris or Belgium, as they offer more destinations, give you more control over each booking, will also book overnight trains, and often offer cheaper options.  Remember that Eurostar tickets to Brussels are valid to any station in Belgium, not just Brussels, see the Belgium page.

UK to France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain:  www.raileurope.co.uk or www.voyages-sncf.com

The best way to book train journeys from London to anywhere in France and to major cities in Italy, Spain or Switzerland is online at either www.raileurope.co.uk (French Railways' UK subsidiary for UK residents, now with a new easier-to-use system, backed by UK call centre) or French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, tickets sent from France or can be collected from French stations, can be quirky, so see this advice on using it).  Reservations open 90 days before departure.   www.raileurope.co.uk will post tickets (£1.95 charge) to any UK address or allow ticket collection on departure from St Pancras or French stations (free).  www.voyages-sncf.com will post  tickets to any address in Europe and some countries worldwide free of charge, or if you leave 'France' selected as the country in which you want to receive tickets, tickets can be picked up at stations in France or in the case of the cheapest 'prems' fares you can print them out in .pdf format on your own PC printer.  Rail Europe now charges a 2% credit card fee, so use a debit card if you can.  Voyages-sncf.com charges no credit card or postage fee.

Onward tickets within Italy:  The new www.raileurope.co.uk online system can now book major internal routes within Italy, and this is the most painless way to add an onward connection to your London-Italy journey.  It's best to add the internal journey separately, in other words, don't try booking Paris-Naples all in one go, first book Paris-Rome and add to your basket, then click 'continue shopping' and book Rome-Naples as a second journey, allowing plenty of time for the connection.  The Rail Europe system won't sell all trains on every Italian route, and it charges a pound or two more than booking direct with Italian Railways, so you might prefer to book onward connections within Italy separately at the Italian Railways site, www.trenitalia.com.  The Trenitalia website has its quirks, so see this advice on using it.  Voyages-sncf.com probably won't succeed in booking many trains within Italy, so you'll probably have to use the Trenitalia website to book these.

Onward tickets within Spain:  The new www.raileurope.co.uk online system can now book major internal routes within Spain, and this is the most painless way to add an onward connection to your London-Madrid/Barcelona journey.  It's best to add the internal journey separately, in other words, don't try booking Paris-Malaga all in one go, first book Paris-Madrid and add to your basket, then click 'continue shopping' and book Madrid-Malaga as a second journey.  The Rail Europe system won't sell all trains on every Spanish route, and importantly, it will only sell full-fare fully-flexible tickets, it can't sell the cheap 'web' and 'estrella' fares available direct from the Spanish Railways themselves, so you might find it cheaper to book onward connections within Spain separately at the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.es - See this step-by-step guide to using renfe.es.  Voyages-sncf.com can't book anything in Spain beyond Madrid or Barcelona, so if you use it you'll have to book onward trains at www.renfe.es.

UK to Germany, Austria, Scandinavia & eastern Europe...

You can book the direct sleeper trains from Cologne to Prague, Vienna & Copenhagen, and from Paris to Munich & Berlin online at the German Railways sleeper train website, www.bahn.de, 'English' button at upper right.  Look for the cheap 'Savings' fares.  You pay by credit card and print out your own tickets in .PDF format, making it easy for anyone booking from any country. 

You can then book a connecting London-Cologne Eurostar+Thalys ticket using either www.eurostar.com (residents of any country, tickets sent to UK addresses or collected at the station) or www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or www.voyages-sncf.com (tickets sent to any European address).  You can book a connecting London-Paris or London-Brussels Eurostar ticket at www.eurostar.com.

Onward journeys from Munich to Salzburg & Innsbruck or Berlin to Krakow or Warsaw can then be booked at www.bahn.de.  Onward tickets from Copenhagen to Stockholm & Oslo can be booked online at www.sj.se (no booking fee) or www.bokatag.se (small booking fee) or if you can't get your credit card to work, call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English). You print your own ticket or collect them from the silver-grey SJ ticket machines at Copenhagen main station, on the left as you walk into the main entrance.

For daytime travel from London to Germany, book London-Cologne using either www.eurostar.com (residents of any country, tickets sent to UK addresses or collected at the station) or www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or www.voyages-sncf.com (tickets sent to any European address), then book connecting trains from Cologne to your German destination using www.bahn.de.

UK to the Netherlands:  See the Netherlands page. 

London to Amsterdam by Eurostar:  Simply buy a ticket to Brussels at www.eurostar.com, which is automatically valid to any station in Belgium, selecting the option to print your own ticket at home.  Then buy an Essen-Amsterdam ticket in Brussels when you get there for just 22 euros one-way, 44 euros return (this is the little Essen in Belgium just before the Dutch border, not the bigger Essen in Germany).  No advance reservation is necessary for the hourly intercity trains from Brussels to Amsterdam and the price doesn't change, you just buy a ticket at a fixed price at the ticket office and hop on.  You're now covered for the whole Brussels-Amsterdam InterCity journey, there's no need to get off at Essen.  www.eurostar.com accepts all credit cards, not just UK ones. 

London to Amsterdam or any Dutch station by train+ferry:  London-Amsterdam (or any Dutch stations) by train+ferry via Harwich-Hook of Holland can be booked online at www.dutchflyer.co.uk, see the Netherlands page for full details.

Journeys starting in Paris & France

Train journeys wholly within France

UK residents can book French train tickets through www.raileurope.co.uk, which will book any train in France, including overnight trains, with prices in pounds and tickets sent free of charge to any UK address. Non-UK residents can use the French Railways website, www.voyages-sncf.com, though it's quirky so see this advice on how to use it.   Seat reservation is compulsory for almost all French long-distance trains, and cheap advance-purchase fares called 'prems' are available if you book in advance, so it's well worth pre-booking if you can.  www.voyages-sncf.com will send tickets to most European countries.

Paris to London

There's a more-or-less hourly Eurostar train from Paris to London via the Channel Tunnel, taking just 2 hours 15 minutes, centre to centre, much faster and more comfortable than flying.  Fares from £69/89 euros return.  The best way to book Eurostar tickets is direct with Eurostar at www.eurostar.com.  If you're making a one-way journey, see this advice about one-way Eurostar fares.  See the Eurostar page for more information about Eurostar and the Eurostar journey.  You can choose to pick up tickets at the station if travelling at short notice or if booking from overseas.

From other French towns & cities to London, it's best to buy tickets using either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free of charge to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any address in Europe), see this advice on how to use these websites.  The London to France page will help with UK-France routes and train times, in either direction, and show you what French daytime TGV and overnight trains are like.

Paris to Brussels, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland

Direct high-speed trains link Paris with other European cities including Brussels (1½ hours), Amsterdam (4 hours), Luxembourg, Cologne (4½ hours), Frankfurt (4 hours), Geneva (3½ hours), Basel (3½ hours), Bern (4½ hours) & Zurich (4½ hours).  From city centre to city centre, it's usually quicker than flying, and certainly more relaxing.  The best way to book these trains is online at either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free of charge to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any address in Europe or can be picked up at the station if you select 'France').  These sites can book international train journeys from Paris and other French cities to Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Cologne, Stuttgart and others), Austria (Vienna via Munich), & Switzerland (Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Interlaken, Basel, Zurich).  The voyages-sncf.com system has quite a few quirks, so see this advice on how to use it.

Paris to Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice & Italy

There are direct overnight sleeper trains from Paris to Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Verona, Venice.  Leave central Paris at 7pm, arrive next morning in Florence at 7.15am or Rome at 9.50am.  Or leave Paris at 7.40pm, arrive in central Venice 9.35am, a short walk from the Rialto Bridge and St  Mark's Square.  Effectively faster than flying, and it'll save a hotel bill too.  There are also three daily daytime TGV trains from Paris to Turin & Milan (7 hours), and an overnight sleeper from Nice & Monte Carlo to Rome & Venice (although sadly, after over 100 years, the Nice-Rome/Venice train is to be withdrawn in June 2008).  See the London to Italy page for more information about all these Paris-Italy trains, including times, fares and on board accommodation.  The best way to book any of these trains is online at either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, new easier-to-use system, tickets sent free of charge to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any address in Europe or can be picked up at the station if you leave 'France' selected).  The voyages-sncf.com system has quite a few quirks, so before booking, see this advice on how to use it.

Onward tickets within Italy:  The raileurope.co.uk or voyages-sncf.com booking system will book the direct trains Paris-Rome or Paris-Florence, but may struggle with Paris-Naples or Paris-Pisa, both of which require a change of train.  So use raileurope or voyages-sncf to book (in this example) the Paris-Rome or Paris-Florence train, then book onward connections in Italy separately at the Italian Railways site, www.trenitalia.com, but first see this advice on using the Trenitalia website.

Paris to Madrid, Barcelona & Spain

There are excellent overnight sleeper trains called 'trainhotels' from Paris to Barcelona & Madrid, with cosy sleepers, an elegant restaurant and a bar.  Leave Paris 8.30pm, arrive Barcelona 8.30 next morning.  Leave Paris 7.40pm, arrive Madrid 9.15 next morning.  In effect it's faster than flying and it'll save a hotel bill too.  For more information about these trainhotels, including photos inside & out, see the London to Spain page or the trainhotel website, www.elipsos.com.  The best way to book these trains is online at either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free of charge to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any address in Europe, or if you leave 'France' selected you can pick up tickets at the station).  The booking system at raileurope.co.uk or voyages-sncf.com has quite a few quirks, so before booking, see this advice on how to use these websites.  These websites will also book the direct daytime trains Barcelona-Montpellier.  Residents of the USA & Canada can also book this train online using www.raileurope.com, and Australians at www.raileurope.com.au, although prices will be slightly higher.

