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Train & Rail Tours & Trips in Europe

Explore Europe with a train adventure that will take through world-renowned locations such as France (Paris), Italy (Rome, Venice and Florence) or the beautiful city of Prague. If you feel like going even further, Spain (Barcelona and Madrid) are a great choice. While you're in Europe, don't miss out on London and discover everything it can offer.

105 Train & Rail tour packages in Europe with 629 positive reviews

Venice, Florence, Rome: essential (3* hotels) low carbon tour by train Tour

  • Train & Rail
  • Christmas & New Year

Venice, Florence, Rome: essential (3* hotels) low carbon tour by train

The tour is very well planned, the choice of hotels was always very close to the Train Terminals. The hotels were perfect for young adults who were traveling by them selves: clean, quiet, centric, and close from the main tourist attractions but enough to be quiet and in a not so expensive and safe zone. Mestre was one train station away from Venice, Florence a 200 meters walk from the Arno, Rome 200 meters away from the main bus and train station. A minor issue was solved by Francesco in a mater of minutes. Will definitely travel with them again when we come back to Italy. El recorrido está muy bien planificado, la elección de los hoteles siempre fue muy cerca de las Terminales de Trenes. Los hoteles eran perfectos para adultos jóvenes que viajaban solos: limpios, tranquilos, céntricos y cerca de las principales atracciones turísticas pero lo suficientemente tranquilos y en una zona segura y no tan cara. Mestre estaba a una estación de tren de Venecia, Florencia a 200 metros a pie del Arno, Roma a 200 metros de la estación principal de autobuses y trenes. Francesco resolvió un problema menor en cuestión de minutos. Definitivamente viajaremos con ellos nuevamente cuando regresemos a Italia.
  • 10% deposit on some dates Some departure dates offer you the chance to book this tour with a lower deposit.

Glacier Express & Porsche 911 Rail & Drive Experience Tour

Glacier Express & Porsche 911 Rail & Drive Experience

Berlin to Venice (15 Days) (including Salzburg) Tour

  • Sightseeing

Berlin to Venice (15 Days) (including Salzburg)

Mediterranean Express: Rivieras & Railroads Tour

  • Active Adventure

Mediterranean Express: Rivieras & Railroads

Hey is anyone going on the Mediterranean Express trip on 8th September, looking to get to know my fellow travellers a little before I arrive! :)

Paris to Barcelona: Tapas & Train Rides Tour

Paris to Barcelona: Tapas & Train Rides

Central Europe Group Rail Tour (18-35) Tour

Central Europe Group Rail Tour (18-35)

I am so happy I took this trip! I love that there is a planned activity in each city but you also get free days to explore on your own or with new friends. Every city was stunning and I met some great people as well. The thing that made me want to leave a review the most was honesty our tour leader , Cristina was a delight and a perfect balance for our group. She made this trip more memorable then I could have imagined and had great tips for each city too!!!!! Truly an unforgettable experience I would highly recommend. I wish I did the whole Europe tour instead of just central Europe.

Whole of Europe Group Rail Tour (18-35) Tour

Whole of Europe Group Rail Tour (18-35)

I have just returned from the whole of Europe tour trip and honestly it was one of the most amazing experiences ever!!! This trip has really helped boost my confidence in solo travelling in the future. I have made some lovely new friends and made many memories in each city we visited. Our tour guide Tom was very professional, lovely and great to have a laugh with! The tour was extremely well organised and definitely worth the money.

Berlin to Rome Tour

  • In-depth Cultural

Berlin to Rome

Overal a great experience, the guides ensure you have an authentic experience and take care of the difficult parts of traveling. It's a long trip and designed for those wanting to see much of central Europe in a short amount of time. I have taken away many good memories with the people I travelled with, and have formed a deeper understanding of western art, history and culture. Highly recommend.

Contrasts of Switzerland (8 Days) Tour

Contrasts of Switzerland (8 Days)

Emmo was amazing!!!!
  • €100 deposit on some dates Some departure dates offer you the chance to book this tour with a lower deposit.

Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre & Venice in 7 Days Tour

Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre & Venice in 7 Days

It's been an experience of a lifetime for me! Met so many beautiful people and made many great memories! Our tour leaders/guides were beyond amazing! Big thanks to all of you - Emma and Dimitri (Amalfi Coast), Elisabetta (Buongiorno Italia) and Francesca (Cinque Terre & Pisa)! Everyone was super friendly, caring, fun, and helpful!

Italy By Train Tour

Italy By Train

One caveat: This tour was everything we wanted which was flexibility! The company had everything lined up and ready to go. Hotels selected worked out well and were tidy and clean. They were what we expected and in safe locations. As everything was going so smoothly we put our trust into the company. At one point we did need to call them as the trains were to go onto a strike the next day! But Tourradar stepped in, made sure that our rides were not affected and we were provided new tickets early that morning! We became so trusting of Tourradar that when we saw at the close of our trip that the time entourage to the airport was extremely limited, we believed this was due in case to the close proximity the hotel location they had selected for us in Rome was a short drive. Unfortunately that morning when the driver they had engaged to pick us up was 1/2 hour late, we were horrified to realize that Tourradar had only allots us two hours to drive 45 minutes to the airport, get through customs, get through security, check our bags and get on our flight! When we complained to the driver that he was late,he disagreeably grunted that we had plenty of time and then proceeded to drive at a very unsafe speed. He had driven the 45 minutenylroitn

London to Istanbul Rail Adventure Tour

London to Istanbul Rail Adventure

London to Istanbul Rail Adventure + Cappadocia Extension Tour

London to Istanbul Rail Adventure + Cappadocia Extension

Train tours Italy: Venice, Florence, Rome, Sorrento by train Tour

Train tours Italy: Venice, Florence, Rome, Sorrento by train

Our tour guide, Constantino, was great. There was not as much free time as the literature led you to believe. I missed seeing Michaelangelo’s David because of a schedule change. The only four star hotel was in Venice. Hotel in Sorrento the bathroom was soooo outdated and not safe. Hospitality staff at hotels were very gracious. Both Florence and Pompeii guides were outstanding but guide for Vatican was terrible. Too long in Venice, not long enough in Florence

London to Budapest by Train (Summer, 15 Days) Tour

London to Budapest by Train (Summer, 15 Days)

Reviews of train & rail tours in europe.

We were happy with the arrangement put in place by Tourradar. Great help.

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International Versions

  • Deutsch: Europa Zugreisen
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  • Español: Tren y ferrocarril Circuitos en Europa
  • Nederlands: Trein & spoor Rondreizen in Europa

Planning a rail trip around Europe? Use Eurail Planner to plan your route, book accommodation, and more!

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A Guide to the Eurail Pass: What to Know About Train Travel in Europe

By Blane Bachelor

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In the not-so-distant past, if you were a 20-something traveling around Europe , there’s a good chance your journey relied on a hefty backpack and a Eurail pass .

The pass, which has been around for 60 years, enables rail travel in 33 European countries and remains a popular choice among backpackers and beyond. The offering has evolved significantly since launching in 1959, expanding from 13 initial countries and, as of 2020, going digital, eliminating the need for pesky paper tickets. Other recent upgrades include a simplified pricing structure and more discounts for youth and senior fares.

On the flip side, critics say Eurail passes have lost some of their luster because of increasing restrictions and additional fees in recent years, as well as competition from budget airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet. Even so, it’s hard to beat the convenience and flexibility of a single-purchase rail pass—and arguably the most iconic way to journey throughout Europe, from Finland to Portugal to Turkey.

“It’s a classic way to get around Europe—it’s phenomenal,” says Mike Fuller, owner of ItaliaRail.com , a U.S.-based site that sells Italian train tickets and is expected to soon offer Eurail passes. “There is a renaissance in rail travel among North Americans going to Europe.”

Considering a pass for your next European adventure? Here’s what to know before getting on board.

How do Eurail passes work?

First off: Eurail itself is not an operator. It’s a specific type of rail pass that enables international passengers to travel on national and regional rail carriers operating throughout Europe (its counterpart, Interrail , is available for European citizens and residents). Under a newer, more simplified pricing system, passengers can now choose between a Global Pass and a One-Country Pass .

With the Global Pass, options are based on train travel days within a certain amount of time, starting at four days within a one-month window for $216 (the most popular choice, starting at $473, offers 10 travel days within two months). On each travel day, pass holders can ride as many trains as they want from midnight to midnight. Be aware there are booking fees associated with each ride—more on that below.  

A One-Country pass, meanwhile, offers travel within one country or a particular region (like Benelux, covering Belgium, the Netherlands , and Luxembourg, or Scandinavia ). Options range from three to eight travel days within one month, with prices starting at $150 for Italy, one of the most popular destinations.

Eurail’s mobile pass and rail planner app have further simplified planning and logistics. The mobile pass is delivered straight to your inbox after purchase—no more waiting on a paper ticket in the mail or filling out a “travel diary” en route. Instead, passengers upload the mobile pass into the route planner app while connected to Wi-Fi and organize their trips from there. Once on board, inspectors validate the pass by scanning the barcode in the app.

Those digital enhancements have been increasingly popular, especially for U.S.-based travelers, according to Yi Ding, Eurail's business and growth manager. Ding says the features have added an extra layer of flexibility and convenience for passengers, many of whom now plan trips a few weeks in advance instead of months—one of several pandemic-fueled shifts in buying patterns. “We’re happy to really see that more than 90 percent of American travelers actually use the mobile pass instead of a paper pass to travel around Europe,” Ding says. 

How do you score the best deal?

Calculating the savings from a pass—and whether it’s worth it to buy one in the first place—can be a complex task involving a breakdown of your itinerary, estimated days of travel, comparing prices with point-to-point tickets, and other factors.

If you have an idea of how many cities and countries you want to visit over a certain number of days, you can price your options both ways—via a rail pass and then point-to-point tickets. Check out Eurail’s handy trip planning feature , which provides suggestions for the best type of pass for your itinerary. You can then see how those fares stack up against the cost of point-to-point tickets via individual countries’ rail operators or comparison sites like Omio.com .

Also consider how much flexibility you need: Do you want the option, for example, to tack on a side trip based on a recommendation you picked up en route, or a more firm itinerary based on a transfer to a nonrefundable flight deal you scored? Generally speaking, “if your travel plans are firm and dates are fixed, you don't necessarily need a pass,” says Mark Smith, founder of The Man in Seat 61 , a website specializing in rail travel. “But if you want the freedom of waking up in the morning, and saying, ‘We’re in Berlin , should we go to Amsterdam or Warsaw?’, you don’t get that freedom with advance purchase tickets.”

For some travelers, Smith suggests a “mix-and-match” approach. “Instead of buying, for example, a 10-days-in-2-months pass to cover eight or nine planned journeys, it can be cheaper to buy a 7-days-in-2-months pass plus a normal ticket for a day when you're only doing a short local hop such as Florence to Pisa, or a cheap advance-purchase ticket for a journey at the start of your trip that you know you plan to make,” he explains.

Finally, keep in mind that the convenience of a pass can offer significant non-monetary value, especially for longer journeys across one (or more) different countries. Buying point-to-point tickets often means navigating unfamiliar booking systems in various languages (and on websites that may have trouble with U.S. credit cards). And because different carriers have different booking platforms, that can mean multiple tickets for a single trip. If you’re not up for those extra steps, a pass is a good fit.

What about hidden costs?

Reservation fees , which are not included in the cost of the Eurail pass, can take some travelers by surprise. Even with the DIY option of self-service through the mobile app, you’ll pay a booking fee of €2 Euros per traveler per trip, plus a domestic train reservation fee , which varies per country and train type (night and high-speed trains, not surprisingly, are more expensive and almost universally require advance booking).

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According to Eurail’s website, reservations average €10 for high-speed trains and €15 for international, but for the most popular routes in Western Europe, fees on certain routes—Paris to Basel, for example, can go as high as €68 (approximately $79).

Smith has a simple rule of thumb for getting a sense of pricier routes. “Draw a line right down the middle of Europe,” he notes. “To the left of that line, countries like France, Italy, and Spain are pass-unfriendly. To the right of that line, Switzerland, Benelux, Denmark , Germany, Austria and points east are pass-friendly. You generally don’t incur extra costs, and in most cases there are no reservations required.”

What about extra pass perks and discounts?

Among Eurail’s most well-known deals is its youth pass , which, as of 2019, is now available for travelers up to 28 years old. Seniors 60 and older, meanwhile, receive a 10 percent discount , while two kids up to 11 years old travel for free under an adult ticket.

Don’t forget about other discounts, either, from ferries to local trains to hotels—all of which can add up to significant savings. (In fact, the Greek Islands Pass was updated in 2019 to include ferry service to 53 islands—up from 28—making it an excellent choice for that island-hopping adventure on many a travel bucket list). Some discounts require advance reservations, while others are only available to be booked in person. Be sure to check the fine print for deals in the particular country you’ll be visiting.

