Breakfast in London, dinner in Barcelona
There's no need to fly within Europe. It's surprisingly easy, quick and comfortable to travel by train from London to almost anywhere: Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Prague, Helsinki, wherever... The difficult bit is finding out how to do it and where to buy tickets. That's where Seat 61 comes in.
This website explains the best routes, train times & fares from London to major destinations all over Europe, and between the main cities within Europe.
It explains the best way to buy tickets for your specific journeys, whether you live in the UK, mainland Europe, the USA, Australia, wherever.
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Train times & tickets
If your journey starts in the UK, select your destination country in the upper drop-down box to see the best routes, train times, fares & how to buy tickets.
If your journey starts in another European country, select the city where your journey starts in the lower drop-down box - if it isn't listed, select one nearest to it in the same country.
Return to this page for general information & advice about European train travel.
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Planning your trip
How to buy tickets
Luggage, bikes, dogs & cars
| Luggage on trains | Left luggage at stations | Taking your bike | Taking your dog or pet | Taking your car by train (Motorail) |
About specific trains & routes
Station guides
How to check train times
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If you only remember one European train travel resource - apart from seat 61 of course - make it www.bahn.de/en. This has an excellent online timetable for the whole of Europe, probably the most useful European train travel resource on the net. Ask it for Palermo to Helsinki or Lisbon to Moscow and you'll see what I mean. These tips may help:
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Go to www.bahn.de/en: This takes you to the advanced journey planner in English.
Bahn.de/en is easier to remember than it's actual URL, reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e.
www.bahn.de without the /en takes you to their German-language home page, change Deutsch to English top right then click the Further options button for the advanced journey planner.
Like I said, it's easier to use and remember Bahn.de/en!
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Place names: It recognises English-language place names & prompts with station or city names.
If you don't know which station to select, select the plain city name, often in capitals, for example PARIS or BERLIN. The system will then work out which is the relevant station for your journey.
If it only offers specific stations, try to select the main station in that city, which may be shown as main station or (in Italy) Centrale, in the Netherlands as Centraal, in Germany or Austria as Hauptbahnhof, Hbf or HB (= main station in German), Hlavni in Czech or Glowny (Gl.) in Polish.
In Brussels, Brussels South Station is the main station, also known as Brussels Midi or Brussel Zuid. In Barcelona, select Barcelona Sants. In Verona, select Verona Porta Nuova. In Turin, the main terminus station is Torino Porta Nuova, but the TGV trains to/from Paris use Torino Porta Susa, which many trains leaving from Porta Nuova heading for Venice or Rome also call at. In Venice, Venice Santa Lucia is on the Grand Canal in central Venice, Venice Mestre is on the mainland. In Lisbon, select Lisbon Santa Apolonia.
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When the search results appear, click on show details to see a detailed breakdown of the journey.
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To see an end-to-end timetable for a train with all calling points, click on show details then click on the train number. It'll show the complete origin-to-destination timetable with days of operation & all calling points, and whether it has a restaurant or bar.
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It only holds data for the main rail operators plus some smaller operators, not for all trains everywhere. Notably it does not cover:
- Some private open-access operators such as Italo in Italy, Ouigo in France.
- The Circumvesuviana Railway, Naples-Herculaneum-Pompeii-Sorrento.
- Euskotren in Spain, operating narrow gauge local trains between Hendaye, San Sebastian & Bilbao.
- FEVE in Spain, who run narrow gauge local trains along the north coastal towns.
- Spanish suburban routes including Latour de Carol to Barcelona & Cerbère to Barcelona.
- It doesn't always hold full or accurate data for the Balkans or Greek domestic trains.
For British train times it's better to use www.nationalrail.co.uk as this will show any engineering work alterations.
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Timetable changes in June & December: It usually holds data only until the next Europe-wide timetable change, which happens twice a year at midnight on the 2nd Saturday in June & December. So don't be surprised if it shows no trains running in late December if you ask it in August, that's beyond the December timetable change. Data for dates after the December timetable change usually starts to come online by mid-October and isn't 100% reliable until early December. Also note that data for French, Italian & Spanish trains will only be held for the next few months, not for the whole timetable period.
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This system is very good, but some railways (typically the Spanish, Hungarians, Polish & Balkan railways) can be late in supplying data, and data can be unreliable in some parts of the Balkans, for example. If you get strange results you can try the railway operator's own website instead, for example www.renfe.com for Spain or www.ose.gr for Greece. There's a complete list of rail websites on the useful links page.
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You can adjust transfer times, add a via station or add a stopover: By default it allows the minimum time to change trains, whether changing into a local train that runs every 30 minutes or into a sleeper train which you can't afford to miss. It won't suggest impossible connections, it always allows enough time to walk from one train to the other if the first train is on time, but it doesn't take into account the possibility of the first train running 20 minutes late. It's often a good policy to allow more time for transfers, so click Stopover and change Duration of transfer standard to another value. On a through ticket you're legally entitled to later onward travel if a delay means a missed connection (more info on that here), but with separate non-refundable train-specific tickets the risk is yours so you should allow more than the minimum, see more about how long to allow for connections here. You can also set one or two via stations if you want it to find journeys via a particular route, and by adding a duration in the hh:mm box you can specify stopovers at these stations.
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Fares & tickets: www.bahn.de will show train times for virtually any journey in Europe, but will only show fares and sell tickets for journeys to, from or within Germany, plus a few cross-Germany routes such as Belgium/Netherlands to Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic. To check fares for other journeys, see the How to buy European train tickets page.
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Phone apps
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DB Navigator is a free online train timetable app for all of Europe, the app version of the German Railways all-Europe online timetable at bahn.de. It provided a journey planner, train details, and calling points, though it needs a WiFi or mobile data connection. To download, go to www.bahn.com/en and look for the Apple Store & Google Play download links at the bottom of the page.
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Railplanner is a free offline train timetable app that you can download onto your phone to check train times & train calling points on the move without the need to be on WiFi or to use mobile data. It's blisteringly quick and covers almost all the train covered by the DB Navigator app. The whole European timetable sits on your phone, with updates automatically downloaded every month. It's created with Eurail and Interrail passholders in mind, but is useful for anyone. Download for iPhone or Android at www.eurail.com/en/plan-your-trip/rail-planner-app - please let me know if the link stops working!
Station arrivals & departures
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Click here & enter a station to check scheduled train departures or arrivals at almost any station across Europe using www.bahn.de/ris. This is an online equivalent of the printed departure posters displayed at stations. It shows real-time information for stations in Germany if you pick today's date, but for 'real time' information in other countries, see the real-time section below.
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The European Rail Timetable
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The world-famous European Rail Timetable is the train traveller's bible, with route maps and up-to-date timetables for trains, buses and ferries for all European countries, plus trains in Asian Turkey and Russia including the Trans-Siberian railway, ferries to North Africa & the Mediterranean islands.
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Published since 1873, it had just celebrated 140 years of publication when Thomas Cook pulled the plug on their entire publishing department, and the August 2013 edition was the last to be published by Thomas Cook. The good news is that the dedicated ex-Thomas Cook team set up a private venture and a reborn European Rail Timetable continues to be published. Remarkably, the timetable has now survived its parent company, as Thomas Cook collapsed in 2019. What does it contain?
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Buy online at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu for around £16.99 with shipping worldwide.
If you live in the UK you can also buy from www.amazon.co.uk, it's eligible for Amazon Prime next-day delivery.
How to check fares & buy tickets
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This section has turned into a bit of an essay. If you just want to know how to buy tickets, skip this section, go to the How to buy tickets page, select a specific journey and I'll tell you how to book it. If you're interested in how European train booking works (or doesn't), read on...
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Reality check: No single website sells tickets for all trains in all countries
Although you can look up train times almost anywhere in Europe using www.bahn.de/en, there isn't a single website that can show fares & sell tickets for every European train in every country.
So you can't go to europeanrailways.com (there's no such site) and buy a Stockholm to Alicante ticket (there's no such ticket). It's perfectly possible to travel by train from Stockholm to Alicante, but we're talking 6 trains run by 5 different operators ticketed with at least 4 separate tickets. Ah, I see from the look on your face that realisation is beginning to dawn...
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Each country has its own national operator with its own website
Each national train operator has its own website and its own ticketing system. Then there are various private operators, either genuinely independent such as Italo, Regiojet or Leo Express, or pseudo-independent such as Thalys or TGV-Lyria created by the relevant national rail operator(s) to run specific international routes.
In fact, Europe has over 50 different rail operator websites selling train tickets for their own trains, even before considering third-party ticket resellers. You need to use the right website for the right journey. So which is the relevant operator for your journey?
If you go to the How to buy tickets page, select your starting city, and on the next page select your destination, you'll find my advice on how to book that specific route.
However, as a rule of thumb, if there's a named operator such as Eurostar or Thalys or Regiojet you'd go to that operator's website, in this case Eurostar.com or Thalys.com or Regiojet.com. If it's a normal international train jointly run by the relevant national rail operators, your starting assumption should be to use the national rail operator website for the country where your journey starts, then check the one where it ends.
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The pseudo-independent operators can also be booked at the owning national operator sites
Eurostar is 55% owned by French Railways (SNCF), and Eurostar tickets can also be bought at SNCF's website www.sncf-connect.com. Thalys is owned by French, Belgian & Dutch national railways, and can also be booked at www.sncf-connect.com or the Belgian Railways site b-europe.com or the Dutch Railways site nsinternational.com. TGV-Lyria is owned by SNCF & SBB (Swiss Railways) and can also be booked at www.sncf-connect.com or www.sbb.ch. The national operator sites can of course book other trains in their respective countries too, in connection with Eurostar or Thalys or TGV-Lyria. So London to Avignon by Eurostar & onwards French train can be booked as one transaction at French Railways www.sncf-connect.com, for example. It can be useful to know that!
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International trains can usually be booked at the national operator website at either end
For international journeys, your starting assumption is to book them at the national rail operator website for the country where the journey starts. But if a train can be e-ticketed, you can also book using the destination country's national train operator website.
For example, Berlin-Prague trains are run jointly by German & Czech national railways, and can be booked at either German Railways www.bahn.de or Czech Railways www.cd.cz with print-your-own tickets.
Now it gets interesting, as this is one of the routes where each partner operator manages advance-purchase price levels independently. So the price at bahn.de might be €39 (with cheaper €19 & €29 tickets sold out), whilst €19 tickets remain available for the same train at cd.cz. It pays to check both!
In fact, even the fixed-price full-flex fare can differ between partner operators. As I write this, Austrian Railways (ÖBB) charge €64 for a full-flex on-the-day ticket from Vienna to Prague, but even if you were in the ÖBB ticket office at Vienna Hbf, it'd be cheaper to whip out your phone and buy exactly the same ticket for the same trains from Czech Railways for €42.