Onward tickets within Spain:  The new raileurope.co.uk system can book onward trains within Spain, but only at full fare, not the cheap advance-booking fares.  The voyages-sncf.com booking system will book the direct trainhotels Paris-Madrid or Paris-Barcelona, but can't book onwards trains to Malaga or Alicante.  So use raileurope or voyages-sncf to book the Paris-Madrid train (for Seville or Malaga) or the Paris-Barcelona trainhotel (for Valencia or Alicante), then book onward connections in Spain separately at the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.es - see this step-by-step guide to using renfe.es.  Similarly, it may struggle with (say) Nice-Barcelona, so break the journey into logical stages, and try first booking Montpellier-Barcelona, then click 'add another ticket' and book a connecting Nice-Montpellier journey.

Paris to Prague & Poland

For Paris to Prague, Warsaw or Krakow, first book the overnight Paris-Berlin sleeper using either www.bahn.de (the German Railways sleeper website, for residents of any country, you simply print your own ticket) or www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free of charge to any UK address, a subsidiary of French Railways) or French Railways' own website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any address in Europe).  Check both the German and French sites, as for some reason if the cheapest tickets are sold out on the German site the fare on the French sites can sometimes be cheaper.  Then book a connecting ticket from Berlin to Prague, Warsaw or Krakow using www.bahn.de.  The London to Poland and London to the Czech Republic pages may help with train times, the Brussels to Berlin sleeper referred to on those pages in fact starts in Paris.

Paris to Austria, Budapest, Ljubljana, Zagreb

For Paris to Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Ljubljana or Zagreb, first book the overnight Paris-Munich sleeper train using either www.bahn.de (for residents of any country, you simply print your own ticket) or www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free of charge to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any address in Europe).  Then book a connecting daytime train from Munich to Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Ljubljana or Zagreb using www.bahn.de.  Allow at least 25 minutes to change trains in Munich.

Paris to Copenhagen & Denmark, Sweden, Norway

You can book the direct Cologne-Copenhagen sleeper using www.bahn.de, and print out your own tickets.  Then book a connecting Paris-Cologne Thalys high-speed train using either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free of charge to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any address in Europe).  Allow at least 30 minutes to change trains in Cologne.  Onward tickets from Copenhagen to Stockholm & Oslo can be booked online at www.sj.se (no booking fee) or www.bokatag.se (small booking fee) or if you can't get your credit card to work, call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English). Tickets are collected from the SJ ticket machines at Copenhagen main station.

Paris to Athens & Greece

Paris to Athens takes less than 48 hours via the ferry from Italy, and it's a great journey.  It can be booked online in 3 stages, see the London to Greece page for times, fares and how to buy tickets, just ignore the London-Paris part.  The overland journey from Paris to Athens via Belgrade or Bucharest cannot be booked online it has to be booked by phone.

Paris to Portugal, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey

Journeys from Paris to Portugal, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey cannot be booked online, they need to be booked by phone.

Journeys starting in Brussels & Belgium

Train journeys wholly within Belgium

You can check Belgian train times & fares at www.b-rail.be, and buy tickets online.  But  Belgian internal trains don't require seat reservations, you just buy a ticket at the station and hop on, so no need to book in advance.  The price is a kilometric tariff, so the price is the same even if you buy tickets at the station on the day of travel.  However, buying a print-your-own .pdf format ticket online can save time at the ticket office.

Brussels to London

There are regular Eurostar trains from Brussels to London, taking just 1 hour 55 minutes or so.  The best way to book is online direct with Eurostar at www.eurostar.com.  You can choose to pick up tickets at the station if booking at short notice or from overseas.  If you're only going one-way, see this advice on one-way Eurostar fares.

Brussels to Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne & Germany

High-speed 'Thalys' trains link Brussels with Paris (1½ hours), Amsterdam (3 hours) or Cologne (2½ hours).  Although you can book these at www.thalys.com, I'd recommend using www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European address) as these can also book Thalys trains and are usually easier to use.  Note that the hourly intercity (i.e. non-Thalys) trains from Brussels to Amsterdam need no reservation, you can easily buy a ticket on the day at the station and just hop on, which makes them easier to use than Thalys if you're only going Brussels-Amsterdam.  Top tip for Thalys one-way journeys:  Check Thalys return fares even for a one-way trip as these can be cheaper.  Book onwards trains from Cologne into Germany using www.bahn.de.

The German Railways website, www.bahn.de can book ICE trains (but not Thalys trains) from Brussels to Cologne, Frankfurt and onwards into Germany.

Brussels to Vienna, Prague, Krakow, Warsaw, Copenhagen (via Cologne)

Journeys from Brussels to Vienna, Prague, Warsaw, Copenhagen or Milan can be booked online in two stages.  First, book the direct overnight sleeper train from Cologne to Vienna/Prague/Copenhagen at www.bahn.de.  Then book a connecting Brussels-Cologne Thalys train using either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European address).  Allow at least 30 minutes in Cologne to make a safe connection.  Onward connections from Milan to other Italian cities can be booked separately at the Italian Railways site, www.trenitalia.com, but first see this advice on using the Trenitalia website.  Onward tickets from Copenhagen to Stockholm & Oslo can be booked online at www.sj.se (no booking fee) or www.bokatag.se (small booking fee) or if you can't get your credit card to work, call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English). Tickets are collected from the SJ ticket machines at Copenhagen main station.

Brussels to Switzerland

The two daily direct daytime trains from Brussels to Basel & Zurich can be booked online at either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European address).  There is now no direct sleeper, but it's possible to use the Cologne-Switzerland sleeper booked at www.bahn.de with a connecting Brussels-Cologne ticket booked at www.raileurope.co.uk or www.voyages-sncf.com.  Allow at least 30 minutes in Cologne for connections, and remember that for a one-way trip on Thalys, return fares can be cheaper than one-way fares.

Brussels to Italy (via Paris) & the South of France

Journeys from Brussels to the South of France or Italy via Paris can also be booked, usually in two stages (first book Paris-Italy then book Brussels-Paris), at www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European address).

Brussels to Spain

Take a high-speed Thalys train to Paris (Gare du Nord), change stations, then take the 'trainhotel' sleeper train from Paris (Gare d'Austerlitz) to Madrid or Barcelona overnight with sleepers, restaurant & bar.  Journeys from Brussels to Spain can be booked in two separate stages, Brussels-Paris & Paris-Madrid/Barcelona using either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European address).  Onwards tickets from Madrid to Seville/Malaga or Barcelona to Valencia/Alicante can be booked online at www.renfe.es.  For more information about these trainhotels, including photos inside & out, see the London to Spain page or the trainhotel website, www.elipsos.com.

Journeys starting in Amsterdam & the Netherlands

Train journeys wholly within the Netherlands

You can check Dutch train times and fares at www.ns.nl.  Dutch trains don't require seat reservations, you just buy a ticket at the station and hop on, so no need to book in advance.  The price is a kilometric tariff, so the price is the same even if you buy tickets at the station on the day of travel.

Amsterdam to London

You can travel from Amsterdam to London either by Eurostar via Brussels (5½ hours) or by train+ferry via Hoek van Holland-Harwich (either daytime or overnight with cabin).

Amsterdam-London by train+ferry:  This is usually the cheapest option.  See the London to the Netherlands page.

Amsterdam-London by Eurostar:  You can book a ticket from any Dutch station to London via Eurostar using www.nshispeed.nl.  You print out your own ticket.  Alternatively, buy a Eurostar ticket from Brussels to London online at www.eurostar.com, selecting the option to print out your own ticket at home.  This is automatically valid from any station in Belgium to London.  Then all you need to do is buy an open ticket from Amsterdam to Essen for around 26 euros one-way, 52 euros return (the little Essen in Belgium, not the better-known bigger Essen in Germany).  You can buy this at the station on the day of travel, as no advance reservation is necessary for the hourly intercity trains from Amsterdam to Brussels and the price doesn't change, you just buy a ticket at a fixed price and hop on, and you're now covered for the whole Amsterdam-Brussels InterCity journey, no need to get off at Essen.  This is usually the easiest and cheapest way to book an Amsterdam-London train journey.

Amsterdam to Paris & Brussels

There are high-speed Thalys trains from Amsterdam, Den Haag & Rotterdam to Brussels (3 hours) and Paris (4½ hours), city centre to city centre, faster than flying.  Although you can book these online at www.thalys.com, I'd recommend using www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European address) as the Thalys website directs you to an awkward Dutch website for Thalys journeys starting in the Netherlands, with tickets only sent to addresses in the Netherlands.  Top tip for Thalys one-way journeys:  check Amsterdam-Paris return fares even for a one-way trip as these can be cheaper.  There is also an hourly InterCity (i.e. non-Thalys) train between Amsterdam, Den Haag, Rotterdam, Antwerp & Brussels, which needs no reservation, just turn up, buy a ticket at the station and hop on.  In many ways this is much easier to use than Thalys.  It's cheaper than Thalys if you pay on the day, but Thalys has cheaper fares available if you can book in advance on a no-refunds, no-changes-to-travel-plans basis.

Amsterdam to major cities in Germany, also Innsbruck, Salzburg, Ljubljana, Zagreb

There are high-speed InterCityExpress (ICE) trains from Amsterdam to Düsseldorf, Cologne and Frankfurt, and InterCity (IC) trains from Amsterdam to Berlin.  The German Railways website, www.bahn.de can book international tickets for daytime trains from Amsterdam to Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin and other cities in Germany.  www.bahn.de can also book the City Night Line overnight sleeper trains from Amsterdam to Stuttgart & Munich.  You can then book connecting daytime trains from Munich to Innsbruck, Salzburg, Ljubljana or Zagreb using www.bahn.de.

Amsterdam to Prague, Copenhagen, Switzerland...

