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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.

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104 train & rail tour packages in europe with 618 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

Das Hotel in Florenz ist leider nicht zu empfehlen. Sehr unhygienisch und sehr heruntergekommen. Das Hotel in Rom war gut aber leider nicht besonders zentral. Alles andere war Super!!!!
  • 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

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)

Just got home from an amazing 4 week group trip with Euroventure! As someone who hadn’t really travelled before, it was really reassuring to have all the accommodation and travel sorted out for us. It was also really great to be accompanied by a tour leader (shout out to the legends Cristina and Kev) who made our experiences all the more enjoyable. Getting from place to place was always super chilled as our tour leader knew what to do and where to go. All the hostels were clean and comfy and some even provided us with free brekkie! The included activities were a real highlight and helped us to get the most out of our trip, but it was also good to have plenty of free time to do our own thing. I would really recommend travelling with Euroventure to anybody who is considering it, you will have the time of your life!

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)

All of the hotels exceed expectations. Stephanie was a wonderful and amusing guide and we managed to see the highlights of the toor in reasonable weather
  • £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

Had a wonderful week! Thank you to Piers for showing me around Florence, Cinque Terre and Venice, for the history lessons and great food recommendations. This week has made me fall in love with Italy and I’m sure to come back!

Italy By Train Tour

Italy By Train

The communication with Tour Radar was excellent. They were very responsive and helpful at all times. The train travel was seamless and easy to negotiate. The quality of the hotels was variable. Some were excellent and some only adequate. It may have been in the documentation, but I hadn't realised that a city tax needed to be paid at each hotel.

London to Istanbul Rail Adventure + Cappadocia Extension Tour

London to Istanbul Rail Adventure + Cappadocia Extension

London to Istanbul Rail Adventure Tour

London to Istanbul Rail Adventure

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.
The highlight of our year so far! ? Me and my partner loved the Central Europe Tour ?(2 weeks), we would recommend it to ANYONE! And we would even suggest doing the Whole of Europe tour (4 weeks), as we could have easily carried on travelling with this company and the amazing people we met! ?The whole trip was thoroughly planned and so enjoyable! Such a stress free experience, especially for someone like myself who gets quite anxious when travelling - I would 100% do again!?? I met some incredible individuals, and the group planned activities were just what we needed to establish really strong bonds straight away! We have definitely made some lifelong friends and memories we will forever cherish! ??? The creation of the WhatsApp group chat with all our fellow travellers beforehand was so beneficial!? It broke the ice and put our minds at ease about the uncertainty of the upcoming trip ? And our guide Cristina ? - was brilliant, super friendly, helpful, considerate and extremely knowledgeable - educating us all. She was available 24/7, and we had the pleasure of spending our last day in Venice with her! ??? She deserves a lot of credit for making all our experiences amazing and unforgettable! Thank you Cristina ?? We look forward to our future bookings with Euroventure! ??

Travel Styles

  • Best Train Travel Companies
  • Best 3 Weeks Europe Itineraries 2024/2025 (with Reviews)
  • 10 Best Luxury River Cruises & Lines 2022
  • Hiking in Europe in February
  • Hiking in Europe in January
  • Hiking in Europe in March
  • Hiking in Europe in April
  • Hiking in Europe in May
  • Hiking in Europe in June
  • Hiking in Europe in July
  • Hiking in Europe in August
  • Hiking in Europe in September
  • Hiking in Europe in October
  • Hiking in Europe in December

International Versions

  • Deutsch: Europa Zugreisen
  • Français: Europe : Circuits train et rail 2024/2025
  • Español: Tren y ferrocarril Circuitos en Europa
  • Nederlands: Trein & spoor Rondreizen in Europa

28 best European routes where you should take a train instead of a plane

Jordan Waller

Editor's Note

Europe's train system, particularly for intracountry travel, is a well-developed and affordable option for travelers visiting the region. If you already live in Europe, it can be an incredibly easy way to travel without flying.

You won't have to deal with long airport security lines, airport commute hassles, luggage fees or a host of other problems. Instead, you can hop on a long-distance train from the center of virtually any major European city to reach your final destination.

Related: 4 European train loyalty schemes UK travelers should definitely check out

European trains often offer some complimentary conveniences; they give you the freedom to stretch your legs, stroll to a dining car and get something to eat or drink. Not to mention, trains rarely come with the problems that many European airports and airlines have faced over the last few summers.

Read on to discover some of the benefits of European train travel and learn about a few of the region's most notable routes.