But a word of warning: Check ticket delivery carefully if buying from the operator at the destination end. For example, Austrian Railways oebb.at issues print-your-own tickets for Vienna-Venice trains so can be used for either direction. Trenitalia.com can also book these Vienna-Venice trains, but you must collect a hard-copy ticket from a Trenitalia ticket machine or ticket office in Italy - not much help if you're starting in Vienna!
There are exceptions to this rule, of course. The Paris-Milan Frecciarossas enter France on an open-access commercial basis, so can only be booked at Trenitalia.com, not SNCF-connect.com. Whilst the competing Paris-Milan TGVs enter Italy on an open-access commercial basis and can only be booked at SNCF-connect.com, not Trenitalia.com.
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Some trains aren't bookable online at all
Another reality check: Slovenian, Croatian, Bulgarian & Turkish railways don't sell international tickets online, for example. Trains between Slovenia or Croatia & Germany can be booked online in either direction at German Railways www.bahn.de. Trains between Slovenia or Croatia & Austria can be booked online in either direction at Austrian Railways www.oebb.at. But the only way to buy tickets from Ljubljana to Zagreb or Zagreb to Belgrade or Sofia to Istanbul, is at the station.
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Longer journeys often need to be broken down into stages
Many international journeys involve a change of train, often this means a change of operator. Operator websites may not be able to sell tickets for such journeys. Nice to Milan can't be booked at the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com, because SNCF can't access prices or tickets for the Trenitalia train between Ventimiglia & Milan (Ventimiglia is the border station where you change trains). And the Trenitalia website can't book you from Nice to Milan either, because it can't access prices or tickets for the SNCF train between Nice & Ventimiglia. You need to book Nice-Ventimiglia at www.sncf-connect.com and Ventimiglia-Milan at Trenitalia.com. Two tickets, two bookings, on two different websites, such is the reality of Europe's rail network in the 21st century. But there are two specialist retailer sites that resolve this...
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Introducing www.raileurope.com & www.thetrainline.com
Two ticket retailer websites deserve a special mention, www.raileurope.com & www.thetrainline.com. These connect to multiple operators, allowing tickets for trains across much of western Europe to be booked in one place.
They have their own journey planning logic, so (for example) they can work out a suitable journey from Nice to Milan using an SNCF train from Nice to Ventimiglia and a Trenitalia train from Ventimiglia to Milan, they then source the Nice-Ventimiglia ticket from SNCF and the Ventimiglia-Milan ticket from Trenitalia, and add them together to provide you with a Nice-Milan journey as one seamless transaction.
I often recommend www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com as they allow you to book tickets together in one place for journeys that would otherwise require multiple bookings on different websites. They are designed for international users, so happily accept overseas payment cards (some national train operator sites struggle) and are written in plain English (some national rail operator sites slip back into local language or use poor English translations). The downside is that they charge a small booking fee, but it's often worth paying that.
Raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com currently connect to the following national railways: Great Britain (National Rail), France (SNCF), Spain (Renfe), Italy (Trenitalia), Germany (Deutsche Bahn), Austria (ÖBB). They also both connect to private operator Italo. www.thetrainline.com also connects to Swiss Railways (SBB), the Benelux ticketing system (SNCB, NS & CFL) and private operators Regiojet & Westbahn.
Raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com come as close as you'll get to a pan-European train booking site, but even they don't yet connect to the Portuguese, Czech, Slovakian, Slovenian, Croatian, Hungarian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Bulgarian, Turkish, Greek, Romanian, or Polish Railways ticketing systems. So for a €15 Lisbon-Porto ticket you still need to go to Portuguese Railways www.cp.pt and the only place you'll find a €21 Prague-Budapest ticket is Czech Railways www.cd.cz. You get the picture?
More about who Thetrainline are. More about who Raileurope are.
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Incidentally, you might also come across Omio.com. Omio has similar connectivity, but at the time I write this it doesn't have any journey planning logic. So although it can sell you a Nice-Ventimiglia ticket using its connection to SNCF if you ask it for Nice to Ventimiglia, and it can sell a Ventimiglia-Milan ticket using its connection to Trenitalia if you ask it for Ventimiglia to Milan, if you ask it for Nice to Milan it will say there are no trains (and will suggest a flight) because it lacks the capability to plan the journey itself and combine multiple tickets. It also says there are no trains for journeys where it lacks the necessary connectivity. For example, Omio says there are no trains from Budapest to Zagreb and suggests a bus, but you can easily buy a train ticket from €19 from Hungarian Railways at www.mavcsoport.hu. So it's important to understand a site's limitations. Omio does have some extra connectivity, for example it connects to Swedish Railways sj.se so can be useful to book Swedish trains if sj.se rejects your credit card, and to Portuguese Railways cp.pt which no other site does.
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So which website should you use to buy tickets?
Don't worry! On seat61.com I'll tell you the right website(s) to use for any given European journey (well, almost). Go to the How to buy European tickets page and select your starting city. On the next page, select your destination city. I'll then explain the different ways you can make that specific journey and which website(s) to use to buy tickets.
To check fares & buy tickets in one country
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You can check fares & (usually) buy tickets for domestic journeys at each country's national rail website, see the links page for a complete list.
Austria
www.oebb.at - you can also use www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com
Belgium
www.belgiantrain.be - Belgian domestic trains don't need booking, easy to buy tickets at the station.
Bulgaria
www.bdz.bg Croatia
www.hzpp.hr Czech Rep.
www.cd.cz Denmark
Finland
France
www.sncf-connect.com - you can also use www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com
Germany
www.bahn.de - you can also use www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com
Greece
www.hellenictrain.gr Hungary
Italy
www.trenitalia.com (see advice on using it) or use www.raileurope.com, www.thetrainline.com or www.italiarail.com.
Luxembourg
www.cfl.lu (trains in Luxembourg don't need booking, easy to buy tickets at the station, in fact 2nd class train travel wholly within Luxembourg is free of charge)
Netherlands
www.ns.nl (trains in the Netherlands don't need pre-booking, so it's also easy to buy tickets at the station)
Norway
Poland
www.intercity.pl Portugal
Romania
www.cfrcalatori.ro Russia
www.rzd.ru Slovakia
Slovenia
potniski.sz.si Spain
www.renfe.com - it's much easier to use www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com
Sweden
www.sj.se - you can also use Omio.com (formerly GoEuro), www.snalltaget.se or www.tagbokningen.se
Switzerland
www.sbb.ch - you can also use www.thetrainline.com
Ukraine
www.uz.gov.ua United Kingdom
To check fares & buy tickets for international journeys
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The national rail websites listed above sometimes sell international tickets to neighbouring countries as well, but often only in a limited way, for example tickets for direct trains. However, you'll find detailed advice on how to book specific international journeys on the How to buy European tickets page. Here are some general rules of thumb...
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Rule-of-thumb 1, try www.raileurope.com & www.thetrainline.com...
These connect to the British, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Austrian, Benelux systems and can easily book journeys including multi-operator journeys to, from and within those countries.
Be aware of their limitations: You still need to use other sites for journeys not covered, for example they don't connect to the Portuguese, Norwegian, Finnish, Croatian, Bulgarian, Czech or Hungarian ticketing systems. They also charge a small booking fee, you can avoid paying any fee by buying direct from train operator websites, using the following rules of thumb...
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Rule-of-thumb 2, if you know that the train you want is run by a specific operator, go to that operator's website:
- www.eurostar.com for Eurostar trains between London & Paris, London & Brussels or anywhere in Belgium.
- www.thalys.com or www.nsinternational.nl or www.b-europe.com for Thalys high-speed trains Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam/Cologne.
- www.tgv-lyria.com or www.sncf-connect.com for TGV-Lyria high-speed trains between Paris & Switzerland.
- www.regiojet.com for Regiojet trains between Vienna & Prague or Prague & Bratislava.
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Rule-of-thumb 3, otherwise, simply go to the national train website for the country where your journey starts. Although there are many exceptions to this rule, as you can see below:
- For journeys starting in London:
www.eurostar.com for Eurostar to Lille, Paris, Brussels or anywhere in Belgium.
www.nsinternational.nl or www.b-europe.com for journeys to Rotterdam, Amsterdam or anywhere in Belgium or the Netherlands.
www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com for journeys to anywhere in France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Milan, Turin, Germany.
- For journeys starting in Paris & France:
The French Railways site www.sncf-connect.com sells many journeys from Paris & French cities to neighbouring countries.
For journeys from Paris to Germany, it's better to use German Railways www.bahn.de.
For journeys from Paris & France to Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria it's better to use www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com.
- For journeys starting in Brussels, Bruges or Belgium:
The Belgian Railways international site www.b-europe.com will handle journeys to neighbouring countries.
For journeys from Belgium to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Czech Rep. it's better to use German Railways www.bahn.de.
For the Nightjet sleeper from Brussels to Vienna it's better to use Austrian Railways www.oebb.at or www.thetrainline.com.
- For journeys starting in Amsterdam & the Netherlands:
The Dutch Railways international site www.nsinternational.nl will handle journeys to neighbouring countries.
For journeys to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Czech Rep., Sweden it's better to use German Railways www.bahn.de.
For the Nightjet sleeper train from Amsterdam to Munich, Innsbruck & Vienna use Austrian Railways www.oebb.at or www.thetrainline.com.
- For journeys starting in Switzerland:
The Swiss Railways site www.sbb.ch can book journeys to neighbouring countries, for example Paris.
For journeys to Paris you can also use French Railways www.sncf-connect.com, it's worth checking prices there too.
For journeys to Italy, it's better to use Italian Railways www.trenitalia.com as SBB can't sell Trenitalia's cheap fares beyond Milan.
For journeys to Germany, Benelux & Denmark it's better to use German Railways www.bahn.de.
For journeys to Austria you'll often find cheaper prices at the Austrian Railways site www.oebb.at.
For the sleeper train from Zurich to Prague sleeper, book using Czech Railways www.cd.cz as Sbb.ch can't sell it.
For the sleeper trains from Zurich to Vienna, Budapest, Hamburg & Berlin use Austrian Railways www.oebb.at or www.thetrainline.com.
- For journeys starting in Italy:
The Italian Railways site www.trenitalia.com can book many international trains from Italy, but not the French-run trains Milan-Turin-Paris.
For journeys from Milan or Turin to Paris, use French Railways www.sncf-connect.com. Add connecting tickets from other cities at www.trenitalia.com.
It's better to use Austrian Railways www.oebb.at for Venice-Vienna day & sleeper trains, Rome-Florence-Vienna/Munich sleeper trains.