Finally, if you see a great deal—like the 20 percent discount on passes that Eurail offered at the end of 2020—don’t be afraid to grab it and plan your trip later, as passes are now valid for 11 months after purchase.

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The Ultimate Guide to European Train Travel With a Eurail Pass

Here’s how every type of traveler—not just backpackers—can benefit from this all-in-one train ticket..

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A train on high, narrow mountain bridge

Eurail Passes can be used on scenic trains, too, like this one in Switzerland.

Photo by Shutterstock

If you’re planning a multi-city tour of the continent this summer and will rely on trains to get around, you may want to consider purchasing a Eurail Pass. Haven’t thought about buying a Eurail Pass since your backpacking days? You’re not alone. The last time I traveled with one was in 2007 as a college student. After forking over about $500 (from my part-time job as a barista) for the multi-use train ticket, I rode at least a dozen trains from Amsterdam to Paris and on to Madrid over the course of a month that summer. I saved not only money but also time waiting to buy tickets because I could walk on to most trains and have the conductor punch my pass on board.

For beginners to European train travel, the Eurail Pass is a single document that allows non-European citizens to travel by train multiple times across a network of 33 European countries. The travel must occur over a specified period of time, and the pass forgos the need to buy individual point-to-point tickets. The Eurail Pass, which is celebrating its 64th anniversary this year, can be used for riding local trains, high-speed trains, and even night trains. In addition to the flexibility and time-saving benefits it affords, traveling with one can also save you money, depending on your travel plans.

Here’s everything you need to know about Eurail Passes before you buy one.

How do Eurail Passes work?

You can choose from either a One Country Pass , which covers train travel in a single country, or a Eurail Global Pass , which offers unlimited train travel across 33 countries in Europe, using their national railroads. Within each pass type, there are even more options. There are ones for children (ages 4 to 11), youth (12 to 27), adults (28+), and seniors (60+). They come in first- and second-class options across all age categories.

The passes also cover different trip lengths for both One Country and Global Passes. The flexible, four-days-in-one-month pass is for you if you’re going on a shorter getaway and won’t be taking trains regularly. The pass with three months of unlimited travel is best used for fast-paced trips where you plan to cover a lot of ground over an extended time.

The validities for flexible passes include:

  • Four travel days within one month
  • Five travel days within one month
  • Seven travel days within one month
  • 10 travel days within two months
  • 15 travel days within two months

There are also passes available for unlimited travel days during set periods of time. Those continuous train passes include durations of:

  • Two travel months
  • Three travel months

The pass is sold by the number of travel days you are planning on using it. Each travel day covers as many trains you’d like to take between the 24-hour time window from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on the same calendar day. Keep in mind, there are exceptions to be made if you’re taking a night train. For example, if you book a train that leaves on Monday night and arrives on Tuesday morning, you will only need to use one travel day (the day of your departure) to cover that trip. However, if you choose to board another train on Tuesday, you’ll have to use another travel day on your pass.

To find the ideal pass for your particular trip, Eurail built an online tool that lets you fill in your travel plans, including which countries you plan to visit, how many days you intend to travel by train, and the length of your entire trip. At the end of the short survey, it recommends the pass that suits your needs best.

A TGV high-speed train at Gare du Nord in Paris

A TGV high-speed train at Gare du Nord in Paris

Photo by Hans Engbers / Shutterstock

Where can you buy a Eurail Pass?

You can buy any type of Eurail Pass online from Eurail.com , but several other sites sell them, too. RailPass and Rail Europe are both authorized vendors that sell Eurail Passes for around the same price as Eurail.com with slight variations to insurance and service fees.

Some offer free shipping and others offer special discounts and promo codes on tickets, so it’s best to check all your options before purchasing your pass to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

You can also purchase Eurail Passes at train stations in Europe, but that’s more expensive than ordering them online in advance.

How much does a Eurail Pass cost?

In 2023, the cost of a Eurail Global Pass purchased directly through Eurail starts at $276 for second-class fares and $351 for first-class seats for the four-days-in-one-month pass for adults. A 15-day unlimited pass for adults currently ranges from $498 to $631.

The most expensive pass is the three-month unlimited pass, which starts at $1,013 and goes up to $1,286 when bought directly through Eurail.

Considering that a two-month unlimited pass costs between $822 to $1,043, you’re only paying a few hundred more for an entire extra month of unlimited train travel.

One Country Passes are slightly more affordable and vary by each country. For example, adult passes for Italy bought directly from Eurail range from $142 to $270 for second class and $181 to $342 for first class.

Eurail also groups certain regions so you can get multiple countries for the price of one with its Benelux Pass (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) and Scandinavia Pass (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden). Note that Eurail does not offer One Country Passes for certain countries that are included in the Global Pass, such as Switzerland, Montenegro, and Bosnia.

Traveler using Rail Planner App on phone

In 2020, Eurail launched its first-ever mobile version of the Eurail Pass via its Rail Planner App.

Courtesy of Eurail

Are Eurail Passes worth it?

It depends. If you know you’ll have four travel days over a one-month period, a second-class pass would cost most adults $276—or $69 per day. If the train you need to take costs more than $69, or if you’ll be taking multiple trains in one day that add up to more than that, it’s worth buying that pass. If you only need a less costly regional train to get between cities like Amsterdam and Brussels, however, then it’s probably not worth it.

For those who would argue that buying $50 RyanAir or EasyJet flights to jump from city to city is faster and cheaper, keep in mind that once you add on arriving early to the airport for security and all the bag fees you’d pay to check a bag, you might end up breaking even. Plus, train travel is more sustainable and more scenic.

Do you need reservations with a Eurail Pass?

In some instances, yes. For trains in popular countries like France, Spain, and Italy—especially in the summer—you will need to make an advance seat reservation at an additional cost (generally from around 3 to 10 euros), even if the fare is included with your Eurail Pass. In addition to those popular destinations, all night trains and most international high-speed trains throughout Europe require a supplemental reservation fee.

Some scenic trains, like the Bernina Express in Switzerland, also require one. To find out if you need to make a reservation, search for your desired route on the Eurail Timetable , and the results will show whether or not one is necessary.

Reservation fees vary between different countries and train services and must be paid directly to the railway carriers; payment can be made at the train station, online through the websites of the national railway companies, by phone, or through Eurail’s Rail Planner app. Eurail recommends making train reservations two months in advance during the summer and ahead of holidays to guarantee yourself a seat.

Alternatively, you can opt to ride on regional trains, which don’t require seat reservations. Even though they are slower, if you have the time to stop along the way, you’re likely to discover a few appealing villages you never would have happened upon by taking the high-speed route. To find trains that don’t require reservations, check the “no seat reservations required” box when searching on the Eurail Timetable page.

What European countries does the Eurail Pass cover?

There are currently 33 countries in Europe with rail carriers that accept Eurail Passes. Great Britain’s train operators nearly pulled out of the agreement in August 2019 . After negotiations with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents the U.K. train industry, travelers will continue to be able to use their Eurail passes within Great Britain.

Here’s the full list of the 33 countries currently serviced by Eurail: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. Download the train route map .

Eurail covers train routes in 33 countries.

Eurail covers train routes in 33 countries.

How far in advance do you need to buy a Eurail Pass?

You can buy a Eurail Pass up to 11 months in advance of your trip, as long as it is activated at a European train station within that 11-month period. You can also preactivate your pass for a specific date when you check out at Eurail.com to avoid waiting in line at the train station to do so.

In 2020, Eurail launched its first-ever mobile version of the Eurail Pass via its Rail Planner App . Now instead of waiting for the physical document to be delivered in the mail—or constantly worrying about losing it during your trip—you can download the app and load your mobile pass onto it as soon as your order confirmation email lands in your inbox.

 The scenic Flam Railway in Norway passing through green mountains

Enjoy views like this from the Flam Railway in Norway.

Are Eurail Passes just for college students?

You may have been under the impression that only budget backpackers in their 20s can benefit from Eurail Passes, but the passes are actually available to all age groups. And while previously those 27 and under were the only age group eligible for discounts, in 2019, Eurail also introduced a 10 percent discount for people over the age of 60 , too.

Eurail passes are also great for families. While kids age 3 or younger don’t need a pass to travel, children ages 4 to 11 are eligible for a free Child Pass. Up to two children are allowed to travel for free with one adult. Find out more about family discounts here .

What are other benefits to having a Eurail Pass?

All Eurail Pass–holders are eligible for discounts on select museum tickets and boat tours throughout the entire 33-country network. But one of the major perks of having an unlimited train ticket that includes night trains is the hotel savings. By sleeping on a train, you’ll get from point A to point B and save money on hotels at the same time.

Eurail Passes aren’t only for use on trains either—they can be used on ferries and public transportation in some countries, too. See the full list of participating train, ferry, and public transport companies that accept Eurail Passes on board. In fact, the Greek Islands Pass now offers ferry service to 55 islands, making it a viable option for island-hopping.

T his article originally appeared online in 2019; it was updated most recently on March 29, 2023, to include current information.

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HappyRail has been the go-to European rail travel specialist for over 20 years. Our 20 unique and custom-made individual rail tours are booked for you by our train travel experts and refined by years of experience. You recieve a comprehensive information package for every travel day, including travel descriptions, maps, all tickets and reservations, and more. Flexibility Our Rail tours are fully flexible in length. Customize your stay at each stop in the tours according to your own wishes. For each tour, a set of stations across Europe are available as selectable starting points from where we book all the train tickets you need. Feel free reach out to our train travel experts for further advice! Swiss rail tours For those who can't get enough of luxury, comfort, and breathtaking views, Switzerland is a dream destination. Every rail tour through Switzerland is unique, and with a wide range of options, there's always a tour that suits you. No panoramic train will be missed during a Switzerland tour. Thanks to the panoramic windows and the leisurely pace of the Glacier Express, you can fully enjoy the most beautiful parts of the Swiss Alps. The Bernina Express takes you through thirteen tunnels, 52 viaducts, and the famous spiral viaduct to the Italian border. Views of mountain passes and lakes will also be part of your tour. In short, a train tour in Switzerland offers endless variety and is highly recommended. We offer three distinct rail tours in Switzerland, each with it's own combination of scenic railways, as well as the  Grand Tour of Europe  and  Heart of Europe  rail tours across multiple countries but also featuring the best of Switzerland's scenic railways. Mediterranean Train Tours The countries around the Mediterranean are suitable for more than just relaxation: they are also fantastic destinations for (active) rail tours. You can discover the authentic villages of Cinque Terre in Italy. Combined with cities like Rome and Florence into one rail tour, you'll explore this beautiful part of Italy in a way that no other mode of transportation allows. Italian high-speed trains are the fastest and most comfortable way to explore the country. In Spain, a tour through the undiscovered north of the country or a trip through breathtaking Andalusia might be the perfect journey for you. Direct local or high-speed trains take you from one fascinating city to another, with hotels and train itineraries booked based on years of experience. For island lovers, train tours are possible in Sicily and Corsica , where our package rail tours also contain tickets with comfortable sea-view cabins on the boats to and from the islands, and where you stay in the most authentic local hotels. Scandinavian rail tours Discover Norway at its best with one of our train tours. Our favorite is the Norway in a Nutshell: no highlight is missed. You'll ride through the diverse landscape between Oslo and Vatnahalsen on the famous Bergen Railway, in the luxury and comfort of Norwegian trains. You can continue the perhaps most beautiful train journey in the world with the world-famous Flåm Railway, followed by a boat and train journey through the impressive Nærøyfjord to Bergen. From Bergen, you can choose to continue traveling with the Hurtigruten to get a view of the beautiful Norwegian fjords, and the Dovre Railway is a train ride that cannot be missed during your train tour of Norway. If, after all these beautiful train rides, you still can't get enough of the stunning Scandinavian landscape, a train tour of Norway can also be perfectly combined with a train tour of Sweden and Finland! The Inlandsbanan is one of the most beautiful train routes in all of Scandinavia. The 1296-kilometer railway runs straight through Sweden with the most beautiful views along the way: endless forests, rivers, bridges, lakes, and even wildlife will pass by during the journey. In addition to a visit to Stockholm, many come to Sweden for Swedish Lapland, known for its wild landscape and the chance to see the Northern Lights in winter. Cross the Arctic Circle in this area with the Arctic Circle train or travel with one of the many other comfortable night trains through the Swedish landscape. Finally, a train tour through Sweden can also be perfectly combined with a tour of Norway and Finland if you're looking for even more variation of unique natural phenomena. Germany, Austria & central Europe Europe's most impressive historical cities can be found in it's heartland. You'll also find some of the most comfortable express trains here, with dining cars and comfortable 1st class or even business class carriages. A best-seller, with good reason is the  Highlights of Austria  rail tour, combining comfortable direct express trains with the prettiest cities in Austria, travelling through landscapes straight out of the Sound of Music movie. Vienna and Salzburg are cities you must have visited at least once. The Romantic Road railtour takes you through fairytale-like landscapes and Germany, where you get to see medieval castles and villages that look like they are stuck in time. The Historic Cities of Eastern Germany and Central Europe tours meanwhile focus on the most historically interesting cities anywhere in Europe. The  Heart of Europe  tour takes you to the most impressive cities of 7 countries, It includes many scenic railways like the Transalpine railway through the Austrian Alps and the famous Swiss Glacier Express. Cruises on the beautiful Danube and over the Bodensee lake complete this unforgettable holiday.

