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London to Paris for £39?  Paris to Venice for €35? 

Paris to Amsterdam €35?  Venice to Rome €9?

Amsterdam-Prague €43?  Amsterdam-Berlin €29?

Budget train fares are here...  It's just a matter of knowing where to go and booking in advance, for amazingly cheap European train fares.  With no airport taxes to add, no baggage fees or weight limits, infants go free, and the trains run centre-to-centre with no extra cost to get to and from remote airports.

It would be lovely if there was a single website that sold tickets for any European train journey at the cheapest price, but there isn't.  You need to use different websites for different journeys, and you sometimes need to split the journey, booking one leg here and the next leg there.  But don't worry...

How to use the French railways website, voyages-sncf.com

How to use the Italian railways website, trenitalia.com    How to use the Spanish railways website, renfe.com

How to buy a special add-on ticket from almost any station in Britain to London International (St Pancras)

Important tips for buying European train tickets...

How to quickly check train times anywhere in Europe...

• To look up timetables for any train journey in Europe use www.bahn.de, the excellent, fast & capable all-Europe timetable at the German Railways website www.bahn.de.  OK, so it won't give fares (at least, not for journeys outside Germany), but it will give train times even for complex international journeys almost anywhere in Europe, from Lisbon to Moscow, Helsinki to Palermo.  It has a few limitations, for example it won't show train times for a few private railways such as the Circumvesuviana from Naples to Pompeii & Sorrento, and if I were making a very long journey I'd allow much longer connections that it suggests, but it's still great.  It's pretty easy to use, with just a handful of quirks explained here if you need help.

How far ahead do train reservations open?  Usually 92 days...

• Booking usually opens 90 or 92 days in advance, although many Eastern European trains & some Spanish trains only open 60 days in advance, and a few trains such as Eurostar and (unless there's a timetable change coming up) Italian high-speed trains 120 days in advance.  You can't buy tickets before reservations open, but no-one else can either, so don't worry, trains will not sell out.  In the UK for example, around 60% of all train tickets are bought on the day of travel, over 90% within 1 month of travel, even though bookings open 3 months ahead.  It means that with trains there's no pressure to plan your life years ahead - True, you should book as early as you can for the cheapest fares, but even a month or two ahead you'll usually still find reasonable prices.

• If you need to book accommodation at your destination before train bookings open, no problem, you can hold accommodation risk-free at www.booking.com as they usually offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before your stay.

The June & December timetable changes can shorten the booking horizon...

• European train timetables change on the 2nd Sunday in June & 2nd Sunday in December, which dramatically shortens the booking horizon, as they're always late loading the new data.  You'll often see no trains at all in the search results (or only odd ones) for dates after the timetable change, even well within the 90-92 days.  Based on past years, French & German train bookings for dates after the December timetable change will open around 15-18 October, and Spanish, Italian & Eastern European trains may not open for booking until early to mid-November.  More information about when bookings open.  I usually post updates each year on the news page.

Don't book Eurostar before onward trains open for booking!

• Although Eurostar reservations between London & Paris or Brussels open 120 days ahead, but if you're travelling beyond Paris or Brussels I strongly recommend waiting until 92 days before departure so you can confirm onward trains before booking a non-changeable non-refundable Eurostar ticket.

Check ticket delivery options carefully...

• Check ticket delivery options to avoid being caught out.  For example, the Italian railways website trenitalia.com will happily sell you a ticket from Zurich to Milan, but tickets can only be collected at Italian stations or sent to Italian addresses, so it's no good for journeys in the southbound direction towards Italy (the Italian-run Thello trains from Paris are an exception).  You'd use the Swiss railways website for that.  Whereas the German website bahn.de offers print-at-home tickets between Amsterdam & Berlin and can be used to book this journey in either direction.  I take this into account in recommending the right website to use for any particular journey.

Complex journeys:  Split the booking!

• It's often necessary to split longer journeys into easy-to-book stages:  Some booking systems can only handle direct trains, for example renfe.com, mav-start.hu, cd.cz/eshop.  Some can only handle 1 or 2 changes of train, for example voyages-sncf.com, raileurope.co.uk.  Very few can handle complex multi-leg journeys.  The trick here is to first use www.bahn.de to find a suitable end-to-end journey, then break that journey down into sections that the online systems can cope with.  For example, none of the train operator websites can book a journey from Amsterdam to Benidorm near Alicante in Spain all in one go.  But www.thalys.com will book Amsterdam-Paris and if you treat Paris-Barcelona & Barcelona-Alicante as two separate bookings, the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.com will book these for you.  And a local ticket from Alicante to Benidorm can easily be bought on the day at the station, so no need to worry about that bit.  As you can see, a bit of creative thinking is sometimes required!

When is it better to book by phone?

• See the phone numbers to call here. If there's a persistent glitch with the online systems, pick up the phone!  People forget you can still do this.  Or if you have some specific requirements, such as wanting a specific seat or a seat in a specific carriage, you may need to book by phone.  Then there are journeys that simply can't be booked online at all, for example many eastern European journeys such as Warsaw-Kiev, Budapest-Bucharest or Bucharest-Istanbul to name just a few.  In fact, there's a few trains which can't be booked at all outside the country in question, for example trains within Bulgaria or Greece.  Finally, if you're booking a more complex journey, you may prefer to book all your tickets together by phone, even though you pay a booking fee, rather than have to make multiple bookings on several websites making sure that each of these connects.  If you want to buy European train tickets in person, see here.

Sponsored links...

Buy train tickets starting in London & the UK

To buy train tickets within the UK, see the UK page

Buy train tickets within the UK...

Guide to train tickets & fares within the UK

London to Scotland by Caledonian Sleeper

London to Cornwall by Night Riviera sleeper

Train & ferry tickets to the Channel Islands

Train & ferry tickets to the Isle of Man

Cheap train & ferry tickets to Belfast, Northern Ireland from £52

Cheap train & ferry tickets to Dublin & the Republic of Ireland from £38

Buy train tickets from the UK to anywhere in Europe...

Each seat61 country page gives specific step-by-step instructions for booking a train journey from the UK to that particular European country at the cheapest prices, so just select your destination country from the drop-down box above, or use the static menu on the left.

Buy tickets starting in Ireland

Train tickets for journeys within Ireland...

• See the Irish Railways website www.irishrail.ie.  There's no need to pre-book as reservation is never compulsory, you can just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on the next train.

• However, Irish Rail offer some special extra-cheap fares if you pre-book at www.irishrail.ie and collect tickets from the self-service ticket machines.

Dublin to Belfast from €14.99...

• This can be booked at the Irish Railways website www.irishrail.ie.  However, reservation isn't essential, you can always just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on the next train from Dublin Connolly station to Belfast.

Dublin to London from €46...

• You can buy cheap SailRail tickets for train & ferry travel from any rail station in Ireland to any rail station in Britain at www.irishferries.com.  Dublin to London costs from €46.  Cork, Limerick, Galway or Sligo to London costs from €66.  Any day, any time.  Travel on the Swift fast ferry costs a few euros more.  Full details on the London to Ireland page or www.irishferries.com/ie/sailrail.asp.

Dublin to Paris from €94, then onwards to Switzerland, Italy, Spain & beyond...

Option 1, by SailRail from Dublin to London then Eurostar to Paris: 

• First, buy a cheap SailRail ticket from Dublin or anywhere in Ireland to London at www.irishferries.com from €46. 

• Then buy a Eurostar ticket from London to Paris or Brussels from £39 one-way, £69 return at www.eurostar.com, allowing plenty of time to change trains and stations in London in case of any delay, or stay overnight if necessary. 

• For example, take the 08:05 ferry from Dublin ferryport to Holyhead, connecting with a train to London arriving 16:38 weekdays, 17:38 Sundays.  You arrive at London Euston station, you can walk (10 minutes) along to St Pancras station where Eurostar departs.  You should have no trouble getting the 19:00 Eurostar arriving Paris 22:17. 

• For detailed times, fares and how to buy tickets from London to Italy, Spain, Switzerland or anywhere in Europe, see the relevant country page, selected here.

Option 2, by direct ferry from Rosslare to Roscoff or Cherbourg in France, train to Paris. 

• Irish Ferries (www.irishferries.com) sail overnight from Rosslare to either Roscoff or Cherbourg every few days most of the year, check schedules at www.irishferries.com.

• Then check train times from Cherbourg or Roscoff to Paris at www.voyages-sncf.com.  Cherbourg will be the easier place to get a train to Paris from.

Option 3, by direct ferry from Cork to Roscoff in France, train to Paris: 

• Brittany Ferries (www.brittanyferries.ie) sail from Cork to Roscoff every Saturday from March to November, sailing around 16:00 and arriving around 07:00, with restaurants, bars and comfortable cabins available on board the luxurious Pont-Aven one of my favourite ships (see photos & video of the Pont-Aven here).

• You can then take a late-morning train from Roscoff to Paris, usually with a change at Morlaix, arriving around 16:15, in time for evening TGVs to Switzerland or the sleeper train to Italy to Germany. Check Roscoff-Paris train times and buy tickets online at www.voyages-sncf.com.

Dublin to Amsterdam in around 24 hours from around €95 + cabin cost, no planes...

• Take the 08:05 ferry from Dublin to Holyhead, connecting with a train arriving at London Euston at 16:38 Mondays-Saturdays, 16:44 Sundays, from €46, book online at www.irishferries.com.  Take the Underground or a taxi from Euston to Liverpool Street station.

• Now travel overnight from London to Amsterdam by Dutch Flyer train & night ferry from £45 with private cabin from £30, see the London to Amsterdam page for details.

Dublin to Berlin, Prague, Copenhagen, Warsaw from €154, no planes...

• Take the 08:05 SailRail service to London Euston, booked at www.irishferries.com from €46.

• Take the overnight Dutch Flyer from London Liverpool Street to Amsterdam, sleeping in a private cabin on the Stena Line superferry with shower, toilet, satellite TV and free WiFi, booked as shown on the London to Amsterdam page from £45 plus cabin cost.  Spend a day exploring Amsterdam.

• Take the excellent City Night Line sleeper train direct from Amsterdam to Copenhagen, Prague or Warsaw from €59 with couchette, €104 with bed in 2-bed sleeper, shower at the end of the corridor, breakfast included, booked at www.bahn.de.  Or take a daytime InterCity train from Amsterdam to Berlin, also booked at www.bahn.de from €29.

Buy tickets starting in Paris & France

To buy train tickets within France & from France to neighbouring countries, use: www.raileurope.co.uk (UK) www.raileurope-world.com (residents of Canada, Australia, NZ, Asia, Africa, South America) www.raileurope.com* (US residents) www.voyages-sncf.com (anyone) * = I've seen the US Rail Europe charge higher prices than www.voyages-sncf.com, so compare prices before before buying.

Buying train tickets for journeys within France...

• All long-distance TGV & Intercité trains require reservations and have airline-style pricing so yes, in theory long-distance trains can sell out and tickets will be expensive if bought on the day, much cheaper if booked in advance with a cheap Prems fare.  So you should pre-book if you can.  Local, suburban and regional (TER) trains don't require reservation and have a fixed price, so you can buy tickets for those at the station on the day.  Information about TGV trains.  Information about French overnight trains.

• UK residents can buy French train tickets at www.raileurope.co.uk.  This will book any train in France with prices in pounds and tickets sent to any UK address.  Prices are usually the same as using SNCF's own website, give or take the exchange rate, but it's backed by a UK call centre, useful if you need any after-sales help.

• US residents can buy tickets at www.raileurope.com, but be careful, I've seen them charge higher prices than the French Railways own site www.voyages-sncf.com.  Do a price comparison first!

• Residents of Australia, NZ, Asia, Africa, South America can book French train tickets at www.raileurope-world.com, which now charges the same prices as voyages-sncf.com, at least according to every test booking I've done recently, albeit with a small booking fee.  Tickets can be collected at French stations, in many cases printed at home, or can be sent to any country worldwide except the USA.

• Residents of any country can buy tickets at the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com, but see this advice on how to use it first, especially if you live in the USA, to avoid being bumped to the US-based Rail Europe which may have higher prices and fees.  www.voyages-sncf.com will send tickets to any country worldwide except the USA, or you can collect at any main French station, and in many cases print your own ticket.

Paris to London & the UK from €45, www.eurostar.com...

• Paris to London in 2h15 from €45:  Eurostar links Paris & London roughly every hour or so throughout the day, taking as little as 2 hours 15 minutes, centre to centre.  See the London to Paris by Eurostar page for more information about Eurostar and the Eurostar journey, including tips for choosing the best seat & a video guide. 

• The best way to buy tickets is direct with Eurostar at www.eurostar.com, from €45 one-way or €89 return.  Eurostar has airline-style pricing so book early for the cheapest fare, booking opens 120 days ahead.  You print out your own ticket or can collect it from the machines at London, Paris, Lille or Brussels.

• Paris to 130 UK towns & cities:  You can buy through tickets at www.eurostar.com from Paris to 130 UK towns & cities including York, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, one-way or return in either direction.  However, even if you live in France, you must select UK-English top right on www.eurostar.com so that you make the booking in pounds on the UK version of Eurostar's website.  These UK regional destinations will not show up if you use any other version of Eurostar's site.  This is because UK train companies won't accept payment in euros, and Eurostar doesn't want to become a currency speculator.  Or perhaps we just don't want any French people visiting York or Bath or anywhere beyond London...  There are no problems in using the UK-English version of their site, wherever you live.

• From other French towns & cities to London, UK residents can buy tickets using www.raileurope.co.uk (tickets sent to any UK address, backed by UK call centre), residents of any country can buy tickets using the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA, or can be collected at any main French station, see this advice on how to use it first).  The London to France page will help with UK-France routes & train times, in either direction, and show you what French daytime TGV and overnight trains are like.

Paris to Brussels or Bruges from €35, www.thalys.com...

• Paris to Brussels in 1h22 from €35:  Take a high-speed Thalys train from Paris Gare du Nord to Brussels Midi in just 1 hours 22 minutes, city centre to city centre.  Thalys trains also go direct to Antwerp & Liege.  It's faster than flying and a lot more relaxing.  For more information on Thalys trains & facilities see the Thalys page. 

• Buy tickets online at www.thalys.com or www.b-europe.com.  Thalys has airline-style pricing, so book early for the cheapest fare, booking opens 92 days ahead and Thalys is usually ticketless or print-at-home. 

• Paris to Bruges or Ghent: Take a high-speed Thalys train to Brussels in 1 hour 10 minutes, then make a simple change of train onto a half-hourly Belgian InterCity train to Bruges, taking just 1 hour more. 

• Buy tickets from Paris to Bruges or Ghent as a single transaction at the Belgian Railways website www.b-europe.com, you print out your own tickets.

• Alternatively, you can buy tickets at www.thalys.com which saves a euro or three in fees, but now you must resist the temptation to select 'Bruges' as your destination - if you do this, the system will only find the one Thalys per day that goes direct.  Instead, book from Paris to 'Brussels ABS' ('Bruxelles TGB' in French), where ABS=Any Belgian Station.  You will then get a Thalys ticket to Brussels with a reserved seat on a specific Thalys train, plus an onward journey by any suitable connecting train to any station you like in Belgium within 24 hours of your Thalys arriving in Brussels, no reservation necessary or possible on this section, you just hop on any train you like (as long as it's not a Thalys or German ICE) and find an empty seat.  This is much cheaper than buying a separate onward ticket to Bruges or Ghent, for example.

Paris to Amsterdam from €35, www.thalys.com...

• Paris to Amsterdam in 3h09 from €35:  Take a high-speed Thalys train from Paris Gare du Nord to Amsterdam Centraal in just 3 hours 9 minutes, city centre to city centre.  It's faster than flying and a lot more relaxing.  For more information on Thalys trains & facilities see the Thalys page. 

• Buy tickets online from €35 at the Thalys website www.thalys.com or the Belgian Railways website www.b-europe.com with ticketless or print-at-home ticketing.  Thalys trains have airline-style pricing, so book early for the cheapest fare, booking opens 92 days ahead.  The French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com can also book this journey at exactly the same prices, but it has more than a few quirks so stick with either thalys.com or b-europe.com.

Paris to Luxembourg from €39...

• Direct high-speed TGV trains link Paris with Luxembourg in 2 hours 15 minutes, several times daily.  You can book online at either www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents), www.raileurope.com (US residents) or www.raileurope-world.com (residents of any country worldwide except the USA) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (residents of any country, no booking fees, see this advice before using it, tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA or can be collected at the station or in many cases printed out yourself).  Information about TGV trains.

Paris to Switzerland from €25:  Paris to Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel, Zurich...

• TGV Lyria high-speed trains link Paris Gare de Lyon with key Swiss cities including Geneva (3h10), Lausanne (3h45), Basel (3h10), Bern (4h30) & Zurich (4h05).  From city centre to city centre, it's quicker than flying and much more relaxing.  For more information on Lyria TGV trains & facilities see the TGV Lyria page.  Why not have a meal at the Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon before taking the train to Switzerland?

• You can buy Paris-Switzerland tickets online at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents), www.raileurope.com (US residents), www.raileurope-world.com (residents of any country worldwide except the USA), the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (residents of any country, no booking fees, see this advice before using it, or the TGV Lyria website www.tgv-lyria.com (residents of any country), usually with print-at-home ticketing.  You should now see all the cheap fares whichever one of these websites you use to book, but as the US Rail Europe in particular has been known to suppress the cheapest fares for the US market, so you may want to check more than one!  Residents of any country can book tickets from Paris to anywhere in Switzerland using the Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch, as long as you're offered the option to self-print tickets when the delivery options come up. 

Paris to Italy from €29:  Paris to Rome, Florence, Milan, Turin, Verona, Venice...

Option 1:  Paris to Florence, Rome, Venice by Thello overnight sleeper train: 

• Two overnight sleeper trains leave Paris Gare de Lyon every night, one for Milan, Verona and Venice, and another for Bologna, Florence & Rome, effectively faster than flying, and it'll save a hotel bill too.  See the Thello sleeper train page for full details of times, prices & a guide to on-board accommodation.  Realistic expectations are key to enjoying your trip on Thello, see the video guide here.

• Fares start at €35 with couchette or €145 with bed in a 2-bed sleeper. 

• Buy tickets in either direction at www.italiarail.com or www.thello.com.  You simply pay online and quote your booking reference (PNR) on board.  If you use ItaliaRail, they'll refund their small booking fee to seat61 users if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR.

Option 2:  Paris to Italy by daytime high-speed TGV trains: 

• Three high-speed TGV trains link Paris with Turin & Milan every day, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 07:49, 10:41 & 14:41, taking 5 hours 40 minutes to Turin and a leisurely 7 hours to Milan.  It's quite a scenic & relaxing run, see the Paris-Milan by TGV page & the Paris-Milan video guide showcasing both the train & scenery.  

• Fares start at just €29 in 2nd class, €35 in 1st class.

• Buy tickets from Paris to Milan or Turin at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents), www.raileurope.com (US residents), www.raileurope-world.com (residents of any country except the USA), the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (residents of any country, see this advice before using it, tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA or can be collected at the station or in many cases printed out yourself).  Each of these sites now charges pretty much the same price.  These TGVs are now run entirely by SNCF (French Railways) with no Trenitalia involvement.

• Buy onward tickets from Milan or Turin to anywhere in Italy at www.italiarail.com (easy to use, in plain English, they'll refund seat61 users the €3.50 booking fee if you email seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian-language place names and has a few quirks so see this advice on using it, no booking fee, allows specific seat selection).  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train.

• Alternatively, you can travel on the new privately-run Italo train from Milan to Florence, Rome and Naples (book at www.italotreno.it), which has the advantage that it leaves from Milan Porta Garibaldi, the same station where the TGV from Paris arrives, although if you're heading to Rome Italo's Rome Tiburtina station is not as central as Trenitalia's Stazione Termini.

Option 3:  The ultimate scenic route to Italy, by Bernina Express through the Swiss Alps. 

• This takes much longer, as it must be split over 2 days, but it's worth it as it incorporates a ride on one of Europe's most spectacular Alpine panoramic scenic trains, the Bernina Express.

• Take an afternoon or evening TGV-Lyria from Paris to Zurich in little over 4 hours, there's one leaving Paris at 18:24 arriving Zurich at 22:26, book it from €25 at www.tgv-lyria.com.

• Spend the night in Zurich.  If your budget will stretch, stay at the superb Hotel Schweizerhof, just across the road from Zurich Hauptbahnhof.

• Next morning travel from Zurich to Chur, then by the fabulous Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano and by connecting train to Milan.  You'll can reach Venice or Florence or Rome that evening. 

• See the Bernina Express page for full details.

Nice or Monte Carlo to Milan, Pisa, Florence, Venice, Rome & Italy...

• This is a pleasant run along the coast!  The trick here is to split the journey as follows: 

• Go to www.italiarail.com (easy to use, in plain English, they'll refund seat61 users the €3.50 booking fee if you email seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian-language place names and has a few quirks so see this advice on using it, no booking fee, allows specific seat selection).  Book a ticket from Ventimiglia (the French/Italian border town, where the Italian trains start) to your Italian destination, looking for a cheap super-economy fare from just €9.  Direct InterCity trains run from Ventimiglia to Genoa & Milan, and there are a few direct InterCity trains from Ventimiglia to Pisa and Rome, too, with many more options involving a change of train.  Booking opens 90 days ahead, book early for the cheapest fares.  It's either ticketless, you simply quote your PNR booking reference on board the train, or in some cases collected at the station in Ventimiglia. 

• You do not need to worry about booking the Nice to Ventimiglia bit, because this simply means turning up at Nice station, buying a €7.30 fixed-price local train ticket and hopping on the next local train from Nice or Monte Carlo to Ventimiglia, these local trains run every 30 minutes all day, taking 48 minutes from Nice, no reservation required.  Just make sure you allow plenty of time to connect with your onward train from Ventimiglia, I'd allow at least 40 minutes to change in Ventimiglia in case of any delay.  The journey planner at the German Railways website, www.bahn.de is actually the fastest way to find a suitable Nice to Ventimiglia connecting train.

• Update:  From summer 2013 there are expected to be three daily direct Nice-Genoa-Milan trains run by Thello.com, which may mean you can book direct from Nice to Italy at www.trenitalia.com.

Paris to Spain from €68:  Paris to Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Alicante...

Option 1, Paris to Barcelona or Madrid by Elipsos sleeper trains: 

• There are excellent overnight sleeper trains from Paris to Barcelona & Madrid, with cosy sleepers, an elegant restaurant and a bar, see the photos & information here.  In effect it's faster than flying and it'll save a hotel bill too. 

• For Barcelona, the Elipsos trainhotel Joan Miro leaves Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 22:16, arriving Barcelona 09:43, daily mid-March to mid-October, daily except Wed & Thurs at other times.

• For Madrid, the Elipsos trainhotel Francisco de Goya leaves Paris Austerlitz at 18:08, and arrives Madrid at 09.40 next morning.  Doesn't run on Tuesday or Wednesday nights from mid-October to mid-March.

• Fares start at €74 (winter) or €93 (summer) with a bed in a shared 4-bed sleeper.

• UK residents can book these sleeper trains at www.raileurope.co.uk (tickets sent to any UK address, UK credit cards only, backed by UK call centre).

• Anyone from any country can book these trainhotels at the official Spanish railways website www.renfe.com, click here for detailed step-by-step instructions. Renfe has a few quirky translations, and sometimes suffers payment problems, so if you may find it easier to use www.petrabax.com/renfe, in plain English with no payment problems.  Petrabax is a US-based Spanish holiday specialist with a direct link to the Renfe ticketing system.  Petrabax charges the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up, but is easier to use, suffers no payment problems and also offers print-at-home tickets so anyone from any country can book these trains in either direction.  Incidentally, the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com can book these trains (tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA, see this advice on how to use it), but unfortunately the only delivery option is by post, 'collect at station' and self-print are not offered for these trains, which rules out US residents or anyone booking at short notice. 

Option 2, Paris to Barcelona & Madrid by daytime high-speed train: 

• There are now two daily TGVs from Paris to Figueres with connection to Barcelona, leaving at 07:15 and 14:07, journey time about 7 hours.  Fares from €68.  Direct TGV trains should link Paris with Barcelona from some time in 2013, possibly 28 April, with the journey time reducing to around 6½ hours.  Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to book these TGVs at the cheapest price, wherever you live.  Allow at least 30 minutes in Barcelona, then book Barcelona to Madrid in 2.5 hours at www.renfe.com or (if you have any problems) www.petrabax.com/renfe

Paris to San Sebastian:

• Simply book a TGV from Paris to Hendaye with fares from just €25 if you pre-book at the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com or at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents), www.raileurope.com (US residents), www.raileurope-world.com (residents of any country worldwide except the USA).  There are several departures daily. 

• Then hop on a half-hourly local train run by Euskotren (www.euskotren.es) from Hendaye to San Sebastian Amara, fare just a few euros, no reservation necessary, journey time 37 minutes.  At Hendaye, the Euskotren platforms are just across the forecourt from the main SNCF station and are branded Metro Donostialdea.  Simply buy a ticket from the machines and go through the automatic gates onto the platform.

Paris to Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Cadiz, Algeciras (for Gibraltar)... 

• Take the overnight Elipsos trainhotel from Paris to Madrid Chamartin as described above, then buy an onward ticket from Madrid Atocha to your final destination in Spain at www.renfe.com or (if you have any problems) www.petrabax.com/renfe.

• For detailed times, fares and information, see the relevant section on the London to Spain page, and just ignore the London to Paris bit!  You'll find more options on the London to Spain page, including high-speed daytime options with a hotel in Barcelona.

Paris to Valencia or Alicante... 

• Take the overnight Elipsos trainhotel from Paris to Barcelona Franca as described above, then buy an onward ticket from Barcelona Sants to your final destination in Spain at www.renfe.com or (if you have any problems) www.petrabax.com/renfe. 

• Alternatively, take the high-speed TGV option from Paris to Barcelona, stay the night in Barcelona, then travel on the next day.  For detailed times, fares and information, see the relevant section on the London to Spain page, and just ignore the London to Paris bit!

Cheapest way to book tickets within Spain: 

• The raileurope.co.uk system can book onward trains within Spain, but only at full fare, not the cheap advance-booking Promo 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.co.uk or voyages-sncf.com to book the Paris-Madrid train (if you're going to, say, Seville or Malaga) or the Paris-Barcelona trainhotel (if you're going to Valencia or Alicante), then book onward connections in Spain separately at the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.com - see this step-by-step guide to using renfe.com.  If you have any problems using renfe.com, the same trains can be booked at the same prices at www.raileurope-world.com with just a €4 fee on top, or they can be booked at www.petrabax.com/renfe which links to the Renfe system with a small mark-up.  The Spain page will help with connecting trains, just look for the relevant destination section and ignore the London-Paris part.

Other French cities to Spain, e.g. Nice-Barcelona.

• They key tip here is to find an end-to-end option using the journey planner at www.bahn.de then break the journey into sections, booking any train starting in France at www.voyages-sncf.com, then any train starting in Spain at www.renfe.com.  From some time in 2013, possibly late April, a fleet of direct high-speed trains from France to Barcelona, making these journeys much easier to book, as well as faster.

Paris to Portugal from €119 with sleeper:  Paris to Lisbon, Faro, Porto...

• Leave Paris mid-morning by high-speed TGV from Paris to Irun on the Spanish border from €25,, then take the overnight Sud Express trainhotel sleeper train from Irun to Lisbon from €94 with bed in 4-bed sleeper, arriving Lisbon Santa Apolonia station next morning!

• For details, see the London to Lisbon page, just ignore the London to Paris part.

Paris to Germany from €39:  Paris to Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich, Berlin, www.bahn.de...

Option 1:  City Night Line sleeper trains from Paris to Munich, Berlin & Hamburg: 

• An excellent City Night Line sleeper train leaves Paris Est at 20:05 and arrives next morning in Munich at 07:10, Hamburg 08:37 and Berlin 08:28.

• Fares from €43 in a seat, €59 in a couchette, €105 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper, or €135 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet, breakfast included.

• Buy tickets online at www.bahn.de, look for the direct CNL train with 0 changes and print out your own ticket.

• You can also book at www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA or can be collected at the station, but see this advice on using it).  For technical reasons, Rail Europe & voyages-sncf.com cannot book 4-berth couchettes on these sleeper trains, but bahn.de can.