Why you should take the train

euro train trip

Although traveling by train can sometimes take longer than flying, the benefits of slow travel shouldn't be overlooked. By taking a rail journey instead of hopping on a plane, you can eschew much of the stress associated with airports and security. Also, in many instances — if you plan properly and buy the correct fares — you'll get to see multiple destinations on one trip.

Sure, occasionally, flying might be the cheapest option, but it's not always the most rewarding. Plus, with rail travel in Europe growing more and more popular, we regularly see great deals on travel that dwarf the prices offered on even low-cost carriers. Here are some of the great benefits of taking a train around Europe .

No security and customs screening lines

Simply walking on and off trains with your luggage in hand is a time-saving luxury that air travelers haven't experienced for decades. The airport security screening process and sprawling lines at passport control and customs can add hours to the experience. As a result, what you had hoped would be a quick flight may feel more time-consuming (and exhausting) than traveling by train.

Free internet access

Many airlines don't provide Wi-Fi (especially budget ones), and they often charge a high price if they do. Most long-distance European trains come with Wi-Fi included in the ticket price. Additionally, you'll have much more legroom and tray table space to work on a train once you're connected.

No airport commute hassle

Taking a train from the central station of your favorite European city is typically far more convenient than schlepping outside the city to an airport. This is especially true if you're staying in or near the city center. Depending on where you stay, you may even find it possible to walk directly to or from the station or reach the main station easily via (cheap) public transport.

Fewer cancellations and delays

European trains are not subject to the same weather and air traffic control delays as airplanes and they have much more consistent schedules. Some overnight trains and those with longer, more complicated itineraries may have delays on the rails to make way for overnight freight traffic; however, in comparison to planes, delays are often less likely or impactful.

Less environmental impact

You may not regularly think about how environmentally friendly your trips are, but it doesn't mean your travels don't play a part in the larger conversation about the environment. Many experts agree there is a substantial environmental benefit to traveling by train instead of flying.

"A journey from London to Paris by air emits around 10 times as much CO2 as the same journey by rail," Tom Hall, a writer and train specialist at Lonely Planet (which, like TPG, is a Red Ventures-owned company) said. "As travelers look for more sustainable travel choices, longer-distance rail routes are gaining in popularity."

Related: How is aviation fuel changing to help fight climate change?

28 best European train routes

euro train trip

Trains departing from Austria

Vienna to paris.

Launched in 2021, this Nightjet sleeper train route runs three times a week and takes around 14 hours to go straight through from Vienna to Paris . It has notable stops along the way, including Munich and Strasbourg, France.

Vienna to Genoa and La Spezia

One of Nightjet's newer additions, this route was launched in summer 2023 and is an extension of the company's service from Vienna /Munich to Milan . The route runs daily and takes around 16 hours to go all the way to La Spezia in Italy, passing through Milan and Genoa en route.

You can book tickets for both routes on the Nightjet website.

Trains departing from Belgium

Brussels to berlin.

European Sleeper launched in 2021, and one of its first routes was the overnight service from Brussels to Berlin . The route stops off at Antwerp, Belgium, before heading through the Netherlands. There, you can hop off at Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Deventer if you're not looking to travel all the way to Berlin.

You can book tickets on the European Sleeper website .

Liege to Aachen and Maastricht (launching December 2023)

Launching in December 2023, this route is a collaboration between Arriva, SNCB (the National Railway Company of Belgium) and Nederlandse Spoorwegen. Connecting Belgium , Germany and the Netherlands, this will surely be a popular route with European city hoppers once it launches.

euro train trip

Brussels to Dresden and Prague (launching 2024)

Set to open at some point in 2024, European Sleeper will also be extending its current Belgian services by adding additional stops in Dresden, Germany, and Prague .

Trains departing from the Czech Republic

Prague to zurich.

Another relatively new sleeper service, this route launched at the back end of 2022 by the Czech Republic's national rail operator Ceske drahy. The full overnight journey takes less than 14 hours and passes through Frankfurt and Basel, Switzerland.

You can book tickets on the official website .

Trains departing from France

Paris to london.

Perhaps one of Europe's most famed train routes, Eurostar travels between London St Pancras station and Paris Gare du Nord station in just more than two hours. Services run almost hourly, seven days a week. For a closer look at this route, check out our recent Eurostar review .

You can book tickets on the Eurostar website .