Full package holidays, with hotels within walking distance of train stations

All train tickets and seat reservations included

Depart from the station in Europe of your choice

Rail Tours Europe | Train Vacation Packages Europe

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Train advice from the Man in Seat 61...

The Man in Seat 61

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A beginner's guide to

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Train travel UK & Ireland...

Train travel in europe..., train travel in asia..., train travel in africa..., train travel in america..., train travel in australasia.

Europe starts on Eurostar at St Pancras...

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 major European cities.

It explains the best way to buy tickets for your specific journeys, whether you live in the UK, mainland Europe, the USA, Australia, wherever.

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.

Planning your trip

How to buy tickets, luggage, bikes, dogs & cars, about specific trains & routes, station guides, how to check train times.

If you only remember one European train travel resource

Apart from seat 61 of course - make it int.bahn.de .  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:

Place names

It recognises English-language place names & prompts with station or city names.

If you don't know which station to select

The safest option is to select the plain city name, often in capitals, for example PARIS or BERLIN.  The system will 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 .

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.

- 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 Barcelona to Latour de Carol and Barcelona to Portbou & Cerbère.

- It doesn't always hold complete or 100% 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.

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.

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 .

You can adjust transfer time

By default the system 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 a good policy to allow more time for transfers, so click in the From box to open the details panel, then change Transfer time from Normal to (say) at least 40 minutes .

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 specify a route or add stopovers

Click Stopovers to set one or two via stations if you want to find journeys via a particular route.  By adding a duration in hours and minutes you can specify stopovers at these stations.

Fares & tickets

int.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 .

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 int.bahn.de/en/booking-information/db-navigator (please let me know if that link stops working).

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

Click here & enter a station to check scheduled train departures or arrivals at almost any station across Europe.  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 .

The European Rail Timetable

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.

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?

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.

Back to top

How to check fares & buy tickets

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.

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 int.bahn.de , 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...

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 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 Regiojet you'd go to that operator's website, in this case Eurostar.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.

The pseudo-independent operators can also be booked at the owning national operator sites

Eurostar is owned by French Railways (SNCF) and others, and Eurostar tickets can also be bought at SNCF's website www.sncf-connect.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 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!

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 int.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.

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 int.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.

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.

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 .

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.

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

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 .

To check fares & buy tickets for international journeys

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.

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.

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.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.

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 int.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 int.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 int.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 int.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 int.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 int.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 int.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 int.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 int.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 int.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 int.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 int.bahn.de can sell tickets from Stockholm, Gothenburg & Malmo to anywhere in Germany.

   German Railways int.bahn.de can also sell tickets from Stockholm, Gothenburg & Malmo to Amsterdam, Brussels, Switzerland & Prague.

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, int.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!

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.

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 .

It matters whom you call!  Some agencies are better for some journeys than others because of the ticketing systems they use.

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.

This free online rail map of Europe 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.

For more detail, try the zoom-able online map of European (and indeed, world) railways at www.openrailwaymap.org .

You can also try the Swiss Railways all-Europe online map at maps.trafimage.ch .  Zoom in for more detail.

For the best (and official) map of the UK rail system, click here .

For an online map of the French rail network click here .

For an online interactive map of the German rail network click here .

For the best (and official) map of the Swiss rail system, click here .

But for a decent map of all European train routes, you really need to buy one of the printed rail maps listed below.

Rail Map Europe:  Buy here

Travellers' railway map:  buy here, rail atlas of europe by ian allan:  buy here.

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

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

Are the trains running on time?  Delays, incidents, strikes or disruptions?

London to Paris or Brussels by Eurostar

Changing trains in paris.

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 .

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.

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

The ferry alternatives, london to paris by train & ferry.

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

Uk to spain by ferry, other useful ferry routes.

DFDS Seaways ( www.dfds.com ) sail overnight from Newcastle to IJmuiden near Amsterdam, see the Newcastle-Amsterdam page .

Should you go 1st or 2nd class?

2nd class is absolutely fine for most travellers.  There's no need to pay for a 1st class ticket to travel in comfort these days, especially on the fast modern air-conditioned express trains.  So if you're on a budget, don't bother with 1st class unless you are offered prices that make it silly not to upgrade.

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? 

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 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.

On a few premier trains including Eurostar , Spanish AVE trains & 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 but in 1st class a steward will take orders and serve you at your seat, in 2nd class you have to go to the bistro or restaurant car.

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 face-to-face 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 seat that's both window and aisle, 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.

Train seat numbering plans :  Click here for train seating plans

1st class can be an affordable treat

Don't decide until you see the price!  Most train operators have airline-style variable pricing, you might find 2nd class costs €40 and 1st class only €45 because of the way the price quotas have worked in each class.  In which case you'd be crazy not to pay an extra €5 to upgrade!

On sleeper trains, class is irrelevant

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:  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 most routes only a 2nd class ticket is now needed for a 2-bed 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 .

Should you make a seat reservation ?

Local, suburban & regional trains in most countries don't have seat reservations.  You just get on and sit where you like, like the London Underground or New York Subway.

Long-distance trains in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden & Poland are usually all-reserved and every ticket comes with a seat reservation automatically included, free of charge.  The same goes for international trains to, from or between these countries including Eurostar , TGV-Lyria , Paris-Barcelona TGVs , Paris-Milan TGVs , Paris-Milan Frecciarossas and Paris-Germany TGV/ICE trains .  Such trains often don't have any displays showing which seats are reserved and which free because it's assumed that all passengers have a reserved seat.

Long-distance trains in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark & much of central Europe are usually reservation optional .  You can travel without a reservation (the risk is you may have to stand at busy times) or you can pay a small fee to reserve a seat.  If you don't have a reservation you can sit in any empty unreserved seat - an electronic display above each seat (or on older trains, a little printed slip in a slot) show which seats are reserved.

Making a short journey mid-week in February as a solo traveller I might not bother making a reservation, especially if I'm joining at the station where the train starts so will have my pick of the seats.  But if you're making a long journey or travelling on a busy Friday or Sunday afternoon or travelling with your family or in a small group, I strongly recommend making a reservation to be sure of a seat.  You are usually offered the option of adding a seat reservation when buying a ticket online, if you fail to add one you can sometimes make a separate seat reservation only booking later, the German, Austrian & Czech railway websites can do that, but not all websites.

Forward-facing seats

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!

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 journey from Rome to Venice, seats which are backward-facing from Rome to Florence will be forward-facing from Florence to Venice as the train changes direction at Florence SMN which is a terminus.  Similarly, trains from Zurich to Innsbruck, Salzburg & Vienna change direction at Buchs, before the Austrian border.

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 1 is always at the London end, car 16 at the Paris end.  You can often select your seat from a seat map 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 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.

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.

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!  It also means you get the full length of a window to look out of, not half a window.

Which side of the train?

On some routes the best scenery is on a particular side of the train, for example the left hand side going south along the Rhine Valley from Cologne to Mainz, or the right hand side from Switzerland into Austria through the Arlberg Pass.  I try and mention which side to sit on the relevant pages of this site, if it matters.

However, many 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.  Only in some cases is direction of travel shown.  On trains where reservation is optional (domestic trains in Benelux countries, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, much of central Europe) you can sit where you like so can move if your reserved seat is on the 'wrong' side.

First class lounges at stations

There are first class lounges at some major stations, usually with complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks or even beer and wine, plus WiFi and charging points.  Sometimes the lounge is for anyone with a first class ticket (which may or may not include first class Eurail or Interrail passes), in other cases the lounges are only for holders of the most expensive premium-fare first class tickets or who have that train operator's frequent traveller loyalty card. Here's a quick guide:

Eurostar business lounges at London St Pancras, Paris Nord & Brussels Midi

Eurostar has a business lounge opening off the departures hall after security at London St Pancras , Paris Nord & Brussels Midi with complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine & spirits, beer and snacks.  The lounge has toilets, free WiFi and charging points.  The London and Paris lounges also have a free cocktail bar, open afternoon until evening.

The business lounges are open to holders of Business Premier tickets or holders of Eurostar's top-tier Carte Blanche loyalty card.  They are not open to holders of Standard Premier tickets or railpass holders. 

Paris & France

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.

Apart from this, the Salon Grand Voyageur is only open to travellers with SNCF loyalty cards or the most expensive full-price 1st class Pro tickets.  You can use it with any 1st class ticket if you have a Eurostar Carte Blanche loyalty card.

All the other major Paris termini and many big city stations across France have an SNCF Grand Voyageur lounge with free WiFi, hot drinks and water, but these are only for passengers with SNCF loyalty cards or the most expensive full-price 1st class Pro tickets.  You can use them with any 1st class ticket if you have a Eurostar Carte Blanche loyalty card.

Brussels & Belgium

Eurostar (formerly Thalys) has its own lounge at Brussels Midi, only for Eurostar (formerly Thalys) passengers who have the most expensive Premium class tickets.  Not open to holders of Comfort class (= regular 1st class) tickets or to railpass holders.

Apart from this there is no first class lounge at Brussels Midi , but I consider the bar at the Pullman Hotel to be the best VIP waiting room for the price of a beer.

Amsterdam & the Netherlands

There is an NS International Lounge at Amsterdam Centraal at the western end of platform 2 and there are similar lounges at Schiphol & Rotterdam Centraal .  You can use these lounges with any type of 1st class international ticket including 1st class Eurail & Interrail passes.

Follow the signs for NS International Lounge, check www.nsinternational.nl for opening times.  Tea, coffee, soft drinks and snacks available. 

Switzerland

Unfortunately, SBB closed their first class lounges at Zurich & Geneva at the end of 2016, citing lack of use.

Trenitalia has Freccialounges at major city stations.  These are only for holders of the most expensive Executive class tickets or who have Trenitalia's own frequent-traveller loyalty card.

Competitor Italo also has lounges at major city stations, branded Club Italo.   These are only for holders of the most expensive Club class tickets or who have Italo's own frequent-traveller loyalty card.

There is a Renfe Sala Club lounge at Madrid Atocha , Madrid Chamartin , Barcelona Sants , Malaga Maria Zambrano, Seville Santa Justa, Cordoba, Valencia, Alicante, Girona, Zaragoza Delicias, Valladolid and several other stations. 

The Sala Club is open to anyone who has paid the Premium fare, or who has a 1st class ticket for an international AVE (but not 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 .

There are DB Lounges at major stations, but only for holders of the most expensive DB Flexpreis tickets.  You cannot use the lounges if you have a 1st class Sparpreis or Supersparpreis ticket or Eurail or Interrail pass.

They don't admit holders of tickets for regional trains or trains operated without DB involvement such as Eurostar (formerly Thalys) , Nightjet , European Sleeper or the Munich-Prague trains .

However, if you have a Eurostar Carte Blanche loyalty card you can use a DB Lounge with any ticket.

There are lounges at Berlin Hbf , Bremen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main Hbf , Frankfurt Flughafen , Hamburg Hbf , Hanover, Cologne Hbf , Leipzig, Mannheim, Munich Hbf , Nuremberg, Stuttgart.  Typically open 07:00-21:00 daily, follow signs for DB Lounge , search int.bahn.de for opening times.

There are ÖBB Lounges at Vienna Hauptbahnhof , Vienna Meidling , Linz, Salzburg , Innsbruck , Graz & Klagenfurt.

These Austrian lounges are really useful because you can use them for up to 90 minutes before or after your journey with almost any type of 1st class ticket or with a ticket for any type of sleeper for Nightjet or EuroNight trains and with a 1st class Eurail or Interrail pass.

There's one exception:  You can use the lounge with a 1st class DB Sparpreis or Flexpreis fare, but not with a Super Sparpreis fare.

Typically open 06:00-21:00, for details see www.oebb.at & search for ÖBB Lounge .  Tea, coffee, soft drinks, snacks & free WiFi available.

Budapest & Hungary

Budapest Keleti has an excellent business lounge on platform 9 , open 06:00-21:30 daily.  This lounge is really useful as it can be used by anyone with a 1st class international ticket to, from or via Budapest, or a single or double sleeper ticket, or a 1st class Eurail or Interrail pass with a reservation for a train that day.  Unfortunately, there's no lounge at Budapest Deli or Budapest Nyugati.

Prague & the 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.  The excellent Fantova Kavárna upstairs in the historic station hall makes a better VIP waiting lounge for the price of a cup of coffee.

PKP Intercity used to have poorly-advertised lounges at Warsaw Centralna & Krakow Glowny , but strangely closed them in 2014 due to lack of users.

Copenhagen & 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.

Stockholm & 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 .