Option 2:  Direct high-speed daytime trains from Paris to Cologne, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Munich: 

• There's a whole range of direct daytime high-speed trains from Paris to Germany:  Paris to Frankfurt 3h45, Stuttgart 3h40, Munich 6 hours, or Cologne 3h30.

• Paris to Cologne Thalys trains can be booked online at www.thalys.com from €35.

• Paris to Mannheim, Frankfurt, Stuttgart or Munich can be booked online from €39 at the German railways website www.bahn.de (residents of any country) or www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or French Railways' own website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA or can be collected at the station, but see this advice on using it).  The Paris-Stuttgart-Munich trains are TGV Duplex, most Paris-Frankfurt trains are ICE trains.

• I recommend that you book any onward trains within Germany, such as Cologne-Berlin or Frankfurt-Berlin, at www.bahn.de, because the German railways website has all the cheap fares within Germany, whereas the other websites won't show all these cheap fares.

Paris to Austria from €39:  Innsbruck, Salzburg, Linz, Vienna...

Paris to Salzburg by daytime trains:

• German Railways offer Spezial fares from Paris to anywhere in Germany from €39, and Salzburg is considered to be an extremity of the German rail network.  So if you go to www.bahn.de you can book from Paris to Salzburg from just €39 by modern high-speed daytime trains, including a couple of good options with just 1 easy change, involving a 200 mph TGV Duplex from Paris to Stuttgart then a comfortable EuroCity train from Stuttgart to Salzburg.

Paris to Salzburg by sleeper train:

• You can also travel by time-effective overnight sleeper, leaving Paris at 20:05 by excellent City Night Line sleeper train arriving Munich at 07:10 next morning, with an easy onward connection arriving Salzburg at 08:57.

• You can book this option at www.bahn.de, from  €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 in a deluxe 2-bed sleeper with en suite shower & toilet.  Booking opens 92 days ahead, and you print out your own ticket.

Paris to Innsbruck, Linz or Vienna by sleeper train: 

• The easiest & most time-effective way to travel from Paris to Vienna, Linz or Innsbruck is to take the excellent overnight City Night Line sleeper train from Paris to Munich leaving Paris Est at 20:05 and arriving Munich Hbf at 07:10 next morning.  Then travel from Munich to Linz or Vienna by fast modern RailJet train, leaving Munich at 09:27 and arriving Vienna at 13:24.  Or a EuroCity train departing Munich at 09:31 and arriving Innsbruck at 11:33. 

• Fares for the Paris-Munich sleeper start at €43 with a seat, €59 in a couchette, or €104 in a 2-bed sleeper.

• You'll need to book in 2 stages:  First book the sleeper from Paris to Munich at www.bahn.de, looking for the direct CNL train with 0 changes.  Then book from Munich to Innsbruck or Vienna as a second transaction at www.bahn.de, allowing at least an hour to connect in Munich.  Munich to Vienna starts at just €29, Munich to Innsbruck from €19.

Paris to Innsbruck, Linz or Vienna by daytime trains:

• It's possible to reach Vienna in one day from Paris, and easy to reach Innsbruck in a day.  First book a morning departure from Paris to Frankfurt from €39 at www.bahn.de.  Then book Frankfurt to Austria at www.bahn.de as a second transaction from €19-€29.

The scenic route? 

• There's also a scenic route via Switzerland, best done in two stages with an overnight hotel.  Take a late-afternoon or early evening double-deck 200 mph TGV-Lyria from Paris to Zurich in just 4 hours.  Spend the night in Zurich.  Next morning, travel from Zurich to Innsbruck, Salzburg, Linz or Vienna on a modern Railjet train through the scenic Arlberg pass, see the video here. 

• Book the Paris to Zurich TGV from €25 at www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or www.tgv-lyria.com.  Book from Zurich to Salzburg or Vienna from €29 www.oebb.at with print-at-home tickets.

Paris to Copenhagen from €78, Stockholm, Sweden, Oslo & Norway...

Option 1, by high-speed Thalys to Cologne & City Night Line sleeper to Copenhagen...

• Travel from Paris to Cologne by high-speed Thalys train, leaving Paris Nord at 18:01 arriving Cologne at 21:15 (check times for your date of travel as they may vary).  Fares start at €35 if you book online at www.thalys.com.

• Then travel from Cologne to Copenhagen, leaving Cologne at 22:28 by excellent City Night Line sleeper train to Copenhagen, arriving 10:07 next morning.  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 in a couchette or €104 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, and you can easily book online at www.bahn.de and print out your own ticket. 

• For Stockholm, a fast X2000 train leaves Copenhagen around 11:15 arriving Stockholm Central at 16:40.  There are also connections from Copenhagen to Oslo.  Tickets from Copenhagen to Stockholm & Oslo can be booked online at www.sj.se (see advice on using sj.se) or if you have any problems at www.bokatag.se, but as German Railways have some Spezial fares from Germany to Stockholm & Gothenburg, I recommend first trying to book from Cologne to Stockholm as one journey at www.bahn.de, looking for the CNL + X2 option with 1 change.

Option 2, by City Night Line sleeper train from Paris to Hamburg, then EuroCity train to Copenhagen...

• Travel from Paris to Hamburg on the excellent City Night Line sleeper train, leaving Paris Est at 20:05 and arriving Hamburg Hbf at 08:37 next morning.  Fares start at just €43 in a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, book this train online at www.bahn.de (the German Railways website, for residents of any country, you simply print your own ticket) or www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or French Railways' own website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA, see this advice on how to use it).

• Then travel from Hamburg to Copenhagen by EuroCity ICE train, leaving Hamburg Hbf at 09:28 and arriving Copenhagen at 14:14.  Fares for this train start at €29, book online at www.bahn.de and print out your own ticket. 

• Allow at least an hour in Copenhagen for connections, then book an onward ticket to Stockholm at www.sj.se (see advice on using sj.se) or if you have any problems at www.bokatag.se.  It's also worth trying to book from Hamburg to Stockholm as one journey at www.bahn.de, as this may be cheaper & easier.

Paris to Prague from €72...

Option 1, by high-speed Thalys to Cologne & City Night Line sleeper to Prague...

• Travel from Paris to Cologne by high-speed Thalys train, leaving Paris Nord at 18:01 arriving Cologne at 21:15 (check times for your date of travel as they may vary).  Fares start at €35 if you book online at www.thalys.com.

• Then travel from Cologne to Prague by overnight sleeper train, leaving Cologne at 22:28 by City Night Line sleeper train Phoenix arriving in central Prague at 09:26 next morning.  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, and you can easily book online at www.bahn.de and print out your own ticket.

Option 2, by City Night Line sleeper train from Paris to Berlin, then EuroCity train to Prague...

• Travel from Paris to Berlin by excellent City Night Line sleeper train, leaving Paris Est at 20:05 and arriving Berlin Hbf at 08:35 next morning.  Fares start at just €43 in a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, you can book this train online at either www.bahn.de (the German Railways website, for residents of any country, you simply print your own ticket) or www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or French Railways own website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA, see this advice on how to use it).

• Then travel from Berlin (depart 10:46) to Prague Hlavni (arriving 15:26 by EuroCity train, also bookable at www.bahn.de with fares from €29.

• The London to Poland and London to the Czech Republic pages have more information about the journey via both these options..

Paris to Bratislava & Slovakia...

• Travel from Paris to Vienna as shown in the Paris to Austria section above.  Trains link Vienna with Bratislava every hour for €15.80, no reservation necessary.

Paris to Budapest & Hungary from €72...

Option 1, by City Night Line sleeper train from Paris to Munich, then Railjet train to Budapest...

• Travel from Paris to Berlin by City Night Line sleeper train, leaving Paris Est at 20:05 and arriving Munich Hbf at 07:10 next morning.  Fares start at just €43 in a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, you can book this train online at either www.bahn.de (the German Railways website, for residents of any country, you simply print your own ticket) or www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or French Railways' own website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA, see this advice on how to use it).

• Now depart Munich at 09:27 by modern Railjet train arriving Budapest at 16:49, book this train online at www.bahn.de with fares from €39.

Option 2, by high-speed TGV Duplex from Paris to Munich then EuroNight sleeper train to Budapest...

• First take the 15:25 high-speed TGV from Paris to Munich arriving 21:36.  Fares from €39, book online at 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 to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA, but see this advice on how to use it).

• Then take the sleeper train leaving Munich at 23:40 for Budapest arriving 08:55 next morning, book this online at www.bahn.de with fares from €39 with a couchette, €69 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.

Paris to Ljubljana & Slovenia or Zagreb & Croatia from €72...

Option 1, by City Night Line sleeper train to Munich, then scenic EuroCity train to Ljubljana & Zagreb...

• Travel from Paris to Munich by City Night Line sleeper train, leaving Paris Est at 20:05 and arriving Munich Hbf at 07:10 next morning.  Fares start at just €43 in a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, you can book this train online at either www.bahn.de (the German Railways website, for residents of any country, you simply print your own ticket) or www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or French Railways' own website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA, see this advice on how to use it).

• Now depart Munich at 08:27 by air-conditioned Austrian EuroCity train, there's a quick and simple cross-platform change at Villach onto a waiting Slovenian and Croatian EuroCity train Sava, arriving Ljubljana at 14:31 and Zagreb at 17:00, book this journey online at www.bahn.de with fares from €39.

Option 2, by high-speed TGV Duplex to Munich, then EuroNight sleeper train to Zagreb...

• First take the 15:25 high-speed TGV from Paris to Munich arriving 21:36.  Fares from €39, book online at 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 to any UK address) or the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA, but see this advice on how to use it).

• Then take the sleeper train leaving Munich at 23:40 for Zagreb arriving 08:53.  The Zagreb sleeper must be booked by phone, it cannot be booked online.

Paris to Warsaw, Krakow & Poland from €64...

Option 1, by high-speed Thalys train from Paris to Cologne, then EuroNight sleeper train to Warsaw...

• Travel from Paris to Cologne by high-speed Thalys train, leaving Paris Nord at 18:01 arriving Cologne at 21:15 (check times for your date of travel as they may vary).  Fares start at €35 if you book online at www.thalys.com.

• Then travel from Cologne to Warsaw by EuroNight sleeper train Jan Kiepura, leaving Cologne at 22:28 and arriving at Warsaw Centralna at 10:55 next morning.  Fares start at €29 in a seat, €49 in a couchette, €91 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or €124 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, and you can easily book online at www.bahn.de and print out your own ticket.  For Krakow, buy an onward ticket when you get to Warsaw, there are regular InterCity trains taking just a few hours.  Unfortunately, it's reported that the Jan Kiepura may be discontinued from 1 July 2013.

Option 2, by City Night Line sleeper train from Paris to Berlin, then EuroCity train to Warsaw...

• Travel from Paris to Berlin by excellent City Night Line sleeper train, leaving Paris Est at 20:05 and arriving Berlin Hbf at 08:28 next morning.  Fares start at just €43 in a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, you can book this train online at either www.bahn.de (the German Railways website, for residents of any country, you simply print your own ticket) or www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or French Railways' own website www.voyages-sncf.com (for residents of any country, tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA, see this advice on how to use it).

• Then travel from Berlin (depart 09:37) to Warsaw Centralna (arriving 15:05) by Berlin-Warszawa Express.

• The London to Poland page has more information about the journey via both these options.

Paris to Bucharest, Brasov & Romania...

• Travel from Paris to Budapest as shown in option 1 of the Paris to Budapest section above, taking 1 night, 1 day.  A EuroNight Sleeper train called the Ister leaves Budapest Keleti around 19:10 arriving in Brasov around 09:31 and Bucharest around 12:10 next day.

• You'll find more details on the London to Romania page, just ignore the London to Paris bit.

Paris to Athens & Greece...

• Leave Paris in the afternoon by high-speed TGV through the French Alps to Milan, stay overnight, then take a fast train next morning along the Adriatic coast to Bari.  Sail overnight from Bari to Patras in Greece with a comfy cabin, for a bus on to Athens.  Paris to Athens takes less than 48 hours this way, an epic adventure, and a great journey.  It can be booked online in 3 stages, see the London to Greece page for times, fares, photos 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, see the London to Greece page.

Paris to Kiev & Ukraine, Istanbul & Turkey...

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

• For Paris to Istanbul, see the Turkey page and ignore the London to Paris part, all of this journey can be booked online apart from the last Bucharest to Istanbul leg.

Paris to Moscow & Russia...

• There is a direct Russian sleeper train from Paris to Moscow taking 2 days, 1 night and running 3 to 6 times a week, see the Russia page for details.

• You can book the direct Paris-Moscow train online at www.voyages-sncf.com.

Buy tickets starting in Brussels, Bruges, Belgium

To check train times & fares within Belgium, use www.b-rail.be.  You can buy tickets easily at the station on the day.

Buying train tickets for journeys within Belgium...

• Belgian domestic trains operate on a turn up, buy a ticket and hop on basis, with a fixed-price kilometric tariff and no seat reservations necessary or possible.  So there's no need nor advantage in pre-booking, you can just turn up and buy a ticket at the station on the day.

• You can check Belgian train times & fares at www.b-rail.be, and buy PDF format tickets online to save time at the ticket office.

Brussels to London from £39, www.eurostar.com...

• Buy Brussels to London tickets at www.eurostar.com.  There are regular Eurostar trains from Brussels to London, taking just 1 hour 55 minutes or so.  You can print out your own ticket or choose to collect tickets at the station.  Eurostar has airline-style pricing so book early for the cheapest fare, booking opens 120 days ahead.

• You can buy through tickets from Brussels to 130 UK towns & cities at  www.eurostar.com, including York, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, one-way or return in either direction.  However, even if you live in Belgium, you must select 'UK-English' top right on www.eurostar.com so that you make the booking in pounds sterling on the UK version of Eurostar's website.  These 130 UK regional destinations will not show up if you use any other version of Eurostar's website.  This is because UK train companies won't accept payment in euros, so only the pound-based UK version of the Eurostar site can sell tickets to these UK destinations beyond London.  Or perhaps we just don't want any Belgians visiting York or Bath or anywhere beyond London!  There are no problems in booking on the UK-English version of their site, wherever you live.

Brussels to Paris from €35, www.thalys.com...

• A high-speed Thalys train links Brussels Midi with Paris Gare du Nord every hour or so throughout the day, in as little as 1 hour 22 minutes, for more information & photos see the Thalys page.

• Buy tickets from €35 direct from the train operator at www.thalys.com and print out your own ticket.  Fares work like air fares, so book early for the cheapest price, booking opens 90 days ahead.  You can also book at www.b-europe.com.

Bruges to Paris from €56, www.b-europe.com...

• Every half-hour, a Belgian InterCity train links Bruges (Brugge) with Brussels Midi in 56-58 minutes, and from Brussels Midi hourly high-speed Thalys trains run to Paris Gare du Nord in as little as 1 hour 22 minutes, for more information & photos see the Thalys page.  I'd allow at least 20 minutes to change in Brussels.

• You can buy Bruges to Paris tickets at www.b-europe.com, this gives you an open ticket from Bruges to Brussels (no reservation necessary or possible, valid on any train that day) plus a reserved seat on a specific Thalys train from Brussels to Paris, all in one transaction with print-at-home tickets.  Simple! 

• You can also book a ticket from Bruges to Paris at www.thalys.com using their Any Belgian Station (ABS) arrangement, but it's fiddly as it tries to put you on the one daily through train from Bruges to Paris, and if you select 'Any other Belgian station (ABS)' you won't find Bruges listed, only the little local Bruges St Pieters.  I therefore recommend using www.b-europe.com for journeys starting outside Brussels.

Brussels to Nice, Lyon, Bordeaux & other French cities, www.b-europe.com...

• Direct French TGVs link Brussels with French cities such as Lyon & Marseille.  You can buy tickets from Brussels to other French cities at www.b-europe.com, using either a direct TGV if there is one or where necessary a change of train.

Brussels to Amsterdam, from €27, www.b-europe.com...

• There's a choice of train service on the Brussels-Amsterdam route, high-speed with reservation required or low speed with no reservation required:

• Option 1, high-speed Thalys trains link Brussels with Amsterdam Centraal in just 1 hour 49 minutes at up to 300 km/h (186 mph), with a departure every 2 or 3 hours.  Reservation is compulsory, prices vary like air fares so you'll find cheap fares from around €27 if you book in advance rising to around €80 bought on the day, buy tickets at www.b-europe.com and print out your own ticket.  Thalys also calls at Schiphol airport.

• Option 2, you can take conventional regular-speed trains taking around 3.5 hours with regular hourly departures for a fixed price of €36, no reservation necessary or even possible, just buy a ticket and hop on the next train.  In the wake of the Fyra fiasco, there are no direct trains apart from Thalys, so you'll need to change at Den Haag or possibly Antwerp and Roosendaal, but they are trying to reinstate direct trains, buy tickets and check times at www.b-europe.com.

Bruges to Amsterdam for €43.80, www.b-europe.com...

• Every hour, an InterCity train links Bruges with Antwerp, a magnificent station where you change onto hourly onward trains to Amsterdam, total journey time 3.5 to 4 hours. 

• Buy tickets online at www.b-europe.com and print your own ticket. 

• It's a fixed-price fare, so it's always €43.80 even on the day of travel, no reservation necessary or even possible, just buy a ticket and hop on the next train. 

• Alternatively, faster options (3 hours) are available involving an InterCity train from Bruges to Brussels and a high-speed reservation-compulsory Thalys train from Brussels to Amsterdam, these options will also appear when you book at www.b-europe.com, but in this case book early for the cheapest fares as the price varies like air fares.  Ghent to Amsterdam can also be booked at www.b-europe.com.

Brussels to Luxembourg for €35.40, www.b-europe.com...

• An hourly InterCity train links Brussels Midi (also known as Brussel Zuid) with Luxembourg, and it's a lovely scenic run.  You can check times and buy tickets online at the Belgian railways website www.b-europe.com and you simply print out your own ticket.  The price doesn't change so it's the same even on the day of travel and no reservation is needed, so it's just as easy to buy a ticket at the station and hop on.

Brussels to Germany from €19:  Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich...

• You can buy tickets from anywhere in Belgium to most German cities online at the Belgian Railways website www.b-europe.com and print your own ticket.  This can sell tickets via both types of high-speed train linking Brussels with Germany, Thalys and ICE.  Fares vary like air fares, book early for cheap prices, Brussels to Cologne from €19, Brussels to Frankfurt from €29, Brussels to Berlin or Munich from €39.

• Also check prices at the German Railways website www.bahn.de, although this can only sell journeys which involve one of their own ICE trains between Brussels and Cologne, not Thalys.

Brussels to Austria from €58:  Vienna, Innsbruck, Salzburg...

• Hop on the 16:28 or 17:28 high-speed Thalys train from Brussels Midi to Cologne from €19 and take the excellent Austrian railways EuroNight sleeper train overnight from Cologne at 20:05 to Linz & Vienna, arriving at 08:56 next morning, from €39 with couchette, €69 with bed in 2-bed sleeper, or €129 with bed in 2-berth deluxe sleeper with toilet & shower. 

• Step 1, book the sleeper train from Cologne to Vienna online at either www.bahn.de or www.oebb.at (I find oebb.at often has cheaper fares for this train).

• Step 2, book a connecting Brussels-Cologne Thalys train at either www.b-europe.com or www.thalys.com (for residents of any country, you print your own tickets) or (if you want the ICE train between Brussels & Cologne) www.bahn.de.  Allow at least 45 minutes in Cologne to make a reliable connection.

• You can also travel by daytime trains from Brussels to Salzburg, Innsbruck or Vienna, but follow this advice:  First find your train times for the whole journey by asking the journey planner at www.bahn.de for Brussels to Austria.  Make a note of the trains you want.  Then book the journey in two stages by splitting it at Cologne, for example first book Brussels-Cologne at www.thalys.com from €19, then book a separate journey from Cologne to Austria at www.bahn.de from €39.  This way, you'll benefit from any cheap Belgium-Germany fares on one section and cheap Germany-Austria fares on the other.

Brussels to Switzerland from €39:  Basel, Zurich & beyond...

• Direct trains from Brussels to Switzerland:  There are two daily direct daytime trains from Brussels to Basel which can be booked at www.b-europe.com.  They are not high-speed (far from it) and unfortunately, there are no cheap fares for these trains, only expensive full-price fares, nor is there any catering on these trains, so I'd recommend the cheaper and better route via Cologne.

• Daytime trains via Cologne:  This is the route I'd recommend.  First book Brussels to Cologne at www.thalys.com (Thalys trains) or www.bahn.de (German ICE trains) from €19.  Allow at least 30 minutes in Cologne to change.  Then book Cologne to Basel or Zurich at www.bahn.de from €39.  In fact, if you're happy using one of the four daily ICEs between Brussels and Cologne, you can book from Brussels to Basel Bad Bf all in one go from €39 (Basel Bad Bahnhof is considered the last station in Germany by DB, even though it's in Switzerland, so cheap 'spezial' fares will be shown), then use www.sbb.ch to add an open onward ticket from Basel Bad Bf to where you like in Switzerland valid on any train, including the one you're already on, so you can stay on board until Basel SBB station, then change as necessary for other Swiss destinations.

• Sleeper train option:  There's now no direct sleeper train, but it's possible to use the late-night Cologne-Switzerland City Night Line sleeper train booked at www.bahn.de with a connecting Brussels-Cologne ticket booked at www.thalys.com (Thalys trains) or www.bahn.de (ICE trains).  Allow at least 45 minutes in Cologne for connections.

• Going via Paris:  With Brussels-Paris only 1 hour 10 from €35, and Paris-Geneva or Paris-Basel only 3 hours 10 from €25, it's fast and inexpensive to go via Paris, if you don't mind changing trains and station by metro.  Book Brussels to Paris Gare du Nord at www.thalys.com, allow at least 1 hour to change trains and stations by metro or taxi, then book Paris Gare de Lyon to Geneva, Basel, Zurich, Lausanne or Bern at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) or www.voyages-sncf.com (anyone).

Brussels to Italy from €64:  Milan, Florence, Rome, Verona, Venice...

• Sleeper option via Paris:  Hop on an afternoon Thalys train from Brussels Midi to Paris in just 1 hour 10 minutes from €35, change stations in Paris by metro or taxi, then take the direct Thello sleeper train from Paris to Milan, Verona, Venice, Bologna, Florence & Rome from €35 with couchette.  You'll find details of these sleeper trains and how to buy tickets for them on the Thello sleeper train page.  Then book a connecting Thalys train from Brussels to Paris at www.thalys.com (select 'Belgium - English', you print your own tickets).  Allow at least 90 minutes in Paris to change trains and stations by metro or taxi.

• Daytime option via Paris:  Catch a late morning Thalys train from Brussels to Paris Gare du Nord, from €35 booked at www.thalys.com (for residents of any country, select 'United Kingdom' for English, you print your own tickets).  Allow at least 90 minutes in Paris to change trains and stations by metro or taxi.  A Paris-Italy TGV train leaves Paris Gare de Lyon at 14:41 arriving Turin 20:13, Milan Porto Garibaldi at 21:45, book this at www.voyages-sncf.com, fares from €29.  Onward trains from Milan should be booked at either Buy onward tickets from Milan or Turin to anywhere in Italy at www.italiarail.com (easy to use, in plain English, they'll refund seat61 users the €3.50 booking fee if you email seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian-language place names and has a few quirks so see this advice on using it, no booking fee, allows specific seat selection).  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train.

• Sleeper option via Cologne & Swiss Alps:  This saves having to cross Paris, and also shows you the Swiss Alps via the scenic Gotthard route in daylight.  First book the excellent Cologne to Zurich City Night Line sleeper at www.bahn.de, it leaves after 23:00 and arrives after 08:00, from €59 with couchette, €104 with bed in 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, look for the direct CNL train with 0 changes in the search results.  Now book a suitable Brussels-Cologne connection at www.b-europe.com from €19, allowing at least 1 hour in Cologne.  Now add a morning Zurich to Milan EuroCity train from €22 (CHF38) at www.sbb.ch, allowing at least an hour to change trains in Zurich.  Book onward trains within Italy at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first), again allowing at least 1 hour to ensure a reliable connection.

Brussels to Spain from €107 with sleeper:  Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Alicante...

• Take an afternoon high-speed Thalys train from Brussels Midi to Paris (Gare du Nord) from €35, change stations in Paris by metro or taxi, then take the overnight Elipsos trainhotel sleeper train from Paris Gare d'Austerlitz to Madrid or Barcelona with sleepers, restaurant & bar from €74 with bed in 4-bed sleeper.  You'll need to leave Brussels at around 15:00-15:30 to connect with the Madrid train which leaves Paris at 18:08, or around 17:15 to connect with the Paris-Barcelona train which leaves Paris at 22:16.  Journeys from Brussels to Spain can be booked online in two separate stages:

• Step 1, book the sleeper from Paris to Madrid or Barcelona using either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents only, tickets sent to any UK address) or www.renfe.com (for residents of any country, you print out your own ticket, see the step-by-step instructions here).  If you have any problems using Renfe.com, use www.petrabax.com/renfe instead, it's in plain English, there are no payment problems and it also gives print-at-home tickets.  Petrabax are a US-based Spanish holiday specialist who has linked to the Renfe ticketing system.  They charge the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up.  For more information about these trainhotels, including photos inside & out, see the London to Spain page or the trainhotel website www.elipsos.com.

• Step 2, book Brussels to Paris at www.thalys.com (for residents of any country, you print your own tickets) or www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents only).  Onwards tickets from Madrid to Seville, Granada or Malaga or from Barcelona to Valencia or Alicante can be booked online at www.renfe.com, which lets you print your own tickets.  

• Step 3, onward tickets from Madrid to Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, Granada or from Barcelona to Valencia & Alicante can be booked at www.renfe.com.  The London to Spain page will explain how to transfer from Madrid Chamartin to Madrid Atocha, and what the best onward connections are after you arrive in Madrid or Barcelona by trainhotel, just ignore the London to Paris part of the journey!

Brussels to Portugal from €122:  Lisbon, Porto, Faro...

• You take an early-morning Thalys train from Brussels to Paris, change stations in Paris by metro or taxi, then take a morning TGV from Paris Gare Montparnasse to the Spanish frontier at Irun to connect with the overnight Sud Express trainhotel sleeper train to Lisbon, see the London to Portugal page for details, ignoring the London to Paris bit.  Book the Brussels-Paris train at www.thalys.com (select 'Belgium - English').  Book the Paris-Irun TGV at either either 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, tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA, or you can pick up tickets at the station in Paris, see this advice on how to use it).  Then use the Spanish railways website www.renfe.com to book the trenhotel from Irun to Lisbon.  You print out your own tickets, see this step-by-step guide to using renfe.com.  For the Algarve, change at Lisbon Oriente for an InterCity train to Faro.  For Porto, alight from the Sud Express at Coimbra B or Entroncamento and take a train north to Porto. 

Brussels to Prague from €62...

• Hop on the 18:25 high-speed ICE train from Brussels to Cologne, then the excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Cologne to Prague, leaving Cologne at 22:28 and arriving Prague at 09:26 next morning.  Some sleepers on these sleeper trains even have a private shower & toilet. 

• To buy tickets, first, book the direct overnight sleeper train from Cologne to Prague online at www.bahn.de.  Fares start at just €43 with a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, bookings normally open 92 days in advance. 

• Then book the Brussels-Cologne train using either www.bahn.de (for residents of any country, you print your own tickets, fares from €19 if you pre-book) or www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents only, tickets sent to any UK address).  Allow at least 45 minutes in Cologne to make a safe connection.

Brussels to Budapest & Hungary...

• Travel from Brussels to Vienna by Thalys to Cologne and the sleeper to Vienna as shown in the Brussels to Austria section above.  Then simply take a morning RailJet train from Vienna to Budapest, taking just 3 hours. You can buy this online at www.oebb.at from €19 or at the station in Vienna.

Brussels to Warsaw, Krakow & Poland from €62...

• Hop on the 18:25 high-speed ICE train from Brussels to Cologne, then the excellent EuroNight sleeper train Jan Kiepura from Cologne to Warsaw, leaving Cologne at 22:28 and arriving in Warsaw Centralna around 10:55 next morning.  Some sleepers on these sleeper trains even have a private shower & toilet.  To buy tickets, first book the sleeper train from Cologne to Warsaw online at www.bahn.de, fares start at just €29 with a seat, €39 in a couchette, or €69 in a 2-bed sleeper if you pre-book, bookings normally open 92 days in advance.  Onward tickets from Warsaw to Krakow can easily be bought on arrival in Warsaw.  Then use www.bahn.de again to book the Brussels to Cologne ICE, from €19.