There are excellent 'City Night Line' overnight sleeper trains direct from Amsterdam to Basel & Zurich in Switzerland, to Stuttgart & Munich in Germany, and to Prague & Copenhagen.  Leave central Amsterdam at 7pm, arrive in Prague city centre at 9.30am next morning!  Or leave Amsterdam at 8.30pm, arrive Zurich at 8.20am next morning.  All these trains have couchettes (4 & 6-bunk) and sleepers (1, 2 & 3 bed rooms, some with private shower & toilet, breakfast included.  You can easily book all these sleeper trains at the German Railways sleeper train website, www.bahn.de.  You pay by credit card and simply print out your own ticket in .PDF format.  Connecting tickets from Milan onwards to Florence, Rome or Venice can be booked online at www.trenitalia.com, but see this advice on using the Trenitalia website.  Onward tickets from Basel or Zurich to any station in Switzerland can be bought on board the sleeper train, for about 29 euros each way (ask your sleeper attendant for a Swiss connection ticket).  Onward tickets from Copenhagen to Stockholm & Oslo can be booked online at www.sj.se (no booking fee) or www.bokatag.se (small booking fee) or if you can't get your credit card to work, call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English). Tickets are collected from the SJ ticket machines at Copenhagen main station.

Amsterdam to Spain

Take a lunchtime high-speed Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris (Gare du Nord) in just 4½ hours, then take the overnight 'trainhotel' from Paris (Gare d'Austerlitz) to Madrid or Barcelona, arriving next morning.  For more information about these trainhotels, including photos inside and out, see the London to Spain page or the trainhotel website, www.elipsos.com.  Journeys from the Netherlands to Spain can be booked in two separate stages, using either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European address).  First book Paris-Madrid/Barcelona.  Then  click 'add another ticket' and book an Amsterdam-Paris train, allowing at least 90 minutes to change trains and stations in Paris.  Onwards tickets from Madrid to destinations such as Seville, Malaga or Granada, or from Barcelona to Valencia or Alicante can be booked separately at www.renfe.es.

Amsterdam to Portugal, Russia, Poland, Ukraine

There is a direct sleeper train from Amsterdam to Warsaw (taking 1 night) & Moscow (taking 2 nights), but unfortunately it cannot be booked online, only by phone.  Journeys to Portugal & Ukraine also need to be booked by phone.

Journeys starting in Switzerland

Train journeys wholly within Switzerland

You can check fares and train times at www.sbb.ch, and buy tickets online.  However, apart from a few tourist trains such as the Glacier Express, Swiss trains don't require seat reservations, you just buy a ticket at the station and hop on, so no need to book in advance.  The price is a kilometric tariff, so the price is the same even if you buy tickets at the station on the day of travel.

Switzerland to Paris & London

There are direct high-speed TGV trains from Switzerland to Paris, for example Geneva to Paris 3½ hours, Zurich to Paris 4½ hours.  You can book Switzerland to Paris journeys at either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any address in Europe).  If you click 'add another ticket' after booking the Switzerland-Paris train you can book a connecting Eurostar from Paris to London at the same site.  See this advice on how to use these websites.  See the London to Switzerland page for more information, including Switzerland-London train times.

Switzerland to Italy

There are daytime trains from Swiss cities to Milan, Florence & Venice, although sleeper trains from Swiss cities (for example, Bern & Zurich) to Rome will cease in December 2009.  Switzerland-Italy journeys can be booked at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents), www.raileurope.com (US/Canadian residents), and www.raileurope.com.au (Australian/NZ residents), www.raileurope.co.za (South Africa).

Switzerland to Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Copenhagen

There are excellent 'City Night Line' sleeper trains from Zurich or Basel direct to Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne & Copenhagen, with couchettes (6 & 4 bunk) and sleepers (1, 2 & 3 bed, some with private shower & toilet, breakfast included).  You can easily book these using www.bahn.de, you simply print out your own ticket.  Onward tickets from Copenhagen to Stockholm & Oslo can be booked online at www.sj.se (no booking fee) or www.bokatag.se (small booking fee) or if you can't get your credit card to work, call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English). Tickets are collected from the SJ ticket machines at Copenhagen main station.

Switzerland to Germany

The German Railways website www.bahn.de can book many journeys from Switzerland to Germany, for example St Moritz to Munich or Zurich to Frankfurt or Berlin.

Switzerland to Austria

There is a direct sleeper train from Zurich to Vienna, with both couchettes and sleeping-cars, some sleepers with private shower and toilet.  It appears to be bookable in either direction using the Austrian Railways website, www.oebb.at, as you simply print out your own ticket in .PDF format.  Simply change 'language' to 'English' top right, then click 'International tickets', then make your booking.  If you manage to book this train this way, let me know!  Daytime EuroCity trains from Zurich to Innsbruck, Salzburg & Vienna via the amazingly scenic Arlberg Pass cannot easily be booked online, but must be booked by phone, although residents of the USA & Canada may be able to book this train online using www.raileurope.com, and Australians at www.raileurope.com.au.

Switzerland to Spain

There's an excellent 'trainhotel' from Zurich, Bern & Geneva to Barcelona in Spain, with cosy sleepers, restaurant car & bar.  It now runs 3 times a week all year round (though it used to run daily in summer).  Change in Barcelona for Madrid, Valencia, Alicante.  UK residents can book this train at www.raileurope.co.uk.  Residents of the USA & Canada can book this train online using www.raileurope.com, and Australians can book at www.raileurope.com.au.  It cannot be booked at other sites.

Switzerland to eastern Europe

There's a direct sleeper train from Basel to Prague which you can book online at www.bahn.de, you pay online and print out your own ticket.  Other trains to eastern Europe are not generally bookable online, but must be booked by phone.

Journeys starting in Italy

Train journeys wholly within Italy

You can book Italian train tickets online at www.trenitalia.com, but first see this advice on using it.  Seat reservation is now required on most long-distance trains (and included in tickets bought online), although outside busy holiday periods it's easy to buy tickets at the station on the day of travel if you want.  There's little if any price advantage in buying in advance as there are few if any advance purchase deals, just normal fares.  However, booking online offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option on most fast trains, where you book and pay online and simply quote your booking reference to the conductor on board the train.  It's painless and works a treat, with no need to queue at the ticket office.  See this advice on using the trenitalia website, and if you have any problems, buy your Italian train tickets from either www.raileurope.co.uk (if you're in the UK, best prices but not all Italian trains featured) or Seat61 UK Railshop (if you're in the UK, all Italian trains featured), www.raileurope.com (if you're in the USA), www.raileurope.ca (if you're in Canada) or the Seat61 Australian Railshop (if you're in Australia or NZ)

Italy to Paris, London, Nice, Monte Carlo, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne

There are direct sleeper trains with couchettes (6 & 4 bunk) and sleepers (1, 2 & 3 bed) from Rome, Florence, Bologna, Venice & Verona to Paris, also 3 daytime TGV trains from Milan to Paris (7 hours).  Leave Rome 6.40pm, arrive Paris 9.10am next morning!  See the London to Italy page for more information about times, fares and on board accommodation.  The Italian railways website, www.trenitalia.com, can book these trains.  It can also book some other Italy-France trains.  First, see this advice on using the Trenitalia website.  Look for 'smart price' fares as these are the advance-purchase cheap deals.  Tickets can be picked up at any main station in Italy (ideal for people living outside Italy), or posted to any Italian address.

However, you may find it easier to use www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any address in Europe).  After booking the Italy-Paris train, click 'add another ticket' and use the same website to book a connecting Eurostar from Paris to London (advice on one-way Eurostar fares) or Thalys train from Paris to Brussels, Amsterdam or Cologne.  Before booking, see this advice on using the raileurope/sncf booking system.

Italy to Germany, Innsbruck

The German Railways website www.bahn.de (English button top right) can book sleeper trains from Italy to Germany (for example Rome-Munich, Venice-Munich or Milan-Frankfurt/Cologne), from Milan to Amsterdam, and from Rome or Venice to Innsbruck in Austria.  You print out your own ticket in .pdf format.  If it covers your route, this site is also easier to use than Trenitalia.

www.trenitalia.com, can book international trains from major cities in Italy to Germany & Austria.  See this advice on using the Trenitalia website.  Look for 'smart price' fares as these are the advance-purchase cheap deals.  Tickets can be picked up at any main station in Italy (ideal for people living outside Italy), or posted to any Italian address.  Trenitalia.com sometimes struggles with overseas credit cards, so if it does try calling your bank to un-block the trenitalia website, or simply buy Italian international tickets from the www.raileurope.co.uk (if you're in the UK), www.raileurope.com (if you're in the USA), www.raileurope.ca (if you're in Canada) or the Seat61 Rail Shop Australia (if you're in Australia or NZ).

Italy to Vienna, Prague, Switzerland, Ljubljana

www.trenitalia.com, can book international trains from major cities in Italy to Switzerland, Austria & Venice-Ljubljana trains.  But first, see this advice on using the Trenitalia website.  Look for 'smart price' fares as these are the advance-purchase cheap deals.  Tickets can be picked up at any main station in Italy (ideal for people living outside Italy), or posted to any Italian address.  Trenitalia.com sometimes struggles with overseas credit cards, so if it does try calling your bank to un-block the trenitalia website, or buy Italian international tickets from www.raileurope.co.uk (if you're in the UK), www.raileurope.com (if you're in the USA), www.raileurope.ca (if you're in Canada) or the Seat61 Rail Shop Australia (if you're in Australia or NZ).

Italy to Spain

There's an excellent 'trainhotel' from Milan & Turin to Barcelona in Spain, with cosy sleepers, restaurant & bar.  Change in Barcelona for Madrid, Valencia, Alicante.  It now runs 3 times a week all year round (though it used to run daily in summer).  UK residents can book this train at www.raileurope.co.uk.  Residents of the USA & Canada can book this train online using www.raileurope.com, and Australians can book at www.raileurope.com.au.  It can't be booked online using other European systems as yet.