Travelling overnight

Sleeper trains are a time-effective and romantic way to travel.  Huge distances can be covered while you sleep, using less daytime time than flying and often saving a hotel bill, too.

Forget about first and second class on sleeper trains, these terms become misleading.  The real classes on an overnight train are seat, couchette and sleeper.  In fact, all accommodation on nightjet sleeper trains is now technically 2nd class, even a deluxe single-bed sleeper with shower.  Although some operators still require a 1st class ticket for a single-bed sleeper.

Incidentally, trains don't have sterns or bows or port or starboard as they are not a ship.  They also don't have cabins , the correct term has always been a sleeper or couchette compartment .

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

A sleeping-car is the equivalent of a hotel :  A cosy bedroom, with comfortable beds, washbasin, and room service.  Sleepers come in 1, 2 & 3 berth varieties, depending on the route, whether you have a 1st or 2nd class ticket, and the price you want to pay.  For the daytime parts of a journey, the beds fold away to reveal a sofa.

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 gender (though this is currently not possible in Italian domestic 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.

On most sleeper train routes there are inclusive fares covering travel, sleeper & breakfast.  If you have an Interrail or Eurail pass, you can look up the additional cost of a sleeper on the Interrail & Eurail reservations page .

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.

- Prague to Krakow sleeper train .

...in a couchette

A couchette is rail's answer to a youth hostel or pensione:   Economical and comfortable, it's an ordinary seating compartment for 4 or 6 people by day, with fold-out padded bunks for 4 or 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.  A berth in a less-crowded 4-berth couchette compartment costs around €30-€37 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 or chain which cannot be opened from outside, even with a staff key, so you'll be quite safe.  1st class couchettes (4 berths per compartment) are rare, they pretty much only exist in on the few remaining French domestic overnight trains .

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

Although it's the cheapest option, travelling overnight in an ordinary seat is a false economy.  It's not recommended however tight your budget, either for comfort or security, unless there's no other option.  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. 

How early to be at the station?

There are some exceptions .  Major Italian stations now have a simple manual ticket check between concourse and platform circulating area.  In France some major stations have automatic ticket gates when boarding long-distance trains, scan the barcode on your ticket and they open, they're work until 2 minutes before departure.  But it's still nothing like air travel.

Train composition posters

Is there passport control before boarding, how long to allow for connections , it takes just minutes to change trains, if your onward train is a local one, if your onward train is all-reserved, if your onward train is a sleeper, if connecting out of a sleeper.

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 suggest the 07:25.  But is this a safe connection?  No, it isn't.  Even this excellent sleeper train can arrive 20, 40 or 60 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.

Through ticket or separate tickets?

Recommended connection times when changing stations in paris, travel tips, what happens if you miss a connection, if things go wrong ..., here's what you should know.

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.

However, through tickets no longer exist for many journeys and you'll often be given separate tickets for each train.  Unfortunately, CIV protection only applies to connections within each ticket, not between tickets.

The good news is that rail staff will usually help you out if there's a delay, as connections between separate tickets and different operators are often covered by the Agreement for Journey Continuation (AJC) or RailTeam/HOTNAT , which I explain below.

If you miss a connection

If you are on a delayed Eurostar and you realise you're going to miss your onward connection, Eurostar train managers carry a HOTNAT / CIV stamp and will endorse your ticket.  They may walk through the train helping people with connections, or may announce that they are available in a particular car.  Similarly, staff on other European trains can usually endorse or stamp your ticket if their train is delayed.

Tip:  If crossing Paris by metro, buy a metro ticket in the Eurostar cafe-bar car to save vital minutes, you might still make your connection.

It's good to be aware of your rights under the international conditions of carriage or CIV and its limitations, and of AJC & HOTNAT .

An example...   I was travelling from London to Bordeaux on a Eurostar running 40 minutes late.  It looked like I would miss my connection in Paris, and naturally my onward ticket was train-specific & non-changeable!  An announcement was made that the train manager was in the bar car to help passengers with connections.  He stamped my ticket and told me to go to the ticket office at Paris Montparnasse to get myself rebooked on a later train.  In the event, I bought a metro ticket from the Eurostar cafe-bar to save time at the metro station (important tip!), I walked to the front of the train as we approached Paris, I had allowed a little more than the recommended minimum 60 minutes to cross Paris in any case, and I made my connection!

If you miss a Eurostar due to a delayed train

If you miss a connection in brussels, your rights:   civ conditions of carriage.

Unfortunately, this CIV missed connection protection only applies within a single contract for carriage, in other words, within one ticket.

If you have a through ticket from A to C changing at B, your connection at B is protected if there's a delay.

But if you have a ticket from A to B and a separate ticket from B to C, your connection at B is not protected by the CIV as this is two separate contracts for carriage and CIV does not apply between contracts.  These days, many journeys have to be made using separate tickets.

For example, there are no through tickets between London and Germany, so if you book a journey from London to Berlin, even as one transaction on one website, you'll get a London-Brussels Eurostar ticket and a separate Brussels-Berlin DB (German Railways) ticket.  This is two separate contracts for carriage and CIV does not protect you for a missed connection in Brussels, between the two tickets.

The CIV were written when through tickets were the norm for almost all European journeys, these days many through journeys have to be made using multiple tickets.  Frankly, the CIV are no longer fit for purpose.  I have spoken at the EU Parliament in Brussels on the subject!

Railteam & HOTNAT

Agreement on journey continuation ( ajc ).

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 signed up to the AJC in 2023, as did MAV (Hungarian Railways), PKP (Polish Railways), HZPP (Croatian Railways) & European Sleeper .

The AJC doesn't currently cover some open-access operators such as Italo, Westbahn, Regiojet, Leo Express.

To qualify for help under the AJC:

Both trains have to be run by signatories to the agreement.

You have to be making an international journey, not a domestic one.

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.

Remember that the AJC is a commercial agreement between operators, it's not a passenger right you can claim.  So politely remind staff about it if they don't seem to know about it.

A traveller's report

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

Railbookers , railbookers.co.uk.

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 flag

Byway, byway.travel

Byway ( Byway.travel ) is a UK-based eco-holiday firm with a 5-star TrustPilot rating .  If you're nervous about booking train travel yourself, they'll book European trips for you as a package including hotels, starting from any British station.  Byway includes package protection, a 100% Covid refund guarantee, free disruption & re-planning and on-demand WhatsApp support while you're away.

To see pre-configured packages from the UK to various destinations, use the journey planner on their website .

Tip:   First book a one-way outward journey to your destination city on your outward date.  Then change the direction of the arrow and book an inward journey on your return date.  The journey back to the UK can be from a different location if you like, for example if you plan to travel around a bit before your return to the UK.

Alternatively they can build a trip to your requirements, email them or use the contact form .  Please say you heard about them from Seat 61.

Rail Discoveries , raildiscoveries.com

Great rail journeys , greatrail.com, 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

H otels in europe, backpacker hostels.

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 comparison:  www.carrentals.co.uk

The award-winning website www.carrentals.co.uk compares many different car hire companies including Holiday Autos.  That means not only a useful price comparison, but a wider choice of hire and drop off location.

Travel insurance & other tips

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.

US flag

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a European mobile data package and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list .  There's no need to buy a physical SIM card!  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 .

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.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  Why you need a VPN

When travelling you may use free public WiFi which is often insecure.  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 this link you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I also get some commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, hotel bookings and Interrail or Eurail passes are often now held on your mobile phone.  You daren't let it run out of power, and you can't always rely on the phone's internal battery or on being near a power outlet.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or Buy from Amazon.com .

Touring cities?  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!

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The Luxury train Travel Company

Luxury European Train Tours & Luxury Train Vacations Europe

Luxury european train holiday destinations & places.

Our range of luxury train tours in Europe lets you explore this fascinating continent in comfort and style. The slow pace of luxury rail travel in Europe gives you time to see the countries you pass through rather than just the tourist sites, and we think there is nothing like European luxury train vacations as a way to travel in Europe. Most luxury European train holidays focus on East and Central Europe, including the Balkans. Spain and Portugal also have luxury trains in Europe. Below you can browse all the destinations visited by our luxury train trips in Europe. Under each destination, you can view the luxury European train tours that visit each destination.

Luxury train holidays in Europe visit the well-known sites but also pass through places that are less visited and can make short stops to visit these places that regular luxury rail tours to Europe might miss. As the luxury sleeper trains in Europe act as a hotel on wheels, there is no need to pack and unpack, and the European luxury train trips allow for short visits to many places. This gives the passenger a more rounded experience of the countries they pass through. Taking a luxury train through Europe is a rewarding and relaxing way to travel with like-minded people.

Luxury Rail Tours In Europe

Just click on any of the tours listed below to open up or download a PDF file with the tour’s full details including dates and pricing.

● Please remember that booking as far ahead as you can in advance is essential for these trains ●

7 Nights from UK £ 14,295 / US$ 17,595 / € 16,195

Contact us for a quote in other currencies

France ● Switzerland ● Austria ● Slovenia ● Serbia ● Bulgaria ● Turkey

Turkey ● Bulgaria ● Serbia ● Slovenia ● Austria ● Switzerland ● France

11 Nights from UK £ 14,795 / US$ 18,495 / € 16,795

Venice ● Trieste ● Ljubljana ● Sarajevo ● Mostar ● Dubrovnik ● Belgrade ● Skopje ● Sofia ● Plovdiv ● Istanbul

Venice ● Trieste ● Ljubljana ● Sarajevo ● Mostar ● Belgrade ● Bar ● Podgorica ● Skopje ● Sofia ● Plovdiv ● Istanbul

6 Nights From UK £ 8,995 / US $ 11,195 / € 10,195

Istanbul ● Veliko Tarnovo ● Sinaia ● Brasov ● Sighisoara ● Sibiu ● Kecskemet ● Lajosmizse ● Budapest

10 Nights From UK £ 13,695 / US $ 17,095 / € 15,495

Budapest ● Vienna ● Lake Achen ● Innsbruck ● Zürich ● Lake Como ● Milan ● Verona ● Trieste ● Lake Bled ● Ljubljana ● Venice

Budapest ● Vienna ● Semmering Pass ● Lake Achen ● Innsbruck ● Zurich ● St Gotthard Pass ● Lake Como ● Verona ● Trieste ● Lake Bled ● Ljubljana ● Postojna ● Venice

7 Nights From UK £ 9,395 / US $ 11,795 / € 10,695

Budapest ● Keszthely ● Tapolca ● Sopron ● Eger ● Lillafured ● Aggtelek ● Hortobagy National Park ● Tokaj ● Opusztaszer ● Szeged ● Budapest

5 Nights from UK £ 6,210 / US$ 7,590 pp

Contact us for quotes in other currencies

Epernay ● Reims ● Beaune ● Annecy ● Avignon ● Les Alpilles ● Arcachon ● Saint-Emilion ● Chenonceau ● Puy Du Fou

7 Nights From UK £ 7,995 / US $ 9,995 / € 9,095

A festive journey westbound across Europe from Budapest to Munich via Vienna & Salzburg

A festive journey eastbound across Europe from Munich to Budapest via Salzburg & Vienna

11 Nights From UK £ 14,795 / US $ 18,495 / € 16,795

Budapest ● Krakow ● Warsaw ● Malbork ● Gdansk ● Berlin ● Dresden ● Prague ● Salzburg ● Vienna

8 Nights From UK £ 11,195 / US $ 13,995 / € 12,695

Budapest ● Keszthely ● Graz ● Vienna ● Cesky Krumlov ● Prague ● Kosice ● Budapest

2 Nights From UK £ 4,400 per person

Travel straight into the heart of the Scottish Highlands, visiting enchanting sites of natural beauty and making the most of the thrilling outdoor activities

3 Nights From UK £ 6,400 per person

Explore the rugged landscapes of the West coast of Scotland

Embark on a captivating journey through Scotland’s untamed beauty.

4 Nights From UK £ 8,300 per person

Discover the wild wonders and picturesque scenery that Scotland has to offer

4 Nights From UK £ 8,900 per person

Dive into Scotland’s finest estates with untold stories and guided tours

Embark on an adventure with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, our partner for this unique journey through Scotland

5 Nights From UK £11,200 per person

Discover Scotland through the ages with unique sceneries and intriguing experiences

5 Nights From UK £ 10,400 per person

Be spirited away as you retrace part of the famed West Highland Line

A combination of the traditional Highland and scenic Western journeys

7 Nights From UK £ 14,700 per person

Explore the many wonders of the Scottish Highlands at a leisurely pace

Head West and explore the many wonders of the Scottish Highlands at a leisurely pace

9 Nights From UK £ 8,690 / US $ 11,830

Santiago De Compostela ● Ourense ● León ● Ávila ● Toledo ● Córdoba ● Seville

13 NIGHTS FROM £ 18,295 / US$ 24,695

BASEL ● ST MORITZ ● TIRANO (ITALY) ● ANDERMATT ● ZERMATT ● BERN ● INTERLAKEN (JUNGFRAU REGION) ● LAKE COMO (ITALY) ● PILATUS KULM ● ZURICH

Luxurious Train Rides Europe: Austria

Austria has some of the best mix of scenery and cities in Europe and is a popular destination for European luxury train travel. It has a well-developed and beautifully engineered rail network making luxury rail holidays in Europe reliable and exhilarating with routes through places like the Semmering pass. Vienna and Salzburg are the most popular cities visited in Austria visited on our luxury European train tours. Click on the European luxury train vacations below each Austrian destination for full details.