Brussels to Moscow & Russia...

• Take a late afternoon Thalys or ICE train to Frankfurt.  There is a direct Russian sleeping-car from Frankfurt to Moscow, leaving late evening and taking 2 nights.  It cannot be booked online, only by phone.  See the London to Russia page for details.

Brussels to Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm & Scandinavia...

• Hop on the 18:25 high-speed ICE train from Brussels to Cologne, then the excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Cologne to Copenhagen, leaving Cologne at 22:28 and arriving in Copenhagen at 10:07 next morning.  Some sleepers on the sleeper train even have a private shower & toilet.  Then take a Swedish X2000 onwards to Stockholm, leaving Copenhagen around 11:15 and arriving around 16:40 (runs an hour later on Saturdays).  Brussels-Cologne ICE fares start at €19, Cologne-Copenhagen fares start at just €43 with a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, bookings normally open 92 days in advance.  An onward X2000 train then links Copenhagen with Stockholm arriving late afternoon.  Or a morning train to Gothenburg connects with a Norwegian train to Oslo, see the London to Norway or London to Sweden pages for more details, just ignore the London to Brussels section.

• Step 1, book the City Night Line sleeper train from Cologne to Copenhagen online at www.bahn.de and print out your own ticket.  If you are going to Stockholm, book from Cologne to Stockholm as this will book the City Night Line and a connecting X2 (X2000) train as one transaction at one price.  Similarly, if you are going to Gothenburg or Oslo, book from Cologne to Goteborg.  If you are going to Oslo, then add the connecting afternoon Gothenburg to Oslo train at www.nsb.no looking for a cheap Minipris fare.

• Step 2, book a connecting Brussels-Cologne train from €19 using www.bahn.de (for residents of any country, you print your own tickets).  Allow at least 45 minutes in Cologne to make a reliable connection. 

• Onward tickets from Copenhagen to Stockholm or Oslo can also be booked 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 Istanbul & Turkey...

• See the advice above on travelling from Brussels to Vienna.  In Vienna you can pick up the London-Istanbul route suggested on the London to Turkey page.

Buy tickets starting in Amsterdam & the Netherlands

To check train times & fares within the Netherlands, use the Dutch Railways website www.ns.nl.  You can easily buy tickets at the station on the day.

Buying train tickets for journeys within the Netherlands...

• Dutch domestic trains operate on a turn up, buy a ticket and hop on basis, with a fixed-price kilometric tariff and no seat reservations necessary or possible.  So there's no need nor advantage in pre-booking, you can just turn up and buy a ticket at the station on the day.

• You can check Dutch train times & fares at www.ns.nl, although you cannot buy tickets here, even though it looks as if you can, because www.ns.nl (Dutch Railways) does not accept any internationally-recognised form of payment, rendering it totally useless for online sales.

• One-way tickets are valid any time that day, just remember to validate them in the little yellow machines on the platform before getting on the train.  Return tickets are twice the price of a one-way and are valid for return by any train the same day.  If you want to stay overnight you'll need two one-ways.  Children under 4 travel free, children 4 to 11 inclusive can buy a €2.50 Railrunner ticket giving unlimited travel all over the Netherlands all day, as long as they are accompanied by an adult using a normal ticket.

• Be warned that NS's self-service machines are officially The Most Useless Ticket Machines in Europe, accepting neither credit cards nor bank notes, just coins and obscure Dutch bank cards, so unless you have a wheelbarrow full of euro coins like a scene from the Weimar Republic, you will need to buy tickets at the ticket office, where they charge €0.50 extra.  You must pay in cash at the ticket office, as Dutch ticket offices don't accept credit cards either. The ticket machines at Amsterdam Centraal & Schiphol do now accept MasterCard & Visa for a €1 fee, but those at all other Dutch stations don't.  This is a significant problem for non-Dutch travellers in the Netherlands.

Amsterdam to London from €52...

• 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 to London by train+ferry from €52, see the London to the Netherlands page for full details:  This is the low-cost but high-comfort option, by train from Amsterdam or anywhere in the Netherlands to Hoek van Holland, then across the North Sea on the world's largest superferry to Harwich, then by train on to central London.  There's an overnight service with a private cabin which can save both time and expensive hotel bills, leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 18:46, arriving London Liverpool Street station at 08:48 or so next morning.  For one-way or return journeys starting in the Netherlands, you'll need to follow the advice for booking online at Stena Line's Dutch site, www.stenaline.nl.

• Amsterdam to London by Eurostar from €73 at www.b-europe.com:  This is the high-speed train option, with a range of departures daily taking 4-5 hours from Amsterdam Centraal to London with one easy same-station change of train in Brussels.  You can book a ticket from any Dutch station to London either by Thalys+Eurostar or Fyra+Eurostar using either www.b-europe.com or www.nshispeed.nl, and you print out your own ticket.  Alternatively, split the journey:  First buy a Eurostar ticket from Brussels to London online at www.eurostar.com, selecting the option to print out your own ticket at home.  Then buy a separate ticket from Amsterdam to Brussels by Fyra or Thalys at www.b-europe.com.

Amsterdam to Paris from €35, www.thalys.com...

• High-speed Thalys trains run every hour or two from Amsterdam & Rotterdam to Paris in just 3h09, city centre to city centre, faster than flying. 

• You can buy tickets at either www.thalys.com or www.b-europe.com and print out your own ticket.  Thalys has airline-style pricing so book early for the cheapest fare, booking opens 92 days ahead. 

• Onward trains within France can then be booked using the French railways website www.voyages-sncf.com, with ticket collection in Paris or tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA.  Alternatively, UK residents can also use www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents only, tickets sent to any UK address) for booking both Amsterdam-Paris and onward trains within France.

Amsterdam to Brussels from €27, Amsterdam to Bruges or Ghent for €43.80...

• From Amsterdam to Brussels, there's a choice of two train services, both easily booked at www.b-europe.com:  Option 1, high-speed Thalys trains link Amsterdam Centraal with Brussels in just 1 hour 49 minutes at up to 300 km/h (186 mph), with a departure every 2 or 3 hours.  Reservation is compulsory, prices vary like air fares so you'll find cheap fares from around €27 if you book in advance rising to around €80 bought on the day, buy tickets at www.b-europe.com and print out your own ticket.  Thalys also leaves from Schiphol airport.  Option 2, you can take conventional non-high-speed trains taking around 3.5 hours with regular hourly departures for a fixed price of €36, no reservation necessary or even possible, just buy a ticket and hop on the next train.  In the wake of the Fyra fiasco, there are no direct trains apart from Thalys, so you'll need to change at Den Haag or possibly Roosendaal & Antwerp, but they are trying to reinstate direct trains, buy tickets and check times at www.b-europe.com.

• From Amsterdam to Bruges or Ghent simply use www.b-europe.com to book a ticket from Amsterdam Centraal (or Schiphol airport) to Bruges or Gent using hourly conventional trains from Amsterdam to Antwerp (a magnificent station that's a landmark in its own right) and then the hourly InterCity train from Antwerp to Bruges or Ghent.  You print your own ticket.  The price is €43.80, that's fixed-price so it's the same even on the day of travel, no reservation necessary or even possible, just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on the next train.  Using www.b-europe.com you'll also see faster (3 hour) options using high-speed Thalys trains from Amsterdam to Brussels, then InterCity trains to Bruges, these require reservation and the fare varies, it's cheaper if you pre-book.

Amsterdam to Luxembourg for €69 any time, any day...

• There are regular InterCity trains from the Netherlands to Luxembourg with changes of train at Maastricht and Liege.  If you use these trains, no reservation is necessary, fixed fare €69 which can be bought at the station on the day.  However, it's faster to take a Thalys train to Brussels then an InterCity train to Luxembourg, seat reservation is required for Thalys and there are much cheaper fares if you pre-book.  You can check times and prices and buy self-print tickets for this journey online at either www.b-europe.com or www.nshispeed.nl.

Amsterdam to Switzerland from €43...

• By direct sleeper train:  There is an excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Amsterdam Centraal to Basel & Zurich in Switzerland, leaving around 20:31 and arriving in Zurich around 08:20 next morning.  The train has couchettes (4 & 6-bunk) and sleepers (1, 2 & 3 bed rooms, some deluxe with private shower & toilet, breakfast included).  You can easily book this train at the German Railways website www.bahn.de, fares start at just €43 with a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with toilet & shower.  Bookings normally open 90 days in advance, you pay by credit card and simply print out your own ticket.  Onward tickets from Basel or Zurich to any station in Switzerland can be bought on board the sleeper train, for about €29 each way (ask your sleeper attendant for a Swiss connection ticket).

• By daytime trains:  Alternatively, you can travel from Amsterdam to Switzerland by daytime trains.  If you're going to Basel, simply book from Amsterdam to Basel Bad Bf (NOT the main Basel SBB) using the German Railways website www.bahn.de.  Why not Basel SBB?  Well, German Railways well Europa Spezial tickets from Amsterdam to anywhere in Germany from €39 and Basel Bad Bahnhof is considered an extremity of the German rail network even though it is in Switzerland, 1 stop before Basel's main Basel SBB station.  You can add a Basel Bad Bf to Basel SBB ticket for just €4.  If you are travelling to any other Swiss city, you should also buy tickets using www.bahn.de, but the trick is to split the journey, as bahn.de can only offer cheap fares on daytime trains if the start or end of the journey is in Germany:  First, find convenient train times for the whole journey by asking the journey planner at www.bahn.de for Amsterdam to your Swiss destination, and make a note of the trains you want.  Then book the journey in two stages by splitting it at a key interchange point within Germany, for example first use www.bahn.de to book Amsterdam-Cologne from €19, then use it again to book a separate ticket from Cologne to Zurich from €29.  This way, you'll benefit from any cheap Netherlands-Germany fares on one section and cheap Germany-Switzerland fares on the other, whereas if you book all in one go it will say 'Unknown tariff abroad' as this is not a journey starting or ending in Germany (remember, it's the German Railways website that you're using!).  I strongly recommend registering when prompted on www.bahn.de, so that you can log in at any time from any PC anywhere and check your bookings or re-print tickets.

• Another way of doing it is to book from Amsterdam to Basel Bad Bf at www.bahn.de, as Basel Bad Bf is considered a German station by DB even though it's in Switzerland, so cheap fares appear.  Then buy an onward open ticket from Basel Bad Bf to your Swiss destination at the Swiss railways site www.sbb.ch.  There's then no need to get off at Basel Bad Bf, you can stay on board until the main Basel SBB station and change for other trains there (or stay on board to Zurich or Interlaken or Bern, if the German train happens to be going there).

Amsterdam to Italy from €69:  Amsterdam to Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome...

Option 1, Amsterdam to Italy via Switzerland & the Gotthard Pass...

• This easy and comfortable option involves an overnight journey from Amsterdam to Zurich aboard a high-quality German City Night Line sleeper train, then a spectacular scenic journey from Zurich to Milan through the Swiss Alps via the Gotthard Pass.  Regular high-speed trains then link Milan with Florence, Rome or Venice.  I'd probably use this route if I were going to Milan, Florence or Rome, but the Brenner Pass route shown below if I were going to Verona or Venice.

• Fares for the Amsterdam-Zurich sleeper train start at €59 in a couchette (basic flat bunk), €104 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with toilet & shower.  Zurich to Milan by EuroCity train starts at CHF36 (about €22) if you pre-book.

• Step 1, go to the German Railways website www.bahn.de and book the sleeper train leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 20:31 and arriving Zurich in Switzerland at 08:20.  Look for the direct CNL train with 0 changes in the search results.  You pay by credit card and print out your own ticket.  Easy!

• Step 2, now go to the Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch and book an onward ticket from Zurich to Milan by direct EuroCity train, allowing at least 45-60 minutes to change trains in Zurich in case of any delay to the sleeper.  You collect tickets at the station in Zurich.

• Step 3, buy onward tickets from Milan to anywhere in Italy at www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first).  In most cases it's ticketless, you simply quote your PNR number on board the train.  Allow at least an hour to change trains in Milan's magnificent Centrale station in case of any delay.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Italy via Munich & the Brenner Pass...

• This easy and comfortable option involves an overnight journey from Amsterdam to Munich aboard a high-quality German City Night Line sleeper train, then a scenic journey from Munich to Verona & Venice via the Brenner Pass.  Regular high-speed trains then link Milan with Florence, Rome or Venice.  This video shows the scenery in the Brenner Pass:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=uucEm3op7uc.  I'd probably use this option in preference to the Zurich route if I were going to Venice or Verona.

• Fares for the Amsterdam-Munich sleeper train start at €59 in a couchette (basic flat bunk), €104 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with toilet & shower.  Munich to Verona or (on the once-daily direct train) Venice by EuroCity train starts at €39 if you pre-book.

• Step 1, go to the German Railways website www.bahn.de and book the sleeper train leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 20:31 and arriving Munich at 07:10.  Look for the direct CNL train with 0 changes in the search results.  You pay by credit card and print out your own ticket.  Easy!

• Step 2, now use www.bahn.de again to book from Munich to Verona allowing at least an hour to change trains in Munich in case of any delay.  If you're happy waiting for the once-daily direct train leaving Munich at 11:31 and arriving Venice Santa Lucia on the banks of the Grand Canal at 18:10, you can book direct to Venice from €39, too.  You print your own ticket.

• Step 3, buy onward tickets from Verona to Florence, Rome or anywhere in Italy at www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first).  In most cases it's ticketless, you simply quote your PNR number on board the train.  Allow at least 45 minutes to change in Verona.

Amsterdam to Spain from €107 with sleeper...

• Take a mid-afternoon Thalys high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris Gare du Nord in just 3 hours 20 minutes, cross Paris by metro or taxi, then take one of the excellent overnight trainhotel sleeper trains from Paris Gare d'Austerlitz to Madrid or Barcelona, leaving in the evening and arriving next morning.  For more information about the trainhotels with photos inside & out, see the London to Spain page.  Journeys from the Netherlands to Spain can be booked online in two stages - I suggest doing a dry run first on both sites to check prices & availability: 

• Step 1, book the overnight trainhotel from Paris to Barcelona or Madrid using either the Spanish railways website www.renfe.com (you simply print out your own ticket, see step-by-step instructions here).  If you have any problems with renfe.com (which often rejects credit cards and has a few quirky translations), you can also book the Paris-Madrid or Paris-Barcelona sleeper trains at www.petrabax.com/renfe in plain English with no payment problems and print-at-home tickets.  Petrabax are a US-based Spanish holiday specialist who has linked to the Renfe ticketing system, charging the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up.

• Step 2, book a connecting Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris at www.thalys.com (for anyone from any country, you simply print your own ticket) or www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents only, tickets sent to any UK address), allowing at least 90 minutes to change trains and stations in Paris. 

• Step 3, 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.com.  You may find this advice on using renfe.com helpful.

Amsterdam to Portugal from €122...

• You take an early morning Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris, change stations in Paris, then take a morning TGV from Paris Gare Montparnasse to the Spanish frontier at Irun to connect with the overnight Sud Express trainhotel sleeper train to Lisbon, see the London to Portugal page for details of the Paris-Lisbon journey, just ignore the London to Paris bit. 

• Step 1, book the Amsterdam-Paris train at www.thalys.com from €35. 

• Step 2, book the Paris-Irun TGV at either 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, tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA, or you can collect tickets at the station in Paris).  The booking system at voyages-sncf.com has quite a few quirks, so before booking, see this advice on how to use it. 

• Step 3, now use the Spanish railways website www.renfe.com to book the trenhotel from Irun to Lisbon following the step-by-step instructions here. 

• For the Algarve, change at Lisbon Oriente for an InterCity train to Faro.  For Porto, alight from the Sud Express at Coimbra B and take a train north to Porto.

Amsterdam to Germany from €19:  Amsterdam to Berlin, Cologne, Munich...

• There are regular high-speed ICE trains from Amsterdam to Düsseldorf (2h12), Cologne (2h38) and Frankfurt (3h56), and InterCity trains from Amsterdam to Hanover & Berlin (6h22), with fares from just €19 to Cologne, €39 to Berlin.

• There's also a daily City Night Line sleeper train from Amsterdam to Munich leaving Amsterdam Centraal around 20:31 arriving Munich at 07:10 next morning, fares start at just €43 with a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower.

• The easiest way to book all these trains is at the German Railways website www.bahn.de.  Bookings normally open 92 days in advance, you pay by credit card and simply print out your own ticket. 

• You can also book daytime trains (although not sleeper trains) between Amsterdam and Germany at www.b-europe.com.

Amsterdam to Austria from €48:  Amsterdam to Vienna, Salzburg, Linz, Innsbruck...

• For Amsterdam to Vienna, the most time-effective option is with an overnight sleeper!  First book the Cologne-Vienna sleeper train leaving Cologne around 20:05 and arriving Vienna at 08:56 using either the German railways website www.bahn.de or the Austrian railways website www.oebb.at.  You print out your own ticket.  Fares start at just €29 with a seat, €39 in a couchette, or €69 in a 2-bed sleeper, if you pre-book (check both sites - the Austrian site may be cheaper!).  Bookings normally open 92 days in advance, you pay by credit card and simply print out your own ticket.  Then book a connecting Amsterdam-Cologne ICE train using www.bahn.de from just €19.  Allow at least 45 minutes in Cologne between trains. 

• For Amsterdam to Innsbruck, Salzburg or Vienna, first book the Amsterdam-Munich City Night Line sleeper train (leaving Amsterdam at 20:31, Munich arrive 07:10) using www.bahn.de and print out your own ticket.  Fares start at just €43 with a seat, €59 in a couchette, or €104 in a 2-bed sleeper, if you pre-book.  Then use www.bahn.de again to book a connecting train from Munich to Salzburg, Linz, Innsbruck or Vienna from €19 to Salzburg or Innsbruck, €29 to Vienna, allowing at least 45 minutes to change trains in Munich.

• Daytime travel from Amsterdam to Austria (via Cologne, with several changes) can be booked at www.bahn.de, but the trick is to split the journey like this:  First find your train times for the whole journey by asking the journey planner for Amsterdam to Vienna, and make a note of the trains you want.  Then book the journey in two stages by splitting it at a key interchange point within Germany, for example first book Amsterdam-Frankfurt, then book a separate journey from Frankfurt to Vienna.  This way, you'll benefit from any cheap Netherlands-Germany fares from €19 on one section and cheap Germany-Austria fares from €29 on the other, whereas if you book all in one go only expensive full fares will be shown as this is not a journey starting or ending in Germany (remember, it's the German Railways website that you're using!).

Amsterdam to Prague & the Czech Republic from €43...

• There is an excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Amsterdam to Prague every night.  Leave central Amsterdam at 19:01, arrive in Prague city centre at 09.26 next morning!  The train has couchettes (simple sleeping berths in 4 & 6-bunk compartments) and sleepers (1, 2 & 3 bed rooms, some with private shower & toilet, breakfast included).  Fares start at just €43 with a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with toilet & shower, bookings normally open 92 days in advance. 

• You can easily buy tickets for this sleeper train online at the German Railways sleeper train website, www.bahn.de.  You pay by credit card and simply print out your own ticket. Easy, and it saves a hotel bill too!

Amsterdam to Bratislava & Slovakia from €68...

• There are many options, but consider going Amsterdam to Berlin by direct InterCity train from €29 booked at www.bahn.de, these run every 2 hours throughout the day.  Then either take the 18:10 sleeper train from Berlin to Bratislava arriving 05:38, or stay overnight in Berlin and take a Berlin-Bratislava EuroCity train from €39 next morning.  Both options can be booked online at www.bahn.de.  Allow at least an hour in Berlin for connections.

Amsterdam to Budapest & Hungary from €68...

• Option 1 is to leave Amsterdam around 12:30, change in Frankfurt to arrive Munich in the evening, fares from €29.  Then take the sleeper 'Kalman Imre' overnight from Munich (23:40) to Budapest (arriving 08:55), fares from €39 with couchette or €69 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.  First book the sleeper from Munich to Budapest using www.bahn.de.  Then book a connecting Amsterdam-Munich journey also using www.bahn.de.  Allow at least an hour to change trains in Munich.

• Option 2 is to take the overnight Amsterdam-Munich City Night Line sleeper train, leaving Amsterdam around 20:31 and arriving around 07:10, easily booked at www.bahn.de with fares from €59 including a couchette, €104 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper, or €129 with a bed in a deluxe 2-bed sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, breakfast included.  Then use www.bahn.de again to book the excellent Railjet train from Munich (depart 09:27) to Budapest arriving at 16:49, with fares from €39. You print out your own tickets.

Amsterdam to Ljubljana & Slovenia or Zagreb & Croatia from €72...

• Travel from Amsterdam to Munich by City Night Line sleeper train, leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 20:31 and arriving Munich Hbf at 07:10 next morning.  Fares start at just €43 in a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, you can book this train online at either www.bahn.de (the German Railways website, for residents of any country, you simply print your own ticket).

• Now depart Munich at 08:27 by air-conditioned Austrian EuroCity train, there's a quick and simple cross-platform change at Villach onto a waiting Slovenian and Croatian EuroCity train Sava, arriving Ljubljana at 14:31 and Zagreb at 17:00, book this journey online at www.bahn.de with fares from €39.

Amsterdam to Warsaw, Krakow & Poland from €29...

• You can take the excellent direct sleeper train Jan Kiepura from Amsterdam to Warsaw, leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 19:01 and arriving in Warsaw at 10:55 next morning.  It has reclining seats from €29, economical couchettes (4 & 6 berth compartments, from €49) and comfortable sleeping-cars (1, 2 & 3 berth compartments from €71 per person, including some deluxe sleepers with private shower & toilet).

• You can book it online at www.bahn.de and print out your own ticket.  Onward tickets from Warsaw to Krakow can be bought on arrival in Warsaw.

Amsterdam to Moscow & Russia

• Take the direct EuroNight sleeper train Jan Kiepura from Amsterdam (depart 19:01) to Warsaw (arrive 10:55 next day).  Then take the sleeper train Polonez from Warsaw (depart around 15:25) to Moscow (arrive 12:50, time varies by an hour in summer).  You can book the Amsterdam-Warsaw sleeper online at www.bahn.de.  But contact www.polrail.com to book the Warsaw-Moscow train or call an agency, it cannot be booked online.  The direct Amsterdam to Moscow Russian sleeping-car was discontinued in December 2012.

Amsterdam to Copenhagen from €43, Oslo & Norway, Stockholm & Sweden...

• There is an excellent City Night Line sleeper train direct from Amsterdam to Copenhagen every night, leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 19:01 and arriving in Copenhagen at 10:07 next morning.  You can book this train online at the German Railways website www.bahn.de from just €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, breakfast included.  You print out your own ticket. 

• There's then a fast X2000 train leaving Copenhagen around 11:15 and arriving in Stockholm Central around 16:40 (runs an hour later on Saturdays).  Tickets from Copenhagen to Stockholm & Oslo can be booked online at the Swedish Railways website www.sj.se, see advice on using it here, or alternatively at www.bokatag.se.

Amsterdam to Istanbul & Turkey...

• Take the City Night Line sleeper train from Amsterdam Centraal (depart 20:31) to Munich (arrive 07:10), booked at www.bahn.de.  In Munich you pick up the London-Budapest-Bucharest-Istanbul route as explained on the London to Turkey page.  Each stage of this journey can be booked online as shown on the London to Turkey page except for the last leg from Bucharest to Istanbul which needs to be booked by phone.

Buy tickets starting in Luxembourg

Luxembourg to London from €81...

• See the London to Luxembourg page for train times, fares, and the clever way to buy tickets.

Luxembourg to Paris from €25...

• Several daily high-speed TGV trains link Luxembourg with Paris Gare de l'Est taking just 2 hours 15 minutes.  You can book these at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) or www.voyages-sncf.com (residents of any country).  Book early for the cheapest fares, as fares rise as departure approaches.

Luxembourg to Brussels for €36...

• Hourly InterCity trains link Luxembourg with Brussels in about 3 hours.  No reservation is necessary, just buy a €36 fixed-price ticket at the station and hop on the next train.  You can check times and buy print-at-home tickets at www.b-europe.com (select 'United Kingdom' & 'English' whatever your country of residence).

Luxembourg to Amsterdam...

• There are regular InterCity trains from Luxembourg to Amsterdam with changes of train at Liège and Maastricht.  If you use these trains, no reservation is necessary, fixed fare €69 which can be bought at the station on the day.  However, it's faster to take the hourly InterCity to Brussels then a high-speed Thalys train to Amsterdam, and reservation is required for Thalys and there are cheaper fares if you pre-book.  You can check times and prices and buy tickets online at either www.b-europe.com or www.nshispeed.nl.

Luxembourg to Germany...

• Regular trains link Luxembourg with Trier & Koblenz, connecting for other towns & cities in Germany.  You can book these online at the German Railways website www.bahn.de from €19.

Buy tickets starting in Switzerland

To check train times & fares within Switzerland, use the Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch.

Buying train tickets for journeys within Switzerland...

• Swiss domestic trains operate on a turn up, buy a ticket and hop on basis, with a fixed-price kilometric tariff and no seat reservations necessary or even possible.  So there's no need nor advantage in pre-booking, you can just turn up and buy a ticket at the station on the day.  This even applies to TGV and EuroCity trains where they operate within Switzerland. Exception:  A handful of tourist-orientated trains do require reservations, such as the Glacier Express & Bernina Express. 

You can check fares and train times at www.sbb.ch, and buy tickets online if you want to save time at the ticket office, printing them out in PDF format.

Switzerland to London from €59...

See the London to Switzerland page for more information and Switzerland-London train times in both directions.  You can book from anywhere in Switzerland to Paris using www.sbb.ch (residents of any country, ticket collection at Swiss stations or in many cases self-print), then book a connecting Paris-London Eurostar ticket at www.eurostar.com, allowing at least 1 hour to cross Paris by metro or taxi.  Alternatively, you can look for a 'London Spezial' fare from Basel Bad Bahnhof to London from €59, as Basel Bad Bf is considered a German station even though it's in Switzerland so features these cheap Germany to London fares.  You can then add a ticket from anywhere in Switzerland to Basel Bad Bf using www.sbb.ch.

Switzerland to Paris from €29...

• There are direct high-speed TGV-Lyria trains from Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel & Zurich to Paris, for example Geneva to Paris in 3 hours 10 minutes, Zurich to Paris 4 hours 10 minutes.  You can book Switzerland to Paris journeys at either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or the Swiss Railways site www.sbb.ch with self-print tickets or ticket collection at Swiss stations.

Switzerland to Brussels...

• Option 1, fast trains via Germany:  Identify a convenient journey from Switzerland to Brussels via Cologne (put Cologne in the 'via' box) using the German Railways website, www.bahn.de (I've set this link up for you with the necessary parameters, just adjust the date and desired departure time).  Look for journey options which only involve 1, 2 or at most 3 changes. At this stage it won't give prices, but don't worry, just note down the trains you want.  Now split the journey to buy tickets, first using www.bahn.de to book from Zurich HB to Cologne from €39, then using it again to book Cologne to Brussels from €19.  Easy!

• Option 2, high-speed trains via Paris:  This can be cheap and fast, but involves crossing Paris.  First book a TGV-Lyria from Switzerland to Paris Gare de Lyon using www.sbb.ch (Geneva or Basel to Paris takes a little over 3 hours, Zurich to Paris 4 hours, fares from €25).  Allow at least 1 hour to change trains and stations in Paris by metro or taxi.  Then book a Thalys train from Paris Gare du Nord to Brussels at www.thalys.com, trains leave almost every hour, journey time just 1 hour 10 minutes. 

• Option 3, direct Basel-Brussels EuroCity trains:  There are two daily EuroCity trains direct from Basel to Brussels on the slow but direct route through Strasbourg & Luxembourg.  You can book at the Swiss Railways site www.sbb.ch and collect tickets at the station in Switzerland.  However, this is not necessarily the cheapest or fastest option, even though it's direct.  There are no cheap deals on these trains, only expensive full fares.  And there's no catering, so bring supplies!

Switzerland to Luxembourg...

• There are two daily EuroCity trains direct from Basel to Luxembourg on the slow but direct route through Strasbourg.  You can book at the Swiss Railways site www.sbb.ch and collect tickets at the station in Switzerland.  There are no cheap deals on these trains, only expensive full fares.  And there's no catering, so bring supplies!