- For journeys starting in Germany:
German Railways www.bahn.de sells through tickets to most neighbouring countries.
For travel to Austria, it's often cheaper to use Austrian Railways www.oebb.at, so check this too.
For travel to Prague, it's often cheaper to use Czech Railways www.cd.cz, so check this too.
For Nightjet sleeper trains within Germany & to Switzerland & Austria, it's better to use Austrian Railways www.oebb.at.
- For journeys starting in Austria:
Austrian Railways www.oebb.at can book journeys to most neighbouring countries.
For travel to Germany, also check German Railways www.bahn.de as they can occasionally be cheaper for the same train.
For travel to Prague, check prices at Czech Railways www.cd.cz too as they can be cheaper than ÖBB for the same train.
- For journeys starting in Prague:
Czech Railways www.cd.cz can book journeys to most neighbouring countries.
For journeys between Prague & Brussels, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm also try German Railways www.bahn.de.
- For journeys starting in Budapest:
Hungarian Railways www.mavcsoport.hu can book journeys to most neighbouring countries.
For journeys to Germany, you can also check prices at German Railways www.bahn.de, but the Hungarians are usually cheaper.
For journeys to Austria, you can also check prices at Austrian Railways www.oebb.at, but the Hungarians are usually cheaper.
The sleeper trains from Budapest to Zurich & Munich can also be booked at www.oebb.at.
- For journeys starting in Slovenia or Croatia...
Zagreb or Ljubljana to Germany can be booked at German Railways www.bahn.de.
Zagreb or Ljubljana to Austria can be booked at Austrian Railways www.oebb.at.
Other international journeys (e.g. to Belgrade or Budapest) cannot be booked online, you have to go to the station.
- For journeys starting in Poland:
Polish Railways haven't yet enabled online booking for international trains, except for than Berlin-Warsaw.
You can book from Warsaw or Krakow to German cities at German Railways www.bahn.de and print out your ticket.
The sleeper train from Warsaw & Krakow to Vienna can be booked at Austrian Railways www.oebb.at as you can print your own ticket.
All other international tickets starting in Poland can be arranged through reliable ticketing agency www.polrail.com.
- For journeys starting in Copenhagen:
Danish Railways www.dsb.dk can't sell international tickets.
German Railways www.bahn.de can sell tickets from Copenhagen to Germany, Brussels, Amsterdam, Prague, Switzerland.
- For journeys starting in Stockholm & Sweden:
Omio.com (formerly GoEuro) or www.sj.se can sell tickets to Oslo or Copenhagen or within Sweden.
German Railways www.bahn.de can sell tickets from Stockholm, Gothenburg & Malmo to anywhere in Germany.
German Railways www.bahn.de can also sell tickets from Stockholm, Gothenburg & Malmo to Amsterdam, Brussels, Switzerland & Prague.
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Rule-of-thumb 4, break the journey down...
I have lost count of the times I've advised travellers to split the booking and book each section of the journey, or if necessary, each individual train, at the relevant operator's website.
For example, www.bahn.de comes up with silly-money €246 prices if you ask it for Paris to Vienna, a journey which passes through Frankfurt, but it will happily sell you a Paris-Frankfurt ticket from €39 and a Frankfurt to Vienna ticket from €29 if you break the journey down.
Similarly, Prague to Venice can't be booked online anywhere, but the Czech Railways site www.cd.cz/eshop will happily sell you a Prague to Vienna ticket from €14 and Austrian Railways www.oebb.at will book the Vienna-Venice sleeper from €59 with couchette.
There are endless examples of this all over Europe, some creative thinking is often required!
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Rule-of-thumb 5, some trains cannot be booked online...
Remember that some trains simply cannot be booked online so will need to be booked by phone or at the station. For example Zagreb to Belgrade, Belgrade to Montenegro, or Sofia to Istanbul.
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I'll say it again, for advice on which website to use for which specific European train journey, see the How to buy European train tickets page.
By phone
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It matters whom you call! Some agencies are better for some journeys than others because of the ticketing systems they use.
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You'll find a list of agencies with advice on who to call on the How to buy train tickets by phone page.
Maps of the European rail network
Free online rail maps
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Start with this online rail map of Europe which is a good basic overview of the extent of the European railway network. It's intended for people using a Eurail or Interrail pass so leaves out many routes in non-Interrail/Eurail countries such as Russia & Ukraine, and leaves out many smaller lines even in countries covered by these passes.
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For more detail, try the zoom-able online map of European (and indeed, world) railways at www.openrailwaymap.org.
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You can also try the Swiss Railways all-Europe online map at maps.trafimage.ch. Zoom in for more detail.
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You'll also find detailed online rail maps on a country-by-country basis at www.bueker.net/trainspotting/maps.php.
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For the best (and official) map of the UK rail system, click here.
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For an online map of the French rail network click here.
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For an online interactive map of the German rail network click here.
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For the best (and official) map of the Swiss rail system, click here.
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But for a decent map of all European train routes, you really need to buy one of the printed rail maps listed below...
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Buy at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide) or www.amazon.co.uk (UK). See map extract. On the back there's a more detailed map of the central Europe covering Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, northern Italy, Eastern France. |
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Rail Map Europe: Buy here
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Highly recommended: The excellent and highly-regarded Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe has been updated and reissued under new management. Covers the whole of Europe from Portugal to Moscow and Istanbul and from Sicily to Finland, with high-speed and scenic routes highlighted, great for planning or to take with you. See an extract from the map. Buy online at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu or (if you live in the UK) for £9.67 at www.amazon.co.uk.
Travellers' Railway Map: Buy here
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Also highly recommended! A Travellers Railway map of Europe is an' excellent detailed map of European rail routes, ideal for travelling around Europe by train. It covers the whole of Europe from Portugal in the west to Moscow & Istanbul in the east, Finland in the north to Sicily and Athens in the south. On the back are detailed maps of Switzerland, Benelux and Germany, plus city plans showing the stations in major cities. Scenic and high-speed routes are highlighted.
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Buy online in the UK for £14.50 with postage worldwide (£2.80 to UK addresses) at the famous Stanford's travel bookshop at www.stanfords.co.uk/Europe-A-Travellers-Railway-Map_9789077899090.htm. All the usual credit cards are accepted.
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Buy online from Netherlands-based Treinreiswinkel at www.treinreiswinkel.nl for €13 + €5.50 postage worldwide. You pay by bank transfer. If you own bank charges high fees for this, try using transferwise.com which will cost only £1 or so.
Rail Atlas of Europe by Ian Allan: Buy here
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Ian Allan Publishing do an excellent hardback rail atlas of Europe for around £21, available through Amazon.co.uk. You can also buy it in the USA at Amazon.com.
Rail Atlas of Europe by M Ball: Buy here
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There's another highly-detailed European Railway atlas covering the whole of Europe, europeanrailwayatlas.com, price £24.95 in 122-page paperback book form covering 23,000 locations with free PDF version for your computer, tablet or phone.
Real-time train running information
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Are the trains running on time? Delays, incidents, strikes or disruptions?
As with buying your ticket, there's no one website where you'll find out about delays, strikes or other problems affecting all European trains. You need to know which website to look at, so here is some guidance:
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Eurostar service updates: www.eurostar.com for updates on any disruption affecting the London-Paris, London-Brussels Eurostar service.
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London St Pancras arrivals & departures, see ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/ldbboard/dep/STP. This shows domestic as well as Eurostar arrivals & departures.
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Trains to, from, within France and Paris arrivals & departures: www.sncf.com/en/booking-itinerary/search-train-number. This shows current arrivals, departures & service updates for French Railways (SNCF). It may not be available in English so use Google Chrome translate if necessary. You can search for problems or delays affecting a specified train number, route or station yesterday, today or in the next few days. It covers French domestic trains and international trains to and from France (but for some reason not Eurostar!), so it's the one to check if you're heading to Switzerland, Italy, Germany or Spain via Paris.
Where's that train, in France: www.sncf.com/sncv1/en/geolocalisation shows the geographic location of all SNCF mainline trains in France, in real time. Includes Eurostar trains when in France, if you know the train number.
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Brussels arrivals & departures: For real-time train arrivals & departures at Brussels Midi or any Belgian station, see www.b-europe.com/EN/Real-time. If your train is a Thalys to Brussels or Paris, see www.thalys.com and look for the 'Traffic info' top left on their home page.
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Amsterdam arrivals & departures: For real-time train arrivals & departures at Amsterdam Centraal or any Dutch station, go to www.ns.nl, leave it in Dutch, click Menu top left then Actuele Vertrektijden (current departures). That link disappears if you switch it to English! For service updates, go to www.nsinternational.nl, click for English, click Menu then Travel information then Travel updates. It may also be worth checking the German site (see below) if your train then crosses Germany. If your train is a Thalys to Brussels or Paris, see www.thalys.com and look for the Timetables & Traffic info top left on their home page, then click Traffic info.
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Italian arrivals & departures: www.viaggiatreno.it. Like the French, Trenitalia has a separate website for real-time train running and service updates. www.viaggiatreno.it will show you how Trenitalia's trains are running by train number, station or route. On the station departures pages, Binario previsto is the planned platform number (posted even before the actual platform number appears on departure screens), binario reale is the actual one.
Alternatively, you can see actual departure platforms for all trains including Italo by selecting the station at www.rfi.it/en/stations/station-page/quality-services/Public-information/Live-departures-Arrivals-Monitor.html.
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Spanish service updates: Go to www.renfe.com, click Welcome for English then Notices top right. Use Google translate (or the Google Chrome browser automatic translation) as necessary, as the updates are in Spanish. You can also go to the Spanish infrastructure operator's site www.adif.es -click English at the top, then enter a station name under Railway traffic to see arrivals and departures in real time.
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German arrivals & departures: If your train crosses Germany, see reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/bhftafel.exe/en. This will give you current real-time arrival & departure information for an German station, like looking at the departure board if you were at the station now. For general info about delays due to engineering work, search www.bahn.com. Both pages are quite difficult to find from their home page! Alternatively, if you bring up a train that's currently running using the www.bahn.de journey planner, click on the sideways arrow to bring up details, then click on the train number, the complete end to end timetable for that train will appear in a new window, with minutes late (or early!) shown against each stop within Germany.
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For other countries, the place to start is the national rail operator website for that country, see here for a list.
London to Paris or Brussels by Eurostar
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Eurostar is the excellent high-speed passenger train from London's St Pancras to Paris & Brussels through the Channel Tunnel. Most journeys from the UK to Europe now start with a trip on Eurostar. All 1st class fares include complimentary drinks and a meal, and all passengers have access to a bar car serving drinks and snacks. Remember that you need to check-in for Eurostar trains at least 30 minutes before departure (10 minutes for passengers with certain types of premium 1st class ticket, 60 minutes for Eurostars to the French Alps) to allow for an airline-style security check. Eurostar does not run on Christmas Day.