Austria-Vienna

The Capital of Austria and the former Habsburg Empire is a city with a rich culture and some superb imperial architecture.

Austria-Salzburg

The birthplace of Mozart and, of course, setting for the Sound of Music, beautiful Salzburg is a centre of culture in Austria.

Austria-Semmering-Pass

Semmering Pass

This rail pass connects Lower Austria and Styria. The Semmering Railway built from 1848–54 was the first mountain railway in the world.

Austria-Lake-Achen

Lake Achen is a beautiful alpine lake with stunning clear turquoise waters and a popular area for water sports and hiking.

Austria-Innsbruck

Located close to both Germany and Italy Innsbruck is famed as a ski resort but also has many historical buildings in the centre of the city.

Austria-New-Year

New Year in Vienna is a magical time of festivities and often snow. It is also famed for the classical Vienna New Year concert.

European Luxury Train Vacations: Bosnia Herzegovina

Bosnia Herzegovina is a relative newcomer on luxury train rides in Europe itineraries and is a country that would often be overlooked. The beauty of a luxury train across Europe is that it can pass through these less visited places and take in the better-known destinations. Sarajevo and Mostar are the most popular places visited on these luxury European train holidays, and both these destinations have recovered well from the war in the 1990s.

Bosnia-Sarajevo

Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and known for its diversity of Christian Roman Catholic, Orthodox and the Muslim Ottoman.

Bosnia-Mostar

Still shaking off its damage from the war in the 1990s the city is famous for its beautiful stone bridge which was rebuilt in 2004.

Luxury European Train Tours: Bulgaria

Bulgaria is located at a key point geographically between Europe and the near Orient and so features in quite a lot of luxury train vacations in Europe. The country has much to see and a good rail network for the European luxury train to use. Bulgaria has a long history and has been a pivotal country between Turkey and the rest of Europe. The main cities visited on luxury rail holidays in Europe are the coital of Sofia and the culturally rich cities of Veliko Tarnovo and Plovid.

Bulgaria-Plovid

Plovdiv is one of the oldest cities in Europe located on a large plain between the Rhodope Mountains and Balkan Range (Old Mountains).

Bulgaria-Sofia

Bulgaria’s capital is a dynamic place to visit with an architectural mix of Communist, Orthodox and European buildings.

Bulgaria-Veliko-Tarnovo

Veliko Tarnovo

Veliko Turnovo was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire and is culturally rich in museums and historical sites.

Luxury Train Travel Europe: Croatia

Croatia is a Balkan country with a long and beautiful coastline. Its rail network is not as extensive as other Balkan countries. Still, it more than makes up for this with some outstanding destinations, not least Dubrovnik, making it a popular place to visit for luxury rail journeys in Europe. As well as Dubrovnik, other cities visited are Zagreb and Rijeka. Overall, Croatia is a welcome stop for luxury trains in Europe.

Croatia-Zagreb

Zagreb’s chief attraction is the medieval ‘old city’ with architecture and cobbled streets reminiscent of Vienna, Budapest and Prague.

Croatia-Rijeka

Rijeka is the main seaport of Croatia, located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea. It is compact and walkable city.

Bosnia-Dubrovnik

Once rivalling Venice, beautiful Dubrovnik is an UNESCO World Heritage city on the Adriatic Sea coast in the south of Croatia.

Luxury European Train Holidays: Czech Republic

The Czech Republic has one of Europe’s most famous cities, Prague, which is a must-see and featured on several luxury train journeys in Europe. The country has long been a stalwart for European tourism in the heart of Central and East Europe and has a well-developed train network. As well as the much-visited Prague, the luxury European train holiday also visits Cesky Krumlov, which has just as beautiful architecture as Prague but is far less well known.

Czech-republic-Prague

CZECH REPUBLIC

Prague is one of the largest cities in Central Europe and has served as the capital of the historic region of Bohemia for centuries.

Czech-republic-Cesky-Krumlov

Cesky Krumlov

Český Krumlov is a beautiful town little changed over centuries full of Baroque buildings and with a castle and old-town square.

Experience Luxury Train Travel: France

Taking a luxury train in France offers an unparalleled travel experience, combining the romance of rail travel with opulent comfort. The journey itself becomes a highlight, not just a means to reach a destination. Luxury trains, like Le Grand Tour, provide sumptuous accommodations and fine dining, allowing travellers to relax in a refined ambiance reminiscent of a bygone era. The scenic routes traverse through France’s breathtaking landscapes, offering views of picturesque villages, vineyards, and historical sites, often inaccessible by other means of transport. It’s an immersive cultural experience, where travellers can enjoy French cuisine and wines while mingling with an international clientele. This mode of travel appeals to those seeking a leisurely pace, luxury, and a unique way to explore France’s rich heritage and stunning geography.

Annecy

Enchanting lakeside gem with medieval charm, vibrant markets, and stunning Alpine vistas—a serene and picturesque fairy-tale escape.

Arachon

A captivating seaside retreat boasting pristine beaches, renowned oyster farms, and the majestic Dune du Pilat.

Avignon

Step into history with its majestic Papal Palace, vibrant cultural scene, and the iconic Pont Saint-Bénézet

Beaune

Immerse in Burgundy’s heart, famed for world-class wines, historic Hospices de Beaune, and charming medieval architecture.

Chenonceau

The Champagne capital, offering exquisite tastings, grand vineyards, and miles of underground cellars to explore.

Epernay

A sensory delight with lavender fields, sun-drenched vineyards, ancient villages, and a deeply rich cultural heritage.

Provence

A historic city renowned for its magnificent cathedral, Champagne houses, and a rich tapestry of French heritage.

Luxury European Train Tour: Hungary

Hungary is a pivotal country in East Europe with an extensive and well-developed train network providing one of the best luxury train vacations Europe offers, fascinating cities and beautiful scenery. Some of the most luxurious train rides in Europe tour this country extensively to take advantage of this. The capital of Budapest is actually two cities Buda and Pest which are divided by the river. This city has some impressive architecture. The rest of the country has many towns and sights worth visiting on your luxury European train tour, and the nature of luxury train rides in Europe means that short stops can be made throughout your European luxury train trip.

Hungary Aggtelek

Aggtelek is famous for its karst caves with the highlight being the Giants’ Hall 125 meters long, 55 meters wide and 30 meters high.

Hungary Budapest

The capital of Hungary is a vibrant city noted for its classical music scene and nightlife as well as thermal baths and architecture.

Hungary Debrecen

Debrecen is the second largest city in Hungary and a centre for Hungarian Protestantism as well as a large science university.

Hungary Eger

Eger is known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque buildings, the northernmost Ottoman minaret, cuisine and red wines.

Hungary Holloko

Hollókő is a preserved traditional settlement and a UNESCO World Heritage site and is a good way to understand local culture.

Hungary Hortobagy Park

The Hortobagy National Park is in the Hungarian plain in the eastern part of the country known for it’s wildlife and traditional culture.

Hungary Kecskemet

The city is well known for its secessionist architecture, museums, and for being the birthplace of composer Zoltan Kodály.

Hungary Keszthely

Located at the southern tip of lake Balaton the town is 750 years old. Gothic, baroque and Transylvanian architecture abounds.

Hungary Lajomizse

Lajosmizse is a town in Bács-Kiskun county. It is located at the end of a railway line from Budapest and has a museum of folk culture.

Hungary Lillafured

Lillafüred close to Lake Hamori is a beautiful small town built as a holiday resort and centred around the Place Hotel and gardens.

Hungary Opusztaszer Park

Opusztaszer

The Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park is an open-air museum of Hungarian history most famous for the Feszty Panorama.

Hungary Sopron

Sopron is a pleasant town very close to the border with Austria with winding streets and history dating back to medieval times.

Hungary Szeged

Szeged is the third-largest city in Hungary known or the cathedral and a wealth of Art Nouveau buildings, and for the fish soup Halászlé.

Hungary Tapolca

Tapolca is known for its cave system as well as the beautiful Mill Pond. Due to the limestone karsts of this area the water is very pure.

Hungary Tokaj

Tokaj is a famous wine growing region dating back nearly 1,000 years and the main square of the town even has a the Bacchus fountain.

European Luxury Train Vacation: Italy

From a tourism perspective, Italy needs little introduction. The country has been seducing travellers for centuries. It is relatively less well known though, for its trains aside from being the endpoint of the Orient Express, the crème de la crème of luxury train travel in Europe. The rail network in Northern Italy is extensive; this is where the luxury train travel through Europe focuses on. Who wouldn’t want to take a European luxury train trip that visits such stunning places as Venice, Milan and Lake Como. Under each destination, you can explore the European luxury train vacation options for Italy below.

Italy Lake Como

Beautiful lake in Lombardy surrounded by mountains. There are numerous pretty towns and villages around the shore.

Italy Milan

Milan is famous for fashion and shopping and has some beautiful architecture as well as the famous La Scala opera house.

Italy Trieste

Once a very influential and powerful centre of politics, literature, music, art and culture under Austrian-Hungarian dominion.

Italy Venice

Venice needs little introduction. Its sheer wealth of architecture and unique cancel system make it one of the world’s most visited cities.

Italy Verona

Verona is rich in history with an abundance of Roman roots still evident today along with world class art and architecture – and gelato!

Luxury European Train Tour: Montenegro

Tiny Montenegro only takes a few hours to cross, but this is not a problem for luxury train trips in Europe which can fit this mountainous country in on their schedules before railing on to the following country. Luxury European train tours visit the dramatically located coastal town of Bar and the capital of Podgorica before continuing to explore the rest of the Balkans.

Montenegro Podgorica

The capital of Montenegro is an interesting mix of old and new, Mediterranean and Balkan and is known for its cafe culture.

Montenegro bar

Bar has a wonderful setting on the coast backed by steep cliffs and mountains. Close by are the striking ruins of Stari Bar.

European Luxury Train Vacations: North Macedonia

Macedonia is another small Balkan country that most tourists would overlook. However, your “luxury interrailing Europe” trip can fit into their schedules as they do not need to overnight in hotels with the train acting as a hotel on wheels. This allows your European luxury train vacation to offer a short visit to fascinating Skopje, which features son several of Golden Eagle’s Danube Express train tours, including the very popular Venice to Istanbul route – one of the great luxury train rides in Europe.

Macedonia Skopje

NORTH MACEDONIA

Skopje is an old city with Ottoman and Byzantine era sights. The Tvrdina Kale Fortress has guarded the city since the 5th century.

Luxury Train Tours Europe: Poland

Most luxury sleeper trains in Europe focus on the southern part of East and Central Europe, but the southern Polish city of Krakow does make it into some of these itineraries, and rightly so. Krakow is one of Europe’s architectural masterpieces and is well worth a visit on any fancy train rides in Europe.

Poland Krakow

This former capital of Poland has plenty of medieval architecture which combines with a more youthful student population and culture.

Luxury Rail Tours in Southern Europe: Portugal

Opting for a luxury train journey in Portugal offers an unforgettable experience that blends the charm of vintage travel with modern indulgence. As you traverse through Portugal’s stunning landscapes, you’re treated to a visual feast of rolling vineyards, historic towns, and dramatic coastlines. Onboard, experience unparalleled comfort, exquisite dining featuring Portuguese cuisine, and impeccable service. It’s more than just travel; it’s about embracing the slower pace and elegance of a bygone era, while exploring Portugal’s rich cultural tapestry and scenic beauty in a uniquely luxurious setting.

Luxury European Train Holidays: Romania

Like neighbouring Bulgaria and Hungary, Romania is a popular destination for the most luxurious trains in Europe. This enigmatic country has a long history and spectacular scenery to enjoy on your luxury European train holiday. The fantastically named Danube Express train tour “Castles of Transylvania” encompasses a range of places, including Sighişoara and Bran and Râșnov, which are all tied up with the legend of Vlad the Impaler, whose bloodthirsty history inspired Bran Stoker’s Dracula!

Romania Brasov

A city of gothic spires, Brasov is the base to visit the castles in Bran and Râșnov and listen to stories about Vlad to Impaler!

Romania Cluj Napoca

Cluj Napoca

Recently ‘discovered’ by tourists Cluj has a vigorous mix of galleries, gardens, cafes, Gothic Churches and medieval towers.

Romania Sibiu

Sibiu has a mix of big architecture and bohemian flair and this city has long been a cultural destination in Romania.

Romania Sighisoara

The alleged birth place of Vlad Ţepeş (the Impaler), Sighişoara is a beautiful town full of narrow lanes and medieval architecture.