Switzerland to Amsterdam from €39...

• Time-effective sleeper option:  There is an excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Zurich (depart 20:41) & Basel (depart 22:12)  direct to Amsterdam (arriving 08:56), you can buy tickets online at www.bahn.de looking for the direct CNL train with 0 changes.  You print your own ticket.  Fares from €59 in 6-berth couchettes, €69 in 4-berth couchettes, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 per person in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.  Buy connecting tickets from anywhere in Switzerland to Basel or Zurich at www.sbb.ch.

• Daytime options:  Identify a convenient journey from Switzerland to Amsterdam via Cologne on excellent German ICE trains using the German Railways website, www.bahn.de (I've set this link up for you with the necessary parameters, just adjust the date and desired departure time).  Look for journey options which only involve 1, 2 or at most 3 changes.  When looking at the whole Switzerland to Amsterdam journey, it won't show any prices, but don't worry, just note down the trains you want.  Now split the journey to buy tickets, first using www.bahn.de to book from Zurich HB to Cologne on the trains you want from €39, then use it again to book Cologne to Brussels from €19.  Easy! 

• Alternatively, book from Basel Bad Bahnhof to Amsterdam from €39 at www.bahn.de, then add an open ticket from anywhere in Switzerland to Basel Bad Bf booked at www.sbb.ch.  This works because Basel Bad Bf is considered part of the German train network even though it's in Switzerland, so features these cheap fares from anywhere in Germany to Amsterdam. 

Switzerland to Italy:  Switzerland to Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome & Italy from CHF34 (€19)...

• Switzerland to Italy by direct EuroCity train:  There are regular EuroCity trains from Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern, Luzern & Brig to Milan, change in Milan for fast trains to Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples.  For example, Zurich to Milan takes just 3 hours 45 minutes through spectacular Alpine scenery.  Milan to Florence by high-speed train then takes another 1 hour 45 minutes, Milan to Venice 2 hours 35 minutes, Milan to Rome as little as 2 hours 40 minutes.  To get the best price for each sector, the trick is to split the journey into Switzerland-Milan and Milan onwards as follows.  Note that the direct sleeper trains from Switzerland to Rome were discontinued in December 2009.

• Step 1, book a train from anywhere in Switzerland to Milan from €22 (CHF38) at either www.sbb.ch (for residents of any country, ticket collection at Swiss stations) or www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents, tickets sent to UK addresses). 

• Step 2, then buy an onward ticket from Milan to Florence, Venice, Rome, Naples or anywhere in Italy using either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, in plain English, they'll refund seat61 users the €3.50 booking fee if you email seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian-language place names and has a few quirks so see this advice on using it, no booking fee, allows specific seat selection).  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train.  Allow at least 45 minutes or more to change in Milan's magnificent Centrale station to allow for any delay.  A word of warning:  Trenitalia.com will happily book Switzerland to Italy trains, but ticket collection is only at Italian stations or by post to Italian addresses, you cannot self-print or collect in Switzerland, so it's no good for buying tickets in this direction.

• Zurich, Chur & St Moritz to Italy via the slow but scenic Bernina Route:  If you have time and fancy a scenic treat, try the fabulous Bernina route, see this video of a Milan to Zurich journey this way: www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5AyEe5xWkQ.  Step 1, travel on any morning train from Zurich to Chur, this route runs every 30 minutes, no reservation necessary or possible.  You can check times and fares at www.sbb.ch.  Step 2, change at Chur onto the narrow-gauge Bernina Railway, run by the Rhätische Bahn.  If you use the normal local trains no reservation is necessary, just buy a ticket (in fact, you can buy a Zurich to Tirano through ticket in Zurich) and hop on the next train.  Again, you can check times and fares at www.sbb.ch.  If you want to use the once-or-twice daily Bernina Express with its special panoramic sightseeing carriages, seat reservation is required for this, see www.rhb.ch for times, fares & booking.  In Tirano, the RhB station is adjacent to the Italian station on the same town square.  Step 3, take a local train from Tirano to Milan Centrale, fare around €11, no reservation necessary or possible, just buy a ticket to Milan and hop on the next train.  They run every 2 hours, check times at www.trenord.it.  You'll find more information on the Bernina Express page.

Switzerland to Germany:  Switzerland to Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne & Germany from €39...

• The time-effective overnight option:  Excellent City Night Line sleeper trains run from Zurich or Basel to Berlin, Hamburg & Cologne, 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, look for the direct CNL service with 0 changes.  You simply print out your own ticket.  Fares from €59 in 6-berth couchettes, €69 in 4-berth couchettes, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 per person in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.

• Daytime options:  Direct InterCity and ICE trains link Basel, Zurich, Interlaken to various cities in Germany.  There are also direct EuroCity trains from Zurich to Munich.  Simply book from Switzerland to anywhere in Germany at the German Railways website www.bahn.de.

Switzerland to Austria:  Switzerland to Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna & Austria from CHF35 (€25)...

• The time-effective overnight option:  There is a direct sleeper train from Zurich to Vienna, with both couchettes and sleeping-cars, some sleepers with private shower and toilet.  It is bookable in either direction using the Austrian Railways website, www.oebb.at, as you simply print out your own ticket in .PDF format.  Simply click 'English' top right, then click 'International tickets', then make your booking.  If you manage to book this train this way, let me know!

• Daytime Railjet trains from Zurich to Innsbruck, Salzburg & Vienna via the amazingly scenic Arlberg Pass (watch the video!) can be booked online at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at, from €29.  Why don't you use the Swiss site for this trip?  For some reason, these cheap fares don't seem to appear on sbb.com, but as oebb.at has print-at-home tickets and features these cheap fares, it can be used to book this journey in either direction. 

• Here's some tips for using www.oebb.at:  For English, click 'English' top right.  Use the journey planner to bring up trains from ZURICH to VIENNA (which will appear in German as WIEN).  Enter the number of people in your party and your dates and time of travel.  Locate a direct 'Railjet' train with 0 changes in the search results and click on the 'ab €29' link - this means 'from €29', it will show the cheapest price available for that train.  Now select 'SparSchiene Schweiz' (= Swiss Saver Fare).  A reserved seat is not essential, it's optional for an extra €3 and not a bad idea.  You print your own ticket.  No changes or refunds are allowed at the cheapest prices, of course.  Tip: When registering, UK is listed as 'Vereinigtes Konigreich', USA as 'Vereinigtes Staaten von Amerika'.

Switzerland to Spain:  Switzerland to Barcelona or Madrid from €99 with sleeper...

• The easiest and cheapest option is to take an afternoon TGV-Lyria from Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva or Lausanne to Paris Gare de Lyon in just 3 or 4 hours, allow at least 90 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris, then catch the excellent Elipsos trainhotel overnight from Paris Austerlitz to Madrid or Barcelona.  These trainhotels run daily in summer, 5 nights a week in winter, details on the London to Spain page, simply substitute a Switzerland-Paris TGV Lyria for the Eurostar London-Paris.  Book the TGV-Lyria at www.sbb.ch then book the trainhotel at either Renfe.com or Petrabax.com/renfe following the step-by-step instructions here.  Direct Geneva-Barcelona TGVs are on the cards, and may start some time in 2013.

Switzerland to Portugal:  Switzerland to Lisbon...

• Travel to Madrid by TGV-Lyria then overnight Elipsos trainhotel to Madrid as shown above, and spend the day in Madrid.  Then travel overnight from Madrid to Lisbon by Trainhotel Lusitania, with 1, 2 & 4 bed sleepers, restaurant and bar, booked at www.renfe.com.  If you have any problems using Renfe (some people report credit card rejection), anyone from any country can book this train online at www.petrabax.com/renfe in plain English, no payment problems and print-at-home tickets.  Petrabax are a US-based Spanish holiday specialist who has linked to the Renfe ticketing system.  They charge the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up.

Switzerland to Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm & Scandinavia...

• An excellent City Night Line sleeper train leaves Basel every night at 18:26 for Copenhagen, arriving 10:07 next morning), with couchettes (6 & 4 bunk) and sleepers (1, 2 & 3 bed, some with private shower & toilet, breakfast included).  You can easily book this train using www.bahn.de, look for the direct CNL service with 0 changes.  You simply print out your own ticket.  Fares from €59 in 6-berth couchettes, €69 in 4-berth couchettes, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 per person in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.  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.  A fast X2000 train leaving Copenhagen at around 11:15 will get you to Stockholm Central around 16:40 (runs an hour later on Saturdays).

Switzerland to Prague & the Czech Republic...

• There's a direct City Night Line sleeper train from Zurich (depart 19:42) and Basel (depart 21:12) to Prague (arriving 10:30 next morning) which you can easily book online at www.bahn.de, you pay online and print out your own ticket.  Fares from €59 in 6-berth couchettes, €69 in 4-berth couchettes, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 per person in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.

Switzerland to Bratislava & Slovakia...

• Travel by daytime Railjet or overnight sleeper from Zurich to Vienna as explained above in the Switzerland to Austria section above.  Then simply hop on the next hourly train from Vienna Hauptbahnhof to Bratislava, fare around €15, no reservation necessary, buy a ticket at the station, journey time about 1 hour 6 minutes.

Switzerland to Ljubljana & Slovenia, Zagreb & Croatia...

• Option 1, there is a direct EuroNight (EN) sleeper train from Zurich to Ljubljana & Zagreb, with a modern air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car, leaving Zurich around 20:40, arriving Zagreb around 10:30 next morning.  It cannot be booked online, but can be ordered online from Swiss Railways, who will send tickets anywhere in the world for a small fee, use the journey planner on www.sbb.ch, identify the direct EuroNight train with 0 changes and click to buy.  Option 2 is to take an early morning Railjet train from Zurich to Salzburg through the scenic Arlberg Pass, change at Salzburg for a direct EuroCity train to Ljubljana and Zagreb.  You can buy Zurich to Salzburg tickets from €29 at www.oebb.at then buy Salzburg to Zagreb tickets also at www.oebb.at from €39.  I'd allow at least 1 hour in Salzburg to change trains.

Switzerland to Budapest & Hungary...

• Daytime option:  There's an excellent modern Railjet train direct  from Zurich (depart around 10:40) to Budapest (arrive 21:59).  This travels via the fabulously scenic Arlberg Pass (watch the video!), then through the Tirol via Innsbruck, Salzburg and Vienna.  I recommend booking in two stages to get the cheapest price.  First use the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at to book Zurich to Vienna from €29.  Then use www.oebb.at again to book Vienna to Budapest on the same train (RJ165) from €19. 

• Here's some tips for using www.oebb.at:  Click 'English' top right.  Use the journey planner to bring up trains from ZURICH to VIENNA (which will appear in German as WIEN).  Enter the number of people in your party and your dates and time of travel.  Locate a direct Railjet train with 0 changes in the search results and click on the 'ab €29' link - this means 'from €29', it will show the cheapest price available for that train.  Now select 'SparSchiene Schweiz' (= Swiss Saver Fare).  A reserved seat is not essential, it's optional for an extra €3 and not a bad idea.  You print your own ticket.  No changes or refunds are allowed at the cheapest prices, of course.  Now book Vienna to Budapest in exactly the same way, making sure you book the same train.

• Overnight option:  A direct sleeper train leaves Zurich at 22:40, arrives Budapest 10:49 next morning.  Sleeping car (1 2 and 3 bed compartments with washbasin) and couchettes (4 berth, 6 berth).  This needs to be booked by phone.

Switzerland to Bucharest & Romania...

• Take the overnight sleeper to Budapest, as shown above.  Spend the day in Budapest.  Then take the EuroNight sleeper train Ister from Budapest (depart 19:15) to Brasov & Bucharest (arriving around 11:00).  You can book the Budapest-Bucharest train online at www.mav-start.hu, for photos and booking instructions see the London to Romania page.

Switzerland to Warsaw, Krakow & Poland...

• A direct sleeper train leaves Basel every night at 18:26, arriving Warsaw Centralna at 10:55 next morning.  The train has a modern sleeping car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin) and couchettes (4 berth, 6 berth).  This needs to be booked by phone.  Daytime trains then link Warsaw and Krakow in just a few hours more, buy this at the station in Warsaw.  Use www.sbb.ch to work out connections within Switzerland to Basel.

Switzerland to Moscow & Russia...

• A direct Russian Railways sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin links Basel with Moscow, journey time 2 nights.  This needs to be booked by phone.  The journey planner at www.bahn.de will give you train times.

Switzerland to Istanbul & Turkey...

• Travel by daytime Railjet or overnight sleeper from Zurich to Budapest as explained in the Switzerland to Hungary section above.  Then pick up the Budapest-Bucharest sleeper train Ister and the Bucharest to Istanbul train Bosfor as described on the London to Turkey page.  The Budapest-Bucharest train can be booked online at www.mav-start.hu, the Bucharest to Istanbul train needs to be booked by phone.

Buy tickets starting in Italy

To buy train tickets within Italy, use www.italiarail.com or Italian Railways' own website www.trenitalia.com.

Buying train tickets for journeys within Italy...  From €9!

• All Italian long-distance trains require seat reservation and have airline-style pricing, so yes, in theory trains can 'sell out' although although outside busy holiday periods it's easy to buy tickets at the station on the day of travel if you want.  Trenitalia now has airline-style pricing, so tickets will be more expensive bought on the day, much cheaper booked in advance with a cheap Economy or Super-Economy fare.  So ideally pre-book if possible.  Local, suburban and regional trains don't require reservations and have a fixed price, so you can buy tickets for those at the station on the day, there is no need to pre-book and no advantage in doing so.  You'll find more advice on Italian train travel on the Train Travel in Italy page.

• You can buy Italian train tickets online at www.italiarail.com or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com.  Italiarail.com is easy to use, recognises English-language place names and they'll refund the €3.50 booking fee if you email seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR.  Trenitalia.com is also fairly easy to use but it requires Italian-language place names and has a few quirks so see this advice on using it, but there's no booking fee and it allows specific seat selection.  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train.  Booking for inter-city trains opens 90 days ahead, although you may only see prices for local and regional trains (or journeys involving such a train) if you pick a date within the next 7 days.

• Pompeii & Sorrento:  These are not on the main Trenitalia train network, but on the privately-run Circumvesuviana local railway from Naples, www.vesuviana.it.  Take a Trenitalia train to Naples Centrale, and follow the signs to the 'Circumvesuviana'.  Local trains run from Naples Centrale to Pompeii Scavi Villa dei Misteri (across the road from the entrance to Pompeii) and Sorrento every 30 minutes all day, fare just €3-€4.  Naples to Pompeii takes 40 minutes, Naples to Sorrento 55 minutes. 

• Amalfi and Positano can be reached by taking a Trenitalia mainline train to Salerno then a bus, or by going to Sorrento then taking a bus, see www.sitabus.it for buses. 

• Capri can be reached by ferry from either Naples Berevello ferry terminal or from Sorrento (a longish walk down a steep hill from the Circumvesuviana station).

Italy to London from €74...

• You'll find full details of all the options for travel between Italy & London in either direction on the London to Italy page.

• An Italy to London daytime journey can easily be booked using www.voyages-sncf.com to book a morning TGV from Milan or Turin to Paris from just €29 then www.eurostar.com to book a Eurostar train from Paris to London from just €45, allowing at least 90 minutes or more to change trains and stations in Paris, allowing for the 30 minute Eurostar check-in. 

• A time-effective overnight journey can be booked using either www.thello.com or www.trenitalia.com to book the sleeper train from Venice, Verona, Rome, Florence, Bologna or Milan to Paris from €35, then www.eurostar.com to book a Eurostar train from Paris to London, allowing at least 90 minutes or more to change trains and stations in Paris, allowing for the 30 minute Eurostar check-in.

Italy to Paris from €29...

Option 1, by daytime TGV from Milan or Turin to Paris: 

• Three daily French Railways high-speed TGV trains link Milan (Porto Garibaldi station) and Turin with Paris. It's quite a scenic & relaxing run, see the Paris-Milan video guide showcasing both the train & scenery. 

• For train times, see the Paris-Milan by TGV page.  Fares start at €29 in 2nd class, €35 in 1st class.

• Buy tickets from Milan or Turin to Paris at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents), www.raileurope.com (US residents), www.raileurope-world.com (residents of Australia, Canada, Asia, Africa, South America) or www.voyages-sncf.com (anyone from any country, no booking fees), with print-at-home tickets.  Each of these sites now charges pretty much the same price.  You can no longer buy tickets at the Italian railways website or at Italian stations as since December 2011 these trains have been operated entirely by French railways with no Trenitalia involvement.

• Then book a connecting train ticket from anywhere in Italy to Turin or Milan from just €9 at www.italiarail.com or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com.  Italiarail.com is easy to use, recognises English-language place names and they'll refund the €3.50 booking fee if you email seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR.  Trenitalia.com requires Italian-language place names and has a few quirks so see this advice on using it, but there's no booking fee and it allows specific seat selection.  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train. Or use an Italo train from Naples, Florence or Bologna to Milan, booked at www.italotreno.it.

• Allow at least an hour in Milan or 45 minutes in Turin to change trains and if necessary stations (Milan Centrale to Milan Porta Garibaldi is a 10-minute €6 taxi ride or 25 minute walk).

Option 2, by Thello sleeper train from Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona or Milan to Paris: 

• Every night, two Thello sleeper trains link Italy with Paris, one from Rome, Florence & Bologna to Paris and another from Venice, Verona & Milan to Paris.

• The trains have 1, 2 & 3 bed sleepers with washbasin, 6-berth & 4-berth couchettes and a restaurant car.  Realistic expectations are key to enjoying your trip on Thello, see the video guide here.

• Fares start at just €35 in couchettes or from €145 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.

• See the Thello sleeper train page for photos, information & online booking.

Italy to Nice & Monte Carlo.

• The trick here is to split the journey, as the InterCity trains from Milan, Genoa, Pisa and Rome now terminate at Ventimiglia on the French border, they no longer go through to Nice:

• For a journey from Rome, Florence, Venice or anywhere in Italy to Nice or Monte Carlo, simply book from your Italian starting station to Ventimiglia using either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (sometimes more fiddly to use, requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first).  Look for a cheap super-economy or economy fare, or to stay flexible, a Base fare. 

• Don't worry about booking the Ventimiglia to Nice or Monte Carlo bit, simply wait until you reach Ventimiglia and buy a ticket for the local train to Nice at the station, no reservation necessary, it costs about €7 and you just hop on the next train, no reservation required.  Ventimiglia to Nice takes about 48 minutes and trains run every 30 minutes.

• From summer 2013 there are expected to be three daily direct Nice-Genoa-Milan trains run by Thello, which should mean you can then book direct from Nice to Italy at www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com.

Italy to Brussels from €64...

Option 1, by overnight sleeper via Paris... 

• Step 1, book the Thello sleeper train from Venice, Verona, Milan, Rome, Florence or Bologna to Paris Gare de Lyon at either www.italiarail.com or www.thello.com, looking for a Smart or Go fare from just €35 including a couchette or €145 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper, see the Thello sleeper train page for fares, train times and details of couchette and sleeper on board.

• Allow at least 90 minutes to change trains and stations in Paris, preferably a bit more. 

• Then book a high-speed Thalys train from Paris Gare du Nord to Brussels at www.thalys.com, this journey takes just 1 hour 20 minutes from €35.  Connections from other Italian cities should be booked as a separate transaction again at www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com looking for a cheap super-economy or economy fare.

Option 2, by daytime TGV via Paris...

• Step 1, use www.voyages-sncf.com to book a morning TGV from Milan or Turin to Paris Gare de Lyon from just €29.

• Allow at least 60 minutes, preferably more to change trains and stations in Paris.

• Step 2, use www.thalys.com to book a Thalys high-speed train from Paris Gare du Nord to Brussels from just €35,

Italy to Amsterdam from €64...

Option 1, Italy to Amsterdam via Switzerland & the Gotthard Pass...

• This easy and comfortable option involves a spectacular scenic journey from Milan to Zurich through the Swiss Alps via the Gotthard Pass, then an overnight journey from Zurich to Amsterdam aboard a high-quality German sleeper train.  The deluxe sleepers even come with shower & toilet, breakfast included.  I'd probably use this route if I were travelling to Amsterdam from Milan, Florence or Rome, but the Brenner Pass route shown below if I were travelling from Verona or Venice.

• Step 1, book the excellent direct City Night Line sleeper train from Zurich to Amsterdam at www.bahn.de.  It leaves Zurich at 20:54, arriving Amsterdam Centraal at 08:56 next morning.  Fares from €59 with couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.

• Step 2, now use either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (more fiddly to use, requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first) to book a ticket from anywhere in Italy to Zurich, arriving in Zurich with at least an hour, preferably a bit more, before the sleeper leaves.  The Italian trains from Rome, Florence or Venice to Milan start at €9, then the Milan to Zurich EuroCity trains start at €22.  You can book from anywhere in Italy to Zurich as one transaction at www.italiarail.com, but if you'd like a safer connection in Milan or to spend some time there, you can split the booking.

Option 2, Italy to Amsterdam via Munich & the Brenner Pass... 

• This is also an easy and comfortable option, involving a scenic ride by EuroCity train from Venice or Verona through the Brenner Pass to Munich, then an overnight journey from Munich to Amsterdam aboard a high-quality German sleeper train.  The deluxe sleepers even come with shower & toilet, breakfast included.  This video shows the scenery in the Brenner Pass:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=uucEm3op7uc

• Step 1, book the excellent direct City Night Line sleeper train from Munich to Amsterdam at www.bahn.de.  It leaves Munich at 22:47 and arrives Amsterdam Centraal at 08:56 next morning.  Fares from €59 with couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.

• Step 2, now use www.bahn.de again to book a direct EuroCity train from Verona to Munich from €39, allowing at least an hour to change onto the sleeper at Munich in case of any delay.  If you use the direct train leaving Venice at 13:34, you can book Venice to Munich from €39, too.

• Step 3, if you are starting your journey anywhere else in Italy, use either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (more fiddly to use, requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first) to book a ticket from anywhere in Italy to Verona, arriving in Verona with at least 45 minutes to an hour before the train to Munich leaves.  Italian trains from Rome, Florence or Venice to Verona start at €9.

Option 3, Italy to Amsterdam via Paris...

• This option means changing trains & stations in Paris, but in couchettes it can be a cheap option, and why not spend some time in Paris?

• Step 1, book the Thello sleeper train from Rome, Florence, Bologna, Venice, Verona or Milan to Paris Gare de Lyon at either www.italiarail.com or www.thello.com, looking for a Smart or Go fare from just €35 with a couchette or €145 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper, see the Thello sleeper train page for fares, train times and details of the couchettes and sleepers on board.

• Allow at least 90 minutes to change trains and stations in Paris, preferably a bit more. 

• Step 2, book a high-speed Thalys train from Paris Gare du Nord to Amsterdam at www.thalys.com, this journey takes just 3 hours 10 minutes, fares from €35. 

Italy to Switzerland from €22...

By direct EuroCity trains from Milan to Brig, Geneva, Bern, Basel, Zurich, Lucerne...

• Regular direct EuroCity trains run from Milan to Geneva, Brig & Zurich plus one or two daily direct trains from Milan to Bern, Lucerne and Basel.  Look out for great scenery on the routes from Italy into Switzerland, past lakes and mountains.

• Fares from Milan to any of these Swiss cities starts at €22 with a smart fare.

• Fares from Rome, Florence, Venice to Milan start at €9 with a super-economy fare.

• Buy tickets from anywhere in Italy to these Swiss destinations as one transaction at www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (more fiddly to use, requires Italian language place names, but no booking fee, read this advice on using it first).  You collect your tickets from the self-service ticket machines at any main Italian station.

• Although you can book from anywhere in Italy to these Swiss cities as one transaction at www.italiarail.com, you may prefer to split the booking, booking the Rome/Florence/Venice to Milan section separately from just €9 with a super-economy fare, allowing at least 45 minutes to change in Milan in case of any delay.

Other destinations in Switzerland, requiring a change of train...

• www.italiarail.com & www.trenitalia.com can book the direct trains from Milan to Switzerland, but they cannot book journeys which involve a change of train within Switzerland, for example Milan to Zermatt where you have to change trains at Brig, or Milan to Interlaken where you have to change trains at either Brig or Spiez, or Milan to Lucerne where one or two trains per day are direct but all the others require a change at Arth Goldau.

• The solution is simply to split the booking.  Use www.italiarail.com to book from anywhere in Italy to the interchange point in Switzerland, meaning Brig for Zermatt, Spiez for Interlaken, Arth Goldau for Lucerne.  Then simply buy an onward Swiss domestic ticket for the last bit when you get to the interchange station, or if you like, buy it online with print-at-home tickets at the Swiss railways website www.sbb.ch which saves going to the ticket office if you've a tight connection.  No reservation is necessary or possible for Swiss domestic trains, and tickets are fixed price so there's no advantage in pre-booking.

Italy to St Moritz, Chur, Zurich via the slow but scenic Bernina route...

• This is a slow local route, with part of the journey on the fabulous narrow-gauge Bernina Railway.  But it's one of the most scenic routes in the Alps, or anywhere for that matter.  See video of a Milan to Zurich journey via the wonderful route: www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5AyEe5xWkQ

• Step 1, take a local train from Milan Centrale to Tirano.  These run every 2 hours throughout the day, fare around €11, you can check train times at www.trenord.it.  No reservation is necessary or even possible, you just buy a ticket to Tirano from the self-service machines at Milan centrale and hop on the next train.  At Tirano, the Italian railways station is right next to the Rhätische Bahn one on the same town square.

• Step 2, now take one of the regular Rhätische Bahn trains from Tirano to St Moritz & Chur.  This is the fabulous Bernina Express route over the Bernina Pass.  You can check times & prices from Tirano to St Moritz, Chur or Zurich at the main Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch.  If you take one of the regular normal local trains, no reservation is necessary or possible, just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on.  Only if you want to use the once or twice daily Bernina Express with its special all-reserved panoramic carriages do you need a seat reservation, see www.rhb.ch and the seat61 Bernina Express page.

• Step 3, on arrival in Chur, simply cross the platform to the waiting half-hourly InterCity or InterRegional train to Zurich.  Again, no reservation necessary or possible, if you're bound for Zurich simply buy a ticket to Zurich in Tirano.  You can check times and fares from Tirano to Zurich at www.sbb.ch.

Italy to Spain...

Option 1, by TGV & Elipsos trainhotel...

• Step 1, travel from Rome, Florence or Venice to Milan or Turin from €9 booked at www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com, allowing at least an hour to change in Milan or 45 minutes in Turin.  You'll need to leave early morning, or if necessary the night before. 

• Step 2, travel from Milan or Turin to Paris on a daily TGV train leaving Milan at 08:50 or Turin at 10:15 arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 16:11, from €29 booked at www.voyages-sncf.com. 

• Step 3, travel from Paris to Madrid or Barcelona overnight by excellent Elipsos trainhotel.  The trainhotels run daily March to October and 5 days a week in winter, with fares from €74 with a bed in a 4-bed Tourist class sleeper.  1 & 2 bed sleepers, some with shower & toilet, are also available, as is a restaurant and bar.  You can book this at www.renfe.com, or if you have any problems with Renfe (some people report credit card rejection), www.petrabax.com/renfe.

Option 2, by daytime high-speed trains with hotel in Paris...

• This is a pleasant way to go, with interesting scenery on the way and a chance to spend some time in Paris. 

• Step 1, travel from Milan or Turin to Paris using the 16:10 TGV from Milan arriving Paris 23:21 (or use the morning 08:50 TGV if you prefer, and spend an afternoon and evening in Paris).  Book this from €29 at www.voyages-sncf.com.  Stay overnight in Paris.

• Step 2, travel from Paris to Barcelona on either the 07:15 TGV Duplex arriving Barcelona Sants at 14:46 or (after a morning and lunch in Paris) the 14:07 TGV Duplex from Paris arriving Barcelona at 20:48.  Until late-April 2013, a simple cross-platform change is required at Figueres Vilafant.  Book the TGV from Paris to Figueres at www.voyages-sncf.com from €54 and print your own ticket, then book Figueres Vilafant to Barcelona from €20 at www.renfe.com following these details instructions and print your own ticket.  If you have any payment problems at Renfe.com, use www.petrabax.com/renfe instead. 

• Yes, going via Paris is simpler, quicker and cheaper than trying to work your way across the south of France by a relay race of slower trains.

Option 3, Rome to Barcelona by luxury cruise ferry...