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Eurostar information page: Times, fares, tickets, luggage & info about the Eurostar journey
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Eurostar website: www.eurostar.com
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Eurostar's new e320... |
Eurostar Standard Premier (1st class)... |
Changing trains in Paris
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Train journeys from the UK into Europe often involve a change of train and station in Paris. Eurostar arrives at the Gare du Nord, which is an easy 7 minute 500m walk from the Gare de l'Est but a metro or taxi ride from the other Paris stations including the Gare de Lyon.
See the Changing trains & stations in Paris page for advice on metro, RER and taxi travel, and an easy route guide.
The Paris metro website is www.ratp.fr.
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If you want to spend some time in Paris, by all means take an earlier Eurostar on the outward journey or a later one on your return. There are left luggage lockers at several Paris rail stations if you need to leave your luggage somewhere.
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You can avoid the hassle of crossing Paris when travelling to many French destinations, by changing at Lille, see the London to France page.
Changing trains in Brussels
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Bruxelles Midi in French, Brussel Zuid in Flemish, Brussels South Stn in English, it's all the same place. It's Brussels' main hub station, and it includes the Eurostar terminal. All long-distance trains use Brussels Midi station, including trains to Amsterdam, Cologne, Paris and all other destinations in Belgium, so changing trains is easy and only takes a few minutes.
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See the Brussels Midi station page for more information about changing in Brussels.
The ferry alternatives
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Most people now start their journey to Europe by Eurostar, but the ferry alternatives are well worth considering, especially to Amsterdam or Spain. If you prefer train+ferry travel, simply substitute the rail-sea-rail times shown on the London to Paris by train+ferry page or London to Amsterdam page for the Eurostar times to Paris shown on the Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland pages, or use the all-Europe online timetable at www.bahn.de to find train times from the port (for example, Hoek van Holland) to your final destination.
London to Paris by train & ferry
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You can still travel from London to Paris by train + ferry if you want. It takes far longer (about 9 hours), is far less convenient and usually costs more than a cheap fare on Eurostar, but you avoid the Channel Tunnel if that's an issue for you, you get to sail across the Channel from the White Cliffs of Dover, and it can sometimes be cheaper if you have to travel at short notice and all the cheap Eurostar tickets have sold out. For more information, see the London to Paris by train + ferry page.
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London to Paris 'sleeper' option via Portsmouth-Caen: There's an overnight train-ferry-train option where you can leave London Waterloo around 18:30, sleep in a comfortable cabin with en suite shower & toilet 22:45-06:45 on Brittany Ferries' overnight sailing from Portsmouth to Caen, then take a train from Caen to Paris St Lazare arriving around 11:05. This is not a bad option if you need an alternative to Eurostar. Times, fares & info for travelling from London & Portsmouth to Paris by overnight train & ferry are shown here.
London to Amsterdam by train & ferry
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There is a really excellent, convenient low-cost train+ferry service from London to Amsterdam or any station in the Netherlands, see the London to Amsterdam Stena Line Rail & Sail page. Travelling from central London to central Amsterdam overnight with a bed in a comfortable private cabin on board the ship with shower, toilet, free WiFi & satellite TV can be more time-effective than Eurostar or even a flight.
UK to Spain by ferry
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Brittany Ferries operate excellent cruise ferries all year round from the UK to Spain, a stress-free and highly-recommended way to get there. See the UK to Spain by ferry page.
Other useful ferry routes
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UK to Scandinavia by ferry: Unfortunately, the last passenger ferry from the UK to Norway was withdrawn in September 2008, the last ferry from the UK to Sweden in 2006 and the last ferry to Denmark in September 2014. There are now no ferries to anywhere in Scandinavia, you need to go by train via Brussels and Copenhagen, or by ferry to Hoek van Holland then train via Copenhagen.
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North of England or Scotland to mainland Europe by ferry: If you live in the north of England or Scotland, there are ferries from Newcastle & Hull to the Netherlands which can be easier than taking a train to London then Eurostar.
DFDS Seaways (www.dfds.co.uk) sail overnight from Newcastle to IJmuiden near Amsterdam, see the Newcastle-Amsterdam page.
P&O Ferries (www.poferries.com) sail overnight from Hull to Rotterdam Europoort, see the Hull-Rotterdam page.
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West Country or South Coast to mainland Europe by ferry: If you live in the West Country or along the South Coast, you may prefer taking a ferry direct to France, then a train to Paris. More information.
Should you go 1st or 2nd class?
 2nd class seats, arranged 2+2 across the car width. This is a TGV Duplex. |
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 1st class seats on the same TGV Duplex, arranged 2+1 across the car width. Fewer seats per car, more leg & elbow room. Tables for 2 as well as tables for 4. That's it. |
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2nd class is absolutely fine for most travellers throughout Europe. There's no need to pay for a 1st class ticket to travel in comfort these days, even in Eastern Europe, especially on the fast modern air-conditioned express trains. If you're on a budget, don't bother with 1st class unless you are offered prices that make it silly not to upgrade.
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For most of us, 2nd class is the norm unless the Company is paying. If you're visiting Europe from overseas, rest assured that there are very few peasants and chickens in 2nd class these days...
What more do you get in 1st class?
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First class gets you wider seats, plusher seats, more leg and elbow room, and fewer passengers per coach. In most cases, assume that is all. Luggage room is exactly the same, perhaps with fewer passengers per coach using it, but this is not a sensible reason for paying a 1st class fare as there's always room for luggage in any class.
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On a few premier trains including Eurostar & Spanish AVE trains, Thalys & Lyria, some 1st class fares include an at-seat service of food & drink, but these are the exceptions. Unless you're told otherwise, you should assume that a 1st class ticket simply gets you a nicer seat with more leg and elbow room, surrounded by more business travellers with laptops and fewer families with kids. On German ICEs and Austrian railjets, food & drink is not included so costs extra, but in 1st class a steward will take your order and serve you at your seat, whereas in 2nd class you'll have to go to the bistro or restaurant car.
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Tables for two & solo seats: First class cars generally have seats arranged 2+1 across the width of the car (two seats abreast, then the aisle, then one solo seat), hence the wider seats with more elbow room compared to 2+2 seating in 2nd class. So in a typical first class car you'll find tables for two and solo seats as well as tables for four - if you're a couple, facing each other across an intimate table for two, both of you getting a window seat that's also an aisle seat is a key advantage of going 1st class. As is booking a 'solo' seat if you're travelling alone, a seat that's both aisle and window, where you aren't sitting next to anyone else.
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Train seat numbering plans: Click here for train seating plans
1st class can be an affordable treat
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Don't decide until you see the price! Many train operators have adopted airline-style variable pricing, and you might find 2nd class for (say) €40 and 1st class for (say) €45 because of the way the price quotas have worked in each class. In these circumstances, you'd be crazy not to pay a bit extra to treat yourself to the extra comfort.
On sleeper trains, class is irrelevant
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On sleeper trains, whether you have a 1st or 2nd class ticket is almost irrelevant, as your comfort depends on the type of sleeping accommodation you pay for: Ordinary seat, couchette, or sleeper. A 2nd class couchette is more comfortable (and more secure) than a 1st class seat. A 2nd class sleeper is more comfortable than a 1st class couchette (where such things exist!). In fact, on many routes only a 2nd class ticket is now needed even for a 2-berth sleeper. On nightjet sleeper trains, for example, all accommodation is now classified as 2nd class, even deluxe sleepers with shower! The options for travelling on overnight trains are explained here.
 Which seats are reserved and which free? On trains with optional reservation, there will either be a small electronic display or a slot for paper reservation labels above each seat. The photo above is unusual, this Berlin-Prague train has both! |
Should you make a seat reservation?
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Local, suburban & regional trains in most countries don't have seat reservations. You just get on and sit where you like, just like the London Underground or New York Subway.
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Longer-distance trains in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden & Poland are usually all-reserved and every ticket automatically comes with a seat reservation included, free of charge. The same goes for international trains to, from or between these countries including Eurostar, Thalys & TGV-Lyria. Such trains don't usually have any displays showing which seats are free and which reserved, as all passengers are assumed to have a reserved seat.
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Longer-distance trains in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark and much of Eastern Europe: Seat reservation is usually optional and a small fee is charged if you want to reserve a seat. Electronic displays on the wall above each seat (or on older trains, a little printed ticket) show which seats are reserved. If you don't have a reservation you can sit anywhere you like, just check that it's not a seat that's been reserved by someone else. Travelling alone I don't normally bother making a reservation, especially if I'm joining at the station where the train starts so I can have my pick of the seats and can choose one that lines up with a window. But if making a long journey or travelling on a busy Friday or Sunday afternoon, it's a good idea to make a reservation to be sure of a seat. If travelling as a family or in a small group, a reservation means you're sure of getting seats together. You are usually offered the option of adding a seat reservation when buying a ticket online, but if you decline it's not always possible to go back and make a 'reservation only' booking later as relatively few websites will do that. Although you can of course do this by phone or at the station.
Forward-facing seats
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I know from experience that American visitors in particular (if you'll forgive me for saying so) are obsessed with facing forwards. Europeans less so, as we are used to trains with half the seats facing one way, half the other, and we know that it's no big deal as trains run smoothly on rails - think cruise liner restaurant, where half the diners are going backwards at 18 knots without noticing!
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On most European trains you cannot specify which way your seat faces - the reservation system knows the carriage seat layout, but it cannot predict which way round the train will enter service that day. Indeed, on some routes the train reverses en route, for example on a Rome to Venice journey, seats which are backward-facing between Rome & Florence will be forward-facing between Florence & Venice as the train changes direction at Florence SMN which is a terminus. Trains from Zurich to Innsbruck, Salzburg & Vienna change direction at Buchs, before the Austrian border.
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There are a few cases where a forward-facing seat can be requested. Some operators including Eurostar keep their trains a particular way round, for example on Eurostar car 1is always at the London end, car 16 at the Paris end. You can often select a seat from a graphic seating plan when you book such trains direct with the relevant operator, the direction of travel is often indicated on the plan so you can see which seats face which way. On a few TGV routes in France (including Paris to Bordeaux, Lourdes, Biarritz, Brittany, Reims, also Paris to Turin & Milan) a clever dual numbering system allows the correct set of numbers to illuminate depending which way round the train is, which in turn allows the reservation system to offer a choice of forward-facing seat if you book at www.sncf-connect.com or www.thetrainline.com. In the UK, we have traditionally had a much simpler low-tech system. Two seats facing each other have the same number, say 15, the one facing is 15F and the one going backwards is 15B.