Journeys starting in Spain

Train journeys wholly within Spain

You can book almost any long distance train in Spain online at www.renfe.es, with cheap 'Web' and 'Estrella' fares shown and no booking or postage fees, you simply print out your own ticket.  However, see this step-by-step guide to using renfe.es first.  It can't handle journeys involving a change of train, so for example Bilbao to Seville changing in Madrid will need to be booked as Bilbao-Madrid then Madrid-Seville.

Spain to Paris, London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne

The easiest way for UK residents to buy tickets from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris on the overnight trainhotel sleeper trains is using www.raileurope.co.uk, and after booking this you can add it to your basket, click 'continue shopping' and add a Eurostar ticket from Paris to London as part of the same transaction (or for that matter, a Thalys ticket from Paris to Brussels, Amsterdam or Cologne if you like).  Allow at least 90 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris.

Alternatively, residents of any country can now use the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.es to buy tickets for the Madrid or Barcelona to Paris trainhotels, and you simply print out your own ticket, with no postage or booking fee, and all the cheap fares shown if available.  However, see this step-by-step guide to using renfe.es first.  It's often worth checking the fares on renfe.es as well as www.raileurope.co.uk as they can sometimes be cheaper.  Onward tickets from Paris to London can be booked at www.eurostar.com.  Onward tickets from Paris to Amsterdam, Brussels or Cologne can be booked using www.voyages-sncf.com, with ticket collection in Paris (see advice on using voyages-sncf.com).  Allow at least 90 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris.

You can book any connecting trains within Spain (for example, Malaga to Madrid, or Alicante to Barcelona) at www.renfe.es. 

On www.raileurope.co.uk or www.voyages-sncf.com, if it struggles with (for example) Barcelona-Nice, try booking Barcelona-Montpellier on one of the direct trains first, then click 'add another ticket' and book a connecting Montpellier-Nice train.  Creative thinking may be required!

Spain to Switzerland & Italy

There's an excellent 'trainhotel' from Barcelona to Bern & Zurich in Switzerland (change in Zurich for Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna) and from Barcelona to Turin & Milan (change for Rome, Florence, Venice).  It now runs 3 times a week all year round.  It has reclining seats, sleepers (including some 'gran clase' with private shower), restaurant and bar.  Several websites will book these trains:  UK residents can book this train at www.raileurope.co.uk.  Residents of the USA & Canada can book this train online using www.raileurope.com, and Australians can book at www.raileurope.com.au.  Residents of any country can now book these trainhotels at www.renfe.es (see step by step advice on using renfe.es) and print out their own ticket - and indeed, this is usually the cheapest way to buy these tickets as cheap fares are often available and there are no booking or postage fees, you print out your own ticket.

Spain to Portugal

There's an excellent 'trainhotel' sleeper train from Madrid to Lisbon, with sleepers, reclining seats, restaurant & bar.  Residents of any country can book this train at www.renfe.es (see advice on using renfe.es), and this is now the cheapest way to buy tickets for this train, as cheap fares are often available which are not shown on other websites, and there are no booking fees or postage fees, you simply print out your own ticket.  Alternatively, UK residents can book this train online at www.raileurope.co.uk, which can be easier to use, just select Madrid to Lisbon with an evening departure.  Residents of the USA & Canada can book this train online using www.raileurope.com, and Australians can book at www.raileurope.com.au. 

There's no rail link from southern Spain into the Algarve, but there are Seville-Faro buses several times daily, see www.alsa.es.

Journeys starting in Portugal

www.cp.pt allows online booking of Lisbon-Porto and Lisbon-Algarve trains, and UK residents can also book tickets between Lisbon, Porto & Faro using www.raileurope.co.uk.

There's an excellent 'trainhotel' sleeper train Lisbon to Madrid, with sleepers (some 'gran clase' with private shower & toilet), reclining seats, restaurant & bar.  Residents of any country can book this train at www.renfe.es (but first see this advice on using renfe.es), and this is now the cheapest way to buy tickets for this train, as cheap 'Web' & 'Estrella' advance-purchase fares are often available which are not shown on other websites, and there are no booking fees or postage fees, you simply print out your own ticket.  Alternatively, UK residents can book this train online at www.raileurope.co.uk, which can be easier to use, just select Lisbon to Madrid with an evening departure.  Residents of the USA & Canada can book this train online using www.raileurope.com, and Australians can book at www.raileurope.com.au.  Unfortunately, the Sud Express from Lisbon to the French frontier cannot be booked online anywhere.

Journeys starting in Germany

Train journeys wholly within Germany

www.bahn.de will book all German long-distance daytime trains and City Night Line overnight sleeper trains.  Seat reservation is optional on most German long-distance trains, compulsory on overnight sleepers, but there are some great advance-purchase fares if you book in advance, so pre-booking is recommended.  Tickets sent to any address or in some cases you can print your own tickets.

Germany to London

www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European address) can book Cologne-London tickets.  The Berlin-Paris & Munich-Paris sleeper trains can be booked online at either www.raileurope.co.uk or the German railways website www.bahn.de (English button at the top, you print out your own tickets), then you can book a connecting Eurostar ticket from Paris or Brussels to London using www.eurostar.com.  See the London to Germany page for train times and more information.  Also see this advice about one-way Eurostar fares.

Germany to Paris

www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European address) can book the direct international daytime trains from Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart & Munich to Paris, also the sleeper trains from Munich, Berlin & Hamburg to Paris.  The German Railways website www.bahn.de (English button top right) can also book sleeper trains between Germany and Paris.  You just print out your own ticket.

Germany to Amsterdam, Brussels, Austria, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, Poland, Prague, Ljubljana, Zagreb (by daytime trains)

The German railways website, www.bahn.de can book tickets for many direct international daytime trains starting in Germany.

Germany to Austria, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, Prague (by sleeper train)

The German Railways website www.bahn.de (English button top right) can book sleeper trains between Germany and Austria, Italy, France, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland.  You just print out your own ticket.  Onward tickets from Copenhagen to Stockholm & Oslo can be booked online at www.sj.se (no booking fee) or www.bokatag.se (small booking fee) or if you can't get your credit card to work, call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English). Tickets are collected from the SJ ticket machines at Copenhagen main station.

Germany to Spain

www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European address) can book the Paris-Madrid & Paris-Barcelona overnight 'trainhotels'.  As a separate transaction, it can then book a connecting Thalys train from Cologne to Paris.  You can also travel Munich-Zurich by daytime train then by trainhotel overnight to Barcelona, but this isn't yet bookable online.

Journeys starting in Austria

Train journeys wholly within Austria

www.oebb.at.  Seat reservation is optional on most Austrian internal trains, so there's little advantage in pre-booking, you can just turn up buy a ticket and hop on.

Austria to London, Brussels

Starting in Vienna, first book Vienna-Cologne using the German Railways website www.bahn.de (English button top right, you print out your own tickets).  Then book a connecting Cologne-Brussels or Cologne-London ticket by Thalys or Thalys+Eurostar using either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European address).  Allow at least 30 minutes to change trains in Cologne.  On Thalys and Eurostar, return tickets are often cheaper than one-way fares, so check both if you're making a one-way trip.  Starting in Innsbruck or Salzburg, first book the Munich-Paris sleeper train at German Railways website www.bahn.de (English button top right, you print out your own tickets).  Then book a connecting Eurostar from Paris to London using www.eurostar.com.  Finally, use www.bahn.de again to book a connecting Innsbruck or Salzburg to Munich train.  See the London to Austria page for more information on Austria to London journeys.

Austria to Germany, Amsterdam

The German Railways website www.bahn.de (English button top right) can book sleeper trains from Austria to Germany (for example, Vienna to Berlin, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf or Cologne), Austria to the Netherlands (Vienna to Amsterdam, change of train required in Cologne) and from Innsbruck to Venice or Rome in Italy.  You simply pay online and print out your own ticket in .PDF format.  Easy!  Daytime trains can be also booked at www.bahn.de.

Austria to Italy or Switzerland

The Austrian railways website, www.oebb.at, can book many international journeys starting in Austria, with many cheap deals available online if you book in advance, for example Vienna to Rome or Zurich or Venice with a couchette from 49 euros.  Change 'language' to 'English' top right, then click 'Online-tickets' top left, then 'International tickets', then make your booking.  You print out your own ticket in .PDF format.  Easy!

Austria to Spain

The best route is Vienna/Salzburg/Innsbruck to Vienna by scenic daytime train, then overnight aboard the excellent Zurich-Barcelona 'trainhotel'.  You can find trainhotel fares and train times at www.elipsos.com.  UK residents can book the Zurich-Barcelona train at www.raileurope.co.uk, US & Canadian residents can book online using www.raileurope.com, and Australians can book at www.raileurope.com.au.  Onward trains within Spain are best booked using www.renfe.es.

Austria to Budapest

You can easily buy Vienna-Budapest tickets at the station, as no reservation is required, or you can book online at www.oebb.at with special advance-purchase offers from 19 euros (£17) one-way. Change 'language' to 'English' top right, then click 'Online-tickets' top left, then 'International tickets', then make your booking.  You print out your own ticket in .PDF format.  UK residents can also book online at  www.raileurope.co.uk, but without any offers.

Austria to Prague

Book Vienna-Prague trains using www.oebb.at, with special offers from 29 euros one-way. Change 'language' to 'English' top right, then click 'Online-tickets' top left, then 'International tickets', then make your booking.  You print out your own ticket in .PDF format.   If you're a UK resident, you can book Vienna-Prague online at www.raileurope.co.uk, but no special offers.

Austria to Bratislava

Try www.oebb.at.  If you're a UK resident, you can book Vienna-Bratislava online at www.raileurope.co.uk, though it will cost a pound or two more than buying locally.

Austria to Warsaw, Krakow

If you're a UK resident, you can book Vienna-Prague online at www.raileurope.co.uk.  Or buy at the station, which will be cheapest.

Journeys starting in Denmark

...wholly within Denmark

www.dsb.dk will book Danish internal long-distance trains, though you may have to use it in Danish (no real problem!).  Seat reservation is optional on most Danish internal trains.