• Another excellent option is the Grimaldi Lines cruise ferry from Civitavecchia (an hour by regional train north of Rome) and Barcelona.  The ferry sails daily at 22:15 and arrives at 18:15 next day.  To check times, fares, accommodation and to book online see the Seat61 ferry shop or go to www.grimaldi-lines.com.  Grimaldi Lines also run a ferry several times a week between Barcelona and Livorno, and between Salerno (near Naples) and Valencia.

Italy to Germany from €39...

Option 1, Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice to Germany by direct City Night Line sleeper train... 

• There are direct City Night Line sleeper trains every day from Rome (depart 19:05) &  Florence (21:37) & Venice (22:51) to Munich (arrive 06:30), with onward connections by daytime ICE train to cities all over Germany.

• Fares from €59 in 6-berth couchettes, €69 in 4-berth couchettes, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 per person in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.

• Buy tickets at the German Railways website www.bahn.de with print-at-home tickets.  It can book tickets from Rome, Florence or Venice to anywhere in Germany using a combination of these sleeper trains and onward daytime connections.

Option 2, Italy to Germany by daytime trains via Munich & the scenic Brenner Pass... 

• This is a lovely scenic route.  Every couple of hours, a smart modern EuroCity train with restaurant car links Verona with Munich via the Brenner Pass, see the video here.  One EuroCity train a day runs direct from Venice via Verona to Munich, leaving Venice Santa Lucia at 13:34.  These trains are now run by the Germans & Austrians on an open-access competitive basis with no Trenitalia involvement, so they don't show up on trenitalia.com and cannot be booked by Trenitalia, they must be booked with the Germans or Austrians.

• Venice or Verona to Munich on these trains starts at just €39.

• You can book from Verona or (if you use the direct train) Venice, to anywhere in Germany at www.bahn.de.  You print out your own ticket.

• If you are starting your journey in Rome, Florence or (unless using the direct train) Venice, simply book a ticket to Verona at either www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com, allowing at least 40 minutes to change at Verona in case of any delay.  To spell it out, for a journey from Rome or Florence to Munich, you'd book Rome or Florence to Verona with the Italians then Verona to Munich with the Germans at www.bahn.de.

Option 3, Italy to Germany by daytime trains via Zurich & the scenic Gotthard Pass...

• This is also a very scenic option.  Regular EuroCity trains link Milan with Zurich in around 3h45 through the Gotthard Pass in the Swiss Alps from just €22. Then regular direct ICE trains link Zurich with cities all over Germany from €39.

• Step 1, book a ticket from anywhere in Italy to Zurich using www.italiarail.com.  You collect your tickets from the self-service ticket machines at any main Italian station.  If you want a safer connection in Milan or want to stop off there, simply split the booking into Rome (or wherever) to Milan, then Milan to Zurich.  Allow at least an hour in Zurich for connections, in case of any delay.

• Step 2, now book from Zurich HB (HB=Hauptbahnhof) to anywhere in Germany at www.bahn.de.  You print your own ticket.

Italy to Austria from €39:  Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck & Austria...

Direct sleeper trains from Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice to Vienna... 

• There's a direct sleeper train called the Allegro Tosca from Rome (19:05), Florence (21:37) & Milan (21:05) to Vienna Meidling arriving 08:34.

• There's also a direct sleeper train from Venice Santa Lucia (21:05) to Vienna Westbahnhof arriving 08:22.

• Fares from just €39 with couchette, €69 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.  On the Rome & Florence route you'll also find deluxe sleepers with en suite shower & toilet.

• Buy tickets at www.italiarail.com, with tickets collected from the self-service machines at any main Trenitalia station in Italy.  ItaliaRail is easy to use, and they'll refund the small booking fee if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR.  Tickets can also be booked online direct with Italian railways at www.trenitalia.com, but this is rather more fiddly, see this advice on using the Trenitalia website.

Daytime bus+train combo from Venice to Vienna:

• Every 2 hours, an Austrian Railways motorway bus (ugh!) links Venice Piazzale Roma with Villach just over the Austrian border, connecting with an Austrian InterCity train to Vienna.  It's a sad situation:  There used to be two proper Venice-Vienna daytime trains run jointly by Trenitalia and Austrian railways, but Trenitalia pulled out a few years ago, forcing Austrian railways to lay on a bus between Venice and Villach, even though there's a perfectly serviceable railway all the way from Venice!

• If you really want to be stuck in a bus, this bus+train combo can be booked in either direction at the Austrian railways website www.oebb.at with print-at-home tickets.

• Personally, I'd avoid the bus by diverting from Venice to Verona, then up the scenic Brenner Pass to Innsbruck using the excellent German/Austrian EuroCity trains with proper restaurant cars, which travel up the scenic Brenner Pass, see the paragraph below.

Daytime trains from Venice & Verona to Innsbruck via the scenic Brenner Pass: 

• Every couple of hours, a smart modern EuroCity train with restaurant car links Verona with Innsbruck & Munich via Bolzano & the scenic Brenner Pass, see the video here.  One train a day runs direct from Venice to Innsbruck & Munich, leaving Venice Santa Lucia at 13:34.  These trains are now run by the Germans & Austrians on an open-access competitive basis with no Trenitalia involvement, so they don't show up on trenitalia.com and cannot be booked by Trenitalia, even at the station.  They must be booked with the Germans or Austrians.

• You can buy tickets from Verona to Innsbruck or (on the once-daily direct train only) Venice to Innsbruck at the Austrian railways website www.oebb.at or the German Railways website, www.bahn.de, in either direction, with print-at-home tickets.

• If you are starting your journey in (say) Rome, Florence, Milan or (if you're not using the direct train) Venice, you must split the booking and book the connecting Italian ticket to Verona separately at either www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com, allowing at least 40 minutes to change at Verona in case of any delay.  To spell it out, for Rome or Florence to Innsbruck, you'd book Rome or Florence to Verona with the Italians then Verona to Innsbruck with the Austrians.

• Venice or Verona to Salzburg or Vienna?  You can buy tickets from Venice to Salzburg or even Vienna at www.oebb.at via this route, avoiding the Venice-Villach bus referred to in the paragraph above, simply by putting 'Innsbruck' in the 'via' box to make the journey planner find options via this route.

Italy to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo & Scandinavia...

• There is an excellent direct City Night Line sleeper train from Basel in Switzerland to Copenhagen, leaving Basel around 18:26 arriving Copenhagen around 10:07 next morning.  This train can easily be booked online at www.bahn.de with print-at-home tickets, from €59 with couchette, €104 with bed in 2-bed sleeper or €134 with bed in 2-bed deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.

• Working backwards, you can now add a connecting train from Milan to Basel from €22 at www.italiarail.com with ticket collection from the self-service machines at any main station in Italy.  Allow at least 1 hour in Basel for connections.  Look for a direct train, as it will only book direct services, and look for a cheap 'smart' fare.

• Working backwards again, add a ticket from Rome, Florence, Venice to Milan from €9 at either www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com allowing at least 1 hour in Milan.

• If you are travelling to Stockholm, here's a tip:  Don't book from Basel SBB to Copenhagen, instead book from Basel Bad Bahnhof (considered to be part of Germany) to Stockholm at www.bahn.de, as you will then see spezial fares direct to Stockholm using both the Basel-Copenhagen City Night Line sleeper and an onward X2000 high-speed train from Copenhagen to Stockholm.

• For Oslo, book Basel Bad Bf to Gothenburg (Goteborg C) at www.bahn.de, then book Gothenburg to Oslo at www.nsb.no.  You can buy a Basel SBB to Basel Bad Bf ticket for around €4 at the station if you need to.

Italy to Budapest from €58...

• The direct Venice to Budapest sleeper was withdrawn in December 2011.  However, you can easily take the comfortable direct overnight sleeper from Rome (depart 19:05), Florence (21:37) or Milan (21:05) to Vienna Meidling arriving 08:34, or a similar sleeper from Venice (depart 21:05) to Vienna Westbahnhof arriving 08:22.  It's an easy same-station change in Vienna for a regular modern Railjet train to Budapest taking just 3 hours more.  City centre to city centre.

• Step 1, book the sleeper train from Italy to Vienna at www.italiarail.com.  You collect your tickets from the self-service machines at any main station in Italy.  Look for a 'smart' or 'go' fare from just €39 with couchette or €69 per person with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.  Allow at least an hour in Vienna to make the connection in case of any delay.

• Step 2, now book a modern Railjet train from Vienna to Budapest from just €19 at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at.  Why not stop off in Vienna?

Italy to Ljubljana & Slovenia, Zagreb & Croatia...

• First the bad news.  There are now no trains across the Slovenian-Italian border, thanks to Trenitalia and EU policy - bring back the Iron Curtain! 

• Now the good news, there's a cheap, scenic and comfortable alternative, by hourly train Venice to Trieste, by historic tram & taxi a few miles across the border to Sezana in Slovenia, regular train for just €9 to Ljubljana, onward train to Zagreb.  You'll find details of this cheap & scenic Venice to Slovenia route here.

Italy to Prague & the Czech Republic from €78...

Option 1, Italy to Prague via Vienna...

• Step 1, take one of the comfortable direct sleeper trains from Rome (depart 19:05), Florence (21:37) & Milan (21:05) to Vienna Meidling arriving 08:34, or from Venice Santa Lucia (depart 21:05) to Vienna Westbahnhof (arriving 08:22).

• Fares for the sleeper trains to Vienna start at €39 with couchette or from €69 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.  On the Rome/Florence to Vienna route you'll also find deluxe sleepers with shower & toilet.

• Book a ticket from anywhere in Italy to Vienna via one of these two sleeper trains at www.italiarail.com.  You collect tickets from the self-service machines at any main station in Italy, easy.

• Step 2, allowing at least an hour to change trains in Vienna, preferably a bit more, book a EuroCity train from Vienna Meidling to Prague Hlavni from €19 at www.oebb.at.  There are departures throughout the day, the journey takes just 4 hours 45 minutes.  Why not spend a morning (or more) exploring Vienna?

Option 2, Italy to Prague via Zurich...

• This involves a comfortable and scenic ride by EuroCity train from Milan to Zurich through the spectacular Swiss Alps via the Gotthard Pass, then a high-quality City Night Line sleeper train from Zurich to Prague, some sleepers with en suite toilet and shower.  It's a scenic run down the Elbe river in the morning over breakfast, too!

• Step 1, book the Zurich to Prague sleeper train online at www.bahn.de and print out your own ticket.  Easy!  The sleeper train leaves Zurich around 18:25 every night and arrives Prague Hlavni around 10:30 next morning.

• Step 2, now simply book a ticket from anywhere in Italy to Zurich ticket using www.italiarail.com with ticket collection from the self-service machines at any main station in Italy.  Milan to Zurich starts at €22 with a smart fare, plus a ticket from Naples, Rome or Florence to Milan starting at just €9.  Just make sure you allow at least an hour in Zurich to change trains in case of any delay.  If you'd like a longer connection in Milan, simply split the booking into (say) Florence-Milan and Milan-Zurich.

Italy to Bratislava & Slovakia from €54...

• Take one of the direct sleeper trains from Rome, Florence, Milan or Venice to Vienna from €39 with couchette or €69 with a bed in a cosy 2-bed sleeper as shown in the Italy to Austria section above, booked at www.italiarail.com.  You collect tickets from the self-service machines at any main station in Italy, easy.

• Then hop on the next hourly local train from Vienna Hauptbahnhof to Bratislava, fare around €15, no reservation necessary for this bit, journey time 1 hour 6 minutes, just buy a ticket in Vienna at the station and hop on the next train.

Italy to Warsaw, Krakow & Poland...

• Step 1, take one of the direct sleeper trains from Rome, Florence, Milan or Venice to Vienna from €39 with couchette or €69 with a bed in a cosy 2-bed sleeper as shown in the Italy to Austria section above, booked at www.italiarail.com.  You collect tickets from the self-service machines at any main station in Italy, easy.  Spend the day in Vienna. 

• Then take the Vienna to Krakow & Warsaw overnight sleeper train as shown in the Austria to Poland section below, booked at www.oebb.at from €39 with couchette or €69 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.

Italy to Moscow & Russia...

• Step 1, take one of the direct sleeper trains from Rome, Florence, Milan or Venice to Vienna from €39 with couchette or €69 with a bed in a cosy 2-bed sleeper as shown in the Italy to Austria section above, booked at www.italiarail.com.  You collect tickets from the self-service machines at any main station in Italy, easy.  Spend the day in Vienna. 

• Then take the direct Vienna to Moscow train.  However, you will need to book Vienna to Moscow by phone.

Italy to Athens & Greece...

• First, check and book a cruise ferry from Bari in southern Italy to Corfu or to Patras in mainland Greece at www.superfast.com.  Superfast operate good modern ships, they sail overnight leaving every day, usually in the evening.  You can book a basic deck place and sleep on deck, or you can book a reclining seat, or preferably a cabin berth, either in a shared cabin or your own private cabin.  You'll also find direct ferries to Greece from Ancona and Venice, see www.superfast.com & www.anek.gr.

• Now book a connecting train from Rome, Milan, Bologna or Naples to Bari Centrale from €9 at either www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com.  It's ticketless, you simply quote the reference number on board the train. 

• In Bari, it's a 25 minute walk or 5 minute taxi ride to the ferry terminal near the old town.  Allow at least 3 hours to connect between train and ship as there's a 2-hour ferry check-in. 

• Buses link Patras and Athens in just a few hours, see the London to Greece page for more details & photos. 

Buy tickets starting in Spain

To buy train tickets within Spain, use the official Spanish Railways website www.renfe.com (but see this advice first)  Or use www.raileurope-world.com or www.petrabax.com/renfe.

Buying train tickets for journeys within Spain...

All Spanish long-distance trains and even many regional trains require seat reservation and have variable pricing, so yes, trains can 'sell out' although although outside busy holiday periods it's easy to buy tickets at the station on the day of travel if you want.  Renfe has airline-style fares, so tickets will be much more expensive bought on the day, much cheaper booked in advance with a cheap 'Promo' or 'Promo+' fare.  So ideally pre-book if possible. 

You can book almost any long distance train in Spain online at www.renfe.com, with cheap 'Promo' 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.com 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. 

If you have any difficulty using renfe.com, there are two alternatives.  US-based Spanish holiday specialist www.petrabax.com/renfe (click 'TRAINS') sells Spanish train tickets online in US$ with a neat system linked directly to Renfe's own system.  Alternatively, the Rail Europe 'world' website www.raileurope-world.com (but not yet their UK one) has also been linked directly to the Renfe ticketing system so it can sell Spanish train tickets with just a €4 booking fee.  Anyone from any country worldwide, including the UK, most of Europe, United States, Canada, Australia, Asia and Africa can use either of these systems, as both issue print-at-home tickets.  Booking tips:   I recommend comparing prices on both sites.  The Petrabax site stays with the official Renfe class names and ticket types, which is good.  However, unfortunately the Rail Europe World site has decided to create its own class and ticket terminology, Second class means 'Turista', First class means 'Preferente', it cannot book Club class.  If you live in the UK, you'll find the UK is rather quaintly listed as 'England', 'Scotland' & 'Wales'!  Feedback if you use either of these sites would be appreciated.

Spain to London from €119...

See the London to Spain page for details.

Spain to Paris from €74 including sleeper...

Madrid or Barcelona to Paris by overnight Elipsos trainhotel:  There are excellent Elipsos trainhotels from Barcelona (depart 19:55) to Paris (arrive 08:37) and from Madrid (depart 18:12 Mon-Fri & Sun, 19:00 Saturdays) to Paris (arrive 09:03 weekdays, 10:37 weekends).  They have cosy sleepers, an elegant restaurant and a cafe-bar.  The Gran Clase sleepers even have a private shower & toilet and the gran clase fare includes a 3 course dinner with wine, coffee and liqueurs plus breakfast, see the photos on the London to Spain page.

UK residents to buy tickets from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris 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.  Allow at least 90 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris.

Residents of any country can use the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.com 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.  It has some quirks, so see this step-by-step guide to using renfe.com to book these trainhotels.  If you have any problems using Renfe (quite a few people report credit card rejection), you can book online at www.petrabax.com/renfe in plain English, no payment problems and print-at-home tickets.  They are a US-based Spanish holiday specialist who has linked to the Renfe ticketing system.  They charge the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up.

You can book any connecting trains within Spain (for example, Malaga to Madrid, or Alicante to Barcelona) at www.renfe.com, see this advice on using it for Spanish domestic trains.  Again, If you have any problems using Renfe you can buy Spanish rail tickets online at www.petrabax.com/renfe (click 'TRAINS') in plain English, no payment problems and print-at-home tickets, at the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up.

Barcelona to Paris by daytime high-speed TGV:  There are also two daily high-speed daytime TGV services between Barcelona and Paris, currently with one simple cross-platform change at Figueres Vilafant (direct TGVs should start running from Barcelona to Paris during 2013).  Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to book these TGVs at the cheapest price, wherever you live.

San Sebastian to Paris:  Simply book a TGV from Hendaye or Irun to Paris at the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com with fares from just €25 if you pre-book (some TGVs start from Irun on the Spanish side of the border, some start at Hendaye on the French side).  There are several departures daily.  Then hop on a local train run by Euskotren (www.euskotren.es) from San Sebastian to Hendaye and Irun running every 30 minutes throughout the day, fare just a few euros, no reservation necessary.  Allow plenty of time so you don't miss the TGV.

Madrid to Bordeaux...

The Madrid to Paris trainhotel sleeper train calls at Poitiers.  I'd actually book this train from Madrid to Poitiers at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) or www.renfe.com (anyone) then book a ticket back to Bordeaux at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) or www.voyages-sncf.com (anyone).  This is simpler and more time-effective than trying to book a relay race of daytime trains.  However, if you want to use day trains, first identify a journey option with as few changes as possible using the German Railways website, www.bahn.de.  We use this, even though it won't give fares or sell tickets, because it's fast, flexible, and handles multi-leg international journeys far better than the French or Spanish systems.  Then book in stages, booking trains starting in Spain at the Spanish website www.renfe.com (there's advice on using it here) then trains starting at Hendaye or in France at the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com.

Barcelona to Montpelier, Marseille, Cannes, Nice...

First, look for a convenient schedule for your whole journey using the journey planner at the German Railways website, www.bahn.de.  We use this, even though it won't give fares or sell tickets, because it's fast, flexible, and handles multi-leg international journeys far better than the French or Spanish systems.  There's often a train leaving Barcelona Sants at 09:05, change at Figueres onto a double-deck TGV Duplex to Valence, then onto another TGV arriving Avignon 14:38, Marseille 15:16, St Raphael (for St Tropez) at 17:09, Cannes 17:33 and Nice 18:05.  It's a scenic run along the coast, too!  Then book this in stages, first book Barcelona-Figueres at the Spanish website www.renfe.com (there's advice on using it here) then book Figueres to Nice at the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com.

Spain to Brussels from €109 with sleeper...

Take the excellent Elipsos trainhotel from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris, fares from €74 including a bed in a 4-bed Tourist sleeper, see the Spain to Paris section above and see the photos on the London to Spain page.  Onward tickets from Paris to Brussels can be bought at www.thalys.com from just €35.  Allow at least 90 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris.  For example, you can leave central Barcelona at 19:55, be in Paris at 08:37 next morning, leave Paris Nord 10:25 and arrive Brussels 11:45.

Spain to Amsterdam from €109 with sleeper...

Take the excellent Elipsos trainhotel from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris, fares from €74 including a bed in a 4-bed Tourist sleeper, see the Spain to Paris section above and see the photos on the London to Spain page.  Onward tickets from Paris to Amsterdam can be bought at www.thalys.com from just €35.  Allow at least 90 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris.  For example, you can leave central Barcelona at 19:55, be in Paris at 08:37 next morning, leave Paris Nord 10:25 and arrive Amsterdam Centraal 13:44.

Spain to Switzerland from €99...

The easiest and cheapest option is to take the excellent Elipsos trainhotel overnight from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris Austerlitz, allow at least 90 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris, then catch a morning TGV-Lyria from Paris Gare de Lyon to Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva or Lausanne to Paris Gare de Lyon in just 3 or 4 hours.  The Madrid-Paris & Barcelona-Paris trainhotels run daily in summer, 5 nights a week in winter, details on the London to Spain page under 'London to Madrid' or 'London to Barcelona', simply substitute a Paris-Switzerland TGV-Lyria for the Eurostar Paris-London.  Book the trainhotel at either Renfe.com or Petrabax.com/renfe following the step-by-step instructions here, then book a connecting TGV-Lyria at www.sbb.ch or www.voyages-sncf.com.  A direct Barcelona to Geneva high-speed TGV is on the cards at some pont during 2013, details will be posted here if and when it starts.

Spain to Italy...

By Elipsos trainhotel then TGV:  Step 1, travel from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris overnight by excellent Elipsos trainhotel, see the London to Spain page for more details and book at www.renfe.com or www.petrabax.com/renfe following these step-by-step instructions.  These trains have 1, 2 & 4 bed sleepers, restaurant and bar, including some Gran Clase sleepers with en suite toilet & shower.  The trainhotels run daily March to October and 5 days a week in winter, with fares from €74 with a bed in a 4-bed Tourist class sleeper.  Step 2, take the 10:41 TGV from Paris to Milan, arriving Milan 17:51, booked at www.voyages-sncf.com from €29.  At weekends when the sleeper from Madrid arrives in Paris at 10:37, you'll need to take the later 14:41 TGV from Paris to Milan.  Book onward trains from Milan to Florence, Rome or Venice from €9 at either www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com or (with Italo trains) at www.italotreno.it.  Yes, going via Paris is cheaper and faster than trying to travel direct cross-country - the direct Barcelona to Milan trainhotel was discontinued in December 2012.

By high-speed trains with overnight stop in Paris:  Step 1, travel from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris by high-speed AVE train and TGV Duplex with a simple cross-platform change in Figueres Vilafant, leaving Madrid at 05:50 or Barcelona at 09:05 arriving Paris 15:53.  Book from Madrid or Barcelona to Figueres Vilafant at www.renfe.com or (if you have any problems) www.petrabax.com/renfe with print-at-home tickets.  Then book Figueres to Paris by TGV at www.voyages-sncf.com, looking for the direct 10:20 departure, again with print-at-home ticketing.  There's also a later train from Barcelona to Paris, again with a simple change at Figueres Vilafant.  Stay overnight in Paris.  Step 2, travel from Paris to Turin & Milan by TGV from €29 booked at www.voyages-sncf.com with print-at-home tickets.  There is a TGV at 07:49 from Paris Gare de Lyon arriving Milan Porta Garibaldi at 14:51, or if you prefer a more leisurely breakfast, a 10:41 from Paris arriving Milan at 17:51.  Book onward trains from Milan to Florence, Rome, Naples or Venice at either www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com from €9, or (with Italo trains) at www.italotreno.it.

Barcelona to Rome by luxury cruise ferry:  How about a cruise by ferry?  Another excellent option is the Grimaldi Lines cruise ferry from Barcelona to Civitavecchia (an hour by regional train north of Rome).  The ferry sails daily at 22:15 and arrives at 18:45 next day.  To check times, fares, accommodation and to book online see the Seat61 ferry shop or go to www.grimaldi-lines.com.  Grimaldi Lines also run a ferry several times a week between Livorno and Barcelona, and between Valencia and Salerno, near Naples.

Spain to Portugal:  Madrid to Lisbon from €49.95...

There's an excellent trainhotel sleeper train from Madrid (depart 21:50) to Lisbon (arriving 07:30) called the Lusitania, with sleepers, reclining seats, restaurant & bar.  Residents of any country can book this train at www.renfe.com (see advice on using renfe.com), with 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.  If you have any problems using Renfe (some people report credit card rejection), anyone from any country can book this train online at www.petrabax.com/renfe in plain English, no payment problems and print-at-home tickets.  Petrabax are a US-based Spanish holiday specialist who has linked to the Renfe ticketing system.  They charge the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up. 

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

You'll also find a direct 'trainhotel' sleeper train from San Sebastian, Burgos and Valladolid direct to Lisbon, bookable in exactly the same way as the Lusitania at www.raileurope.co.uk or www.renfe.com or www.petrabax.com/renfe.

Spain to Germany...

Take the excellent Elipsos trainhotel overnight from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris.  The trainhotels have 1, 2 & 4 bed sleepers, restaurant and bar, including some Gran Clase sleepers with en suite toilet & shower, see the London to Spain page for more details.  The trainhotels run daily March to October and 5 days a week in winter, with fares from €74 with a bed in a 4-bed Tourist class sleeper.  You can book this at www.renfe.com, or if you have any problems with Renfe (some people report credit card rejection), www.petrabax.com/renfe.  Allow at least 90 minutes to change trains & stations by metro or taxi from Paris Austerlitz to Paris Nord.  Now book a high-speed Thalys train from Paris to Cologne in just 3 hours 30 minutes from €35 if you pre-book at www.thalys.com.  Or book a high-speed train from Paris to Frankfurt (3 hours 45 minutes) or Munich (6 hours) at www.bahn.de.

Alternatively, take an early morning TGV from Barcelona to Paris (in fact, until April 2013 it's a Spanish AVE train to Figueres Vilafant, then an easy cross-platform change onto a direct TGV Duplex to Paris Gare de Lyon), allow at least 90 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris then take the city night Line overnight sleeper from Paris to Berlin, Hamburg or Munich.  Book Barcelona to Figueres Vilafant at www.renfe.com, book Figueres-Paris at www.voyages-sncf.com looking for the connecting direct TGV, then book Paris to Germany at www.bahn.de.

Spain to Austria...

Take the 09:05 TGV from Barcelona to Paris (in fact, until April 2013, it's a Spanish AVE train to Figueres Vilafant, then an easy cross-platform change onto a direct TGV Duplex to Paris Gare de Lyon), allow at least 90 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris then take the city night Line overnight sleeper from Paris to Berlin, Hamburg or Munich.  Book Barcelona to Figueres Vilafant at www.renfe.com, book Figueres-Paris at www.voyages-sncf.com looking for the connecting direct TGV, then book Paris to Germany at www.bahn.de.

Spain to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo...

Step 1, travel from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris overnight by excellent Elipsos trainhotel, see the London to Spain page for more details.  Book this at www.renfe.com or www.petrabax.com/renfe following these step-by-step instructions.  These trains have 1, 2 & 4 bed sleepers, restaurant and bar, including some Gran Clase sleepers with en suite toilet & shower.  The trainhotels run daily March to October and 5 days a week in winter, with fares from €74 with a bed in a 4-bed Tourist class sleeper.  Step 2, take a Thalys high-speed train from Paris Gare du Nord to Cologne, from €35 booked at www.thalys.com.  Step 3, now take the excellent City Night Line sleeper train leaving Cologne at 22:28 and arriving Copenhagen at 10:07 next morning.  Fares from €59 with couchette booked at www.bahn.de.  Step 4, travel onwards to Stockholm by X2000.  You can book Cologne to Stockholm in one go at www.bahn.de, look for the option leaving Cologne at 22:28 by CNL & X2 with 1 change.

Spain to Prague...

Step 1, travel from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris overnight by excellent Elipsos trainhotel, see the London to Spain page for more details.  Book this at www.renfe.com or www.petrabax.com/renfe following these step-by-step instructions.  These trains have 1, 2 & 4 bed sleepers, restaurant and bar, including some Gran Clase sleepers with en suite toilet & shower.  The trainhotels run daily March to October and 5 days a week in winter, with fares from €74 with a bed in a 4-bed Tourist class sleeper.  Step 2, take a Thalys high-speed train from Paris Gare du Nord to Cologne, from €35 booked at www.thalys.com.  Step 3, now take the excellent City Night Line sleeper train leaving Cologne at 22:28 and arriving Prague Hlavni at 09:26 next morning.  Fares from €59 with couchette booked at www.bahn.de.

Spain to Warsaw & Moscow...

Step 1, travel from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris overnight by excellent Elipsos trainhotel, see the London to Spain page for more details.  Book this at www.renfe.com or www.petrabax.com/renfe following these step-by-step instructions.  These trains have 1, 2 & 4 bed sleepers, restaurant and bar, including some Gran Clase sleepers with en suite toilet & shower.  The trainhotels run daily March to October and 5 days a week in winter, with fares from €74 with a bed in a 4-bed Tourist class sleeper.  Step 2, take a Thalys high-speed train from Paris Gare du Nord to Cologne, from €35 booked at www.thalys.com.  Step 3, now take the excellent EuroNight sleeper train Jan Kiepura leaving Cologne at 22:28 and arriving Warsaw Centralna at 10:55 next morning.  Fares from €59 with couchette booked at www.bahn.de.  Spend the day in Warsaw.  Step 4, catch the Polonez sleeper train to Moscow, booked via www.polrail.com.