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Remember that on trains where reservation is optional (domestic trains in Benelux countries, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, and much of Eastern Europe) you can sit where you like, and if you find your reserved seats not to your liking just sit elsewhere. However, in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, all long-distance trains are all-reserved so you usually have to stick with your reserved seats.
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My favourite arrangement in first class on most European trains is a face-to-face table for two. Both of you get a window seat, and both an aisle seat, and one seat is always facing forwards. My wife usually gets that!
Which side of the train?
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On a few routes the best scenery is on one particular side of the train - for example the left hand side going south along the Rhine Valley between Cologne and Mainz, or the Elbe River Valley from Dresden to Prague, and the right hand side through the Arlberg Pass from Zurich to Innsbruck - I try and mention which side to sit on the relevant pages of this site, if it matters. Just be aware that most train reservation systems won't let you choose which side of the train to sit as the train or carriage could enter service either way round, but remember that on trains where reservation is optional (domestic trains in Benelux countries, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, much of Eastern Europe) you can sit where you like if your reserved seat is on the 'wrong' side.
First class lounges at stations
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A typical first class lounge. Above, the NS International 1st class lounge at Amsterdam Centraal, open to anyone with a valid 1st class international ticket or pass, with complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine & beer... |
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The DB Lounge at Munich Hbf, also available for anyone with a 1st class ticket, but not railpasses. There are similar lounges at other major stations in Germany. |
In some countries, you'll find first class lounges at stations, usually with complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks or even beer and wine available. WiFi and an internet PC may also be available. Sometimes the lounge is for anyone with a first class ticket (which may or may not include those with first class railpasses), but in some countries the lounges are only for holders of the most expensive business-orientated first class tickets or for holders of that particular train operator's special frequent traveller loyalty card. Opening times vary, the lounges may or may not be of use when catching a late-night sleeper. Here's a quick guide:
Eurostar business lounges in London, Paris & Brussels
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Eurostar has business lounges at London St Pancras, Paris Nord & Brussels Midi. These are open to holders of full-price Business Premier first class tickets and holders of Eurostar's top-rank Carte Blanche loyalty card, but not to holders of Standard Premier first class tickets, or to first class railpass holders. The Eurostar business lounges offer complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine & spirits, beer and snacks.
Other first class lounges
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The following countries have lounges for first class passengers at their major stations open to anyone with any first class ticket including reduced-rate ones and (in some cases) first class Eurail or Interrail passes. The lounges have complimentary refreshments and other benefits such as WiFi.
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Paris: Anyone with any 1st class ticket for TGV-Lyria trains from Paris to Switzerland can use the SNCF Salon Grand Voyageur at Paris Gare de Lyon in Hall 3 with free WiFi, hot drinks and water. However, other than this SNCF's Grand Voyageur lounges are only for passengers with SNCF loyalty cards or the most expensive full-price 1st class Pro tickets.
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Amsterdam & the Netherlands: At Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol & Rotterdam. Follow signs for NS International Lounge, formerly called the NS Hispeed lounge. Check www.nsinternational.nl for opening times. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and snacks available. It can be used by anyone with any type of 1st class international ticket including 1st class Interrail or Eurail passes.
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Switzerland: Unfortunately, SBB closed their first class lounges at Zurich & Geneva at the end of 2016, citing lack of use.
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Germany: At Berlin Hbf, Bremen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main Hbf, Frankfurt Main Airport, Hamburg Hbf, Hanover, Cologne Hbf, Leipzig, Mannheim, Munich Hbf, Nuremberg, Stuttgart. Typically open 07:00-21:00 daily, follow signs for DB Lounge, search www.bahn.de to check opening times & other details These German lounges are not open to railpass holders, nor holders of tickets for regional trains or trains which are operated without any DB involvement at all such as Thalys, Nightjet or the Munich-Prague trains. Since December 2019, you also can't get in if you have a Sparpreis or Supersparpreis fare, only the most expensive 1st class full-flex Flexpreis tickets will get you into the DB Lounges.
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Austria: At Vienna Hauptbahnhof, Vienna Meidling, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, Klagenfurt. You can also use the lounges with any type of sleeper ticket, or with a 1st class Eurail or Interrail pass. Follow signs to ÖBB Lounge. Typically open 06:00-21:00, for details see www.oebb.at & search for ÖBB Lounge. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and snacks available and free WiFi. You can use the lounge for up to 90 minutes before or after your journey.
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Spain: At Madrid Atocha, Madrid Chamartin, Barcelona Sants, Malaga, Seville, Cordoba, Valencia, Alicante, Girona, Zaragoza, Valladolid and several other stations. Open to anyone with a Premium-fare comfort class ticket, or a 1st class ticket for an international AVE or TGV to France. Typically open from 06:00 to 22:00 every day. You can use them from 2 hours before your train leaves until departure. Tea, coffee, soft drinks, beer and snacks available. For details search www.renfe.com.
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Hungary: Budapest Keleti has a business lounge near platform 9, open 06:00-21:30 daily open for anyone with a 1st class international ticket to, from or via Budapest, or a single or double sleeper ticket, or a 1st class InterRail or Eurail pass with a reservation for a train that day.
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Czech Republic: CD (Czech Railways) has a lounge at Prague Hlavni with newspaper and free WiFi, but it's also open to 2nd class passengers with tickets for the higher categories of train such as EuroCity and SuperCity so it's more upmarket waiting room than 1st class lounge.
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Poland: PKP Intercity used to have poorly-advertised lounges at Warsaw Centralna & Krakow Glowny, but strangely closed them in 2014 due to lack of users.
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Denmark: DSB Danish Railways have DSB1 lounges for first class passengers at Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense. Open Monday-Friday only. Passengers with 1st class tickets for SJ trains to Stockholm or Intercity trains to Germany can also use it. For details search www.dsb.dk and use Google Translate.
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Sweden: SJ have a first class lounge at both Stockholm Central & Gothenburg Central open to all first class ticket holders It's open Monday-Friday only morning until mid-evening, for details see www.sj.se.
Lounges only open to certain first class ticket holders
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In France, Belgium & Italy there are first class lounges at major stations, but only for holders of full-price fully-flexible business-orientated first class tickets such as 1st class Pro fares in France and/or holders of certain frequent traveller loyalty cards. They cannot be used just by anyone with a 1st class ticket.
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If you are a 1st class passenger on Thalys and want to use the Grand Voyageur lounge at Paris Gare du Nord or the Thalys lounge at Brussels Midi with armchair seating and free drinks, you need get hold of a special Thalys card: Thalys trains operate the Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam and Paris-Brussels-Cologne high-speed routes. If you intend travelling on Thalys in 1st class, go to www.thalysthecard.com and apply online for a free Thalys TheCard before buying your Thalys ticket. Then buy your 1st class Thalys tickets at www.thalys.com using your TheCard number. Your actual card will only be sent to you by post after you make the first booking using your TheCard number. Then you can then access the Thalys lounge at Brussels Midi (located in the Couloir Sud) or Grand Voyageur lounge at Paris Gare du Nord by showing your Thalys Card and any 1st class Thalys ticket for that day.
Travelling overnight
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2-berth sleeper: A typical 2-berth sleeper, berths made up. |
The same sleeper, converted to a sitting room for evening/morning use. |
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Couchettes, 6-berth, with the bunks folded out. |
Couchettes, 4-berth: Much more room! |
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Sleeper trains are a very time-effective and romantic way to travel - although as each year goes by, they seem to get rarer. Huge distances can be covered while you sleep, using up less daytime time than flying and often saving a hotel bill too.
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Forget the terms 'first class' & 'second class', these are misleading on sleeper trains. On overnight trains, your comfort depends on whether you choose an ordinary seat, an economical couchette, or a comfortable bed in the sleeping-car. A 2nd class sleeper is more comfortable than a 1st class couchette! In fact, all accommodation on nightjet sleeper trains is now technically 2nd class, even a deluxe single-bed sleeper with shower!
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Incidentally, trains don't have sterns or bows or port or starboard. They also don't have cabins, as they are not a ship. The correct term is sleeper or couchette compartment.
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Click for sleeper & couchette car berth numbering plans, this answers the typical worry We have berths 21 & 25, are we in the same 2-berth compartment? Yes, you are!
...in a sleeping-car
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A sleeping-car is the equivalent of a hotel: A cosy bedroom, with comfortable beds, washbasin, and room service. For the daytime parts of a journey, the beds fold away to reveal a sofa. Sleepers come in 1, 2, 3 and (in a few cases) 4-berth varieties, depending on the route, whether you have a 1st or 2nd class ticket, and the price you want to pay. If you are travelling alone and don't want to pay for a 1st class single room, you can normally book just one berth in a 2 or 3-berth room and share with other passengers of the same sex (though this is not possible in Spanish preferente or gran classe sleepers). In addition to the normal lock, sleeper compartments have a security lock which cannot be opened from outside even with a staff key, so you'll be both safe and snug. The most modern sleepers now have CCTV in the corridor, too.
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A sleeper typically costs about €35-€45 in western Europe or €19-€35 in eastern Europe per person per night for one bed in a 3-berth compartment in addition to a 2nd class ticket or railpass. A berth in a 2-berth costs about €50-€75 per night in western Europe, €25-€45 in eastern Europe, plus either a 1st or 2nd class ticket or railpass depending on the route & operator. A single room costs around €70-€110 per night (€50-€70 in eastern Europe) plus either a 1st or 2nd class ticket or railpass depending on the route & operator. On most sleeper train routes, inclusive fares are charged, covering travel, sleeper & breakfast.
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For more detailed information about what to expect when travelling by sleeper, see the Travelling by Sleeping-car or Couchette page or the information about specific sleeper trains, including:
- Nightjet sleeper trains linking Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland.
...in a couchette
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A couchette is rail's answer to a youth hostel or 'pensione': Economical and comfortable, it's an ordinary seating compartment for six people by day, with fold-out padded bunks for 6 people by night, each with sheet, rug & pillow which you arrange yourself. Male and female passengers normally share the same compartment (although there are 'ladies only' compartments on most routes), and apart from removing shoes & jackets, passengers do not normally undress. A berth in a 6-berth couchette compartment costs around €20-€27 per berth per night, in addition to a 2nd class ticket or railpass. In addition to the normal lock, couchette compartments have a security lock which cannot be opened from outside, even with a staff key, so you'll be quite safe. On most routes you can pay a higher supplement (typically €30-€37) to travel in a less crowded 4-berth couchette compartment, which is well worth the extra cost. 1st class couchettes, with 4 berths per compartment, are rare, they pretty much only exist in on the few remaining French domestic overnight trains.