Romania Sinaia

Located in a dramatic valley the town is visited by hikers in summer and skiers in winter and also for the chief attraction of Peleş Castle.

Romania Timisoara

This large city has an attractive layout of squares and gardens as well as a good range of restaurants and museums.

European Luxury Train Travel: Serbia

Offering some of the best luxury train tours Europe offers, Serbia is a pivotal rail junction in the Balkans and a stop for many of the most luxurious trains in Europe. A landlocked country in the Balkans, Serbia came into being out of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.

Serbia Belgrade

Located where the Sava and Danube Rivers meet Belgrade is where the old world meets the new in this forward looking city.

Serbia Sargan Vitasi

Sargan Vitasi

This place is all about trains and the unusual narrow gauge railway that ran from Sarajevo to Belgrade with the section here restored.

Luxury Rail Holidays In Europe: Slovakia

Slovakia is a landlocked and mountainous country in Central Europe with beautiful cities and incredible natural sights. Slovakia can be visited on the Central European Classics and New Year In Vienna luxury train rides in Europe. The old town of Kosicce is a highlight, as well as Poprad, known as the gateway to the High Tatra mountains.

Slovakia Kosice

The old town is the attraction of this city with the greatest collection of Gothic towers, medieval bastions and baroque sculpture in Slovakia.

Slovakia Poprad

Poprad is a known as the Gateway to the stunning scenery of the High Tatras and this town makes for a good place to base and explore.

Luxury Train Travel Europe: Slovenia

Slovenia lies in South-Central Europe in the Julian Alps at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea, bordered by Austria to the north and Italy to the west. The country is a stalwart of the best luxury rail travel Europe offers. Slovenia can be visited on the Grand Alpine Express, Venice to Istanbul luxury European train holidays.

Slovenia Lake Bled

Picture perfect and very popular Lake Bled is surrounded by the highest peaks of the Julian Alps and attractive churches and castles.

Slovenia Ljubljana

Slovenia’s capital green and liveable with a pedestrianised centre and fine architecture and bridges crossing the Ljubljanica River.

Slovenia Postojna

The Postojna Cave system is the thing to see here. Visitors can walk along 5km of the total 24 km of tunnels full of formations.

Luxury Train Holidays Europe: Spain

The Mediterranean country of Spain needs little introduction and is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations for its stunning history, cities and culture. Lesser known is its extensive rail network used by luxury overnight trains in Europe. Spain can be visited on the Al Andalus luxury train tours of Europe, visiting Santiago to Seville and the Portuguese capital of Lisbon to Barcelona. More details can be found below.

Spain Avila

The old city walls consist of 8 huge gates, 88 watchtowers and 2500 turrets, is one of the best-preserved medieval in Spain.

Barcelona

Discover timeless beauty in its well-preserved medieval quarter, historic monuments, and a rich blend of cultural influences.

Caceres

Home to some extraordinary islamic architecture, not least the Mezquita, this city also is quintessential Spain and not to be missed.

Spain Leon

Leon’s cathedral is one of Spain’s most impressive and largest and at night this city comes alive with bars and restaurants.

Madrid

Experience the pulsating heart of Spain with world-renowned museums, lively plazas, and an unrivalled culinary scene.

Spain Ourense

Ourense is known for its hot springs and thermal waters as well as its 12th-century Cathedral and Roman era bridge, the Ponte Romana.

Spain santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela

The final stop on the famed pilgrimage trail of the same name 300,000 pilgrims still walk here to visit the cathedral each year.

Spain Seville

Seville is one of Spains most impressive and pleasant cities with grand architecture and an Andalusian culture of food and drink.

Spain Toledo

Toledo is dramatically sited atop a gorge overlooking the Río Tajo, it was known as the ‘city of three cultures’ in the Middle Ages.

Valencia

A harmonious blend of futuristic architecture, lush gardens, vibrant festivals, and a rich, historic Old Town.

Luxury Rail Journeys Europe: Switzerland

Landlocked Switzerland offers unique luxury rail journeys in Europe with stunning mountainous scenery and cities and towns rich in a culture influenced by the surrounding countries, including Italy, France, Germany and Austria. Swiss rail is famous for its punctuality and breathtaking engineering feats over mountain passes. Although there are few luxury night train Europe rail tours, the trip does use luxury rolling stock for day trips with nights spent in hotels. Switzerland can be visited on the Grand Alpine Express and Swiss Rail Spectacular tours, making them great luxury European train holidays to be remembered.

Switzerland Andermatt

SWITZERLAND

Andermatt is a village in the Ursern Valley in the Swiss Alps. The train station is on the route network of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn.

Switzerland Basel

Located astride the mighty Rhine river the city is popular for it’s wealth of galleries, museums and iconic buildings.

Switzerland Bern

Switzerland’s capital has a beautiful listed old town of cobbled streets with 6km of covered arcades, cellar shops and bars.

Switzerland Brienz

A traditional village overlooking the lake of the same name, this is the quintessential Alpine setting among forests and mountains.

Switzerland Furka Pass

The steep Furka Pass at 2,431m) offers superb views and a memorable train ride during the summer months when the pass is snow free.

Switzerland Jungfrau

The Jungfrau, at 4,158 meters is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps. From here the views across the Alps are stunning.

Switzerland Lucerne

Popular with the likes of Goethe, Queen Victoria and Wagner Lucerne is as charming today as in the 19th Century and not to be missed.

Switzerland Reichenbach Falls

Reichenbach Falls

The Reichenbach Falls (of Sherlock Holmes fame) drop over a total height of about 250 metres and are reached by a funicular train.

Switzerland St Gotthard Pass

St Gotthard Pass

The St Gotthard Pass at 2,106 m (6,909 ft) is a mountain pass for road and rail connecting northern with southern Switzerland.

Switzerland St Moritz

The ultimate Swiss winter resort loved by celebrities and the well-heeled alike. Year round the beautiful lake and scenery can be enjoyed.

Switzerland Vitznau

Vitznau lies in an idyllic bay of Lake Lucerne at the foot of the Rigi making time well spent to explore the lake and the mountain area.

Switzerland Zermatt

Zermatt lies at the foot of the famous Matterhorn. The town has preserved its original character and is a car free zone.

Switzerland Zurich

The lakeside city of Zürich has the classic Swiss old town (Altstadt) and plenty of bars, art galleries and shopping opportunities.

Luxury Train Journeys Europe: Turkey

Turkey is a country full of wonder and history that straddles Europe and the near Orient and has long been a place of fascination for tourists. Some of the best luxury trains in Europe start of finish in Istanbul, and Turkey can be visited on the Balkan Explorer, Castles of Transylvania, Venice to Istanbul tours.

Turkey Istanbul

Istanbul is one of the world’s great cities sitting on the strategic Bosphorus with a skyline that speaks of its long history.

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How can we help, which region(s) are you interested in, which train(s) are you interested in, how did you hear about us, the most popular questions, luxury train travel europe & luxury european train tours faqs, what destinations and places are covered in your luxury european train tours.

Our luxury train rides in Europe cover a wide range of destinations from the Iberian Peninsular to the East, Central Europe and the Balkans. Above you will see all the luxury European train holiday destinations covered by our luxury European train tours, and each destination has the tours that visit it below.

How Much Do Luxury Sleeper Trains In Europe Cost?

The luxury train Europe price depends on both the trip chosen and the class of cabin you require. You can find all pricing by clicking on any luxury European train tour above, which will open up the European luxury train trip dossier, which contains pricing, dates, details of the itinerary and cabin classes available for that train. There is a lot of information, so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us about the European luxury train vacations you are interested in.

What Is The Most Luxurious Train In Europe?

It is often said that the most luxurious train in Europe must be the Orient Express which travels from London to Venice. However, this is a short train trip, and we recommend booking that as a means to get to Venice and start another European luxury train tour on a train like the Danube Express operated by Golden Eagle. These luxury train trips in Europe are much more extensive and complement the Orient Express. We mustn’t forget the luxury trains in Portugal and Spain known as the Al Andalus which we like for its old work decor – to some these could be the most luxurious trains in Europe.

Why Book A European Luxury Train Trip With theluxurytraintravelcompany.com?

We have been offering luxury train vacations in Europe for many years. Our experience in dealing with Luxury Train travel companies and operators allows us to point you towards the best luxury train travel Europe offers. Price, cabin class and route are all important decisions, and we have vast experience and good connections with the luxury rail operators to secure the highly sought-after cabins. We are delighted to assist you in booking your European luxury train and experiencing the best possible luxury train vacation in Europe.

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Step inside the grand suites on the world's most famous train, which start at $26,000 a night and come with around-the-clock butler service

  • The Venice Simpon-Orient-Express is a luxury overnight train in Europe.
  • The train's grand suite, starting at $26,000 a night, is the top tier of accommodation.
  • Each grand suite has a private bathroom with a rainfall showerhead and extravagant decor.

Insider Today

Hundred-year-old carriages from the Orient Express fleet make up the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express , Belmond's revamp of the iconic luxury sleeper train. With 60 routes in 17 cities, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is perhaps the most luxurious train in Europe . Prices start at $9,000 a night.

The train's top-tier accommodation is a grand suite. With a starting rate of $26,000 a night, these rooms are filled with luxury details and amenities unique to any other cabin on board, from a private shower to around-the-clock butler service.

Business Insider recently took a tour of the rooms as a cabin steward explained the details of each suite.

Look inside the train's most extravagant accommodations to peek at the luxury journey of a lifetime.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is the epitome of luxury train travel in Europe.

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Guests are welcomed on red carpets for an overnight journey with lavishly decorated vintage carriages, fine dining restaurants, and jaw-dropping views of passing scenery.

The train has six grand suite accommodations — each with a unique design.

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Grand suites are the third tier of accommodation — one step above a suite and two steps above a historic cabin .

Each grand suite is inspired by a city on the train's routes, including Venice, Vienna, Istanbul, Budapest, and Prague.

They all include a couch, a double bed that can be converted into two twins, a dining area, and a full en-suite bathroom.

All six have a full bathroom with a rainfall showerhead.

rail euro tour

Each bathroom has a glass-blown sink, heated marble flooring, and a rainfall showerhead.

Grand-suite guests also get complimentary bathrobes and slippers.

Next to each bathroom is a closet with additional storage space so guests can fully unpack and feel at home.

Each has a dining area, too.

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Grand-suite guests are greeted with caviar upon arrival and can dine in their rooms rather than in the restaurant cars if they prefer.

They also get 24-hour butler service and bottomless champagne for the entire journey, the cabin steward told BI.

The Venice grand suite fuses Italian Baroque and Renaissance design.

rail euro tour

Venetian furniture, vintage glass light fixtures, and a combination of silk and woven fabrics fill this suite with a historic Italian ambiance. Navy-blue velvets are reminiscent of the train's exterior.

The headboard combining arches and sharp edges may remind one of the Renaissance castles in Italy .

Emerald and golden details mark the Vienna suite.

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The suite has a classic feel with dark wood contrasting gold trimmings.

According to a Belmond fact sheet obtained by BI, the headboard backing is made of silk to evoke a sense of elegance. Its curved shape and the tassel detailing in the bed's skirt may remind travelers of the historic city's regal palaces .

The Istanbul suite feels like a Turkish palace.

rail euro tour

Shiny, hand-carved wood from the furniture to the walls is a work of art. For those who have been to the Turkish city of Istanbul , the embossed leather and fabric embroiderings may bring back memories of the city's opulent offerings at the famous and historic Grand Bazaar market .

Gothic and Ottoman architectural styles inspired the Budapest suite.

rail euro tour

The Budapest suite is decorated with ornate marquetry and furniture with embroidered silk patterns. The tall, curved headboard may remind travelers of Gothic cathedrals and mosques that date back to the Ottoman Empire .

The Paris suite is meant to evoke romantic vibes.

rail euro tour

Inspired by the city's architecture, the Paris suite nods to art deco elements, classical facades, and the city's high-fashion reputation with a geometric headboard and detailed wooden marquetry.

And finally, the Prague suite nods to the city's theatrical culture.

rail euro tour

Maroon and gold are the colors of the Prague suite to bring travelers a sense of the city's theater scene . Mosaic patterns inspired by cubism fill the walls, and cushions embroidered by hand add luxury details to the furniture.

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  • Main content

New to riding a European sleeper train? Here’s the best way to book tickets

As more people reconsider how they travel on a warming planet, a small but growing contingent in Europe wants to switch from high-emission, short-haul planes to more climate-friendly sleeper trains.

But for all the climate benefits – plus the enduring romance of overnight train journeys – building a vacation around them is not always simple.

Several national railways and private operators have moved in to meet the rising demand, and the result is a patchwork of overnight routes sold at over 30 different websites. Many routes may not run every day, and online ticket aggregators don't include all countries that have night trains.