Copenhagen to London, Paris, Brussels

First book the Copenhagen-Cologne sleeper online at www.bahn.de.  You simply print out your own ticket.  Then book a connecting ticket from Cologne to Brussels, Paris or London using either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent free to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European address).  Allow at least 30 minutes to change trains in Cologne.  On Thalys and Eurostar, return tickets are often cheaper than one-way fares, so check both if you're making a one-way trip.  See the London to Denmark page for more information, including the direct Denmark-UK ferry option with DFDS Seaways.

Copenhagen to Germany, Amsterdam, Switzerland, Austria

The German Railways website www.bahn.de (English button top right) can book sleeper trains between Copenhagen and Germany (Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt), Copenhagen to Amsterdam, and from Copenhagen to Basel in Switzerland.  You just print out your own ticket.  Daytime trains between Copenhagen and Germany can also be booked at www.bahn.de.

Copenhagen to Sweden, Norway, Finland

There are two ways to book trains from Copenhagen to Stockholm, Gothenburg or Oslo.  The easy but expensive way is to use www.raileurope.co.uk, with tickets sent to any UK address.  Rail Europe charges a standard fixed price for Copenhagen-Stockholm trains for all dates and departures, this is the international tariff made available to other European railway operators by the Swedish Railways.  The second, far cheaper way is to book using either www.sj.se (no booking fee, see my advice on using it here) or www.bokatag.se (English button bottom right, small booking fee).  On both www.sj.se & www.bokatag.se you'll see the actual Swedish Railways prices, which vary like budget airline fares.  If you book several months in advance you can find really cheap fares available, much cheaper than with Rail Europe, rising to pretty much the same level as Rail Europe closer to departure.  You pay online and collect your ticket from the Swedish Railways (SJ) ticket machines which have been installed at Copenhagen main station.  If you can't get your credit card to work on either of these sites, simply call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English).  For overnight ferries Stockholm to Helsinki, see www.silja.com or www.vikingline.com.

Journeys starting in Sweden

Train journeys wholly within Sweden

You can book Swedish trains at www.sj.se (no booking fee, see my advice on using it here) or www.bokatag.se (small booking fee).  Tickets are collected from the self-service machines at all main stations, or you can print your own ticket.  If you can't get your credit card to work on either of these sites, simply call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English).  Seat reservation is compulsory on most long-distance trains, and there are cheap deals if you book in advance, much more expensive fares if you pay on the day of travel.

Stockholm to Copenhagen, Oslo & the rest of Europe

You can book trains from Stockholm to Copenhagen or Oslo at either www.sj.se (no booking fee, see my advice on using it here) or www.bokatag.se (English button bottom right, small booking fee), with ticket collection from the SJ ticket machines at all Swedish stations and also installed at Oslo & Copenhagen, or print your own ticket.   If you can't get your credit card to work on either of these sites, simply call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English).  There are some great cheap deals available if you book in advance.  Onward travel from Copenhagen can then be booked as suggested in the Journeys starting in Denmark section above.  UK residents can book trains from Stockholm to Copenhagen online at www.raileurope.co.uk, though the price is usually higher than using sj.se or bokatag.se.

Stockholm to Finland

Overnight cruise ferries from Stockholm to Helsinki can be booked online at www.silja.com or www.vikingline.com.

Journeys starting in Norway

Train journeys wholly within Norway

www.nsb.no will book Norwegian internal long distance trains.  The 'English' button is top right.  Seat reservation is compulsory on most long-distance trains, and there are cheap deals if you book in advance so it's well worth pre-booking.  When you reach the fares page, use the drop-down list of fare types to see if you can change 'ordinaer' (full fare) to 'minipris' (cheap advance purchase fare, which only appears if there is a minipris available, either 199Kr, 299Kr or 399Kr depending on availability).  'Okonomi' means standard class, any fare including the word 'Komfort' means first class with larger seats, more space, laptop power points and complimentary tea and coffee. 

Oslo to Stockholm, Copenhagen, Gothenburg

www.sj.se (no booking fee, see my advice on using it here) or www.bokatag.se (English button bottom right, small booking fee, accepts all cards) will book international trains from Oslo to Stockholm, Gothenburg & Copenhagen.  You pay online and pick up your tickets from a Swedish Railways (SJ) ticket machine installed outside the NSB travel centre at Oslo Central station.   If you can't get your credit card to work on either of these sites, simply call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English).  UK residents can also book trains from Oslo to Copenhagen online at www.raileurope.co.uk, though only the full-fare international tariff is offered.  Onward journeys from Copenhagen to Paris, London, Germany etc should be booked as per the Journeys starting in Denmark section.

Journeys starting in Finland

Journeys wholly within Finland

www.vr.fi will book any Finnish long-distance train.

Helsinki to St Petersburg & Moscow

The two daily Helsinki-St Petersburg trains and the overnight Helsinki-Moscow train cannot be booked online, but can be booked by email with Finnish Railways, see the Finland page.

Helsinki to Stockholm

The overnight cruise ferries from Helsinki to Stockholm can be booked with www.silja.com or www.vikingline.com.

Helsinki to Germany

The cruise ferry from Helsinki to Rostock in Germany can be booked with www.superfast.com.  You can book onward trains Rostock-Berlin at http://bahn.hafas.de then travel on to Paris, Switzerland etc. as shown in the 'Journeys starting in Germany' section above.

Journeys starting in Prague & the Czech Republic

Prague to London, Brussels

See the London to Prague page for train times, fares and how to buy tickets.

Prague to Germany, Amsterdam

The German Railways website www.bahn.de can book sleeper trains between Copenhagen and Germany (Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt), and from Copenhagen to Amsterdam.  The Czech railways online shop, www.eshop.cd.cz, can book tickets from Prague to Berlin, Munich or Hamburg by daytime trains, an you print out your own ticket.

Prague to Krakow, Warsaw, Budapest, Bucharest, Vienna, Italy

There are direct daytime and sleeper trains from Prague to Krakow, Warsaw, Budapest, Vienna & Venice, but these journeys can't generally be booked online using European systems.  UK residents may be able to book the trains from Prague to Krakow online at www.raileurope.co.uk.

The Czech Railways ticketing website www.eshop.cd.cz can book daytime trains (but not overnight sleeper trains) from Prague to major cities in neighbouring countries, including Krakow & Warsaw, Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, Dresden & Berlin, at cheap Czech prices (Feedback from anyone who uses this system would be welcome).

Journeys starting in Poland

You can book Polish domestic intercity trains such as Warsaw-Krakow at www.intercity.com.pl.  This also gives some international fares from Poland but international trains generally have to be booked at the station or via an agency.

Alternatively, contact highly-recommended Polish train ticketing agency www.polrail.com, who can arrange train tickets for travel within Poland, or for international trains starting in Poland, for example Warsaw to Moscow, or Krakow to Prague. 

UK residents can easily book Warsaw-Berlin or Krakow-Berlin trains online at www.raileurope.co.uk, though you may pay a pound or two more than ordering by hone through Deutsche Bahn.

The cheapest way of booking daytime (but not sleeper) trains from Warsaw or Krakow to Prague is online at the Czech Railways shop, www.eshop.cd.cz - you simply print out your own ticket.

Journeys starting in other eastern European countries

Journeys starting in other eastern European countries generally can't be booked online, but need to be booked by phone.  You might also consider simply buying them at the station.  One exception:  tickets to Prague from Budapest, Bratislava etc can be booked online at the Czech Railways shop, www.eshop.cd.cz - you simply print out your own ticket.  Fares for international journeys in eastern Europe are difficult to find online, so here are some approximate fares as a rough guide.  These are all one-way adult 2nd class fares.  1st class fares are 50% more than the 2nd class fare.  Returns are normally twice the one-way, but in many cases there are reductions for return tickets.  Children under 12 travel at half fare.

Prague-Krakow 35 euros* Prague-Budapest 57 euros* Prague-Vienna 48 euros Prague-Bratislava 44 euros Prague-Bucharest 153 euros Prague-Belgrade 82 euros Prague-Warsaw 65 euros Budapest-Krakow 64 euros Budapest-Prague 69 euros* Budapest-Bratislava 28 euros Budapest-Bucharest 80 euros Budapest-Vienna 37 euros

Budapest-Warsaw 83 euros Budapest-Moscow 97 euros Budapest-Istanbul 124 euros Budapest-Belgrade 39 euros Budapest-Sofia 84 euros Budapest-Thessaloniki 118 euros Budapest-Kiev 69 euros Budapest-Zagreb 36 euros Warsaw-Budapest  73 euros Warsaw-Prague 54 euros* Warsaw-Vienna 63 euros Warsaw-Budapest 83 euros

Vienna-Prague about 50 euros* Vienna-Budapest 37 euros** Vienna-Warsaw 63 euros Bucharest-Istanbul 40 euros Bucharest-Belgrade 142 euros Belgrade-Istanbul 43 euros Belgrade-Sofia 45 euros Belgrade-Zagreb 44 euros Belgrade-Budapest 39 euros Belgrade-Venice 80 euros Sofia-Istanbul 18 euros

* Cheap fares from just 496Kr (18 euros) available on daytime trains if you pre-book using www.eshop.cd.cz & print out your own ticket!

** Cheap fare from 19 euros if booked online at www.oebb.at.

See the useful links page for a complete list of national railway websites for each country.

  Buying tickets by phone or in person in the UK...

It's easy to book European trains from the UK once you know who to call!  Several UK agencies sell European train tickets, but some are better for some journeys than others because of the system they use.  Each page of seat61.com will recommend the best agency to call to book train travel to that country, but here's a summary of the main agencies.  Remember that European train reservations open 60 days or for some trains 90 days before departure, you can't buy tickets before reservations open!