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There's more detailed information about what to expect when travelling by couchette on the Travelling by Couchette or Sleeping-car page. For more specific information, if your journey involves a nightjet, see the nightjet sleeper train page. If your journey involves a French domestic Intercité de Nuit overnight train, see the Intercités de Nuit page.
...in a seat
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Although it's the cheapest option, travelling overnight in an ordinary seat is a false economy and not recommended however tight your budget, either for comfort or security. There's no lock on the compartment door, and no staff on duty. Think of it as the equivalent (almost!) of sleeping in a shop doorway. Always budget for at least the couchette supplement for a comfortable night's journey. Some trains have reclining seats (French overnight trains and some Spanish overnight trains), but although better than a normal seat they still don't offer the flat bed and safely locked compartment of a couchette or sleeper.
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2-berth sleeper: A typical 2-berth sleeper, berths made up. |
The same sleeper, converted to a sitting room for evening/morning use. |
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Couchettes, 6-berth, with the bunks folded out. |
Couchettes, 4-berth: Much more room per passenger! |
How early to be at the station?
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It's easy to find your train. Just look at the departure boards or TV screens showing time, train number, destination & platform. If you can find your flight at an airport, you can find your train at a station. |
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Train formation display, showing where along the platform each car of a train will stop. This saves you running up and down looking for your car. You can be waiting in the right place when your train comes in! Above is a printed German version. Below is an electronic French railways version.
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Do you need to check in for a train? This often gets asked by overseas visitors unfamiliar with train travel, even if it's obvious to a European familiar with train travel.
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Generally speaking, there's no check-in for a train whatsoever. You simply walk off the street into the station, glance at the departure boards, walk to the relevant platform and step onto the train. It really is as simple as that.
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To spell it out, if a train is due to leave at 12:00, the doors may close at 11:59, and at 12:00 off it goes. If you are on board at 11:59, you go with it. If you're not, you get left behind.
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At most European railway stations there is no physical barrier at all between the street outside, the station concourse, the platforms and the train. So even if you weren't catching a train and didn't have a ticket, you could wander into the station, walk up to the train and peer in through the windows. Or indeed, step on board - many of the photos on this website were taken that way! A refreshing contrast to air travel.
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Tickets are generally only checked on board the train during the journey, not at the station. You'll generally only find ticket barriers or automatic ticket gates at suburban or metro-style stations.
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Obviously, this doesn't mean you should cut it fine. It's best allow plenty of time to get to the station and find your train. It may leave from a remote platform a minute or two's walk from the main concourse, for example.
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Don't expect a train to be ready for boarding three hours before it leaves. Even at the station where a train starts, the platform number might be posted only 20 minutes before departure - or for a local train, perhaps just 10 minutes before. So don't panic if the platform isn't shown half an hour before it leaves, just wait patiently until it comes up on the departure boards. This is perfectly normal.
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Top tip: At major stations you'll often find a display on each platform labelled composition des trains (French), Wagenreihungsplan or Wagenstandsanzeiger (German), see the photos on the right. It shows the formation of each train using that platform and where along the platform each car number will stop. For example, it might show that cars 1 & 2 stop in sector A, cars 3 & 4 in sector B, with the sectors marked by signs along the platform length. If you are reserved in a specific car, this helps you find the right place to wait along the platform, it saves you running up and down the platform looking for your car when the train comes in.
On international trains, is there passport control before boarding?
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No. On international trains, passport control generally takes place on board the train at the border station en route. That's if there is any passport control, of course, as these days many western European countries belong to the Schengen zone and there isn't any, other than spot checks. So there's no passport control when you board, and no passport control when you get off. If it's done at all, it's done at the border stop during the journey.
Eurostar is an exception, with a minimum 30 minute check-in
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A major exception to this is Eurostar, linking London with Paris & Brussels. Eurostar has a minimum 30 minute check-in so that passports and X-ray security checks can take place before boarding. When you arrive at your destination, you just walk off the platform into the station with no further checks. You'll find more information about checking in for Eurostar on the Eurostar page.
Spanish high-speed trains
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One other exception worth noting that in Spain there is a brief X-ray luggage scan before accessing the departure area for AVE, Alvia, Altaria and other high-speed trains. Tickets are then checked before boarding. This may all take only a few minutes, but it's best not to arrive 30 seconds before your train leaves!
How long to allow for connections?
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This gets asked a lot. I spend half my time reassuring people that a 10 minute connection into a frequent local train is fine, or that an 8-minute cross-platform interchange in Germany on a through ticket is fine, the other half of my time telling people to allow a whole hour not just a few minutes between an 700-mile sleeper train and an onward 500-mile daytime train on their epic trip right across Europe, especially where each train has its own train-specific ticket so missing the onward train may mean buying a new ticket.
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So I've attempted the impossible, combining sometimes seemingly-contradictory advice into one coherent section for newbie travellers covering all eventualities. Just remember I said attempted! Here it is, Train Connections 101...
It takes just minutes to change trains
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It physically takes just 90 seconds to step off one train, cross the platform and step onto another train. Or perhaps 2 minutes to step off one train, go down the steps or escalator into the station subway, walk a few metres across to another platform, go up onto that platform and step onto your next train. There is no check-in, and no physical barrier between stepping off one train and stepping onto another. So switching trains is usually quick and easy, it's not like changing planes.
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The real issue that determines how long you allow for a connection is not how long it takes you to walk from one train to the other - whether this takes 2 minutes 36 seconds or 3 minutes 24 seconds is a mere detail. It is all about risk management. How long you allow between trains depends on how likely the first train is to be late, and what the consequences are if you miss your connection.
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The chances of a European high-speed train being significantly late are relatively small. 95% of all Eurostars arrive on time or within 15 minutes, and typically, 85%-90% of European high-speed trains run on time or within 15 minutes. Far better than competing airlines. On the other hand, sleeper trains can run late, as can any and all trains in the Balkans, for example, so here you need to allow more time.
If your onward connection is a local unreserved train
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If you miss a local train, or any domestic train in Switzerland, Belgium or the Netherlands, you simply hop on the next one. No reservation is necessary on these trains and your ticket is valid on any departure. So in this case, allowing a few minutes for a connection is absolutely fine. If you miss it, you catch the next one.
Example: You're reserved on a high-speed Thalys train from Paris to Brussels and have 10 minutes to change onto a domestic InterCity train to Bruges. Is this enough? Yes, because if you miss the train to Bruges, there's another one 30 minutes later, no reservation is necessary and your ticket is valid on any train. Exactly the same advice would apply to catching (for example) a TGV-Lyria from Paris to Basel and changing there onto a Swiss domestic train to (say) Interlaken. Or catching an all-reserved high-speed train from Rome to Florence and changing onto a local train to Siena.
If your onward connection is a long-distance reserved train...
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If you're connecting into an all-reserved train with a cheap ticket that's only valid on that specific departure, you don't want to miss it. In this case I'd allow more time, perhaps half an hour.
Example: You're reserved on a Thalys high-speed train from Brussels to Paris and your ticket is only valid on this specific departure. There's an InterCity from Bruges arriving Brussels 10 minutes before the Thalys leaves. Is 10 minutes enough? Well, it's plenty of time to physically change onto the Thalys if the InterCity is on time. And if you're on a through ticket, you are entitled to be rebooked on a later Thalys if the InterCity is late and you miss the Thalys (as explained here). But is it really worth the hassle? Discretion is the better part of valour, and as your ticket will be valid on any train over the Bruges to Brussels section, I'd catch the previous train leaving 30 minutes earlier, giving you 40 minutes in Brussels to have a coffee and a stress-free connection. The same advice would apply to catching (for example) a Swiss domestic train from (say) Interlaken to Basel to connect with an all-reserved TGV-Lyria from Basel to Paris. Or taking a local train from Siena to Florence to connect with an all-reserved high-speed train to Rome.
If your onward connection is an overnight sleeper train, or part of an epic journey
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If you are connecting with a sleeper train that you cannot afford to miss, or making a connection that is part of a long series of inter-dependent connections right across Europe, I'd probably allow an hour or two between trains, sometimes more, and plan to have a meal or a coffee or beer.
Example 1: You're taking Eurostar & Thalys to Cologne to connect with the sleeper to Vienna. Online journey planners suggest interchange times of as little as 15 minutes. Is this enough? In theory perhaps, but as you don't want to miss that sleeper, I'd allow far more time, say 60-90 minutes at least, and have dinner in Cologne.
Example 2: You use the journey planner at bahn.de to plan an epic journey across Europe from Paris to Istanbul. The system won't sell you a ticket, but comes up with train times involving a split-second 8-minute connection in Munich, a 10-minute connection in Budapest, and a 20-minute connection in Bucharest. Is this realistic? No, certainly not. In this case, the computer is only allowing the same minimal times between trains it would allow for any trivial short journey, and is not building in an allowance for delay like a savvy traveller would if he worked out an itinerary manually for such an epic trip. In this case, I'd make sure that my journey plan was far more robust by allowing an hour or two hours between trains at major cities, possibly more, so that any unforeseen delay on one leg did not jeopardise the rest of the trip.
If you are connecting out of an overnight sleeper train
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To be on the safe side, I'd allow for a long-distance overnight sleeper train to arrive up to an hour late. In the Balkans I'd expect the Istanbul to Bucharest train to be at least an hour late, probably more. So allow for this when planning onward connections.
Example You're catching the Cologne-Munich sleeper train, due to arrive in Munich at 07:10. There are onward connections to Salzburg at 07:25 and 09:30, both with cheap fares available which are only valid on whichever specific train you choose. Online systems and the European Rail Timetable blindly suggest the 07:25. But is this a safe connection? Frankly no, it isn't. Even this excellent sleeper train can arrive 10, 20 or 40 minutes late, and it pays to be on the safe side. In this case I'd recommend booking the 09:30 and having a leisurely breakfast in Munich.
However, there are exceptions to this advice. You can buy a through ticket from Cologne to Salzburg covering this sleeper to Munich and the tight connection with the 07:25 to Salzburg all on one ticket. In this case, I might go with it, because with a through ticket you're definitely covered by CIV international conditions of carriage and will be able to take a later train if there's a delay and you miss the 07:25. Which you will, on a significant proportion of occasions. But in this case it would be no big deal.
Do you have a through ticket, or separate tickets?
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The consequences of a missed connection are much less if you have a through ticket (one ticket covering both trains) rather than two separate tickets. If you have a through ticket, and the online system has booked you a tight connection, that's absolutely fine. The system won't have booked you a connection that isn't physically possible, and with a through ticket you're definitely covered by the CIV international conditions of carriage if you miss a connection through no fault of your own due to a train delay. The CIV entitle you to be rebooked on a later onward train at no extra charge. If you have two separate tickets, it's a grey area, although if both trains are operated by companies who are members of the Railteam Alliance, the Railteam Promise may apply and you can get your ticket stamped and hop on a later train. You'll find an explanation of CIV and the Railteam Promise, and the AJC agreement for when connections are missed, in the When things go wrong section below.