Related: The best hotels in London

euro train trip

Paris to Berlin (launching 2024)

Following a partnership between German rail operators Deutsche Bahn and France's SNCF, this new high-speed TGV service is set to launch next year; it'll stop in Strasbourg on the night route service. The door-to-door journey is expected to take about seven hours.

Paris to Venice (launching 2025)

This new sleeper link between two of Europe's most romantic cities is set for a 2025 launch. French rail company Midnight Trains will operate the route, which will also stop off in Milan. If successful, the company aims to add additional Paris services over the coming years, with Copenhagen, Berlin and Edinburgh all already marked to receive their own Midnight Trains services.

Related: Go here, not there: Where to take the best photos in Paris

Trains departing from Germany

Berlin to stockholm with snalltaget.

This was formerly Swedish rail company Snalltaget's service from Berlin to Malmo, Sweden. Now, this route has been extended all the way to Stockholm; it passes through Hamburg, Germany, and Denmark before reaching its final destination. The full journey takes just less than 17 hours and is a direct service.

You can book tickets on the Snalltaget website .

Stuttgart to Zagreb and Rijeka

Another epic sleeper train from Nightjet (this time under its EuroNight partnerships) allows you to easily ride from Germany to Croatia on two different routes.

Both routes start in Stuttgart, Germany, and pass through Munich. One route ends in the Croatian capital Zagreb, and the other heads to the Croatian harbor of Rijeka. The trips take 14 and 15 hours, respectively. However, note that the Rijeka route is seasonal and finishes at the end of September. Trains to Zagreb, however, run daily throughout the year.

You can book tickets for both routes on the Nightjet website .

euro train trip

Berlin to Brussels

This route is already covered above under "Brussels to Berlin."

Munich to Genoa and La Spezia

This route extends the aforementioned route under "Vienna to Genoa and La Spezia."

Aachen to Liege and Maastricht (launching December 2023)

This route is covered above under "Liege to Aachen and Maastricht."

Trains departing from Italy

Milan to paris.

This speedy route, operated by Frecciarossa (part of the Italian national train company Trenitalia), will take you between two of Europe's most fashionable cities in just less than seven hours. If you don't want to go the full stretch, you can also hop off at Turin, Italy, or Lyon, France. The service operates almost hourly every day.

You can book tickets on the Trenitalia website .

Intercity travel around Italy with Trenitalia

Italy's national rail network is a great way to get around the country and escape airport hassles. The Trenitalia Pass is an affordable and flexible option to use as you travel from one Italian destination to the next. You can book several trips within a seven-, 15- or 30-day period for as little as $128.

If you don't want to commit to buying a pass, you can instead purchase individual tickets from Trenitalia. Fares for its popular route connecting Rome and Florence, Italy — which takes a little more than 1 1/2 hours — cost less than $60 per person round-trip.

Trains departing from the Netherlands

Amsterdam to austria.

Tui's "Ski Express" is a special winter service that operates every Friday night between Dec. 23 and March 31. It allows ski fanatics to hop between Amsterdam and the Austrian Alps' famed ski resorts, such as Gerlos, Kirchberg, Niederau, Soll, Zell am See and Westendorf.

You can book tickets on the Tui website .

euro train trip

Amsterdam to Zurich

Another Nightjet train, this route can whisk you between Amsterdam and Zurich in roughly 12 hours. It passes through Utrecht, Netherlands, and Cologne, Germany, along the way. The train runs daily from 8 p.m. and arrives at its destination the following day at 8 p.m.

Related: How to spend 1 day in Amsterdam

Maastricht to Aachen and Liege

This route will launch in December 2023 and is covered above under "Liege to Aachen and Maastricht."

Amsterdam to Barcelona

European Sleeper is further expanding by linking the Netherlands to Spain with this new route. It's expected to officially launch in spring 2025 and take approximately 17 hours. The route will stop at Rotterdam, Netherlands; Antwerp, Belgium; Brussels; Lille, France; Avignon, France; Montpellier, France; and Girona, Spain, among others. It'll become one of the company's most well-connected routes.

Trains departing from Spain

Madrid to marseille via barcelona.

New for 2023, the eight-hour route from Madrid to Marseille, France, by Renfe finally launched in July. This packed route connects 14 destinations across Spain and France, including Barcelona; Figueres, Spain; Montpellier, France; Nimes, France; and Aix-en-Provence, France, before its final stop at Marseille.

You can book tickets for both routes on the Renfe website .

euro train trip

Barcelona to Lyon

Along with the above route, Renfe also launched a new service connecting Barcelona to Lyon, with stops in Girona, Spain; Perpignan, France; Montpellier, France; Nimes, France; and Valence, France. The route takes around five hours if you stay aboard until the final stop.