Buy tickets starting in Portugal

Buying train tickets for journeys within Portugal...

www.cp.pt allows online booking of Lisbon-Porto and Lisbon-Algarve trains.

Lisbon to Madrid from €49.95, onwards to Barcelona......

There's an excellent trainhotel sleeper train called the Lusitania from Lisbon (depart 21:18) to Madrid (arriving 08:20), with 4-berth sleepers, 1 & 2-berth sleepers, and 1 & 2 berth 'Gran Clase' with private shower & toilet, reclining seats, restaurant & bar.  Residents of any country can book this train at www.renfe.com (but first see this advice on using renfe.com), 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.  If you have any problems using Renfe (some people report credit card rejection), anyone from any country can book this train online at www.petrabax.com/renfe in plain English, no payment problems and print-at-home tickets.  Petrabax are a US-based Spanish holiday specialist who has linked to the Renfe ticketing system.  They charge the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up.

Change in Madrid for a high-speed AVE to Barcelona, book this separately at www.renfe.com (see advice on using renfe.com).

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

Lisbon to Burgos, Valladolid, San Sebastian from €49.95......

There's a direct trainhotel called the Sud Express leaving Lisbon daily at 21:18, arriving Valladolid, Burgos and San Sebastian next morning, with cosy sleepers.  It's bookable in exactly the same way as the Lusitania Express described above.

Lisbon to Seville...

First take a comfortable modern InterCity train from Lisbon Oriente station to Far in the Algarve, journey time 3 hours 20 minutes, book online at the Portuguese Railways website www.cp.pt.  Then travel from Faro to Seville by bus, a 3 hour 40 minute trip.  Buses run from Faro to Seville at 08:20 & 15:35 daily and from Seville Plaza de Armas back to Faro twice daily at 07:30 & 16:15.  The fare is around €16-€18 each way.  The bus service is run jointly by Damas & Eva-Bus, www.damas-sa.es & www.eva-bus.com, and there may be additional buses in July & August,  although you may find this unofficial British-run website more helpful in explaining Seville-Faro timetables.  You can book one-way or return journeys from Seville to Faro online at www.movelia.es, or one-way or return journeys starting in Faro at www.rede-expressos.pt.  Another company, www.alsa.es, also has two daily buses Seville-Faro, with online booking in either direction.

Lisbon to Paris, Lisbon to London...

Take the overnight Sud Express sleeper train from Lisbon (depart 21:18) to Hendaye (arriving 11:18 next morning), then a TGV to Paris (arriving 18:33) and an evening Eurostar to London (arriving 20:39), see the London to Portugal page for full details and how to buy tickets online.

Buy tickets starting in Germany

To buy train tickets within, to and from Germany, use the excellent German Railways website www.bahn.de.

Buying train tickets for journeys within Germany

With only one or two exceptions, German trains are never 'reservation compulsory' so you can always just turn up, buy a ticket and get on the next train without a reservation.  However, there are heavily discounted Spezial fares for longer distance journeys if you pre-book, so buy in advance if you want to save money.  Booking usually opens 92 days ahead.

www.bahn.de will book all German long-distance daytime trains and City Night Line overnight sleeper trains.  A seat reservation is usually optional, for a small extra charge.  Tickets can be sent to any address worldwide or in many cases you can print your own tickets.  In addition, new private operator HKX is now competing with DB between Cologne, Dusseldorf, Osnabruck &and Hamburg, see www.hkx.de.

Germany to London from €59...

See the London to Germany page for train times and more information.  The German railways website www.bahn.de can sell London Spezial tickets from anywhere in Germany to London from €59, you simply print out your own tickets.  Availability is limited as DB only has a small quota on Eurostar.  If you don't see any attractive prices, split the journey and book Germany to Brussels at www.bahn.de from 19/29/€39, then Brussels to London at www.eurostar.com from £39, making sure you allow for the 30 minute Eurostar check-in at Brussels.

Germany to Paris from €39...

www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, tickets sent to any UK address) or the German Railways website www.bahn.de (for residents of any country, tickets sent to any address worldwide or in many cases self-print) can book the direct international high-speed daytime trains from Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart & Munich to Paris, also the City Night Line sleeper trains from Munich, Berlin & Hamburg to Paris.  With Frankfurt to Paris taking just 3 hours 45 minutes, Cologne to Paris just 3 hours 30 minutes, it's a great way to go.  The Berlin-Paris, Munich-Paris and Hamburg-Paris City Night Line sleeper trains save a hotel bill and are more time-effective than 4 or 5 daytime hours of stressful airports and flights.

Germany to Brussels from €19, €29 or €39...

www.b-europe.com (Belgian Railways) can book tickets from anywhere in Germany to Brussels or anywhere in Belgium, using either Thalys or ICE between Cologne and Brussels.  The German railways website www.bahn.de can also book tickets from Germany to Brussels, but only using their own ICE trains between Cologne and Brussels, not Thalys.

Germany to Amsterdam from €19, €29 or €39...

The German railways website www.bahn.de can book tickets from anywhere in Germany to Amsterdam.  Direct InterCity trains link Berlin & Amsterdam Zuid from €29 (change at Hilversum for Amsterdam Centraal).  A City Night Line sleeper train links Munich (depart 22:47) with Amsterdam (arrive 08:56), fares from €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper, €134 in a deluxe 2-bed sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, breakfast included.

Germany to Switzerland from €29 or €39...

Daytime trains:  The German railways website, www.bahn.de can book tickets from anywhere in Germany to Switzerland, from 29 or €39.  Direct trains link Dusseldorf, Cologne & Frankfurt with Basel & Zurich, Munich with Zurich, Stuttgart with Zurich, and some German trains also run to Interlaken and Bern.  Many of these are superb German ICE trains.

Sleeper trains:  The German Railways website www.bahn.de can book the excellent City Night Line sleeper trains from Düsseldorf & Cologne to Zurich, Berlin to Zurich, and Hamburg to Zurich.  Fares from €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper, or €134 per person in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and you simply print out your own ticket.

Germany to Italy from €39...

Daytime trains, via the Brenner Pass:  The German railways website, www.bahn.de can book tickets from anywhere in Germany to Verona via the German/Austrian-run EuroCity trains through the scenic Brenner Pass to Verona.  One train a day (the 11:34 from Munich) goes beyond Verona to Venice.  www.bahn.de can book tickets from anywhere in Germany as far as Verona, or as far as Venice if you pick the one daily direct train.  Onward tickets from Verona to Florence, Rome, Milan, Naples or (if changing at Verona) Venice must be booked separately at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (more fiddly to use, requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first).  I recommend allowing at least 45 minutes to change in Verona in case of any delay.

Daytime trains, via Switzerland:  Also a scenic ride!  The German railways website, www.bahn.de can work out times from anywhere in Germany to Italy via Basel or Zurich in Switzerland, although it won't give fares or sell tickets for the whole journey.  Having found a suitable journey, use www.bahn.de to book from your German starting point to the Swiss interchange station, usually Basel or Zurich, occasionally Spiez, with fares from 29 or €39.  I'd allow at least 30 minutes to change trains, in case of any delay.  Now use the Swiss site to book from Basel, Zurich or Spiez to Milan, with fares from €19 (CHF34).  In Milan, I'd allow at least 50 minutes to change trains.  Now book an onward journey from Milan to Florence, Venice, Rome or wherever at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (more fiddly to use, requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first).

Sleeper train from Munich to Rome, Florence & Venice:  The German Railways website www.bahn.de can book the excellent direct City Night Line sleeper train from Munich (depart 21:05) to Venice (arrive 06:38), Florence (arrive 06:18) and Rome (arrive 08:54).  Fares from €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 per person in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and you simply print out your own ticket.  Indeed, it will book a direct ticket from anywhere in Germany to Italy via this train.

Germany to Spain...

City Night Line sleeper to Paris, then high-speed to Barcelona:  Take the excellent overnight City Night Line sleeper train from Berlin, Munich or Hamburg to Paris Gare de l'Est arriving 09:24, with fares from €43 in a seat, €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper, or €134 with a bed in a 2-bed deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.  Book this at www.bahn.de.  Spend a morning and have lunch in Paris.  Travel from Paris to Barcelona by high-speed TGV Duplex, changing to a Spanish AVE at Figueres Vilafant, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 14:07 and arriving Barcelona at 20:48.

High-speed train to Paris, then Elipsos trainhotel to Madrid or Barcelona:  Take an afternoon high-speed train from Germany to Paris from €39 booked at www.bahn.de.  Travel from Paris to Madrid or Barcelona by overnight Elipsos trainhotel, see the London to Spain page for details.  The trainhotels have 1, 2 & 4 bed sleepers, restaurant and bar, including some Gran Clase sleepers with en suite toilet & shower.  The trainhotels run daily March to October and 5 days a week in winter, with fares from €74 with a bed in a 4-bed Tourist class sleeper. 

Germany to Austria from €19, €29 or €39...

Daytime trains:  The German railways website, www.bahn.de can book tickets from anywhere in Germany to all major cities in Austria, from €19, €29 or €39.  Direct ICE trains link Dusseldorf, Cologne & Frankfurt with Vienna, modern Austrian Railjet trains link Munich with Salzburg & Vienna, and direct EuroCity trains link Berlin and Dresden with Vienna.  Just use www.bahn.de to find times and buy tickets!

Sleeper trains:  The German Railways website www.bahn.de can also book the direct Austrian sleeper trains from Cologne & Frankfurt to Vienna and from Hamburg to Vienna, also the direct sleeper train from Berlin to Vienna.  You can also buy tickets for these trains using the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at as this is sometimes cheaper.  Prices from €39 with a couchette or €69 in a 2-bed sleeper.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and you simply print out your own ticket.  Tip: When registering on oebb.at, the UK is listed as 'Vereinigtes Konigreich', USA as 'Vereinigtes Staaten von Amerika'.

Germany to Prague from €19...

Daytime trains from Munich to Prague:  Four comfortable direct Alex trains link Munich & Prague every day, from €19.  Unusually, this is one route where you should not use the German Railways website bahn.de because it does not offer the cheap €19 fares on these trains, only expensive €60+ full-price fares, and it tries to tempt you onto DB's ugly motorway bus which should be avoided.  Instead, book from Munich to Prague from 500 koruna (€19) using the Czech Railways website, www.cd.cz/eshop and print your own ticket.  Easy!

Daytime trains from other German cities to Prague:  The German railways website, www.bahn.de can book tickets to Prague from anywhere in Germany with cheap fares if you pre-book.  Dresden to Prague starts at €19, Berlin to Prague from €29, Cologne to Prague from €39.  Be warned that www.bahn.de has an annoying habit of trying to route you via the railway-run ugly motorway bus from Nuremberg or Munich to Prague, which of course you don't want.  To avoid having to travel by bus, simply put 'Dresden' in the 'via' box (or try clicking 'advanced selection of means of transport' and de-select 'bus') to force it to find options by comfortable, civilised train throughout.

Sleeper trains:  The German Railways website www.bahn.de can book the excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Cologne or Dusseldorf to Prague, from €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper, €134 in a deluxe 2-bed sleeper with private shower & toilet.  Booking normally opens 92 days in advance and you simply print your own ticket.

Germany to Bratislava from €39...

The direct EuroCity trains from Berlin or Dresden to Bratislava can be booked online at www.bahn.de from €39.  From other cities in Germany, you'll find it cheaper to split the journey, booking from (say) Cologne or Munich to Vienna from €29 or €39, then travelling onwards from Vienna to Bratislava by regular hourly local train, journey time 1 hour 6 minutes, fare around €15, no reservation necessary, buy the ticket at the station on the day when you reach Vienna.

Germany to Warsaw, Krakow, Budapest, Ljubljana, Zagreb from €19 or €29...

Daytime trains:  The German railways website, www.bahn.de can book tickets from anywhere in Germany to neighbouring countries from €29, including the regular EuroCity trains from Berlin to Warsaw, Berlin to Budapest and the direct trains from Munich to Budapest, Ljubljana and Zagreb.  In many cases you simply print your own ticket.

Sleeper trains:  The German Railways website www.bahn.de can book the excellent EuroNight sleeper train Jan Kiepura from Cologne or Dusseldorf to Warsaw.  Fares to Warsaw from €59 with couchette, €91 with bed in 2-bed sleeper, deluxe sleepers also available.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and you simply print out your own ticket.  It'll also book the excellent sleeper train Kalman Imre from Munich to Budapest with similar prices.  However, it won't book the Munich to Zagreb sleeper train, so book this at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) or www.raileurope-world.com (residents of anywhere else).

Germany to Moscow & Russia...

There is a direct Russian sleeping-car from Frankfurt to Moscow every day, leaving Frankfurt around 10pm and taking 2 nights.  It can be booked online at www.voyages-sncf.com with tickets sent to any address worldwide except the USA.  However, the direct trains from Berlin to Moscow & St Petersburg cannot be booked online, only by phone to Deutsche Bahn.

Germany to Kiev & Ukraine...

Take a morning Berlin-Warsaw Express, then the overnight Kiev Express from Warsaw to Kiev.  The latter train cannot be booked online so either call DB (UK number 08718 80 80 66) or contact reliable Polish agency www.polrail.com (their booking system is at http://booking.polrail.com), using www.bahn.de to book Berlin to Warsaw once your Kiev tickets are confirmed.

Germany to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland & Scandinavia...

Direct trains link Hamburg with Copenhagen from €29, book at www.bahn.de.  There's an excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Cologne to Copenhagen, with onward connections for Oslo, Gothenburg & Stockholm, you'll find more information on the Sweden page (just ignore the London-Cologne bit!).  Book from Germany to Stockholm or Gothenburg as one transaction at www.bahn.de, looking for the CNL + X2 option - DB offers some excellent Spezial prices to Sweden from €39.  For Oslo, book from Germany to Copenhagen by direct CNL train with no changes at www.bahn.de, then book onward tickets from Copenhagen to Oslo at www.sj.se.  For Finland, you'll find ferries the best bet from Travemünde or Rostock in Germany to Helsinki, see www.finnlines.com.

Germany to Istanbul & Turkey...

You can pick up the London-Istanbul route suggested on the London to Turkey page in Munich.  This journey cannot be booked online, only by phone.

Buy tickets starting in Austria

To check train times & fares in Austria, see the official Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at.

Buying train tickets for journeys within Austria...

The ÖBB (Austrian Railways) website is www.oebb.at.  Seat reservation is optional on most Austrian internal trains.  Until recently there was little advantage in pre-booking, you can just turn up buy a ticket and hop on.  However, in 2011 ÖBB introduced yield-managed variable pricing which means you can now save money by booking in advance.  Tip: When registering, UK is listed as 'Vereinigtes Konigreich', USA as 'Vereinigtes Staaten von Amerika'.  As of 2012, a new private operator also operates on the Vienna-Linz-Salzburg route in competition with ÖBB, see www.westbahn.at.

Austria to London from €59..

See the London to Austria page for full details of times, fares and how to buy tickets in either direction, including Salzburg to London from an amazing €59. 

From Vienna, you'd use www.bahn.de or www.oebb.at to book the EuroNight sleeper train from Vienna to Cologne, fares from €29 in a seat, €39 with a couchette or €69 in a 2-bed sleeper (check both sites - the Austrian site may be cheaper!).  Then use www.bahn.de again to book a Cologne to London ticket by ICE and Eurostar. 

From Innsbruck or Salzburg, you'd first book the excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Munich (depart 22:47) to Paris (arrive 09:23) at German Railways website www.bahn.de (English button top right, you print out your own tickets).  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 per person in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet if you pre-book, maximum 90 days ahead.  Then use www.bahn.de again to book a connecting ticket from Innsbruck or Salzburg to Munich, from €19.  Then book a connecting Eurostar from Paris to London using www.eurostar.com, from €45.  Or use daytime trains from Salzburg to London via Brussels, from €59 one-way.

Austria to Paris from €39...

Salzburg to Paris by daytime trains:  German Railways offer Spezial fares to Paris from anywhere in Germany from €39, and Salzburg is considered to be an extremity of the German rail network.  So at www.bahn.de you can book from Salzburg to Paris from just €39 by daytime trains, including a couple of good options with just 1 easy change, using a comfortable EuroCity train from Salzburg to Stuttgart then a 200 mph TGV Duplex from Stuttgart to Paris.

Salzburg to Paris by sleeper train:  You can also travel by time-effective overnight sleeper.  You leave Salzburg at 19:51 to pick up the Munich-Paris City Night Line sleeper train leaving Munich at 22:50 and arriving Paris Est at 09:24 next morning.  Book Salzburg to Paris at www.bahn.de, from  €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 in a deluxe 2-bed sleeper with en suite shower & toilet.  Booking opens 92 days ahead, and you print out your own ticket.

Vienna, Linz, Innsbruck to Paris by sleeper train:  This is the easiest and most time-effective option.  First book a smart modern Railjet train from Vienna (depart 16:36), Linz (17:52) or Salzburg (19:02) to Munich arriving at 20:34, using the German Railways website www.bahn.de. Vienna to Munich starts at just €29, Salzburg to Munich from €19.  If you prefer, you can also book this train at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at.  Then book the excellent City Night Line sleeper train leaving Munich at 22:50 and arriving Paris Gare de l'Est at 09:24, using www.bahn.de, and you print out your own tickets.  Fares for this sleeper train start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 in a deluxe 2-bed sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, booking opens 92 days ahead.  In Munich, I recommend having dinner between trains at the Mongdratzerl restaurant inside the Hauptbahnhof itself.

Vienna, Linz, Innsbruck to Paris by daytime train:  It's possible to travel from Innsbruck or Vienna to Paris in one day.  To book, split the journey like this:  Book a morning train from Vienna to Frankfurt at www.bahn.de.  Allow at least 1 hour to change in Frankfurt in case of delay.  Book Frankfurt to Paris as a second transaction at www.bahn.de.  Coming from Innsbruck, you might also try splitting the journey at Stuttgart or Munich.

The scenic route?  There's a scenic route from Vienna to Paris via Switzerland, best done in 2 stages with an overnight hotel in Zurich.  First travel from Vienna, Salzburg or Innsbruck to Zurich on a modern Railjet train through the scenic Arlberg pass, see the video here.  Book this leg at www.oebb.at from €29 with print-at-home tickets.  Stay the night in Zurich.  Next morning, take a double-deck TGV-Lyria to Paris in just 4 hours, booked at www.sbb.ch from €25, also with print-at-home tickets.

Austria to Brussels from €58...

From Vienna, first book the excellent EuroNight sleeper train from Vienna (depart 20:00) to Cologne (arriving 08:42) using the German Railways website www.bahn.de (English button top right, you print out your own tickets).  Fares start at €29 in a seat, €39 with a couchette or €69 in a 2-bed sleeper, if you pre-book, maximum 90 days ahead.  Then book a connecting ICE train from Cologne to Brussels from just €19 also at www.bahn.de, allowing at least 45 minutes in Cologne.  There's usually one at 11:43 arriving Brussels Midi at 13:35.

Austria to Amsterdam from €58...

Vienna to Amsterdam, option 1:  First book the excellent EuroNight sleeper train from Vienna (depart 20:00) to Cologne (arriving 08:42) using the German Railways website www.bahn.de - English button top right, you print out your own tickets.  Alternatively, you also book this train at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at.  Fares start at €29 in a seat, €39 with a couchette or €69 in a 2-bed sleeper, deluxe sleepers also available, booking opens 90 days ahead.  Check both sites as the Austrian site may be cheaper!  Then book a connecting ICE train from Cologne to Amsterdam from just €19 also at www.bahn.de, allowing at least 45 minutes in Cologne.  There's usually one around 10:46 arriving Amsterdam Centraal at 13:25.

Vienna to Amsterdam, option 2:  Alternatively, use www.bahn.de to book the Railjet train from Vienna (depart 16:36) or Salzburg (19:02) to Munich (arrive 20:34), then use www.bahn.de again to book the excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Munich (depart 22:50) to Amsterdam Centraal (arrive 08:56).  In Munich, I recommend having dinner between trains at the Mongdratzerl restaurant inside the Hauptbahnhof itself.

Innsbruck or Salzburg to Amsterdam:  First go to www.bahn.de and book the direct City Night Line sleeper train from Munich (depart 22:50) to Amsterdam (arrive 08:56).  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 per person in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet, booking opens 90 days ahead.  Then use www.bahn.de again to book a connecting ticket from Innsbruck or Salzburg to Munich, from €19.

It's possible to travel from Austria to Amsterdam in one (long) day, using excellent German ICE trains.  It can be booked at www.bahn.de, but the top tip here is to split the journey, first booking Vienna (or Salzburg) to Frankfurt (select Frankfurt am Main Hauptbahnhof), allow at least 45 minutes for the connection, then book Frankfurt to Amsterdam.  This way you'll see cheap fares from €39 Vienna to Frankfurt and from €29 Frankfurt to Amsterdam.

Austria to Switzerland from €39...

There are several of daily direct Railjet trains from Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck to Zurich in Switzerland, with fares from just €29.  Book these online at the Austrian railways website, www.oebb.at.  The scenery through the Tirol via the Arlberg pass is superb, watch the video to see for yourself.  I recommend buying onward tickets to other Swiss destinations when you get to Zurich, no reservation necessary, or buy them online at the Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch. You'll also find a direct EuroNight sleeper train Wiener Walzer from Vienna (depart 22:26) to Zurich (arrive 07:20) featuring double deck sleeping-cars with 1 or 2 bed deluxe compartments with en suite shower & toilet, 1 or 2 bed standard compartments with washbasin, and 4 or 6 berth couchettes.  You can also book this train at www.oebb.at from just €39 in a couchette or €69 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.  You print out your own ticket. 

Here's some tips for using www.oebb.at:  For English, click 'English' top right.  Use the journey planner to bring up trains from VIENNA (which will appear in German as WIEN) to ZURICH.  Enter the number of people in your party and your dates and time of travel.  Locate a direct Railjet train with 0 changes in the search results and click on the 'ab €29' link - this means 'from €29', it will show the cheapest price available for that train.  Now select 'SparSchiene Schweiz' (= Swiss Saver Fare).  A reserved seat is not essential, it's optional for an extra €3 and not a bad idea.  You print your own ticket.  No changes or refunds are allowed at the cheapest prices, of course.  When registering, UK is listed as 'Vereinigtes Konigreich', USA as 'Vereinigtes Staaten von Amerika'.

Austria to Italy from €39:  Venice, Florence, Milan, Rome...

By direct sleeper train:  There is a direct EuroNight sleeper train called the Allegro Tosca from Vienna Meidling (depart 19:30) to Florence (arriving 06:18), Rome (08:54) & Milan (08:25), and another called the Vienna-Venice Express from Vienna Westbahnhof (depart 20:40) to Venice (arriving 08:34).  Prices for these trains start at just €39 with a couchette, €69 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.  The cheapest way to book is at the Austrian railways website www.oebb.at, look for the cheap fare and print out your own ticket.  If you have any problems you can also book these trains at www.italiarail.com, although tickets starting in Austria need to be couriered to your home address which costs an extra €25 or so.

By daytime trains:  Sadly, the daytime Vienna-Venice trains are no more, replaced by an Austrian Railways bus between Villach on the Italian border and Venice, so I don't recommend this.  However, excellent EuroCity trains with restaurant car link Innsbruck with Verona throughout the day via the scenic Brenner Pass, with one late morning one continuing to Venice, these can be booked at www.oebb.at.  It's also worth trying to book these at www.bahn.de.  In this case, you are free to book these trains in either direction.  Personally, if I wanted to go by daytime trains I'd divert via Innsbruck now even if I were travelling from Vienna or Salzburg to Venice, to avoid the Villach-Venice bus and ensure the whole journey was by comfortable and civilised train.  Onward tickets from Verona to other Italian destinations should be booked at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (much more fiddly to use, requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first).  Both sites are ticketless, you simply quote your booking reference on board the train.  I'd allow at least 45 minutes in Verona to make a connection, in case of any delay.

Austria to Spain...

Step 1, travel from Vienna, Linz or Salzburg to Munich by Railjet train from €29 booked at www.oebb.at, leaving Vienna at 16:36, Salzburg at 19:02, arriving Munich 20:34.  Step 2, travel overnight by excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Munich (depart 22:50) to Paris Gare de l'Est (arrive 09:24) from €59 with couchette, €104 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with bed in deluxe 2-bed sleeper with shower & toilet, booked at www.bahn.de, you print your own ticket.  Step 3, after a morning exploring Paris, take the 14:07 TGV Duplex from Paris Gare de Lyon to Barcelona (a simple cross-platform change of train is required at Figueres Vilafant until mid-April 2013) arriving Barcelona 20:48 and Madrid at 00:02.

Austria to Germany from €29...

You can book any of the daytime trains from Vienna, Innsbruck or Salzburg to Germany from €29, using www.bahn.de, and in most cases you simply print out your own ticket.  You can also book the direct overnight sleeper trains from Vienna to Cologne, Vienna to Berlin, and Vienna to Hamburg online at www.bahn.de.

Austria to Budapest from €19...

A whole range of trains link Vienna and Budapest Keleti station every day, many of which are now modern Railjet trains.  Some of these run direct from Salzburg or Linz to Budapest, too.  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 (£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.  Tip: When registering, UK is listed as 'Vereinigtes Konigreich', USA as 'Vereinigtes Staaten von Amerika'.  UK residents can also book online at  www.raileurope.co.uk, but without any offers.

Austria to Prague from €29...

Comfortable EuroCity trains link Vienna and Prague several times a day, book them using www.oebb.at, with special offers from €29 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 from €14...

It's easy to buy a Vienna-Bratislava ticket at the station, for a fixed price of €14.  Trains run from Vienna Südbahnhof (Ostbahn) every hour, no reservation necessary or even possible, just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on.  Also consider a river trip along the Danube, Vienna-Bratislava fast ferries and hydrofoils runs at least once a day in winter, up to 5 times a day in summer, 80 minutes.  At least two companies operate, see www.twincityliner.com or www.lod.sk.

Austria to Warsaw & Krakow from €39...

There's a daily direct sleeper train, the Chopin, from Vienna (depart 22:08) to Warsaw (arrive 07:19) and Krakow (arrive 07:03), with economical couchettes (6-bunk per compartment) and a comfortable and secure sleeping-car (1 2 or 3 beds per compartment).  What's the Vienna-Krakow sleeping-car like?  There's also a direct afternoon Vienna-Warsaw EuroCity train.  All these trains can now be booked online at the Austrian railways website www.oebb.at with cheap fares if you pre-book:  Vienna to Krakow from €39 plus €26 supplement for a bed in a 3-bed sleeper or €39 for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper (per person, berth ssold individually).  Vienna to Warsaw by daytime EuroCity train from €39.

Austria to Moscow...

Direct Russian Railways sleeping-cars with 1, 2 and 3 bed compartments with washbasin link Vienna with Moscow, journey time 2 nights.  This needs to be booked by phone.  The journey planner at www.bahn.de will give you train times.

Austria to Istanbul & Turkey...

You can pick up the London-Istanbul route suggested on the London to Turkey page in Salzburg, Linz or Vienna.  This journey cannot be booked online, only by phone.

Austria to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo & Scandinavia...

First, go to the German Railways website www.bahn.de and book the excellent Prague to Copenhagen City Night Line sleeper train.  It leaves Prague Hlavni around 18:29 and arrives Copenhagen around 10:07 next morning.  Fares from €59 in a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper with washbasin, €134 with a bed in a deluxe sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, breakfast included.  Now book a ticket on an air-conditioned EuroCity train from Vienna to Prague from €19 at www.oebb.at.  I'd allow at least an hour, perhaps 90 minutes in Prague in case of any delay.  You'll usually find one leaving Vienna at 09:33 arriving  Prague 14:18, or 12:33 arriving Prague 17:18.  Onward tickets from Copenhagen to Stockholm or Oslo can be booked at the Swedish Railways website www.sj.se - see this advice on using it.  If you take the fast X2000 125mph tilting train leaving Copenhagen around 12:30, you arrive at Stockholm Central around 17:40.

Buy tickets starting in Copenhagen & Denmark

The Danish railways website is www.dsb.dk

Buying train tickets for journeys 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 from €98...