Example: You're booking an inter-city journey across Germany on the German Railways website bahn.de from (say) Hamburg to Nuremburg or Amsterdam to Heidelberg. You're seeing an excellent €49 fare, but this includes an 8-minute change of trains at a station en route. Is it safe to book this? Yes, this is absolutely fine. It wouldn't sell a ticket if the connection wasn't reasonable, and you're buying a through ticket so if there's a delay and you miss this connection, you're entitled to take a later onward train as explained below. So you're covered!
Recommended connection times when changing stations in Paris
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The recommended times to allow for connections involving a change of trains and stations in Paris, for example between Eurostar from London and an onward train from Paris, are shown on the How to cross Paris by metro or taxi page.
Travel tips
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When changing in Brussels out of Eurostar onto an onward train, there's a useful short cut which can save several minutes, see the advice here.
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When booking or planning a journey at the German Railways website www.bahn.de, you can use the advanced options to change 'Duration of transfers standard' to greater amounts of time up to 45 minutes.
What happens if you miss a connection?
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All is not lost! You may well be entitled to be re-booked on a later train, even with a non-changeable ticket. All is explained in the When things go wrong section below.
If things go wrong...
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High-speed trains in western Europe typically exceed 90% on time or within 15 minutes, whilst competing short-haul airlines struggle to reach 68%-78%. Over the years I've travelled back from Croatia to London by train whilst volcanic ash grounded all flights for a week, I've taken the ferry to the Netherlands for Christmas spot on time with our in-cabin TV showing endless news about Heathrow's closure due to snow, I have travelled to Seville in Spain by train and got there ahead of airline passengers who found Heathrow closed for several days due to fog. The most usual feedback I get is that people's trips around Europe by train all worked like clockwork, until they got back to London and their train home was 45 minutes late!
Things do occasionally go wrong, so here's what you should know
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Plan realistic connections to start with.
Changing trains usually only takes a minute or two to, but you need to (1) allow for possible delays to the first train, and (2) consider the consequences of missing your onward train. The connections I suggest on this site take this into account.
For example, if you miss a Swiss domestic train it's no big deal as you can simply hop on the next one half an hour later. But if you miss a sleeper train then you're stuffed, so a sensible traveller will allow more time to be on the safe side, perhaps an hour or more.
Ticketing is a significant factor: A 10 minute connection for an onward train is fine if you have an open ticket equally valid on later trains. But many cheap long-distance tickets are train-specific, and in principle if you miss the train your ticket becomes worthless - so the consequences of missing the onward train are much greater and you should allow longer. On the other hand, on a through ticket you're legally covered for delays and missed connections even with train-specific tickets, so if you had a through ticket from Cologne to Copenhagen bought from DB for example, a 10-minute connection in Hamburg isn't such a big risk, you'll be looked after. Which brings me to the next point...
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Be aware of your rights if connections are missed.
With a through ticket the international conditions of carriage (CIV) give you a cast-iron legal entitlement to travel on by later trains if a delay means a missed connection, so tight connections aren't necessarily a problem.
But these days you often get separate tickets for each train and that protection only applies to connections within each ticket, not between tickets.
Fortunately, rail staff will usually help you out, and connections between different operators on separate tickets may be covered by RailTeam/HOTNAT or the Agreement for Journey Continuation (AJC) as explained below.
These arrangements, they usually mean you can continue by a later train if the worst happens and you miss a connection, even with train-specific cheap tickets. So don't rush to buy new tickets if you miss a train, ask first!
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Take out travel insurance - but don't expect it to bail you out of missed connections.
Many rail tickets are non-refundable. If you or a close relative falls ill and you have to cancel your trip, you'll usually be able to claim the lost money through your travel insurance. However, few if any travel insurers understand multi-leg overland travel, so don't expect them to cover missed connections. Some insurers have a strange clause that only covers problems with the first direct leg from the UK, meaning you're only covered for major delays or cancellations as far as Paris or Brussels! I have yet to find an insurer who offers overland travel insurance which covers the knock-on effects of major delays, strikes or cancellations to any part of your route. There's a gap in the market here!
If you miss a connection...
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If you miss a connection, don't panic!
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Step 1, get your ticket endorsed by staff on the delayed train or at the interchange station.
If you are on a delayed Eurostar and you realise you are going to miss your onward connection, Eurostar train managers carry a HOTNAT / CIV stamp and will endorse your ticket. If there's a significant delay, Eurostar train managers may walk through the train helping people with connections, or may announce that they are available to help in a particular car of the train. Similarly, staff on other European trains can usually endorse or stamp your ticket if the train is delayed.
Tip: If crossing Paris by metro, buy your metro ticket in the Eurostar cafe-bar car, this saves vital minutes in Paris and you might still make the connection.
Alternatively, if you arrive at the interchange station and find you have missed your connection, ask station staff to stamp or endorse your ticket. Look for the information desk as this can be quicker than queuing at the ticket office. If you miss a connection in Brussels, go to the SNCB international ticket office, do not ask Thalys staff, see the advice here.
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Step 2, approach staff of the operator of the onward train. This might mean at the station information desk, or perhaps the train manager of the next onward train once it is platformed. Explain the situation politely, show your tickets and ask for help.
It's good to be aware of your rights under the international conditions of carriage or CIV as well as its limitations, and of the HOTNAT or AJC arrangements between operators to help passengers who have missed connections.
It should not be necessary to buy new onward tickets, except as a last resort. My advice is never to buy any new tickets until you have talked to staff working for the onward train operator. For example, one traveller from Berlin to London was told by DB in Berlin that she'd need to buy new Eurostar tickets as disruption meant she wouldn't make her booked Eurostar. No! Travel to Brussels and ask Eurostar staff for help. And if the first staff you talk to won't help, try other staff who may be better trained - or ask to see the station manager.
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An example... I'm travelling from London to Bordeaux, but my Eurostar is running 40 minutes late and I risk missing my onward connection in Paris. Naturally, I've got a non-changeable non-refundable ticket! An announcement is made that the train manager will be in the bar car to help passengers with connections. He stamps my ticket and tells me to go to the ticket office at Paris Montparnasse to get myself rebooked on a later train. In the event, I buy a metro ticket from the Eurostar cafe-bar to save time queuing at the metro ticket office (top tip!), I walk to the front of the train as we approach Paris so can get off quickly, I allowed a little more than the recommended minimum 60 minutes to cross Paris in any case, and I make my connection comfortably!
If you miss a Eurostar due to a delayed train
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Eurostar have always been pretty good about re-booking people on later Eurostars from Paris or Brussels back to London, free of charge, if (for example) a train from Italy has been seriously delayed arriving in Paris. Eurostar are also very good about rebooking people on a later Eurostar from London if their UK train has been delayed into London. But you should allow plenty of connectional time in the first place.
If you miss a connection in Brussels
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If you miss a connection in Brussels between Eurostar and an onward ICE or Thalys to Amsterdam, Cologne or Frankfurt for example, don't worry. Simply go to the SNCB (Belgian railways) international booking centre, off the main concourse below the tracks, next to the entrance to the Eurostar terminal between platforms 3 & 2.
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There's a queuing system, press the Railteam button which I believe gives you priority. Explain the situation and ask for the Railteam stamp on your ticket that allows you to hop on the next train. It shouldn't matter whether the next train is an ICE or Thalys, both are members of Railteam. Do not talk to Thalys staff, as there have been reports of them not being properly trained in CIV & Railteam Promise and incorrectly telling people that they need to buy another ticket. You don't!
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Once you have the Railteam stamp, you can board the next train and show the ticket and stamp to the conductor. Naturally, you may have to use the tip-up seats in the entrance vestibules on the Thalys if it's full, but it's not a long journey. Feedback is always appreciated! If your onward travel is by InterCity train to domestic Belgian destinations or to Luxembourg or the Netherlands via Roosendaal, you'd just get on the next train, no other action necessary as your ticket is valid on any train in any case.
Your rights: CIV conditions of carriage
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All European international train tickets are issued subject to the CIV international conditions of carriage see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIV_(rail_travel), you'll see the letters CIV printed in a corner of the ticket.
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Missed connection protection
Amongst other things, the CIV say that if you miss a connection due to a train delay, you are entitled to be carried forward by the next available onward train, even if your ticket is only valid on the train you've missed and theoretically non-changeable. It doesn't matter who operates which train, this applies whether the trains concerned are operated by the same or different train companies. And in theory, if you miss a last train, you are entitled to be given a hotel room for the night.
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But a major loophole means this missed connection protection may not cover you
Fortunately, most operators honour the CIV in practice and will generally let you travel onwards on a later train if there's a delay and missed connection. But especially when they are pushed into a corner and (for example) asked to pay for a hotel or asked to refund money that you paid off your own bat for new onward rail tickets without asking to be re-booked free of charge, they may claim that the CIV only applies to 'through tickets', i.e. connections missed within a single contract for transportation. Legally they are right, until or unless the EU change the rules to properly protect passengers making through journeys on two or more separate tickets.
So you'd definitely be covered if you bought a London to Berlin Sparpreis London ticket (which German Railways used to sell, but which from March 2020 no longer exists) and missed the connection in Brussels, as this is one ticket so one contract for transportation. But if you bought a London-Brussels ticket at eurostar.com and a separate Brussels-Cologne ticket at Thalys.com then missed your connection in Brussels because the Eurostar was late, that's two tickets and two contracts for transportation, and CIV doesn't cover you for missed connections between these two trains/operators/tickets/contracts (but Railteam/HOTNAT still does, see the next section...)
Even if you bought both tickets together in what looked like one transaction at a retailer's site such as raileurope.com or Thetrainline.com, this is still technically two contracts for transportation, one with each train operator, with the retailer merely acting as agent for each, and you still wouldn't be covered by CIV.
The CIV were written when through tickets existed for almost all journeys and were the norm, the current fragmentation of the rail industry means people must now make through journeys on separate tickets, and frankly the CIV are no longer fit for purpose.
However, two further provisions may still help you if you are making a through journey on separate tickets and miss a connection due to a delay, the Railteam Promise and Agreement for Journey Continuation.
Railteam & HOTNAT
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There's an alliance of high-speed train operators called Railteam, www.railteam.eu. If you miss a connection between any two high-speed trains run by Railteam members at any designated Railteam hub station, you will be allowed to hop on the next onward train to your destination, without needing to change your ticket, sitting in any available seat. It's called HOTNAT, Hop On The Next Available Train. See www.railteam.eu.