  Other UK ticket agencies:

Other good agencies include www.simplyrail.com (Ropley, Hampshire, call 08700 84 14 14), www.ffestiniogtravel.co.uk (Unit 6, Snowdonia Business Park, Minffordd, North Wales, call 01766 772050 email info@ffestiniogtravel.co.uk), www.rail-canterbury.co.uk (39 Palace Street Canterbury, call 01227 450088, e-mail rail@rail-canterbury.co.uk), www.railchoice.co.uk (call 0870 165 7300, email enquiries@railchoice.co.uk), www.railbookers.com (e-mail info@railbookers.com or call 0870 458 9080), www.freedomrail.co.uk (Blackpool, call 0870 757 98 98),  www.thetravelbureau.co.uk (office in Wombourne, West Midlands).

   If you live in the Republic of Ireland...

You can book European train travel through Irish Rail by telephone on (01) 703 1885, or by e-mail at europeanrail@irishrail.ie.  The UK Deutsche Bahn office (see above) will also send tickets to addresses in Ireland.

Travel from Ireland to mainland Europe:  Although this website is UK-based, Irish travellers can use the London-Ireland page to find train+ferry times and fares from Ireland to London, then use the relevant country page to find onward train times and fares from London to any other European destination.  Alternatively, www.irishferries.ie sail direct from southern Ireland to northern France, then use www.voyages-sncf.com to find onward train times and fares to Paris, picking up the seat61 recommended route there to your final destination.

There are several ways for overseas visitors to buy European train tickets.  In a nutshell, you can book using European rail ticketing agencies in your home country, or you can book online directly with the European train operators.  Remember that bookings for European trains generally open 90 days or in some cases 60 days before departure, you can't book before reservations open..!

If you live in the USA or Canada...

• US & Canadian agencies often push railpasses rather than normal tickets as they get more commission from these.  However, point-to-point tickets can often be cheaper, especially if you use the cheap book-ahead deals which (if you're prepared to accept the 'no refunds, no changes to travel plans' ticket conditions) tend to blow railpasses out of the water price-wise.  For help with the age-old 'railpass or point-to-point tickets?' question, see the Railpass page.

• You may prefer to book with a US-based agency and have tickets sent to your home address.  If so, you can buy European train tickets (both point-to-point and railpasses) at www.raileurope.com (USA) or www.raileurope.ca (Canada).  However, be aware that these agencies don't always feature the cheap deals available direct from the European train operators, and there's usually a shipping cost and booking fee to add.  So compare prices before buying.

• The cheapest option is usually to book online direct with the European train operators, picking up the tickets at the station or in many cases printing out your own ticket.  No booking fee, no shipping cost, and all the cheap deals available.  Follow the advice in the How to buy tickets online section above to learn which website to use for which journeys. 

• Top tip:  The French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com is a key resource for buying train tickets within France and from Paris to Spain, Italy and Switzerland.  It will in fact allow anyone from any country to legitimately book tickets at cheap European prices, and collect them at any main station in France, or have them sent to any address (for example, your hotel) in any European country, but you must keep your wits about you as it tries its best to divert US/Canadian visitors to its more expensive US Rail Europe subsidiary.  See the step-by-step instructions for using www.voyages-sncf.com and avoiding this pitfall.

• A final option, useful for more complex or exotic European journeys if overseas agencies say they can't make the reservation and it can't be made online, is to email or call a capable UK agency such as www.europeanrail.com or www.trainseurope.co.uk, both of whom are prepared to send tickets overseas if you pay the courier or postage cost and their booking fee.

• To book trains wholly within the UK, see the UK travel page.

If you live in Australia or New Zealand...

• Australian and NZ agencies often push railpasses rather than normal tickets as they get more commission from these.  However, point-to-point tickets can often be cheaper, especially if you use the cheap book-ahead deals which (if you're prepared to accept the 'no refunds, no changes to travel plans' ticket conditions) tend to blow railpasses out of the water cost-wise.  For help with the age-old 'railpass or point-to-point tickets?' question, see the Railpass page.

• You may prefer to book with an Australian-based agency and have tickets sent to your home address.  If so, you can buy European train tickets (both point-to-point and railpasses) at the seat61 Rail Shop Australia or at www.raileurope.com.au.  Both agencies welcome New Zealand customers.  However, be aware that these agencies don't always feature the cheap deals available direct from the European train operators, and there's usually a shipping cost and booking fee to add.  So compare prices before buying.

• The cheapest option is usually to book online direct with the European train operators, picking up the tickets at the station or in many cases printing out your own ticket.  No booking fee, no postage, and all the cheap deals available.  Follow the advice in the How to buy tickets online section above to learn which website to use for which journeys.

• Top tip:  The French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com is a key resource for buying train tickets within France and from Paris to Spain, Italy & Switzerland.  It will in fact allow anyone from any country to legitimately book tickets at cheap European prices, and collect them at any main station in France, or have them sent to any address (for example, your hotel) in any European country, but you must keep your wits about you as it tries its best to divert Australian/NZ visitors to its more expensive Rail Europe Australia subsidiary.  See the step-by-step instructions for using www.voyages-sncf.com and avoiding this pitfall.

• A final option, useful for more complex or exotic European journeys if overseas agencies say they can't make the reservation and it can't be made online, is to email or call a capable UK agency such as www.europeanrail.com or www.trainseurope.co.uk, both of whom are prepared to send tickets overseas if you pay the courier or postage cost and their booking fee.

• To book trains wholly within the UK, see the UK travel page.

  If you live in South Africa...

• You can buy European train tickets for many journeys from South African agency www.raileurope.co.za, with prices in South African Rand & tickets sent to SA addresses.

• However, in many cases the cheapest option is to book online direct with the European train operators, picking up the tickets at the station or in many cases printing out your own ticket.  No booking fee, no postage, and all the cheap deals available.  Follow the advice in the How to buy tickets online section above to learn which website to use for which journeys.

• Top tip:  The French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com is a key resource for buying train tickets within France and from Paris to Spain, Italy & Switzerland.  It will in fact allow anyone from any country to legitimately book tickets at cheap European prices, and collect them at any main station in France, or have them sent to any address (for example, your hotel) in any European country, but you must keep your wits about you as it tries its best to divert Australian/NZ visitors to its more expensive Rail Europe Australia subsidiary.  See the step-by-step instructions for using www.voyages-sncf.com and avoiding this pitfall.

• A final option, useful for more complex or exotic European journeys if overseas agencies say they can't make the reservation and it can't be made online, is to email or call a capable UK agency such as www.europeanrail.com or www.trainseurope.co.uk, both of whom are prepared to send tickets overseas if you pay the courier or postage cost and their booking fee.

• To book trains wholly within the UK, see the UK travel page.

If you live in any other non-European country...

• The Seat61 Rail Shop will send tickets to any country worldwide, or click to find overseas agencies selling European tickets & passes.

• However, it can often be cheaper to book online direct with the European train operators, picking up the tickets at the station or in many cases printing out your own ticket.  See the How to buy tickets online section above to learn which website to use for which journeys.  The top tip here is that the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com, the key site for booking trains within France and from Paris to Spain, Italy and Switzerland, will send tickets to most countries of the world, including Afghanistan, Iraq and Northern Korea, but specifically not the Australia, New Zealand, the USA or Canada, presumably to protect it's Rail Europe subsidiaries in those countries.  To get round this, simply leave 'France' selected and in most cases you can pick up your tickets at any main station in France, or in some cases print them out.  Or enter the address of your hotel in France and have the tickets sent there.

• A final option, useful for more complex or exotic European journeys if overseas agencies say they can't make the reservation and it can't be made online, is to email or call a capable UK agency such as www.europeanrail.com or www.trainseurope.co.uk, both of whom are prepared to send tickets overseas if you pay the courier or postage cost and their booking fee.

A real example...

If you live overseas, it's often better to buy your tickets online directly with the European railways.  For example, as I write this, a 35 euros ($45) advance-purchase fare is available on the sleeper train from Paris to Venice on a random date I picked, and this fare is shown on both the official French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com and (converted into pounds) on the UK Rail Europe site www.raileurope.co.uk.  However, the US Rail Europe site (www.raileurope.com) seems to ignore these cheap fares and offers a $184 full fare for the same journey on the same date on exactly the same train in the same accommodation, four times the true price.  Rail Europe is a subsidiary of French Railways, so it's perhaps not surprising that the French Railways website will send this $45 ticket to addresses in most countries of the world, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Outer Mongolia and North Korea, but deliberately not the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, as they'd prefer Americans to pay $184..!  However, visitors from overseas can easily buy the $45 fare and other cheap fares at either www.voyages-sncf.com and simply ask for tickets to be sent to their hotel in Paris or London.  Or in many cases you can buy tickets at www.voyages-sncf.com leaving 'France' selected which allows you to pick up tickets in Paris or at any main station in France.  To be fair, this is the worst example I've come across and www.raileurope.com can be a good way to buy other tickets.  For example, there is a 67 euros special 'prems' fare for a sleeper on the Paris-Madrid and Paris-Barcelona 'trainhotels', and in this case www.raileurope.com does indeed show the same 'prems' fare when it's available, converted to dollars as a reasonable $90.  In this case, you can still make a few dollars saving by buying direct in euros, but it's probably not worth the effort.  But the message, is, shop around and book direct if you can..!

Reservations open 60 or 90 days in advance.  You can't buy tickets before bookings open!

Reservations for most European trains open 60 days (2 months) before departure and can usually be made until shortly before departure.  Reservations for many services in western Europe now open 90 days (3 months) before departure, including the Paris-Italy & Paris-Spain sleeper trains, the Paris-Switzerland 'Lyria' TGV trains, Thalys (Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam/Cologne) and (from October 2005) all French domestic trains.  Bookings for Eurostar now open 120 days (4 months) in advance.  CityNightLine hotel trains are also an exception, they open 180 days ahead.  You cannot buy tickets or make reservations until reservations open.  But don't worry, you're unlikely to have any problems getting a place on the train you want if you book when reservations open.  Because no-one else can snap up tickets before bookings open, either!