Trains departing from Slovenia

Ljubljana to budapest.

One of the most affordable routes on this list, these tickets regularly cost as little as 16 euros (about $17). Operated by Hungarian Railways, the train travels from Slovenia via Graz, Austria, before its final destination of Budapest.

You can book tickets on the operator's official website .

Trains departing from Sweden

Stockholm to hamburg.

This daily service operated by SJ EuroNight will take you from Stockholm to Hamburg via Copenhagen. It departs at 5:30 p.m. and arrives at 6:30 a.m. the following day. Plush compartments are available — including some for one to three people, complete with a private shower. The train also has pet-friendly compartments should you wish to travel with your beloved pooch.

You can book tickets on the SJ website .

Trains departing from the UK

London to amsterdam, brussels, paris and the french alps.

Taking Eurostar from central London is a speedy and efficient way of traveling to Europe without the hassle of taking a plane. Starting at London St Pancras station, you'll travel through the Channel Tunnel, which connects the continent to the U.K. with various destinations and routes.

London to Amsterdam's city center takes less than four hours to complete. Round-trip tickets start around $80 per person, a reasonable price given how expensive taxi rides to Heathrow from downtown London can be on a busy day.

Traveling to Brussels from London St Pancras is just as easy and takes less than two hours with similarly low prices.

Related: What's the difference between Business Premier, Standard Premier and Standard class?

As mentioned above, under "Paris to London," you can also reach the French capital in just over two hours. Beyond Paris, between Dec. 16 and Deb. 3, you'll also be able to travel from London to the French Alps to visit various ski resorts in Chambery, Albertville, Moutiers, Aime-la-Plagne and Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

Bottom line

Despite budget airlines offering cheap fares to most European cities, an intercity train trip can still be more affordable. As a bonus, it's often far less stressful than transiting through airports, and you'd be surprised by just how far you can travel.

Rather than worry about delays and cancellations, lost luggage, long customs lines and more, you can focus on work, socialize with travel companions and admire your surroundings as they pass your window. You can also take comfort in knowing your trip is less harmful to the environment than if you were to travel by air.

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The tourist train connecting Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour-de-Carol, passing over the Bridge of Cassagne, in the Pyrenees.

10 of the best train journeys in Europe, chosen by Lonely Planet

A new book on rail travel across the continent showcases gorgeous scenery, historic routes and adventures at a slower pace

R ailways in Europe are many things. With their grand stations, history and evocative destinations, they evoke a timelessness that is absent from the uniform experience of flying. In recent decades, high-speed services have complemented classic routes, while the demand for more climate-friendly travel has grown and new options have sprung up, including a recent wave of night trains.

Lonely Planet, which for nearly 50 years has championed a down-to-earth, connected style of travel, has produced a new Guide to Train Travel in Europe aimed at unlocking adventures by rail from any starting point on the continent. Here the authors pick fantastic journeys from the book.

Paris to Berlin – fast or slow

Liège-Guillemins station in Belgium, created by the architect Santiago Calatrava.

A well-established network of high-speed trains and a huge choice of slower options connects two of Europe’s great cities. A glorious three-country tour would allow you to head from Paris to Brussels, travelling on to Cologne via the space-age architecture of Liège-Guillemins station. Cologne’s cathedral is so close to the station you can hardly miss popping in before boarding an onward ICE German fast service to the capital, which takes less than five hours. To see more than the immediate surroundings of the station buildings in each city, book separate tickets for each leg at trainline.com , or add in a stop of a few hours or an overnight booking via Deutsche Bahn ( bahn.de ). A high-speed connection from Paris via Frankfurt is also possible.

Amsterdam to Vienna on the Nightjet

Passengers look outside the window of a Nightjet train at Vienna station.

One of several recent additions to Europe’s sleeper train scene, the Nightjet service operated by Austrian Railways ( oebb.at ) departs every evening at 7pm or 7.30pm from Amsterdam. As you doze off, the train will trundle alongside the Rhine, passing Cologne and Koblenz, then continuing south-east through Germany and entering Austria at Passau. A 9.19am arrival in Vienna ensures time for a lie-in and breakfast. This train can easily be combined with the Eurostar service from London or a ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam , or from Harwich to Hoek van Holland .

Loop the loop in North Wales

A steam train on the Ffestiniog Railway, in Snowdonia.