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The Railteam Alliance members are Eurostar, Thalys, SNCF (French Railways), DB (German Railways), SNCB (Belgian Railways), NS (Dutch Railways), SBB (Swiss Railways) and ÖBB (Austrian Railways).
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The Railteam hub stations include Lille Europe, Brussels Midi, Frankfurt (Main) Hbf and the principal Paris termini (even if your connection involves changing stations in Paris).
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Travellers can take the next high-speed service leaving from the same station as originally planned when a delay or cancellation affecting a preceding Railteam member’s high-speed service prevents them from making their originally-planned connection, subject to the following conditions:
The connection that was missed must be between two high-speed trains of Railteam Alliance members. HOTNAT only applies at the station at which the passenger originally planned to change trains. The approval of HOTNAT is subject to the available capacity on board each train and seats are not guaranteed. It's worth remembering that German intercity (IC) trains and French Intercités are not covered as these are not high-speed trains, even though they are run by Railteam members and even if you're connecting at a Railteam hub station. Note that Trenitalia & Renfe (for example) are not Railteam members.
Agreement on Journey Continuation (AJC)
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In July 2017, 14 national rail operators signed an agreement which means in the event of a delay and missed connection, they will allow you to travel onwards by a later train at no charge even if you have separate tickets for each train and those trains are run by different operators, as long as both operators are signatories to the agreement.
In other words, these operators agree to apply the CIV missed connection protection even between separate contracts for transportation.
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The signatories to the AJC are:
SNCF (French Railways), DB (German Railways), ÖBB (Austrian Railways), Trenitalia (Italian Railways), Renfe (Spanish Railways), SBB (Swiss Federal Railways), BLS (Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon Railway), CD (Czech Railways), SNCB (Belgian Railways), NS (Dutch Railways), CFL (Luxembourg Railways), DSB (Danish Railways), SJ (Swedish Railways), SZ (Slovenian Railways), ZSSK (Slovakian Railways).
Eurostar & Thalys aren't signatories even though they are wholly-owned subsidiaries of an operator who has signed the AJC.
However, I have been told (but cannot confirm) that Eurostar have agreed to apply the AJC even though they are not a signatory.
The AJC also doesn't currently cover open-access operators such as Italo, Westbahn, Regiojet, Leo Express.
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You have to be making an international journey, not a purely domestic one. Both trains have to be run by signatories to the agreement. You must have allowed reasonable period of time between trains, meaning at least the minimum applied by official journey planners. You may need to get proof of the delay from the delayed operator (which they are obliged to give you). Onward travel has to be on the same operator on the same route. It is either the station staff or the train manager for the onward train you gives you permission, you should ask at the interchange station.
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Remember that AJC is a commercial agreement between operators, not a passenger right you can claim, so politely remind staff about it if they don't seem to know.
A traveller's report
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A traveller reports: "I got to my local station and there were no trains going anywhere! There had been an emergency that stopped all trains for half an hour or so in the early morning rush hour, just when I needed to get to London for the 8.30am Eurostar to Paris and TGV down to Toulon, with train-specific tickets all the way. So what do you do? I just went to the ticket office when I reached London - they had the emergency flagged up on their computer screens and just wrote me a docket/stamped and signed it and on I went. At St Pancras, I did the same - went to the Eurostar ticket office and they stamped the unused tickets, issued new ones and off I went. At Gare de Lyon, I went to the ticket office, showed them all the dockets, stamped, stapled and initialled tickets and again they just issued me a ticket for the next train."
Holidays & tours by train
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If you want a holiday to Europe by train, but want someone else to organise all the train tickets & hotels for you with no hassle, several good specialist companies do just that. Railbookers offer custom-made individual holidays with departure on any date you like and an itinerary adjusted to suit your requirements, whereas Rail Discoveries & Great Rail Journeys offer escorted tours with specific departure dates and you travel in company with a group of like-minded travellers and a professional tour manager. Either way, you get a stress-free holiday to Italy, Switzerland, Spain, France, eastern Europe or even Morocco overland by train, with regular departures from London by Eurostar, no flying, no airport hassles and no whole days spent in cramped coach seats on motorways.
Railbookers,
railbookers.co.uk
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Railbookers can custom-make a holiday or short break by train to most European countries for you, with train travel & carefully-chosen hotels, for however long you like, leaving on any date you like. If you tell them what you want, they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you. They look after their customers well and get a lot of repeat business, so I've no hesitation in recommending them.
UK call 0207 864 4600,
www.railbookers.co.uk.
US call free 1-888-829-4775,
see
website.
Canada call free 1-855-882-2910,
see website.
Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526,
see website.
New Zealand call 0800 000 554 or
see
website.
Rail Discoveries,
raildiscoveries.com,
01904 730 727
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Rail Discoveries run escorted group tours to a number of European countries, with 3* or 2* hotels and overland travel from the UK by Eurostar and high-speed TGV. Popular tours include:
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9-day tour from London to Bologna, Florence, Venice & Rome, by train from London from around £795 per person
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8-day tour combining Mont Blanc with the fantastic Glacier Express across Switzerland, by train from London from around £695
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10-day tour to Vienna, Prague & Berlin, by train from London from around £795.
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6-day Rhine cruise from around £615, by train from London.
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See www.raildiscoveries.com for more options...
Great Rail
Journeys,
greatrail.com,
01904 527120
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Great Rail Journeys runs five-star inclusive escorted tours from the UK to many European countries, with 1st class train travel and 5* or 4* hotels. Check the tour details online, then call 01904 527120 to book or use their online booking form. Tours include:
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14-day Grand Tour of Italy with travel by train from London to Florence, Venice & Rome, from £2,195;
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Bay of Naples, Capri & Amalfi with travel by train from London, from around £1,795;
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Switzerland & the amazing Glacier Express with travel by train from London, from around £1,280;
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Vienna, Budapest & Prague by train from London, from around £1,750;
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Marrakech Express, a remarkable 5* tour from London to Madrid, Seville, Tangier & Morocco overland by train from around £2,395;
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Train + cruise from London to Rome, Naples, Athens, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Alexandra, Cairo, by train & Princess Cruises, from around £2,350;
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See www.greatrail.com for more options...
Guidebooks
There are several good guidebooks specifically
to help you travel by train to and around Europe. My own book revised in 2010 is now
too long in the tooth, but there are two
newer books I'd recommend.
Flight Free Europe, packed
with ideas for short breaks & longer holidays in Europe by train rather than
air (it even includes a picture of yours truly in a text box about seat61.com a
few pages in, but don't let that put you off!).
Europe by Rail
combines city guides with train information for train-based tours of Europe.
General country guidebooks
People sometimes think a guidebook is an unnecessary expense, but it's a tiny fraction of what you're spending on your whole trip. You will see and understand so much more 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!
Click the images to buy at Amazon.co.uk or buy in the USA at Amazon.com...
Hotels in Europe
Other hotel sites worth trying...
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www.tripadvisor.com is a huge resource, a good place to browse independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.
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www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system (Hotels Combined being a search/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!).
Hotels near Paris Gare du Nord & other Paris stations...
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Hotels near the Gare du Nord with good reviews: Libertel Gare du Nord Suede (5 min walk from Gare du Nord, 2-star), 25 Hours Terminus Nord (formerly the Mercure Terminus Nord, now refurbished in a decidedly funky style, 3-star, directly across the road from the station); Art Hotel (3-star); Avalon Hotel (2-star); Hotel Cambrai (5 min walk from Gare du Nord, 1-star).
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Hotels near the Gare de 'Est with good reviews: Libertel Gare de l'Est Français (opposite the station, 3-star); Libertel Gare du Nord Suede (350m from the Gare de l'Est, 2-star); OKKO Hotels Paris Gare de l'Est (2-star).
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Hotels near the Gare de Lyon with good reviews: Hotel Terminus Lyon (right in front of the station, 3-star); Mercure Paris Gare de Lyon (on the station itself, 4-star); Novotel Paris Gare de Lyon (opposite the station, 4-star); Mistral Hotel (800m from Gare de Lyon, 1-star); Hotel 26 Faubourg (5 min walk from Gare de Lyon, 2-star);
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Hotels near the Gare Montparnasse with good reviews: Mercure Paris Gare Montparnasse (150m from the Gare Montparnasse, 4-star); Best Western Sevres Montparnasse (15 minute walk to Gare Montparnasse, 3-star); La Maison Montparnasse (10 min walk from station, 2-star); Hotel du Maine (5 min walk from station, 2-star).
Backpacker hostels...
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www.hostelworld.com: If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about the backpacker hostels. Hostelworld offers online booking of dorm beds or ultra-cheap private rooms in backpacker hostels in most European cities at rock-bottom prices.
Car hire
Compare
50 different car hire companies:
www.carrentals.co.uk
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The award-winning website www.carrentals.co.uk compares many different car hire companies including Holiday Autos, meaning not only a cheapest price comparison but a wider choice of hire and drop off location.
Travel insurance & other tips
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Always take out travel insurance
You should take out travel insurance with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover from a reliable insurer. It should cover trip cancellation and loss of cash & belongings up to a reasonable limit. These days, check you're covered for covid-19-related issues, and use an insurer whose cover isn't invalidated by well-meant but excessive Foreign Office travel advice against non-essential travel. An annual policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself. Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, see the advice on missed connections here. Here are some suggested insurers, I get a little commission if you buy through these links, feedback always welcome.
www.staysure.co.uk
offers enhanced Covid-19 protection and gets 4.7 out of 5 on
Trustpilot.
www.columbusdirect.com is also a well-know brand.
If you live in the USA try
Travel Guard USA.
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Get an eSIM with mobile data package for Europe
Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for Europe and stay connected. Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list. Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data.
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Get a Curve card for foreign travel
Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top. A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month as I write this. The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards. And you can get a Curve card for free.
How it works: 1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android. 2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses. 3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card. 4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app. You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.
I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader. The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than getting a card out). I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great. See details, download the app and get a Curve card, they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.
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Get a VPN for safe browsing. VPNs & why you need one explained
When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure. A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi. It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply. See VPNs & why you need one explained. ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription. I get a small commission to help support this site.
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Always carry an Anker powerbank
Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged. I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet. Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from Buy from Amazon.com.
Touring cities & museums? Use hill walking shoes!
One of the best things I've done is swap my normal shoes for hill-walking shoes, in my case from Scarpa. They're intended for hiking across the Pennines not wandering around Florence, but the support and cushioning for hiking works equally well when you're on your feet all day exploring foreign cities. My feet used to give out first and limit my day, now the rest of me gives up before they do!