"I've always gone around on trains and boats and buses, so it was normal for me," said Cat Jones, founder of the flight-free travel agency Byway. "But friends would say, 'Oh, that sounds amazing, but no way am I going to plan all that.' "

Sleeper train advocates, however, say the experience and convenience of riding the rails makes them worth any booking difficulty. With patience and a few tips, you'll never have to deal with airport security lines in the middle of your European holiday.

Air travel in Europe is a mess. Trains are a cheaper, quicker workaround.

1. Start with a little research

First, make sure routes exist between your desired cities. Back on Track, a European rail advocacy group, maintains a night train database with all current and soon-to-launch routes on the continent. Just be aware that city names are listed with local spellings, such as Praha for Prague.

Then head to the sleeper train section of Man in Seat 61, a website run by former rail industry worker Mark Smith that exhaustively explains what to expect. The site has details on dozens of international routes, down to seat and berth numbers on specific trains – even photos of the food and where to find electrical outlets.

Many operators provide perks like breakfast and free water, and some allow female travelers to book shared spaces only with other women.

Once you've found the right route, check Trainline and RailEurope, which sell tickets on most railways. Or go directly to the operator's website; all will have an option to switch the language to English.

2. Decide how much privacy you need

Night trains' configuration varies by operator, line and carriage. Many trains have a car or two with traditional upright seats selling for as little as 19 euros, but they recline and are much more spacious than an airplane seat.

Other carriages have sleeper cabins with anywhere from one to six beds, which likely fold up when not in use. It's possible to book an entire cabin for a family or group of friends, but you'll pay extra.

Sarah Marks, a frequent sleeper train traveler from London, said she was nervous the first time sharing a cabin, but ultimately found it was a great way to meet like-minded travelers. "It's quite an intimate experience," she said. "But hand over heart, every single one has been really nice and actually enhanced my experience."

3. Plan to book in advance – but not too much in advance

Because most rail companies use dynamic pricing, as airlines do, the price of a ticket likely will rise as the date approaches.

But if you search for tickets now for summer travel, chances are you won't see the routes available. Many railways do not open ticket sales until two or three months in advance. Several factors influence the timing, but it's mostly because track maintenance is usually scheduled overnight to minimize commuter disruption.

"With sleeper trains, that's tricky to plan around," Smith said, noting that he often hears concerns from Americans who like to plan their trips several months in advance.

4. Be flexible

During peak times, the most popular routes, such as Paris to Berlin, can sell out or become prohibitively expensive for some travelers.

Jones said that rather than being deterred, travelers should consider rail travel as a way to break the mold of point-to-point round trips.

"If what people want is not available on that day, do a daytime train and we'll put you on another sleeper somewhere else," she said. Because Europe's rail network is so extensive, there are many ways to get from point A to point B and back again, maybe returning through a city you might not have considered visiting.

"By relying on that network effect," she said. "There's always an amazing option as long as you're flexible."

Climate-conscious travelers are jumpstarting Europe’s sleeper trains

After being gently rocked awake in her sleeper cabin, Sarah Marks spent the morning of her 29th birthday watching the Alps zip past the windows of her overnight train to Zurich.

“The train comes in right next to the lake, with the mountains coming up behind it,” Marks said wistfully. “Very romantic, I have to say.”

By the time of that 2022 journey from Zagreb, Croatia, it had been four years since she had taken a flight— since around the time Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg began to spread the term flygskam, or “flight shame.”

They join an increasing number of climate-conscious Europeans, particularly younger travelers, who are shunning carbon-spewing airplanes in favor of overnight trains. In the process, they’ve spurred something of a night-train revival while discovering what many say is a slower, richer way of traveling , one that had been on the edge of extinction.

“Being able to fall asleep in one city and wake up maybe even in another country, it’s amazing to me,” said Marks, a Londoner who grew up flying several times a year. “When I switched the plane for the train, it was a no-brainer because, also, this is a superior experience.”

Though still a niche and relatively pricey market, demand for sleeper trains is increasing. The online platform Trainline said overnight bookings in 2023 rose 147% compared to 2019, the year before the pandemic. And a climate survey by the European Investment Bank found that 62 percent of respondents supported a ban on short flights.

Governments have begun to reinvest in overnight trains as they search for ways to meet targets to reduce carbon emissions by 2030. The European Commission selected three new night routes in a pilot program aimed to support cross-border travel, including some ambitious private startups.

“Government investment is somehow going back to the good old days of when railways were providing a public service,” said Poul Kettler, one of the founders of Back on Track, a pan-European rail advocacy group. “The climate is coming with a price tag, and they’re now willing to pay.”

Sleeper trains never completely disappeared, particularly in Eastern Europe, but advocates say they suffered years of underinvestment while budget airlines sold tickets for a fraction of the cost.

National railways pivoted resources to high-speed daytime rail, and governments promoted more short-haul air travel by expanding airports and mostly exempting jet fuel from taxes. The supposed death knell for sleeper trains arrived when Germany’s Deutsche Bahn shuttered their remaining overnight routes in 2015.

But the turnaround began almost immediately. Austria’s railway, ÖBB, gambled on night trains by buying all of Germany’s sleeper carriages. They renovated the cars, rebranded it Nightjet and applied cost-saving lessons from the airline industry. Now, Nightjet runs 22 international sleeper routes, mostly in Central Europe but extending from Vienna to Paris and Hamburg to Rome.

In December, Nightjet began rolling out 33 new seven-car trains complete with room key cards, cellphone-permeable window panes for better photos, and digital thermostats in each compartment.

Nightjet probably saved the entire night-train industry, said Thibault Constant, a former engineer at France’s state-owned railway company, SNCF, with 250,000 followers on his Simply Railway Youtube channel.

The atmosphere on sleeper trains has changed dramatically, he said.

“Ten years ago, it was only old people and weirdos taking night trains,” Constant, 27, said while riding a train through the Czech Republic. “Now I take the same lines with a bunch of teenagers and all kinds of people.”

The success of Nightjet showed other national railways that sleeper trains were worth upgrading, advocates say. In 2023, for instance, the Czech and Hungarian railways began refurbishing their sleeper cars, and national operators in Italy and Finland signed contracts for new ones.

Private companies also are stepping in to fill gaps in service. European Sleeper launched last year — partially relying on crowdfunding — with service from Brussels to Berlin via Amsterdam, and extended the line to Prague in May. The European Commission selected the company’s plans for an Amsterdam-to-Barcelona route among its pilot projects.

Still, progress is slow-going. A much-hyped French proposal in 2021 to invest $1.5 billion in overnight trains still has not begun, according to Back on Track. (France did revive four overnight lines from Paris to the south in the last two years.) And Spain’s Renfe discontinued the last of its Trenhotel lines in 2020 with no plans announced to bring them back.

Challenges include the lack of a central booking platform for train tickets; the more than 30 European operators each have their own websites. It’s also hard to make night trains profitable, considering that a day-running train car has about 70 seats, compared to the 20 to 40 berths on an average night train.

And there is the issue of price, and competition from budget airlines. For example, a 14-hour overnight train ride in late April form Paris to Berlin on Nightjet was going for 139 euros for a bunk in a 4- to 6-person couchette, whereas a flight on budget carrier Transavia was 50 euros. Private cabins on the train can cost significantly more, while reclining seats are similar to the price of a flight.

Marks noted, however, that a sleeper car saves travelers the price of a hotel night, not to mention the cost of traveling to city centers from far-flung airports. Headline flight prices rarely include fees for bags, seat assignments and other extras.

Sleeper-car buffs say the experience is worth some extra effort and cost.

Says Mark Smith, whose website Man in Seat 61 is a guide to European train travel: “What’s better than snuggling down in crisp, clean sheets with a bottle of wine while you travel, and then you’re there the next morning? It’s quite fun.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Albert Stumm lives in Barcelona and writes about food, travel and wellness. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com

rail euro tour

Strikes cripple air and rail travel across Germany

Airport workers and train drivers take action to demand more pay to offset soaring inflation in the country.

Nationwide strike called by Germany's train drivers union GDL over wage increases, in Cologne

Massive industrial action has paralysed air and rail travel across Germany as striking workers walked off the job to demand better pay to cope with the rising cost of living.

Thursday’s walkouts by the train drivers coincided with a strike by ground staff at national airline Lufthansa that led to mass flight cancellations at Germany’s busiest airports, including main hub Frankfurt.

Keep reading

Week in pictures: from elections in indonesia to a film festival in germany, germany, nato rule out sending troops to ukraine as russia rebukes macron, far-left group claims attack on tesla factory in germany.

The rail strike is due to last until Friday, Germany’s train union head Claus Weselsky said. “With this, we begin a so-called strike wave,” he told reporters.

Reporting from an empty Berlin Central Station, Al Jazeera’s Dominic Kane said there were no subregional trains moving at all, with only a few cross-country ones still active.

“It’s a similar picture right around the country,” Kane said.

Overall, about 80 percent of all long-distance trains, as well as regional and commuter trains in the country, were cancelled, leading to traffic jams in the streets and employees struggling to arrive on time for work.

The simultaneous action is the latest in a recent series of strikes hitting Germany’s travel sector in the past year, a result of high inflation and worker shortages.

It comes as the economic institute DIW Berlin warned that the German economy was not picking up as quickly as expected, forecasting a recession at the start of the year.

Gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to contract by 0.1 percent in the first quarter, according to DIW, after the economy shrank by 0.3 percent in the final three months of 2023. A technical recession is commonly defined as back-to-back quarters of contracting GDP.

The German train drivers’ union (GDL) demands that national train operator Deutsche Bahn reduce workers’ weekly hours from 38 to 35 hours at full pay to help offset lofty inflation and staff shortages.

The action comes after weeks-long talks between the two parties broke down last week. An earlier strike in late January, one of the longest in the state-owned company’s 30-year history, ended prematurely as an economic slowdown led to pressure on GDL to return to the negotiating table.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa is also locked in disputes with worker’s union Verdi over pay. The union is demanding a 12.5 percent increase in pay over a year for the airline’s staff, as well as a one-off 3,000 euros ($3,268) bonus.

Frankfurt airport, Germany’s busiest, was forced to cancel scheduled departures due to the strike, which will last until Saturday morning.

“Fraport is asking all passengers starting their journey in Frankfurt not to come to the airport on March 7 and to contact their airline,” the airport’s operator said in a statement on Wednesday.

The ADV airport association warned that strikes in the aviation sector, which also took place in Hamburg and Duesseldorf, were damaging Germany’s reputation as a centre for business and tourism.

Strike organised by Verdi union, in Dusseldorf

Germany to face travel chaos with rail, airport strikes to resume

German train drivers' union gives statement on wage negotiations

Reporting by Rachel More; editing by Matthias Williams and Bernadette Baum

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

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Greek PM urges parliament to approve education bill

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged parliament on Friday to approve an education bill that allows foreign private universities to set up branches in the country, which he said was a much-needed reform to reverse an exodus of Greek students overseas.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers State of the Union address at U.S. Capitol in Washington

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When you travel Europe by train, you'll discover that it's a fascinating continent. It offers many different cultures, wonderful scenery, and world-renowned cities. All of this is well-connected by rail. The train is your best friend no matter what you explore, from golden beaches to snow-covered mountains. Find out where you can go and why exploring Europe by train with Eurail is the most flexible and unforgettable experience!

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Climate-conscious travelers are jumpstarting Europe’s sleeper trains

This image released by ÖBB shows a Nightjet sleeper train at a station in Vienna, Austria. A growing number of climate-conscious Europeans are giving up flying in favor of long-haul trains. (Marek Knopp/ÖBB via AP)

This image released by ÖBB shows a Nightjet sleeper train at a station in Vienna, Austria. A growing number of climate-conscious Europeans are giving up flying in favor of long-haul trains. (Marek Knopp/ÖBB via AP)

Sarah Marks, of London, looks out at the Italian countryside on TrenItalia’s Intercity Notte sleeper train from Palermo to Rome, on June 10, 2023. A growing number of climate-conscious Europeans are giving up flying in favor of long-haul trains. (Sarah Marks via AP)

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After being gently rocked awake in her sleeper cabin, Sarah Marks spent the morning of her 29th birthday watching the Alps zip past the windows of her overnight train to Zurich.

“The train comes in right next to the lake, with the mountains coming up behind it,” Marks said wistfully. “Very romantic, I have to say.”

By the time of that 2022 journey from Zagreb, Croatia, it had been four years since she had taken a flight— since around the time Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg began to spread the term flygskam, or “flight shame.”

They join an increasing number of climate-conscious Europeans, particularly younger travelers, who are shunning carbon-spewing airplanes in favor of overnight trains. In the process, they’ve spurred something of a night-train revival while discovering what many say is a slower, richer way of traveling , one that had been on the edge of extinction.

“Being able to fall asleep in one city and wake up maybe even in another country, it’s amazing to me,” said Marks, a Londoner who grew up flying several times a year. “When I switched the plane for the train, it was a no-brainer because, also, this is a superior experience.”