See the London to Denmark page for details of routes, times, fares & how to buy tickets, in either direction.

Copenhagen to Paris from €78...

First book the excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Copenhagen (depart 18:46) to Cologne (arriving 06:14 next morning) at the German Railways website www.bahn.de.  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a deluxe 2-berth sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, breakfast included.  Then book a ticket for a high-speed Thalys train from Cologne (depart 08:44) to Paris Gare du Nord (arriving 12:05) from just €35 at www.thalys.com.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and in both cases you simply print out your own ticket.

Copenhagen to Brussels from €62...

First book the excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Copenhagen (depart 18:46) to Cologne (arriving 06:14 next morning) at the German Railways website www.bahn.de.  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 per person in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.  Then book a high-speed ICE train from Cologne (depart 07:43) to Brussels (arriving 09:35) from just €19 using www.bahn.de.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and you simply print out your own ticket.

Copenhagen to Amsterdam from €43...

The excellent direct City Night Line sleeper train Borealis leaves Copenhagen at 18:46 every night for Amsterdam, arriving at Amsterdam Centraal at 09:59 next morning.  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a deluxe 2-berth sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, breakfast included.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and you simply print out your own ticket.  City centre to city centre while you sleep, far less stressful than flying.

Copenhagen to Switzerland from €43...

First book the excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Copenhagen (depart 18:46) to Basel (arriving 10:37) at the German Railways website www.bahn.de.  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a deluxe 2-berth sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, breakfast included.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and you simply print out your own ticket.  Onward tickets from Basel to other Swiss destinations require no reservation and are fixed-price, so are best bought at the station when you get to Basel (you can check fares at the Swiss Railways site www.sbb.ch), or you can buy a €29 'connection' ticket to any Swiss station from the City Night Line train manager which is often better value.

Copenhagen to Italy...

First book the excellent City Night Line sleeper train from Copenhagen (depart 18:46) to Basel (arriving 10:37) at the German Railways website www.bahn.de.  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 with a bed in a deluxe 2-berth sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, breakfast included.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and you simply print out your own ticket.  Now book an onward ticket from Basel (depart 12:31) to Milan Centrale (arrive 16:30) at the Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch from €19.  You collect your ticket at the ticket office in Basel.  Onward tickets from Milan to Venice, Florence, Rome should be booked at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or at Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first).  Look for a cheap super-economy fare from €9 and allow at least 45 minutes to change in Milan in case of any delay.  Milan to Florence takes only 1 hour 45 minutes, Milan to Rome just 3 hours.

Copenhagen to Germany from €39:  Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin...

By daytime trains:  Direct EuroCity trains link Copenhagen with Hamburg, with connections for Berlin, Cologne and the rest of Germany.  Tickets from Copenhagen to anywhere in Germany can easily be bought at the German Railways website www.bahn.de, from just €39.  You usually just print out your own ticket.  The Copenhagen to Hamburg train journey involves a train ferry between Rødby & Puttgarten, where the train physically goes onto a ship, one of the few places in Europe where this still happens.  It's an interesting experience in its own right - you must leave the train and go upstairs into the ship's passenger accommodation during the crossing.

By sleeper train:  The German Railways website www.bahn.de (English button top right) can book the excellent direct City Night Line sleeper trains from Copenhagen (depart 18:46) to Dusseldorf & Cologne (arriving 06:14).  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper with washbasin or €134 with a bed in a deluxe 2-berth sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, breakfast included.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and you simply print out your own ticket.

Copenhagen to Austria from €78:  Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck...

First book a EuroCity train from Copenhagen (depart 11:16) to Hamburg (arriving 16:16) from just €29 at www.bahn.de (there's a later one, but the connection is too tight for comfort).  Then book the excellent Hamburg to Vienna EuroNight sleeper train also using www.bahn.de.  It leaves Hamburg at 20:34 and arrives Vienna Westbahnhof at 08:52 next morning, and has Austrian sleeping-car and couchettes identical to the Cologne-Vienna night train shown here.  Alternatively, you could take the City Night Line sleeper train from Copenhagen (depart 18:10) to Prague (arrive 09:26), book this at www.bahn.de from €59 with couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 in a deluxe 2-bed sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, breakfast included.  Then take a smart modern EuroCity train from Prague (depart 10:42) to Vienna (arrive 15:22), booked at www.cd.cz/eshop from just €19.

Copenhagen to Prague from €43...

The German Railways website www.bahn.de (English button top right) can book the excellent direct City Night Line sleeper train from Copenhagen (depart 18:46) to Prague (arriving 09:26).  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper with washbasin or €134 with a bed in a deluxe 2-berth sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, breakfast included.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and you simply print out your own ticket.

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.

Buy tickets starting in Stockholm & Sweden

To buy train tickets within Sweden or from Copenhagen to Stockholm, use the Swedish Railways website www.sj.se, see advice on using it here.

Buying train tickets for journeys 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 in many cases 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 almost all long-distance trains, and SJ has airline-style pricing so book in advance for the cheap fares, much more expensive fares apply if you buy on the day of travel.

Stockholm to Copenhagen & Oslo...

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.

Stockholm to Amsterdam, Cologne, Prague, Switzerland, Italy...

There is a direct City Night Line sleeper train from Copenhagen to Amsterdam, Cologne, Prague & Basel, leaving around 18:46 and arriving next morning.  Coming from Stockholm, simply book a connecting Stockholm-Copenhagen high-speed train at 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 or print your own ticket.  Allow at least 45 minutes, preferably more, to connect in Copenhagen.  This makes a cost-effective and time-effective way to get from Stockholm to the heart of Europe without flying!  For Italy, book an onward train from Basel to Milan at www.sbb.ch then book onward trains within Italy at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first).  Allow at least an hour to connect in Zurich and in Milan.

Stockholm to Brussels & London...

See the London-Sweden page for details.

Stockholm to Finland...

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

Buy tickets starting in Oslo & Norway

Buying train tickets for journeys 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.

Buy tickets starting in Helsinki & Finland

Buying train tickets for journeys within Finland...

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

Helsinki to St Petersburg & Moscow...

The two daily Allegro trains from Helsinki to St Petersburg and the overnight sleeper train Tolstoi from Helsinki to Moscow cannot be booked online, but can be booked by email with Finnish Railways, see the Finland page for more details.

Helsinki to Stockholm...

Two ferry companies run luxurious overnight cruise ferries from Helsinki to Stockholm.  Book online with either www.silja.com or www.vikingline.com.

Helsinki to Germany...

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

Buy tickets starting in Budapest & Hungary

	Book online:  You can now book many international trains from Budapest to neighbouring countries at the Hungarian Railways website www.mav-start.hu.  Look for these blue e-ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station....  Location of internet ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station

Buying train tickets for journeys within Hungary...

These are easily and cheaply bought at the station in Hungary, but you can also buy them online at www.mav-start.hu.

Budapest to London...

See the London to Hungary page for train times, fares and how to buy tickets in either direction.

Budapest to Paris...

Option 1:  Travel from Budapest Keleti (depart 13:10) to Munich (arrive 20:34) by smart modern Railjet train.  Book this at www.bahn.de from just €29.  Now travel from Munich (depart 22:50) to Paris (arrive 09:24 next morning) on the excellent City Night Line sleeper train Cassiopeia, also booking this at www.bahn.de with fares from €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper with washbasin or €134 with a bed in a deluxe 2-berth sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, breakfast included.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and you simply print out your own ticket.

Option 2:  Travel overnight from Budapest (depart 21:10) to Munich (arrive 06:15 next morning).  You can book this at www.bahn.de with fares from €39 with a couchette, €69 in a 2-bed sleeper with washbasin (see sleeper video).  Now travel from Munich (depart 09:45) to Paris (arriving 16:35) by ICE train and high-speed TGV, also booked at www.bahn.de from €39.

Budapest to Brussels...

Travel from Budapest Keleti (depart 15:10) to Vienna (arrive 18:12) by smart modern Railjet train.  Just buy this ticket at the station, reservation not compulsory, fare around €25.  Now travel from Vienna (depart 20:00) to Cologne (arrive 08:42 next morning) on the Austrian EuroNight train.  You can book this sleeper train at at the German site www.bahn.de (easier to use) or the Austrian Railways site www.oebb.at (sometimes cheaper) with fares €39 with a couchette, €69 in a 2-bed sleeper with washbasin, deluxe sleepers with en suite shower & toilet also available.  Now travel from Cologne (depart 11:43) to Brussels Midi (arrive 13:35) by high-speed ICE train.  Book this at www.bahn.de, fares from €19.

Budapest to Amsterdam...

Travel from Budapest Keleti (depart 13:10) to Munich (arrive 20:34) by smart modern Railjet train.  Book this train at www.bahn.de with fares from just €29.  Now travel from Munich (depart 22:50) to Amsterdam Centraal (arrive 08:56 next morning) on the excellent City Night Line sleeper train.  You can also book the sleeper at www.bahn.de, with fares from €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper with washbasin or €134 with a bed in a deluxe 2-berth sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, breakfast included.  Booking normally opens 90 days in advance and you simply print out your own ticket.

Budapest to Switzerland from €49...

A direct sleeper train leaves Budapest Keleti at 19:10, arriving Zurich at 07:20 next morning.  The sleeping-car is identical to the one shown in this video.  This train can now be booked online at the Hungarian Railways website www.mav-start.hu.  Click 'EN' top left for English then enter 'Budapest' to 'Zurich Hb' in the journey planner.  When the results appear, ignore them, select 'sleeping-car' (recommended) or 'couchette', enter your date of birth in format 'YYYY.MM.DD' and click 'Tickets and prices'.   On the next page, click for 'Further information' then click 'Open'.  Select the train you want and proceed with the booking.  It will offer various types of reduced-rate book-ahead ticket, just pick the cheapest ticket in the type of couchette or sleeper you want.  The MAV website is a little fiddly, just persevere, it will indeed book these trains!  You pay online and collect tickets from the blue internet ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station (so only works for one-way or return journeys starting in Budapest) by tapping in your 10-digit booking reference number.

A direct daytime Railjet train also links Budapest with Zurich, leaving Budapest Keleti at 06:05, arriving Zurich 17:20 after a scenic journey through the Arlberg Pass - watch the video!  As the MAV website won't book this journey, the cheapest way to book it is using www.mav-start.hu to book from Budapest to Vienna from €19 with ticket collection at Budapest Keleti station, then use the Austrian website www.oebb.at to book from Vienna to Zurich on the same train from €39, with self-print tickets.

Budapest to Italy:  Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome...

The direct Budapest to Venice sleeper train was withdrawn in December 2011.  However, you can easily reach Italy using a Railjet train to Vienna in just 3 hours, then a direct EuroNight sleeper train from Vienna to Venice, Florence, Milan or Rome. 

Step 1, leave Budapest Keleti at 15:10 arriving Vienna Meidling 17:56 and Vienna Westbahnhof 18:12.  Otr catch an earlier one and see Vienna for a few hours.  Book the Railjet at the Hungarian railways website www.mav-start.hu.  Click 'EN' top left for English then enter 'Budapest' to 'Munich' or or wherever in the journey planner.  When the results appear, ignore them, enter your date of birth in format 'YYYY.MM.DD' and click 'Tickets and prices'.   On the next page, click for 'Further information' then click 'Open'.  Select the train you want and proceed with the booking.  It will offer various types of reduced-rate book-ahead ticket, just pick the cheapest ticket.  The MAV website is a little fiddly, just persevere, it will indeed book these trains!  You pay online and collect tickets from the blue internet ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station by tapping in your 10-digit booking reference number.

Step 2, A direct EuroNight sleeper train called the Allegro Tosca leaves Vienna Meidling at 19:29 for Florence (arriving 06:18), Rome (08:54) & Milan (08:25), and another called the Vienna-Venice Express leaves from Vienna Westbahnhof at 20:40 for Venice (arriving 08:34).  Prices for these trains start at just €39 with a couchette, €69 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.  The cheapest way to book these sleeper trains is at the Austrian railways website www.oebb.at - look for the cheap fares and print out your own ticket.  If you have any problems you can also book these trains at www.italiarail.com, in fact this occasionally has cheaper tickets, but tickets starting in Austria will need to be couriered to your home address which costs an extra €25.

Budapest to Germany from €29:  Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Berlin...

You can buy tickets from Budapest to Munich & other cities in Germany, one way or return in either direction, at the German Railways website www.bahn.de, from €29.  There are direct sleeper trains from Budapest Keleti (depart 21:10) to Munich (arrive 06:15) and Budapest (depart 20:05) to Berlin (arrive 09:10), both bookable in either direction at www.bahn.de, fares from €39 with a couchette, €69 in a 2-bed sleeper with washbasin.  Alternatively, you can also book at the Hungarian Railways website www.mav-start.hu.  Click 'EN' top left for English then enter 'Budapest' to 'Munich' or or wherever in the journey planner.  When the results appear, ignore them, enter your date of birth in format 'YYYY.MM.DD' and click 'Tickets and prices'.   On the next page, click for 'Further information' then click 'Open'.  Select the train you want and proceed with the booking.  It will offer various types of reduced-rate book-ahead ticket, just pick the cheapest ticket.  The MAV website is a little fiddly, just persevere, it will indeed book these trains!  You pay online and collect tickets from the blue internet ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station (so only works for one-way or return journeys starting in Budapest) by tapping in your 10-digit booking reference number.

Budapest to Austria from €19:  Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck...

Regular Railjet trains link Budapest with Vienna throughout the day, taking just 3 hours.  Some Railjets run direct to Salzburg and the odd one to Innsbruck, too.  Reservation is not compulsory, so the trains can never sell out and you don't need to pre-book.  It's easy to buy tickets at the station on the day for around €25-€35 one-way.  However, if you want the cheapest deal from just €19, you can pre-book at the Hungarian Railways website www.mav-start.hu.  Click 'EN' top left for English then enter 'Budapest' to 'Vienna' or 'Salzburg' or wherever in the journey planner.  When the results appear, ignore them, enter your date of birth in format 'YYYY.MM.DD' and click 'Tickets and prices'.   On the next page, click for 'Further information' then click 'Open'.  Select the train you want and proceed with the booking.  It will offer various types of reduced-rate book-ahead ticket, just pick the cheapest ticket.  The MAV website is a little fiddly, but persevere, it will indeed book these trains!  You pay online and collect tickets from the blue internet ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station (so only works for one-way or return journeys starting in Budapest) by tapping in your 10-digit booking reference number.

Budapest to Prague or Bratislava from €19...

You can buy tickets from Budapest to Prague from as little as €19 (no refunds, no changes) at the Hungarian Railways site www.mav-start.hu.  Bookings open 60 days ahead.  Click 'EN' top left for English then enter 'Budapest' to 'Prague' or 'Bratislava' in the journey planner.  When the results appear, ignore them, enter your date of birth in format 'YYYY.MM.DD' and click 'Tickets and prices'.   On the next page, click for 'Further information' then click 'Open'.  Select the train you want and proceed with the booking.  It will offer various types of reduced-rate book-ahead ticket, just pick the cheapest ticket.  The MAV website is a little fiddly, but persevere, it will indeed book these trains!  You pay online and collect tickets from the blue internet ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station (so only works for one-way or return journeys starting in Budapest) by tapping in your 10-digit booking reference number.

Budapest to Krakow from just €49 including a bed in a 2-bed sleeper...

There is a direct sleeper train from Budapest Keleti (depart 21:05) to Krakow (arrive 07:14).  In the sleeping-car, this train is a comfortable, safe and very time-effective option.  What's the Budapest to Krakow 1, 2 or 3 bed sleeping-car like?  You can book this train online at the Hungarian Railways website www.mav-start.hu.  Booking opens 90 days ahead.  Click 'EN' top left for English then enter 'Budapest' to 'Krakow' in the journey planner.  When the results appear, ignore them, select 'couchette' or 'sleeping' car, enter your date of birth in format 'YYYY.MM.DD' and click 'Tickets and prices'.   On the next page, click for 'Further information' then click 'Open'.  Check that the train it now shows is the direct one, select it and proceed with the booking.  You can book couchettes or sleepers on this train using this system, with various types of reduced-rate book-ahead ticket such as 'sparnight', just pick the cheapest ticket.  The MAV website is a little fiddly, but persevere, it will indeed book this train!  You pay online and collect tickets from the blue internet ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station (so only works for one-way or return journeys starting in Budapest) by tapping in your 10-digit booking reference number.

Budapest to Warsaw, Bucharest, Belgrade from €49 or less in a 2-bed sleeper...

There are direct overnight sleeper trains on these routes with economical couchettes (6 berth) and comfortable, safe and civilised sleeping-cars (1, 2 or 3 bed compartments with washbasin, a sleeper is the recommended option, you'll be safe and snug).  You can now book all these trains online at the Hungarian Railways website www.mav-start.hu.  Booking opens 90 days ahead.  Click 'EN' top left for English then enter 'Budapest' to 'Bucuresti' or 'Warsaw' or wherever in the journey planner.  When the results appear, ignore them, select 'couchette' or 'sleeping' car, enter your date of birth in format 'YYYY.MM.DD' and click 'Tickets and prices'.   On the next page, click for 'Further information' then click 'Open'.  Check that the train it shows is the direct one, select it and proceed with the booking.  You can book couchettes or sleepers on these trains using this system, with various types of reduced-rate book-ahead ticket at cheap prices, just pick the cheapest ticket.  The MAV website is a little fiddly, but persevere, it will indeed book these trains!  You pay online and collect tickets from the blue internet ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station (so only works for one-way or return journeys starting in Budapest) by tapping in your 10-digit booking reference number.

Budapest to other destinations...

Some journeys cannot be booked online.  For example, Budapest to Sarajevo can easily be bought at the station and costs around €57.

Buy tickets starting in Prague & the Czech Republic

To buy train tickets within the Czech Republic & from Prague to Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, Berlin, see www.cd.cz/eshop.

Prague to London from €92...

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

Prague to Paris from €72...

Option 1, Prague to Paris via Berlin:  Book a ticket on a modern EuroCity train from Prague Hlavni (depart 12:29) to Berlin (arriving 17:13) from just €29 using either www.cd.cz/eshop (with self-print tickets) or the German Railways website www.bahn.de (tickets by post to any country worldwide).  It's pretty scenic between Prague and Dresden, the train snakes along the Elbe river.  Now use www.bahn.de to book the excellent City Night Line sleeper train Perseus from from Berlin (depart 20:07) to Paris Gare de l'Est (arrive 09:23).  You print out your own tickets.  Fares for the sleeper train start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 in a deluxe 2-bed sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, booking opens 90 days ahead.

Option 2, Prague to Paris via Cologne: Use www.bahn.de to book a ticket on the direct City Night Line sleeper train Phoenix from Prague to Cologne, leaving Prague Hlavni at 18:29 and arriving Cologne at 06:14 next morning.  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 per person in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.  Then use www.bahn.de again to book a high-speed Thalys train from Cologne to Paris, from €35.  There's usually one at 06:44 arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 10:04, but personally I'd book the later one at 08:44 arriving Paris Nord at 12:05, to allow for any delay.

Prague to Brussels from €62...

First, use www.bahn.de to book a ticket on the direct City Night Line sleeper train Phoenix from Prague to Cologne leaving Prague Hlavni at 18:29 and arriving Cologne at 06:14 next morning.  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 in a deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, breakfast included.  Now use www.bahn.de again to book a connecting high-speed ICE train leaving Cologne at 07:43 and arriving Brussels Midi at 09:35, fares from €19.

Prague to Amsterdam from €43...

There is an excellent direct City Night Line sleeper train Phoenix from Prague to Amsterdam leaving Prague at 18:29 and arriving Amsterdam Centraal at 09:59, which you can easily book online at the German Railways website www.bahn.de.  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 in a deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, breakfast included.

Prague to Switzerland from €43: Basel, Zurich...

There is a direct City Night Line sleeper train leaving Prague Hlavni at 18:29 and arriving next morning in Basel 07:54 and Zurich at 09:17.  You can easily book online at www.bahn.de.  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette or €104 in a 2-bed sleeper, or €134 in a deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, breakfast included.  Onward trains from Basel or Zurich to other Swiss destinations don't need any reservation and the price is fixed, so either buy these at the station when you get to Zurich or buy online at the Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch or (best value) ask the City Night Line staff about a 29 euro connecting ticket to any station in Switzerland, which you can buy from the train manager on board the CNL train.

Prague to Italy:  Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome...

First, take a smart modern EuroCity train from Prague to Vienna.  There's a train leaving Prague at 13:42 arriving Vienna Meidling 18:22, or you could take an earlier one at 10:42 arriving Vienna Meidling 15:22 and have an early dinner in Vienna.  Book this train from just €29 at www.cd.cz/eshop and print out your own ticket.  Now take a direct EuroNight sleeper train from Vienna to Italy:  The Allegro Tosca leaves Vienna Meidling at 19:29 for Florence (arriving 06:18), Rome (08:54) & Milan (08:25), and another train called the Vienna-Venice Express leaves Vienna Westbahnhof at 20:40 for Venice, arriving 08:34.  Prices for these sleeper trains start at just €39 with a couchette, €69 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.  The cheapest way to book the sleeper train is at the Austrian railways website www.oebb.at - look for the cheap fares and print out your own ticket.   If you have any problems with oebb.at you can also book these sleeper trains at www.italiarail.com, in fact this occasionally has cheaper tickets, but tickets starting in Austria will need to be couriered to your home address which costs an extra €25 or so.

Prague to Germany from €19 or €29:  Dresden, Munich, Berlin...

By daytime trains:  The Czech railways site www.cd.cz/eshop (click 'EN' top right for English) sells cheap tickets from Prague to major cities in Germany with print-at-home tickets.  For example, there are 4 daily trains from Prague to Munich sold by the CD eshop from 489 Koruna (€19).  Prague to Berlin costs 746 Koruna (€29).  The German Railways website www.bahn.de can also book tickets from Prague to Dresden from €19, Prague to Berlin, Munich or Hamburg by daytime trains from €29, with tickets sent by post to any address worldwide for a €3.50 fee. However, be warned that www.bahn.de keeps trying to put you on the railway-run ugly motorway bus from Prague to Nuremberg or Munich, which of course you don't want.  To avoid having to use a bus, put 'Dresden' in the 'via' box, or try clicking 'advanced selection of means of transport' and de-select 'bus', to see options by civilised, comfortable train throughout.

By sleeper train:  The Prague to Cologne City Night Line sleeper train can be booked at www.bahn.de with self-print tickets.

Prague to Austria:  Prague to Vienna from €19...

Regular air-conditioned EuroCity trains link Prague Hlavni with Vienna, taking just 4½ hours city centre to city centre.  You can buy tickets from just €19 at www.cd.cz/eshop (click 'EN' top right for English) and print your own ticket.  However, don't try and use the e-shop for journeys in the other direction (from countries outside the Czech Republic to Prague), as these tickets aren't valid unless stamped by the conductor on an outward journey from Prague.  This site can also book tickets from Prague to Linz, Salzburg or Innsbruck.

Prague to Copenhagen (from €43), Oslo, Stockholm & Scandinavia...

There is a direct City Night Line sleeper train from Prague to Copenhagen, leaving Prague Hlavni at 18:29 and arriving in central Copenhagen at 10:07 next morning.  You can easily book online at www.bahn.de.  Fares start at €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette or €104 in a 2-bed sleeper, or €134 in a deluxe sleeper with en suite toilet & shower, breakfast included.  Onward trains from Copenhagen to Stockholm or Oslo can be booked at www.sj.se - see this advice on using it.  A fast X2000 125mph tilting train leaves Copenhagen around 12:30 and arrives Stockholm Central around 17:40.

Prague to Krakow for €40 in a 3-bed sleeper or €50 in a 2-bed sleeper...

There is a safe & comfortable direct daytime sleeper train from Prague (depart 22:29) to Krakow (arriving 06:43).  It's a popular route with tourists!  The train has a safe and comfortable sleeping-car with 1, 2 or 3-bed compartments, and it also has a couchette car with 4 or 6 berth compartments.  What's the Prague-Krakow 1, 2 or 3-bed sleeper like?  What are the Prague-Krakow 6-berth couchettes like? 

You can now easily book this train online at the Czech Railways website www.cd.cz/eshop at very cheap prices with print-at-home tickets.  Booking tips:  Go to www.cd.cz/eshop and click EN for English top right.  Book from Prague to either Krakow [PL] or Krakow Glowny, it's the same place so it doesn't matter which you select.  Leave 2nd class selected, as you'll still see all the sleeper options.  On the results page, click 'Purchase' against the date and train you want.  On the next page, change 'seat reservation' to 'sleeper carriage'.  Select 'double sleeper' if you want a 2-berth sleeper, or 'for up to 3 passengers' if you want beds in a 3-bed sleeper.  You are booking individual beds, not compartments, so if you book 1 person (1 ticket) in a 3-berth you'll get one bed in a 3-bed sleeper and will share with other passengers of the same sex.  If you are 2 people and want a whole 2-bed sleeper together all to yourselves, simply select 2 persons at the beginning of the enquiry, then select 'double sleeper', and leave 'Men' selected as gender doesn't matter when your party occupies a whole compartment.  When you click 'continue' you will see details for the first passenger, with berth number, and lower down the page you'll then see details for the second passenger, again with berth number.  Remember that berth numbers are not consecutive, so don't panic - 51 & 55 are together in the same compartment, 22 & 26 are together in the same compartment, berth numbers ending in a 3 or 4 are middle bunks which aren't used when the sleeper is used as in 2-berth mode, see sleeper numbering plan here.  Don't use the e-shop for journeys in the reverse direction (from countries outside the Czech Republic to Prague), as these tickets aren't valid unless stamped by the conductor on an outward journey from Prague.

Prague to Bratislava, Warsaw, Budapest...

There are direct daytime and/or sleeper trains from Prague to Bratislava, Warsaw, Budapest and other neighbouring countries.  You can book them at the Czech Railways website www.cd.cz/eshop with cheap prices and print-at-home tickets.  Go to www.cd.cz/eshop and click EN for English top right.  If you are booking a sleeper train, leave 2nd class selected, as you'll still see all the sleeper options.  On the results page, click 'Purchase' against the date and train you want.  On the next page, change 'seat reservation' to 'sleeper carriage'.  Select 'double sleeper' if you want a 2-berth sleeper, or 'for up to 3 passengers' if you want beds in a 3-bed sleeper.  You are booking individual beds, not compartments, so if you book 1 person (1 ticket) in a 3-berth you'll get one bed in a 3-berth and will share with other passengers of the same sex.  If you are 2 people and want a whole 2-bed sleeper together, simply select 2 persons at the beginning of the enquiry, then select 'double sleeper', and leave 'Men' selected as gender doesn't matter when your party occupies a whole compartment.  When you click 'continue' you will see details for the first passenger, with berth number, and lower down the details for the second passenger, again with berth number.  Remember that berth numbers are not consecutive, so don't panic - 51 & 55 are in the same compartment, 22 & 26 are in the same compartment, see sleeper numbering plan here.  Don't use the e-shop for journeys in the other direction (from countries outside the Czech Republic to Prague), as these tickets aren't valid unless stamped by the conductor on an outward journey from Prague.

Buy tickets starting in Bratislava & Slovakia

Buying tickets for journeys within Slovakia...

www.slovakrail.sk is the Slovakian Railways website, click 'EN' for English top right.

Bratislava to Prague for €15...

Bratislava to Prague tickets can easily be bought at the station on the day, but you can also buy cheap advance-purchase 'SparDay' tickets online for just €15 at www.slovakrail.sk, click 'EN' for English top right and select Praha hl.st. for Prague.  Only valid on the booked train, no changes, no refunds with these cheap tickets.

Bratislava to Vienna for €15...

Trains link Bratislava Hlavna with Vienna Hauptbahnhof every hour, journey time 1 hour 6 minutes, no reservation is necessary or even possible, fare around €15, just buy tickets at the station on the day and hop on the next train.  You can also travel by Danube express river boat, see the Slovakia page.

Bratislava to Berlin or Dresden from €39

There are cheap fares if you pre-book the direct EuroCity trains from Bratislava to Dresden and Berlin at the German Railways website, www.bahn.de.  Tickets must be sent by mail for a €3.50 fee, but can be sent anywhere worldwide. 