Get a 'reminder' email from www.raileurope.co.uk...

If you try to use www.raileurope.co.uk to book a train for a date which is not yet open for booking, it will offer to send you a reminder email on the day that reservations open for that route.  A very useful facility, especially as the 90 days can in fact vary slightly depending on when data is loaded.

Timetable changes in June & December...

Every year, European railways change their timetables in early June and early December.  This is worth remembering, as online enquiry systems may only hold data until the end of the current timetable.  Online booking systems may not book tickets after the timetable change date until the new data is loaded into the database.  That means the normal 60- or 90-day booking period can get squeezed around June and December.  For example, in 2006, bookings for travel in France between 10 December and 10 January didn't actually open until 16 October.  Just be patient, remember that no-one else can book until reservations open, either!  If you just want to know train times or prices for a date after the June or December timetable change, just pick a date before the timetable change and assume that very little will change.

• Senior & Youth fares:  On many European routes there are Senior fares for anyone over 60 and Youth fares for anyone under 26.  So it's worth telling your booking agency that you are over 60 or under 26, and making sure you select the correct age range when booking online.  Online systems will then offer you whatever the cheapest ticket for your journey happens to be, taking into account your age.  No special railcard is needed for these 'general' Senior or Youth fares, just carry proof of age with you when you travel.  Your passport is sufficient.

• Don't get hung up on getting a 'Senior' or 'Youth' discount.  Here's why.  A typical international train might have a fare structure something like this: 80 euros full fare, 65 euros Senior or Youth fare, 50/40/30 euros cheap advance-purchase fare for anyone of any age.  If you booked a few weeks in advance, you'd probably find one of the cheap advance-purchase fares available, making the Senior/Youth fare irrelevant, unless you really wanted to pay more just for the warm cuddly feeling of having the word 'Senior' printed on your ticket (though to be fair, Senior/Youth fares are often flexible & refundable, whereas cheap deals are usually non-refundable with no changes to travel plans allowed).  Only if you have to travel at short notice or at very busy times when all the cheap deals are sold out would the Senior fare actually save you money compared to the full fare.  In other words (for example), if you find a cheap £22 ticket available from Paris to Geneva, don't waste time trying to get any further 'senior' discount on this bargain fare, snap it up before it disappears.  The Senior fare on this route is £44 and the Youth fare £39!

• British senior/12-25 railcards are 'national' railcards, not 'international':  British Senior Railcards & 12-25 Railcards don't entitle you to any discount on Eurostar or any other European railway, they only apply to British domestic trains.  However, some countries have their own senior or youth railcard schemes.  You buy the railcard for a fixed fee and it is then valid for a year, giving discounts on normal tickets for internal journeys within that country (but not usually international journeys).  In Italy, the senior fares shown on the 'Trenitalia' Italian Railways website are for people with a Trenitalia 'Carravaggio' card, not for anyone over 60.  French Railways have a 'Carte Senior', which gives a 25%-50% discount for around 55 euros a year.  Don't select these fares or railcard discounts  when booking online unless you have bought that specific country's senior or youth railcard.  Generally-speaking, these railcards aren't worth worrying about if you're simply making one or two journeys to or from that country.  However, they might be worth researching and considering if you were planning to make frequent journeys during the course of a year wholly within that country.  To research them, start with the relevant rail operator website, there's a list on the links page.

• Rail+Senior card:  There used to be an international railcard called a Rail+Plus Senior card which gave a 25% reduction on full fares for international journeys between a range of western & eastern European countries.  However, it has now been withdrawn, no great loss as it wasn't valid on any of the 'globally priced' international trains in western Europe, which now means almost all of them!

On board Eurostar:  This train travel thing is child's play...  Photo courtesy of Nathaniel

• In the UK, children under 5 go free, children from 5 to 15 (inclusive) travel at half the adult fare.

• On Eurostar, children under 4 go free, and a special child fare (currently £25 single, £50 return to Paris or Brussels in standard class) applies to children from 4 to 11 inclusive.  Children 12 & over travel at the adult fare.  All children under 12 must travel accompanied by an adult, and unaccompanied children from 12 to 16 require a consent form signed by their parent or guardian.  See www.eurostar.com for details.

• On other European trains, age limits for children vary from country to country, so here's a summary.  Just make sure you tell your booking agency how old your children are, and they will do the rest.  Online booking systems will ask you the ages and will work out the fares for you.  The child fare is normally 50% of the adult fare, although on international trains where special 'global fares' are charged, a special child fare applies.

Eurostar, Byelorussia, Estonia, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, Yugoslavia:	Children under 4 go free, children 4-11 inclusive pay the child fare.
Norway	Children under 4 free, 4-15 inclusive child fare.
UK, Ireland	Children under 5 free, 5-15 inclusive child fare.
Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Slovenia	Children under 6 free, 6-11 inclusive child fare.
Hungary	Children under 6 free, 6-13 inclusive child fare.
Germany	Children under 6 free, 6-14 inclusive also go free if travelling with a fare paying adult, half fare if travelling alone.
Austria	Children under 6 free, 6-14 inclusive child fare.
Denmark	Children under 6 free, 6-15 inclusive child fare. However, two children up to 11 years old travel free if accompanied by a fare paying adult.
Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland	Children under 6 free, 6-15 inclusive child fare.
Finland	Children under 6 free, 6-16 inclusive child fare.

• Adult cheaper than child?  On one or two routes in western Europe, for example Paris-Switzerland & Paris-Italy, the child rate is more expensive than the very cheapest price level of adult advance-purchase fare, if that cheapest adult price happens to be available.  For example, Paris-Geneva is a variable 'from £22' adult, but always a fixed £32 for a child.  Normally, online booking systems recognise this and offer the adult rate for all travellers if that's the cheapest option, but occasionally they persist in offering the child rate so (for example) 2 adults and 2 children are shown as costing more than if you enter 4 adults.  So it can be worth playing around to check what all-adults would be, and booking as adults if that's cheaper.

It's crazy that anyone should have to write instructions for using professional online booking websites which should be self-explanatory, but when you read what follows you'll see that somebody has to!  Here are step-by-step instructions for using several important online train ticket websites.

How to use:   Raileurope.co.uk    The French railways site    The Italian railways site    The Spanish railways site

Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk) originally featured exactly the same booking system as voyages-sncf.com, but they introduced their own more reliable, more capable and easier-to-use internet booking system on 21 April 2008.

• What trains can it book?  It can book any train within France and most international trains to or from France (for example, Eurostar to/from London, the popular Paris-Spain & Paris-Italy sleeper trains, and Paris-Switzerland TGVs), some international journeys outside France, major domestic trains with Spain, Italy, an so on.  That makes it extremely useful for those of us in the UK, as it can book train journeys all the way from London to key destinations throughout France, Switzerland, Spain & Italy.

• Limitations:  It only sends tickets to UK addresses and only accepts UK credit cards.  It's linked to the French Railways fares & ticketing database, as is voyages-sncf.com, so may not have the best fares for booking trains via Brussels & Germany to Scandinavia, central & eastern Europe.  It can only sell full-fare fully-flexible tickets within Spain, whereas if you book your internal Spanish tickets direct with Spanish Railways at renfe.es (in Spanish, but with help from the instructions below) you'll also see the cheap advance purchase fares.  Fares for internal Italian trains will be a pound or two more than those booked direct with Italian Railways at trenitalia.com, though in this case not much more and the saving in time and hassle may be worth it!

• Booking tips:  The new system is far easier to use, with relatively few quirks.  The top tip is not to try booking (for example) London to Malaga all in one go.  Even if it succeeds in doing so, you may not see the cheapest fares for each leg, and as the whole journey has to be either first class or second class, you won't be able to mix and match (for example) 2nd class Eurostar with 2-berth sleeper (which is technically 1st class) on the Paris-Madrid trainhotel.  Always book a journey like this as separate stages, in this case London to Paris and back, Paris to Madrid and back, Madrid to Malaga and back.

The online booking system at the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com is very useful, in fact it's a key resource for any European train traveller.  It sells tickets for any train within France and for most international trains to or from France (for example, the popular Paris-Spain & Paris-Italy sleeper trains, and Paris-Switzerland TGVs), plus some international journeys outside France.  However, it has more than its fair share of quirks, so read the advice on the how to use voyages-sncf.com page carefully before using it.

See the How to use voyages-sncf.com section

The Italian Railways website, www.trenitalia.com, will sell (a) train tickets for any long distance journey wholly within Italy, including couchettes & sleepers, at ticket office prices with no booking fee, and (b) tickets for the majority of direct international trains starting in Italy, bound for Paris, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Slovenia, including couchettes & sleepers on overnight trains.  As Italy is such a popular destination, it's well worth getting to know this site!  Advice on using the Trenitalia website is now on the Train travel in Italy page.

Advice on using trenitalia.com

The Spanish Railways website (www.renfe.es) sells tickets for almost any long-distance train wholly within Spain (including sleepers), and you simply print out your own ticket.  It sells some amazingly cheap online 'web' fares that you can't buy from agencies or even at the ticket office, making it well worth getting to know.  However, it won't book international journeys.

	How to use renfe.es...
	Above:  The renfe.es home page.  Leave in Spanish...
	Above:  The renfe.es booking page shows the fares available on each departure...  You can now switch to English, though you may need to repeat the enquiry.

• Go to www.renfe.es.  Use Internet Explorer, as it doesn't work well with Firefox or Safari.

• Spanish train bookings open 60 days in advance, you can't book before reservations open.

• Leave it in Spanish. In other words, don't switch to English at this stage, even though it looks as if you can, as all that does is take you to a few English language information pages with a simple journey planner but without any access to their actual online booking system.