REINVESTMENT, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

This photo provided by Kia shows the 2024 Niro. The Niro starts at $28,315 and gets up to an EPA-estimated 53 mpg in combined city/highway driving. (Courtesy of Kia America via AP)

Though still a niche and relatively pricey market, demand for sleeper trains is increasing. The online platform Trainline said overnight bookings in 2023 rose 147% compared to 2019, the year before the pandemic. And a climate survey by the European Investment Bank found that 62 percent of respondents supported a ban on short flights.

Governments have begun to reinvest in overnight trains as they search for ways to meet targets to reduce carbon emissions by 2030. The European Commission selected three new night routes in a pilot program aimed to support cross-border travel, including some ambitious private startups.

“Government investment is somehow going back to the good old days of when railways were providing a public service,” said Poul Kettler, one of the founders of Back on Track, a pan-European rail advocacy group. “The climate is coming with a price tag, and they’re now willing to pay.”

Sleeper trains never completely disappeared, particularly in Eastern Europe, but advocates say they suffered years of underinvestment while budget airlines sold tickets for a fraction of the cost.

National railways pivoted resources to high-speed daytime rail, and governments promoted more short-haul air travel by expanding airports and mostly exempting jet fuel from taxes. The supposed death knell for sleeper trains arrived when Germany’s Deutsche Bahn shuttered their remaining overnight routes in 2015.

But the turnaround began almost immediately. Austria’s railway, ÖBB, gambled on night trains by buying all of Germany’s sleeper carriages. They renovated the cars, rebranded it Nightjet and applied cost-saving lessons from the airline industry. Now, Nightjet runs 22 international sleeper routes, mostly in Central Europe but extending from Vienna to Paris and Hamburg to Rome.

In December, Nightjet began rolling out 33 new seven-car trains complete with room key cards, cellphone-permeable window panes for better photos, and digital thermostats in each compartment.

A NEW KIND OF PASSENGER

Nightjet probably saved the entire night-train industry, said Thibault Constant, a former engineer at France’s state-owned railway company, SNCF, with 250,000 followers on his Simply Railway Youtube channel.

The atmosphere on sleeper trains has changed dramatically, he said.

“Ten years ago, it was only old people and weirdos taking night trains,” Constant, 27, said while riding a train through the Czech Republic. “Now I take the same lines with a bunch of teenagers and all kinds of people.”

The success of Nightjet showed other national railways that sleeper trains were worth upgrading, advocates say. In 2023, for instance, the Czech and Hungarian railways began refurbishing their sleeper cars, and national operators in Italy and Finland signed contracts for new ones.

Private companies also are stepping in to fill gaps in service. European Sleeper launched last year — partially relying on crowdfunding — with service from Brussels to Berlin via Amsterdam, and extended the line to Prague in May. The European Commission selected the company’s plans for an Amsterdam-to-Barcelona route among its pilot projects.

Still, progress is slow-going. A much-hyped French proposal in 2021 to invest $1.5 billion in overnight trains still has not begun, according to Back on Track. (France did revive four overnight lines from Paris to the south in the last two years.) And Spain’s Renfe discontinued the last of its Trenhotel lines in 2020 with no plans announced to bring them back.

ROMANCE OF THE RAILS, WITH HURDLES

Challenges include the lack of a central booking platform for train tickets; the more than 30 European operators each have their own websites. It’s also hard to make night trains profitable, considering that a day-running train car has about 70 seats, compared to the 20 to 40 berths on an average night train.

And there is the issue of price, and competition from budget airlines. For example, a 14-hour overnight train ride in late April form Paris to Berlin on Nightjet was going for 139 euros for a bunk in a 4- to 6-person couchette, whereas a flight on budget carrier Transavia was 50 euros. Private cabins on the train can cost significantly more, while reclining seats are similar to the price of a flight.

Marks noted, however, that a sleeper car saves travelers the price of a hotel night, not to mention the cost of traveling to city centers from far-flung airports. Headline flight prices rarely include fees for bags, seat assignments and other extras.

Sleeper-car buffs say the experience is worth some extra effort and cost.

Says Mark Smith, whose website Man in Seat 61 is a guide to European train travel: “What’s better than snuggling down in crisp, clean sheets with a bottle of wine while you travel, and then you’re there the next morning? It’s quite fun.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Albert Stumm lives in Barcelona and writes about food, travel and wellness. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com

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  1. Rail Europe new website !

  2. Euro cargo rail class 77 Zas freight train + ÖBB railjet at Traunstein #train #special #spotting

  3. Euro Trip 2023: Aug 5. Understanding France/Paris rail and subway system

  4. European Train Journey (Ep. 1)

  5. Eurostar at FULL SPEED

  6. Tour d'Europe en Train

COMMENTS

  1. Europe Train Vacation Packages

    Explore by Travel Type: Escorted tours guided by a tour manager, River Cruises on their own or paired with a scenic rail tour, and Independent itineraries to explore at your own pace. Excellent 3,019 reviews on. Order brochure. Sign up to newsletter. Call to Book: 1-877-929-7245.

  2. Discover Europe by Train

    Go one stop further and follow your curiosity around Europe with 1 rail Pass - now 15% off! Shop the sale. Tour Europe by train. with 1 Pass. Create the itinerary. for your perfect trip. Travel flexibly on trains. that don't need reservations. Stay conscious.

  3. 10 Best Train & Rail Tours in Europe 2024/2025

    Train & Rail Tours & Trips in Europe. Explore Europe with a train adventure that will take through world-renowned locations such as France (Paris), Italy (Rome, Venice and Florence) or the beautiful city of Prague. If you feel like going even further, Spain (Barcelona and Madrid) are a great choice.

  4. Train tickets in Europe

    Raileurope.com, the easiest way to buy European train & bus tickets online. Check timetables and maps. Low prices, Fast booking & Safe payment. ... Eurostar trains are the gold standard for travel around Europe. Save on the most popular journeys now! Start planning your summer travel with tickets from just €49!

  5. European Train Tours & Packages| Railbookers®

    Embark on a journey through Europe by train with Railbookers and experience the scenic beauty of the continent. Explore historic cities, picturesque towns, and stunning landscapes. ... Travel by rail to Romania for pristine medieval centers, shadowy hilltop castles and spectacular mountain landscapes. Discover the fascinating destinations of ...

  6. Europe Escorted Tours

    Embark on escorted tours in Western Europe to experience places like Paris and the wine regions of France; the fairytale-perfect landscapes of Bavaria in Germany or the vibrant cities of the Iberian Peninsula. Guided tours of Italy often consider the gastronomic and cultural delights of the country. On vacation packages that highlight the ...

  7. Eurail Planner

    Where to travel in Poland with your Eurail pass: our top 5 picks. January 04, 2024. If you've got a Eurail pass burning a hole in your pocket and a desire to uncover hidden gems in Eastern Europe, Poland is your next stop. This European beauty is a kaleidoscope of history, culture, and natural wonders.

  8. Eurail Pass Guide: What to Know About Train Travel in Europe

    The pass, which has been around for 60 years, enables rail travel in 33 European countries and remains a popular choice among backpackers and beyond. The offering has evolved significantly since ...

  9. Eurail Global Pass

    A rail pass is a travel document that entitles you to travel on European trains in a specific geographic area (country/countries), for a specific number of days. Be mindful that having a rail pass doesn't necessarily mean that you can hop on any train at will, within the geographical area covered by your rail pass.

  10. The Ultimate Guide to European Train Travel With a Eurail Pass

    In 2023, the cost of a Eurail Global Pass purchased directly through Eurail starts at $276 for second-class fares and $351 for first-class seats for the four-days-in-one-month pass for adults. A 15-day unlimited pass for adults currently ranges from $498 to $631. The most expensive pass is the three-month unlimited pass, which starts at $1,013 ...

  11. Travel around Europe by train

    Take the train, and travel in Style & Comfort. Fast, Easy & Secure booking with raileurope.com. production - market: ROW_EN Discover. Pass guides Country guides Train guides Destination guides ... Eurostar trains are the gold standard for travel around Europe. Save on the most popular journeys now! Start planning your summer travel with tickets ...

  12. 20 Rail Tours in Europe

    Great Rail Tours in Europe. With the stunning panoramic trains in Switzerland, across the Norwegian mountains, or on the Orient Express Route to Istanbul, train tours offer a relaxing way to see and experience a lot! HappyRail has been rail travel specialist for 20 years. ±100 unique rail tours. Comprehensive travel documents. On-the-road support.

  13. Europe By Rail in 25 Days: Itinerary & Costs

    Interrail is by far the cheaper option - but is only available to European residents. A 10 day in 1 month travel pass will cost €374 (£295GBP/$420USD/$555AUD) (all prices correct @ March 2016 & not including discounts) Alternatively, a EU Rail pass for the 10 days in 2 months (the nearest equivalent to the Interrail pass) would set you ...

  14. Planning guide

    Plan your Europe trip with our ultimate trip planner and guide. Get inspired, find the right Eurail Pass, and have the time of your life! ... Travel between popular European cities without seat reservations Help Help center ... Want to discover Europe? With Eurail, you can plan your own rail route, choosing from 30,000+ destinations in 33 ...

  15. TRAIN TRAVEL IN EUROPE

    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.

  16. Travel through Europe by Train

    Go one stop further and follow your curiosity around Europe with 1 rail Pass - now 15% off! Shop the sale. Tour Europe by train. with 1 Pass. Create the itinerary. for your perfect trip. Travel flexibly on trains. that don't need reservations. Stay conscious.

  17. Luxury European Train Tours & Luxury Train Vacations Europe

    Most luxury European train holidays focus on East and Central Europe, including the Balkans. Spain and Portugal also have luxury trains in Europe. Below you can browse all the destinations visited by our luxury train trips in Europe. Under each destination, you can view the luxury European train tours that visit each destination.

  18. Suggested Itineraries

    One month in Europe: 3 weeks in Europe: 2 weeks foodie tour: 10 days in Europe: 1 week in Central Europe: 1 week in the Netherlands: Themed itineraries: European highlights: Western Europe: Eastern Europe: Ancient history tour: Honeymoon trip in Europe

  19. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Grand Suites Tour With Photos

    With 60 routes in 17 cities, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is perhaps the most luxurious train in Europe. Prices start at $9,000 a night. Prices start at $9,000 a night.

  20. Cheaper European travel? 4 tips for traveling by sleeper train.

    Air travel in Europe is a mess. ... Back on Track, a European rail advocacy group, maintains a night train database with all current and soon-to-launch routes on the continent. Just be aware that ...

  21. Climate-conscious travelers are jumpstarting Europe's sleeper trains

    And there is the issue of price, and competition from budget airlines. For example, a 14-hour overnight train ride in late April form Paris to Berlin on Nightjet was going for 139 euros for a bunk ...

  22. Exploring Europe: Train travel a winner for young Indians

    03/06/2024 March 6, 2024. Travelers from India now comprise the second-largest market for Rail Europe for the first time in 90 years. DW asked some of them to share their experiences.

  23. Europe's travel strikes: Flight and train disruption you can expect in

    Both public and private transport operators will be affected, causing major travel disruption across the country. Milan will face further disruption on 22 March as the city's public transport ...

  24. Eurail Passes

    Hop on and off most trains in 33 European countries just by showing your Pass. Free and instant delivery to your device if you choose mobile Pass. Download the free Rail Planner app to plan your trip, store your Pass and show your ticket as you go. Get extra benefits and discounts as you travel with our 100+ partners across Europe.

  25. Strikes cripple air and rail travel across Germany

    The simultaneous action is the latest in a recent series of strikes hitting Germany's travel sector in the past year, a result of high inflation and worker shortages.. It comes as the economic ...

  26. Germany to face travel chaos with rail, airport strikes to resume

    The train drivers' union GDL has staged a series of strikes aimed at reducing its workers' weekly hours at full pay to help offset lofty inflation and staff shortages in Europe's largest economy.

  27. Get inspired

    Trip ideas. When you travel Europe by train, you'll discover that it's a fascinating continent. It offers many different cultures, wonderful scenery, and world-renowned cities. All of this is well-connected by rail. The train is your best friend no matter what you explore, from golden beaches to snow-covered mountains.

  28. Climate-conscious travelers are jumpstarting Europe's sleeper trains

    Governments have begun to reinvest in overnight trains as they search for ways to meet targets to reduce carbon emissions by 2030. The European Commission selected three new night routes in a pilot program aimed to support cross-border travel, including some ambitious private startups. "Government investment is somehow going back to the good old days of when railways were providing a public ...

  29. Germany Faces More Travel Disruptions Amid Airport, Rail Strikes

    Germany faces a fresh wave of travel disruption this week after two labor unions separately announced strikes that stand to affect air and rail services for several days.. After talks with state ...

  30. European Rail Passes

    The Eurail Pass is for non-EU residents. Choose between the Eurail One Country Pass or the Eurail Global Pass for unlimited train travel to 40,000 destinations in 33 European countries. On the other hand, if you're a citizen or permanent resident of the EU*, then an Interrail Pass is for you.