For other destinations in Germany, you won't see any cheap fares, so split the journey.  For example, for Bratislava to Munich, book Vienna to Munich from €29 at www.bahn.de, then simply hop on the hourly train from Bratislava to Vienna for around €15, buying the Bratislava-Vienna ticket at the station on the day, no reservation necessary for that train.  Just make sure you allow plenty of time to change trains and stations in Vienna.

Bratislava to Paris...

Follow the instructions for Vienna to Paris in the Austria section.  Then simply use the hourly train from Bratislava to Vienna for around €15, buying the Bratislava-Vienna ticket at the station on the day, no reservation necessary for that part.  Make sure you allow plenty of time to change trains and stations in Vienna.

Bratislava to Amsterdam from €68...

There are many options.  Consider going Bratislava to Berlin by direct EuroCity train from €39 booked at www.bahn.de, then Berlin to Amsterdam by direct InterCity train from €29 also booked at www.bahn.de.

Bratislava to Italy or Switzerland from €44...

The trick here is to split the journey.  Book the direct sleeper trains from Vienna to Milan, Florence, Rome or Venice at the Austrian Railways website, www.oebb.at from €39 with couchette, or book a direct daytime or sleeper train from Vienna to Zurich in Switzerland at www.oebb.at from €29, with print-at-home tickets.  Then simply use the hourly train from Bratislava to Vienna for around €15, buying the Bratislava-Vienna ticket at the station on the day, no reservation necessary for that part.  Make sure you allow plenty of time to change trains and stations in Vienna.

Bratislava to Budapest, Warsaw, Krakow...

These international trains cannot be booked online, although it's reported that Slovakian Railways (www.slovakrail.sk) may start online booking of international tickets at some point during 2013.  You can find out times (but not fares) at www.bahn.de, of course.

Buy tickets starting in Slovenia or Croatia

Buying train tickets for journeys within Slovenia & Croatia...

You can't buy Slovenian or Croatian domestic train tickets online, although you can check times and fares for Slovenia at www.slo-zeleznice.si and for Croatia at www.hznet.hr.  Just buy tickets at the station when you get there, fares are very cheap by western standards.

Zagreb or Ljubljana to Budapest, Vienna, Belgrade

You can buy easily buy tickets for the various direct trains from Zagreb or Ljubljana to Budapest, Vienna or Belgrade at the station, either on the day or the day before.  Fares are very cheap, Zagreb to Vienna for perhaps €30 or so.  But they cannot be booked online.  You can find trauin times using the journey planner at www.bahn.de.

Zagreb or Ljubljana to Munich & Germany from €39...

You can buy tickets from Zagreb or Ljubljana to Munich or anywhere in Germany online at the German Railways website www.bahn.de, with tickets sent anywhere worldwide for a small fee.  However, the direct Zagreb to Munich sleeper train cannot be booked at bahn.de, the only place it can be booked online is with Rail Europe, book at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) or www.raileurope-world.com (residents of anywhere else).

Zagreb or Ljubljana to Switzerland...

There's a direct sleeper train with seats and a comfortable modern Croatian sleeping-car from Zagreb to Zurich every night.  You can book this at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) or www.raileurope-world.com (residents of anywhere else).  Unusually, it cannot be booked online direct with the operators, only with Rail Europe.

Zagreb or Ljubljana to Venice, Trieste & Italy...

First the bad news.  There are now no trains across the Slovenian-Italian border, thanks to Trenitalia and EU policy - bring back the Iron Curtain!  Now to good news, there's a cheap, scenic and comfortable alternative:  First take a train from Zagreb to Ljubljana for around €18, then a train from Ljubljana to Sezana on the Italian border for around €9.  Then cross the border, 3 miles by taxi and take Trieste's historic tram into central Trieste, for an hourly regional train on to Venice, around €14.  You'll find details of this cheap & scenic Slovenia to Italy route here.

Zagreb or Ljubljana to Amsterdam, Paris or London...

Book one of the daytime EuroCity trains from Zagreb or Ljubljana to Munich from €39 at www.bahn.de.  Tickets can be sent to any country worldwide for a small fee, although in this case cannot be collected at the station or printed out.  Allow at least 1 hour to change trains in Munich.  Now book from Munich to Amsterdam or Munich to Paris by direct City Night Line sleeper train from €59 with couchette, also using www.bahn.de, looking for the direct CNL train with 0 changes.  In this case, you print your own ticket.  If you're heading for London, book a Eurostar connection at www.eurostar.com and see the London to Croatia or London to Slovenia pages for more details.

Buy tickets starting in Warsaw, Krakow & Poland

Buying train tickets for journeys within Poland...

You can book Polish domestic intercity trains such as Warsaw-Krakow at www.intercity.pl (here's a direct link to their online sales page: https://bilet.intercity.pl).  The English button is top right, and you'll need to use the Polish spellings of cities such as 'Krakow' and 'Warszawa'.  You pay online with a credit card and print out your own ticket.  If you use this system successfully (or are unsuccessful!) feedback would be appreciated, as it has not yet been confirmed that it accepts UK and other non-Polish cards.  Alternatively, contact highly-recommended Polish train ticketing agency www.polrail.com (their booking system is at http://booking.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.

Warsaw to London...

See the London to Poland page for train times, fares and how to buy tickets.  You can book the Warsaw to Cologne sleeper train online at www.bahn.de, then book a connecting ticket from Cologne to London also at www.bahn.de.

Warsaw to Paris from €72...

Take the excellent Berlin-Warszawa Express from Warsaw Centralna (depart  09:55) to Berlin (arrive 15:18), you can book this from €29 at the German Railways website www.bahn.de.  Now take the equally excellent City Night Line sleeper train from from Berlin (depart 20:07) to Paris Gare de l'Est (arrive 09:24).  You can also book this train using www.bahn.de with fares from €43 in a seat, €59 with a couchette, €104 in a 2-bed sleeper or €134 in a deluxe 2-bed sleeper with en suite shower & toilet, booking opens 90 days ahead.

Warsaw to Brussels from €68...

There is a direct EuroNight sleeper train from Warsaw & Poznan to Cologne which you can book online at www.bahn.de.  This has cheap fares available if you book in advance, from €39 in a couchette or €69 in a 2-bed sleeper, deluxe sleepers with shower & toilet also available.  Book it to Cologne if you're heading for Brussels, then use www.bahn.de to book a connecting ticket from Cologne to Brussels from €19.

Warsaw to Amsterdam from €49...

The excellent EuroNight sleeper train 'an Kiepura links Warsaw Centralna (depart 18:55) and Poznan with Amsterdam Centraal (arrive 09:59 next morning).  You can book this train online at www.bahn.de from €39 in a couchette or €69 in a 2-bed sleeper, deluxe sleepers with shower & toilet also available.  Booking usually opens 60 days ahead in this case.

Warsaw to Germany from €29...

Daytime trains to Berlin:  www.bahn.de can book the excellent regular Berlin-Warszawa Express trains between Warsaw and Berlin, journey time 5 hours 50 minutes, fares from €29.  In fact, www.bahn.de can book tickets from Warsaw to anywhere in Germany.

Sleeper train:  www.bahn.de can book the direct Jan Kiepura EuroNight sleeper train from Warsaw to Dusseldorf & Cologne.

Warsaw to Vienna, Budapest, Moscow

There are good direct sleeper trains from Warsaw to Vienna, Budapest & Moscow, a comfortable, safe and time-effective option.  You can find the timetable using the journey planner at www.bahn.de.  However, they cannot be booked online.  Buy in person when you get to Warsaw or contact reliable train booking agency www.polrail.com to pre-book tickets (their booking system is at http://booking.polrail.com).

Krakow to London...

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

Krakow to Paris or Brussels...

Take a fast InterCity train from Krakow to Warsaw, there are plenty of departures to choose from, buying a ticket at the station or online at www.intercity.pl.  Then take the excellent EuroNight sleeper train Jan Kiepura from Warsaw Centralna (depart 18:55) to Cologne (arrive 06:14 next morning).  You can book this train online at www.bahn.de from €39 in a couchette or €69 in a 2-bed sleeper, deluxe sleepers with shower & toilet also available.  Booking usually opens 60 days ahead in this case.  Then book a high-speed ICE train from Cologne to Brussels from €19 at www.bahn.de or a high-speed Thalys to Paris from €35 at www.thalys.com.  You can also order through www.polrail.com (their booking system is at http://booking.polrail.com)

Krakow to Amsterdam...

Take a fast InterCity train from Krakow to Warsaw, there are plenty of departures to choose from, buying a ticket at the station or online at www.intercity.pl.  Then take the excellent EuroNight sleeper train Jan Kiepura from Warsaw Centralna (depart 18:55) to Amsterdam Centraal (arrive 09:59 next morning).  You can book this train online at www.bahn.de from €39 in a couchette or €69 in a 2-bed sleeper, deluxe sleepers with shower & toilet also available.  Booking usually opens 60 days ahead in this case.  You can also order via www.polrail.com (their booking system is at http://booking.polrail.com).

Krakow to Prague for 363 zlotys (€87) in couchettes, 419 Zlotys (€100) in a 2-bed sleeper...

There is a direct sleeper train from Krakow to Prague, leaving Krakow at 21:54 daily and arriving at Prague's central Hlavni station at 07:50 next morning.  In the sleeping-car, this train is a safe, comfortable and time-effective option.  What's the Prague-Krakow 1, 2 or 3-bed sleeper like?  What is the Krakow-Prague 6-berth couchette car like?  This train cannot be booked online with the operator, the cheapest way to book is at the station in person, as there's almost always places available.  At the station, the fare from Krakow to Prague is only around €65, plus approximately €12 supplement for a couchette in a 6-bunk compartment, €22 for a bed in a 3-bed sleeper, €30 for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.  A sleeper is recommended, it's a comfortable Polish sleeping-car with an attendant on duty, sturdy locks and chain on each compartment door, and tea or coffee next morning is included in the fare.

If you want to pre-book this train, contact highly-recommended Polish train ticketing agency www.polrail.com (their booking system is at http://booking.polrail.com), who can arrange train tickets for all international trains starting in Poland and can offer ticket collection in Krakow or tickets sent to your home country.  Alternatively, UK residents can book a double sleeper for around £96 per berth at www.raileurope.co.uk, more expensive than ordering from Polrail but with instant confirmation.  Residents of Europe, Australia, NZ, Asia or Africa can book a bed in a 2-bed sleeper for around €132 including fees at www.raileurope-world.com.  Unfortunately, Raileurope.com in the USA & Raileurope.ca in Canada charge silly money for this train, only booking expensive singe-berth sleepers, so I strongly recommend you use Polrail instead.

Krakow to Vienna from €75 in couchettes, €95 in a 2-bed sleeper...

There is a direct sleeper train from Krakow (depart 21:54) to Vienna Westbahnhof (arrive 06:30).  In the sleeping-car, this train is a very comfortable, safe and time-effective option.  What's the Krakow to Vienna 1, 2 or 3 bed sleeping-car like?  To book, either buy at the station (there's almost always places available) or pre-book through reliable Polish agency www.polrail.com (their booking system is at http://booking.polrail.com).

Krakow to Budapest from €75 in couchettes, €90 in a 2-bed sleeper...

There is a direct sleeper train from Krakow (depart 21:54) to Budapest (arrive 08:35).  In the sleeping-car, this train is a very comfortable, safe and time-effective option.  What's the Krakow to Budapest 1, 2 or 3 bed sleeping-car like?  To book, either buy at the station (there's almost always places available) or pre-book through reliable Polish agency www.polrail.com (their booking system is at http://booking.polrail.com).

Other routes:  Warsaw to Moscow, Prague, Vienna, Budapest or Kiev...

www.intercity.pl gives some international fares and train times from Poland but these international trains generally have to be booked either at the station or via an agency.  Try contacting highly-recommended Polish train ticketing agency www.polrail.com (their booking system is at http://booking.polrail.com), who can arrange train tickets for international trains starting in Poland, for example Warsaw to Moscow, or Krakow to Prague.  Warsaw Centralna station has a modern international office, open 09:00-19:30 daily, it's in a corner of the main hall (Sala Glowna).

Buy tickets starting in Moscow & Russia

Direct Russian sleeper trains link Moscow with Warsaw, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam, Paris, Prague, Nice, Helsinki and many other European cities.  There's also a direct train from St Petersburg to Warsaw and Berlin.  These trains cannot be booked online, so contact a reputable Russian ticketing agency such as www.realrussia.co.uk to arrange tickets (look for the trains link).  They can also help with your Russian visa.  Don't forget you'll need a Belarus transit visa for journeys from Moscow to Warsaw, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam, Paris, unless you divert the long way round via Kiev.

Buy tickets starting in Athens & Greece

Domestic trains:  Greek domestic trains are an excellent and very scenic way to travel between Athens, Larissa, Kalambaka (Meteora) and Thessaloniki (Salonika) - there are some photo of the journey on the London to Greece page.  You can book trains from just €9 at the Greek Railways website, www.trainose.gr - the catch is that it's only in Greek, but using the built-in automatic translation facility on the Google Chrome browser, it's possible to buy tickets in English, and benefit from their cheap advance-purchase fares.  You'll also find a combined train-bus service between Athens and Patras for ferries to Italy.

Greek island ferries:  See www.ferriesingreece.com for Greek island ferries, without having to know which operator runs which route.

International trains:  There have been no trains linking Greece with any other country since February 2011, when the Greek government pulled the plug on international trains that have run for over 100 years.  Greece is not cut off from the rest of Europe, other than by ferry or bus.

International ferries:  Ferries link Patras & Igoumenitsa in Greece with Bari, Brindisi, Ancona, Venice in Italy.  You can book all operators at www.ferriesingreece.com.  Onward trains within Italy can be booked at www.trenitalia.com or www.italiarail.com. The London to Greece page will help with the whole journey between Athens and Paris or London.  Greece to Turkey:  For ferries from Piraeus to Rhodes and Rhodes to Marmaris in Southern Turkey, use www.ferriesingreece.com.

Buy tickets 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.  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.

* This is full-price.  There are cheap fares from just 496Kr (€19) available on daytime trains if you pre-book using www.cd.cz/eshop & print out your own ticket.  At the station (but not online) you can also buy cheap tickets for travel in a sleeper, from €69 per person in a 2-bed sleeper.

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

See the useful links page for a complete list of national railway websites for each country.  A handful, such as Romanian (www.cfrcalatori.ro) offer online booking.

How to buy tickets at the station

Is buying tickets at the station a good idea?

UK rail stations don't sell international tickets, and the Eurostar ticket office at St Pancras can only sell tickets as far as Paris or Brussels.  But once you're in mainland Europe, most main railway stations can sell international tickets, at least for trains originating in that country and often for other countries as well.  Here's a rough guide as to whether buying tickets at the station is a good idea or not:

• Buying at the station on the day is a good idea for many shorter journeys, where you don't need a reservation, you just buy a ticket at a fixed price and hop on the next train.  Journeys like this include (1) local, suburban & regional trains in almost all countries, and (2) internal trains wholly within each of the following countries:  Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria.  Journeys falling into this category include Pisa to Florence, Florence to Siena, Brussels to Bruges, Paris to Versailles, Geneva to Bern, and (although in fact international, just bear with me on this) Brussels to Luxembourg and the hourly (non-high-speed) InterCity trains between Brussels & Amsterdam.  The price for these journeys is the same whether you buy in advance or on the day, and tickets can never 'sell out', so there is no advantage whatsoever in pre-booking other than saving time at the ticket office.  There's in fact a third case where buying at the station can be a good idea.  Long-distance international & internal tickets in eastern Europe are often as cheap or cheaper bought at the station than bought through a western European rail operator or agency, because special reduced fares are often available at the ticket office which are not available outside that country, and also because the tariffs provided by that country for sale by other European rail operators are usually higher than the fares they themselves charge at their ticket offices.  Examples include Krakow to Prague, Budapest to Bucharest, Zagreb to Vienna, Warsaw to Krakow, Istanbul to Bucharest, all easy and cheaply bought at the station.  But as reservation is compulsory for most of these journeys, you should weigh up the desire for cheapness with the peace of mind in having your travel plans safely sorted in advance.  If the journey is mission-critical you may want to pre-book, if not, buy at the station.  In practice there are almost always places available even on the day of travel.

• Buying on the day at the station is not the cheapest option for longer distance journeys & a very bad idea for Eurostar or Thalys journeys:  For most long distance international journeys in western Europe, and for inter-city journeys within countries such as Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Norway and even the UK, there are cheaper fares if you book in advance, more expensive fares if you buy on the day of travel.  And reservation is compulsory on most western European international trains and on all long-distance trains within France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal & Sweden, so tickets can indeed 'sell out' at busy times, even though there are usually places available even on the day.  It therefore pays to pre-book these journeys if you can.  Eurostar is an extreme example, as London to Paris starts at just £39 if you book in advance, but you'll pay a whopping £140+ if you try to buy on the day of travel.  So don't turn up at the station without a ticket unless you have to.  In Italy, full-price fares aren't too expensive so buying at the station is still a reasonable option, but even there, you can get a 15% or 30% discount by pre-booking at the Trenitalia website.

	The Trainseurope desk at St Pancras station in London can sell tickets for most European trains, unlike the Eurostar ticket office which can only sell Eurostar tickets to Paris or Brussels!  It's located in the National Rail travel centre, open 10:00-18:00 every day of the week.

In the UK, you generally need to buy European train tickets online or by phone, as the Eurostar ticket office at London St Pancras can only sell tickets as far as Paris or Brussels, and most other British rail stations do not sell international tickets at all except for train & ferry tickets to the Republic of Ireland.  But there are two exceptions worth mentioning:

• Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk) has a travel centre at 193 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9EU, open 10:00-18:00 Mondays to Fridays, 10:00-17:00 Saturdays, nearest Underground Piccadilly Circus.  It gets very busy in the Summer, so allow plenty of time.  Rail Europe are a subsidiary of French Railways, so are good for journeys to France and via France to Italy, Spain, Switzerland, but they don't always have the best prices for travel via Brussels to Germany, Austria, eastern Europe & Scandinavia, for which you're usually better off calling Deutsche Bahn's (German railways) UK office.

• Trainseurope (www.trainseurope.co.uk) has a ticket desk at St Pancras station in London, inside the domestic travel centre marked 'National Rail Tickets' underneath platforms 1-4.  It's open 10:00-17:00 every day of the week.  Unlike the Eurostar ticket office, it can sell tickets for journeys all over Europe, and make European seat, couchette or sleeper reservations. 

• Trainseurope's main office is at March railway station in Cambridgeshire, open 09:00-17:30 Monday to Friday, closed Saturdays & Sundays.  They used to have an office at Cambridge station, but this is now closed.  However, a new office at Leicester station will open on 11 July 2011, open Monday-Saturday 10:00-16:00.

  Buying tickets by phone in the UK...

It's easy to buy European train tickets in 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 particular reservation system they use.  For journeys between the UK and any given European country, select your destination country from the menu on the left and the relevant country page will tell you the agencies to call for that specific journey.  But for more general information on UK agencies which sell European train tickets, read on...

Which agency should you call?  Here's the rule of thumb:  As with so much else in Europe over the centuries, European rail booking broadly divides into the 'French' and the 'Germans'.  For journeys from the UK to France and via France to Spain (Barcelona & Madrid), Italy or Switzerland, I'd call Rail Europe as they are a subsidiary of French Railways, they use the French Railways computer reservation system and have all the cheap fares for France.  But for journeys to or via Germany, for example UK to Germany, Austria, eastern & central Europe and Scandinavia, I'd call Deutsche Bahn's (Germany Railways) UK office, as they have access to all the cheap German fares.  Then again, for a more exotic journey such as London to Bulgaria, Russia or Istanbul, it can be better to call a smaller private agency such as Erail as they too use the German computer reservation system, and arguably have more experience making complex long-distance bookings even though they charge a booking fee.  Finally, for Spain (beyond Madrid & Barcelona) & Portugal it can be better to call spanish-rail.co.uk as they have the Spanish system to can book cheaper fares within Spain & Portugal than Rail Europe can.

Remember that European train reservations open 90 days or for some trains 60 days before departure, you can't buy tickets before reservations open!  More info about this.

  Other UK ticket agencies...

Other good agencies include www.internationalrail.com (Ropley, Hampshire, call 08700 84 14 14, member of AERA), www.ffestiniogtravel.co.uk (Unit 6, Snowdonia Business Park, Minffordd, North Wales, call 01766 772050 email info@ffestiniogtravel.co.uk, member of AERA), 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 (for combined train & hotel arrangements, e-mail info@railbookers.com or call 020 3327 0761, member of AERA),  www.thetravelbureau.co.uk (office in Wombourne, West Midlands, 08448 156 212).

   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.

How to buy tickets if you live overseas...

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 or 92 days or in some cases 60 days before departure, you can't book before reservations open!

  If you live in the USA...

• You can buy European train tickets at www.raileurope.com (USA) or www.raileurope.ca (Canada).  Tickets can be mailed to your home address and you pay in dollars.  This is Rail Europe Inc., the North American subsidiary of French Railways.

• However, be aware that Rail Europe doesn'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.  For example, as I write this, www.raileurope.com is charging $130 from Paris to Marseille on a train where French Railways' own website www.voyages-sncf.com only charges $63 (€49).  Also, 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.

• 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.  See the How to buy tickets online section above to learn which website to use for which journeys. 

• Top tip 1 :  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 worldwide including Canada & Australia but except the USA.  If you're from the USA, you should still book using www.voyages-sncf.com, but select 'Canada' as your country of residence, otherwise it will try and bump you to the US Rail Europe with higher prices.

• Top tip 2:  For train tickets within Spain, you can buy tickets at www.raileurope-world.com at the same prices as Renfe.com, just with a 4 euro fee added.  It can be worth the extra €4 as there are no payment problems or other quirks on the Raileurope-world site.  Just be aware that it cannot book Club class on AVEs, just turista and preferente classes.

• 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 buy train tickets for journeys wholly within the UK, see the UK travel page.

        If you live in Canada, Australia, NZ, Asia, Africa, South America...

• You can buy European train tickets www.raileurope-world.com.  Tickets can be posted to your home address in any country worldwide except the USA, you can pay in euros or in your own currency.  This is Rail Europe 4A, a Paris-based subsidiary of French Railways operating on 4 continents outside Europe and North America.

• As they www.raileurope-world.com is a subsidiary of French Railways, just be aware that it can't always sell the cheap deals available direct from Italian, German, Swedish and other non-French European train operators, and there's usually a shipping cost and booking fee to add.  Although a link to the Renfe ticketing system means it can sell cheap tickets for Spain, at the same prices as Renfe with just a €4 fee.

• 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.  See the How to buy tickets online section above to learn which website to use for which journeys.

• Top tip for Italy:  For train tickets within Italy, and between Paris & Italy on the Thello sleeper trains, it's worth knowing about www.internationalrail.com.au.  This is linked to the Trenitalia reservation system, so has all the same prices as the Trenitalia website, but in Aus$ and with none of the quirks of the Trenitalia site and no payment problems.

• 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.

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 €93 ($115) advance-purchase fare is available on the sleeper train from Paris to Barcelona on a random date I picked, and this fare is shown on both the 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 $269 (€211) full fare for the same journey on the same date on exactly the same train in the same accommodation, almost twice 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 €93 ticket to addresses in most countries of the world, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Outer Mongolia, North Korea and even Canada, but deliberately not the USA, as they'd prefer Americans to pay $269!  However, visitors from overseas can easily buy the €93 fare and other cheap fares at www.voyages-sncf.com (including residents of the USA, who should simply select 'Canada' as their country of residence), collecting 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.  The message, is, shop around and book direct if you can!

How far in advance can I book?

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

Reservations for most western European trains now open 90 or 92 days (3 months) before departure and can usually be made until shortly before departure.  Reservations for many services in eastern Europe only open 60 days (2 months) before departure and trains within Russia & Ukraine only open 45 days before departure.  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 (obviously) no-one else can buy tickets before bookings open either.  If this seems restrictive compared to airlines (who seem to have convinced people they need to book 100-mile trips to see Granny 18 years ahead), remember that in the UK, around 60% of all train tickets are bought on the day of travel, over 90% within 1 month of travel, even though bookings open 3 months ahead.  It means that with trains there's no pressure to plan your life months and months ahead - even a month or two ahead you'll usually still get reasonable prices.  Incidentally, the 90 days is approximate, in many cases it's in fact usually 92 days, not 90, and sometimes French Railways (for example) have been known to open a longer block of dates over the summer.  The 90 days often gets squeezed to less than 90 (sometimes even less than 60) for travel immediately after the twice-yearly timetable changes in June & December.

Eurostar reservations open 120 days ahead, but...

Bookings for Eurostar from London to Paris or Brussels now open 120 days (4 months) in advance, but if you're travelling beyond Paris or Brussels I strongly recommend waiting until bookings open for the onwards part of your journey, so you can confirm all train times and buy tickets together.  This is to avoid buying a non-refundable, non-changeable Eurostar ticket 120 days before you leave, only to find 90 days out that your onward trains have been re-timed due to engineering work, requiring different Eurostar connections.  There will still be plenty of cheap Eurostar tickets available 90 days out.

Get a reminder email from www.raileurope.co.uk, but lose 48 hours...

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.  In theory, a useful facility.  However, this message is set to appear 90 days out, regardless of whether reservations have in fact already opened, over-riding the ability to buy tickets.  Since SNCF in fact usually open bookings 92 days out, Rail Europe's message unfortunately blocks bookings on day 92 and day 91, explaining why booking for a particular date often appears to open 48 hours earlier on www.voyages-sncf.com and www.loco2.com (who have removed the message).  So if you want to nab the cheapest fare for a particularly busy & popular date in France, you'll have to use www.voyages-sncf.com or www.loco2.com.

Timetable changes in June & December:  Booking always opens late!

European rail operators change their timetables twice a year, on the 2nd Sunday in June and the 2nd Sunday in December. 

• Why are no trains shown (or only a few odd trains) when I enquire for a date after the June (or December) timetable change?  The data isn't loaded yet!  Online enquiry systems usually hold timetable data for the period up to the end of the current timetable.  So do not be alarmed if an enquiry for (say) 7 June (or 7 December) shows up lots of trains, but an enquiry for (say) 20 June (or 20 December) shows either no trains at all, or even more confusingly, only a few trains at strange times of day because odd bits of data for the new timetable have been loaded.  It doesn't mean the train company will suddenly stop running trains!  Just sit tight, and the timetable for dates after the timetable change will appear in due course.  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 little will change.

• Why can't I buy tickets for late June (or late December) even though the date I want is now within the 90 day booking period?  Train operators are always, always, always late loading the data for the new timetable.  So the usual 90 days gets squeezed to perhaps 60 days for dates after the timetable change on the 2nd Sunday in June and 2nd Sunday in December.  Just sit tight and wait!  As a rough guide, in a typical year most reservations for dates after the December timetable change will open around 11 to 17 October (for example, French and German railways), although I've known Spanish and Italian reservations for dates after the December timetable change not open until the beginning of November.  The June timetable change is usually less of a problem, but reservations may still open late.  Just be patient, remember that no-one else can book until reservations open, either! 

Can I book any European train from the UK?

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.

Senior (over 60) & youth (under 26) fares

• Senior & Youth fares:  On some 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 full fare, €65 Senior or Youth fare, €50/€40/€30 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 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!

Recommended guidebooks

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...

Hotels & accommodation in Europe

Find hotels all across Europe...

Other hotel sites worth a look...

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

• www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system (Hotels Combined being a booking site comparison system).  It has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one price, then charge you another!).

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.

Travel insurance & health card

Get travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel without insurance from a reliable travel insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash (up to a limit) & belongings, and cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, though, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, Seat61 gets a little commission if you buy through these links, and feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

In the UK, use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65 (no age limit), see www.JustTravelCover.com.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

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

Get an EU health card, it's free...

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 a spare credit card, designed for foreign travel with no currency exchange loading & low/no ATM fees

Taking out an extra credit card costs nothing, but if you keep it in a different part of your luggage you won't be left stranded if your wallet gets stolen.  In addition, some credit cards are better for overseas travel than others.  Martin Lewis's www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which UK credit cards have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when you use an ATM abroad.

You can avoid ATM charges and expensive exchange rates with a Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or their multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card, see www.caxtonfx.com for info.

Get an international SIM card to save on mobile data and phone calls...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're not careful you can return home to find a huge bill.  Consider buying a global pre-paid SIM card for your mobile phone from www.Go-Sim.com, which can slash costs by up to 85%.  Go-Sim 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.

'Rail travel to Europe' general information page

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