• Use the enquiry system marked 'Compra de Billetes' (ticket sales) on the left of their home page to request your journey.  Enter your origin, destination, travel dates and number of passengers, and select either 'ida y vuelta' (return) or 'ida' (one-way).  Click 'Buscar' ('search').

• A new window opens, showing timetables & fares for your journey.  In this new window, look for the drop-down box at bottom left labelled 'Español' and change it to 'English'.  It should now change all subsequent pages to English.  Don't get upset if it wipes your first enquiry, just re-enter your journey details in the journey planner at top left.  At least it's now in English!

• It's a good idea to register at this stage, rather than continue to use their site as a guest, even if you're only going to buy one ticket, as you can then log in and retrieve your booking if for any reason a connection fails or the ticket pop-up fails to appear (if you're registered, you can also log in to change or cancel bookings).  To do this, click the 'User log-in' link at bottom left of the screen, in the 'My Account' box.  Fill in all the information they ask for, but just use '12345' as your postcode, as it won't accept UK-style postcodes.  You choose a user name and password.  Now carry on with the journey enquiry or start a new one if it's wiped it again(!).

• The timetable & fares results page will show the normal fare ('Tarifa General') for each class on each train departure and any available special fares ('Tarifas Promo') such as the cheap Estrella fares (shown with a 'star' logo) & Web fares (shown with a 'W' logo).  'Web' fares are cheap online-only advance purchase fares, non-refundable, non-changeable, 60% reduction over the one-way full fare.  Estrella fares are an advance-purchase fare giving a 40% reduction over the full one-way fare, semi-refundable.  Both Web & Estrella fares are available to anyone of any age, and are the best deal for Spanish rail travel.  If booking at very short notice you may also see some cheap 'Ultima Hora' ('last minute') fares.

• Select a train departure and class of travel that you want.  Turista = 2nd class, Preferente = 1st class, Club = premium 1st class (available only on AVE trains).  They ask you to copy in the magic numbers you see on the screen (this is just an anti-webbot device) then click 'continue' (or, if you're still stuck in the Spanish version for any reason, 'continuar'). 

• If booking a sleeper, make sure it says 'cama' ('bed').  Cama Turista =  bed in 4-berth sleeper.  Cama Preferente = 1 or 2 bed.  Cama G. Clase = gran clase 1 or 2 bed with private shower & toilet.  Indiv = single-bed, doble = 2-berth.

• On the 3rd page, change the drop down box marked 'Fare' ('Tarifa' in Spanish) from 'General' to 'Web' or 'Estrella', if they are shown as available.  If you don't see 'Web' or 'Estrella' in the drop down box, then they aren't available on that train.

• Fill out your details.  If for any reason you're still stuck in the Spanish version, 'Correo electronico' means 'email address'.  'Nombre' means 'first name', 'appelido' means 'surname'.  Change 'Tipo de Documento' from NIF to 'pasaporte', then enter your passport number under 'Numero documento'.  'Dirección' means 'address'.  'Codigo postal' means postcode - just use '123456' if it refuses to accept a UK postcode.

• One correspondent says that when filling in these details, it wouldn't accept lower case 't', but would accept upper case 'T' instead and would also accept 't' pasted from their PC clipboard.  Also, don't worry if it won't accept all the digits in your phone number or postcode, this doesn't matter.

• Enter your credit card ('Tarjeta de credito') details.  'Fecha de Caducidad' means 'expiry date'.

• Make sure your browser will allow pop-ups as you might otherwise lose the order confirmation.

• Untick the first tick box if you don't want to receive Renfe promotional material.  Tick the lower tick box to agree to Renfe's sales conditions.  You probably won't have a 'tarjeta de fidelización' (Spanish railways loyalty card, so don't worry about this bit!

• If you get error message GU001 when paying, it could be your bank blocking an unusual foreign transaction, rather than any problem with renfe.es itself.  Try another credit card, or call your bank and tell them you're making a legitimate payment!

• When you've booked and paid, click 'Print tickets' ('imprimar' in Spanish) to print them out on your own PC printer.  It's also a good idea to 'save' the ticket .pdf file to your PC as well as printing.  The .pdf ticket file should be opened using Adobe reader, not other obscure programs.

• This printout is your ticket, valid for travel without further formality.  It has your reserved seat and coach numbers printed on it, along with your travel date, train time and journey.

• Feedback (positive or negative) is very welcome if you use renfe.es to buy tickets, especially as things change from time to time and I won't always spot it.

• If your print-your-own tickets fail to appear for any reason, try calling renfe for help on 00 34 902 10 94 20.  The operators usually speak English and even if you didn't register they can provide you with your booking's ‘Locator' number which allows you to reprint your ticket (look for the 'My account' and then 'My journey' links).  In fact, if you quote this Locator number at the ticket office in Spain they can print you out a ticket at the station.

• If you have any difficulty buying tickets online at renfe.es, you can buy Spanish train tickets by phone in the UK with Spanish Railway's agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call 020 7725 7063 (lines open 09:30-17:30 Monday-Friday).  They can even sell Web & Estrella fares, though a £10 booking fee applies and they add a 5 euro surcharge to Web fares.

A good European rail agency can sell you a basic ticket (without reservation) for almost any national or international journey in Europe.  However, you will need a reservation for a couchette or sleeper, or for a train shown as 'reservation obligatory' or 'special fares apply' in the timetable.  It can help to know which trains can and can't be easily reserved from the UK.

The European computer reservation system, in fact a linked network of different railways' reservation systems, covers most of Western Europe and much of Eastern Europe, from Portugal in the west to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and (as of 2005) Serbia and Romania in the east, and from Sicily in the south to Sweden and Finland in the north, inclusive.  The computer systems used by European rail agents in the UK and by reservation offices at stations in most of Western Europe can (in principle) reserve seats, couchettes or sleepers anywhere in this area.  For example, both Madrid to Lisbon and Lisbon to Madrid can be reserved from the UK.  The computer system can also book trains starting in this area heading outwards, for example Bucharest to Istanbul or Cologne to Moscow.  However, it cannot reserve places on trains in countries outside that area, such as Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Russia, or Ukraine, or on trains starting outside that area heading back in, for example, Moscow back to Cologne, or Istanbul back to Bucharest.  Reservations for such journeys will usually need to be made at the local reservation office when you get there, although if you like you can buy the basic travel ticket (without any reservation) in the UK before you go.

There is one other thing worth knowing.  Different agencies (and different national railways) use different computer reservation systems to access the various national railways' fares, timetable and reservation information.  Some systems will be better than others for a given journey.  For example, Rail Europe uses the French Railways system which is great for trains in France, but not as good for trains within or starting in Germany.  I've been told by Rail Europe staff that the Cologne-Moscow sleeper 'doesn't exist' because it wasn't loaded onto their system.  Whereas Deutsche Bahn's UK office and europeanrail.com both use the German Railways reservation system, which most certainly does have the Cologne-Moscow sleeper loaded into it.  This is also the reason you may be quoted different fares by different agencies.  For example, ask Rail Europe for a fare from Berlin to Cologne, and they will quote you the international tariff rate made available to all other railways by the German Railways.  Ask Deutsche Bahn's UK office for a ticket on the same train, and they may well quote a much cheaper special offer fare from the German Railways' own domestic price range, available only through German Railways' own reservation system.  And similarly, Deutsche Bahn may quote an expensive international tariff for (say) Paris to Bordeaux, when Rail Europe would quote a far cheaper fare only available via the French railways' own reservation system.  This is why I recommend different agencies for different journeys.  If you have any problems, shop around, as if one agency can't book a particular train, another probably can.

Paying for a guidebook may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's probably just a tiny fraction of what you're spending on your whole trip.  You will see so much more, and know so much more about what you're looking at, if you have a decent guidebook.  For the independent traveller, I think the best ones out there are either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide.  Both guidebooks are excellent, and you won't regret buying one..!  Alternatively, the 'Europe by Rail' guide combines country information with basic train information.

Click the images to buy at Amazon.co.uk...

Or buy direct from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.

Find hotels all across Europe...

It's easy to book hotels online to go with your train tickets.  Start by trying www.hotelscombined.com, just use the search box below.  This is not a hotel booking website, but a free search tool which checks all the main hotel booking sites for you (AsiaRooms, Opodo, Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms and many others) to find the cheapest hotel rates on the net.  Set up in 2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place to start for booking any hotel online in any country, worldwide.

Other hotel sites worth a look...

• www.venere.com has a more personal approach than Laterooms, and has an especially good range for hotels and guesthouses in Italy, as they are an Italian-based company.  On this site, the price you see is the price you pay, no hidden extras, and you simply pay the hotel when you get there.  After you've booked, you can change or cancel your reservation in line with the hotel's own change and cancellation policy.

• www.laterooms.com negotiates discounts for hotel rooms booked within 3 months of travel, making it ideal for anyone booking train travel within the normal 90 days booking period.  The discounted prices will be shown in orange.  Click on the dates to sort results by price.

• www.tripadvisor.com is a huge resource, a good place to browse independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

Budget backpacker hostels...

• www.hostelbookers.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about the backpacker hostels.  Hostelbookers offers online booking of dorm beds or ultra-cheap private rooms in backpacker hostels in most European cities at rock-bottom prices.

Get travel insurance..

Never go abroad without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash (up to a limit) and belongings, and cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

  If you live in the UK, get quotes from Direct Line or Columbus Direct.

I've used Direct Line myself and on one occasion, successfully claimed back the cost of non-refundable Eurostar & trainhotel tickets to Spain when we cancelled the trip because my mother fell ill.  Feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome!

      If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, see Columbus Direct Australia.

  If you live in the USA or Canada, see Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card...

If you're a UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the NHS.  This replaced the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available from www.ehic.org.uk.  It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.

Get an international SIM card...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, but if you buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company such as www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85%.  It cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide, and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries.  It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills when you get home.  It also allows cheap data access for laptops & PDAs.  A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone number' for life.