Some of the world’s most beautiful narrow-gauge railways can be found in Wales and two of the best can be combined in a loop that takes in the mountains and coastal scenery of Snowdonia. Catch a service from Llandudno Junction – which has main line connections – down the Conwy valley to Blaenau Ffestiniog . Change for the celebrated Ffestiniog Railway , a distinctive steam-hauled service that winds 13 miles down to the coast at Porthmadog. Return via the sublime steam service of the Welsh Highland Railway under the summit of Snowdon to Caernarfon, where you can catch a bus to Bangor and main line services.

From Bastia to Ajaccio through the Corsican interior

Train passing a derelict station at Lumio, Corsica, with snow-covered mountains in the distance under a deep blue sky.

The Chemins de Fer de la Corse ( Corsican Railways ) is a narrow-gauge railway centred on Ponte Leccia – from where three main lines head to Ajaccio, Bastia and Calvi, all providing incredible views of beautiful and rugged terrain. The route linking Ajaccio and Bastia is the longest and most celebrated, taking three and a half hours, so is best done with an overnight stop, rather than attempted as a day trip. Corsica is well served by ferries from mainland France such as Toulon, Marseille and Nice, opening up a tempting train-and-ferry route from the UK.

Dublin to Madrid by train and ferry

View from the cliff walk between Bray and Greystones, with  grassy cliffs and sea, in Co Wicklow, Ireland.

It is possible to head from Dublin direct to mainland Europe. A largely single-track line skirts the Irish Sea heading south as far as Wicklow before veering inland and stopping in the appealing county town of Wexford, set on the estuary of the River Slaney. It’s a short hop along the tracks from there to the port of Rosslare for the twice-weekly ferries to Bilbao , which take about 30 hours. Then it’s a five-hour rail journey on to Madrid. Recommended stops take in Burgos’s treasured cathedral, the former Spanish capital of Valladolid and Segovia’s Roman aqueduct and Alcázar fortress.

Venice to Palermo – across the water in Italy

The statue of Garibaldi outside Palermo train station, Sicily.

Heading from top to toe in Italy, this dramatic journey’s potential stopping points need no introduction. Fast Frecciarossa trains connect Venice to the gastronomic centre of Bologna in 90 minutes, with Florence 40 minutes down the line. An hour and a half further on you’re in Rome. From here the south of Italy opens up. For one of Europe’s most unusual rail experiences take a train service all the way to Sicily. At Villa San Giovanni in Calabria, you and your carriage board a dedicated ferry to Messina, in Sicily, from where the hectic fun of Palermo is a slow-rolling four and a half hours’ ride away along the coast. There are several daily intercity and night services that run from the mainland, via the ferry, through to the Sicilian capital including sleepers direct from Milan, Genoa and Pisa.

From coast to coast, via a mountain high – Oslo to Bergen

A Flåm Railway train running through a valley, in Norway.

A contender for Europe’s best train trip, the Bergen Line ( Bergensbanen ) thunders past southern Norway’s mountains and lakes between Oslo and Bergen, reaching 1,222m at Finse station, where a snowball fight is generally on offer. The trip takes nearly seven hours, which passes quickly in a blur of incredible scenery on a comfortable intercity service. There’s scope to do a longer version of this route taking the Norway in a Nutshell tour, which includes the Flåm Railway – possibly the world’s most scenic branch line – and a boat journey through Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord.

Paris to Barcelona on the slow train

The Petit Train Jaune (little yellow train), crossing the Pont Séjourné viaduct in the French Pyrenees.

These cities are linked by a fast train , but there’s a leisurely route south through France to the Pyrenees via Limoges, Toulouse and through magnificent rural and mountain scenery to Latour-de-Carol. While it’s possible to reach Latour-de-Carol by direct night train from Paris, you would miss the slowly unfolding views you can enjoy when doing this journey in daylight. From Latour-de-Carol a commuter line runs all the way to Barcelona and takes just over three hours. Possible stops along the way include fortified Ribes de Freser and Ripoll, home to an ancient monastery and a good starting point for hiking trails.

Budapest to Split on a sleeper

Old Hungarian train at Lake Balaton, in a beautiful landscape, with Tihany in the background.

During the summer there’s a tempting night service between Hungary’s capital and the Adriatic. In recent years the train has left Budapest at midnight, getting into Split after lunch. En route it passes the Hungarian holiday playground of Lake Balaton and Zagreb, Croatia’s capital. Once on the Adriatic coast, buses head south to Dubrovnik, while ferries and catamarans radiate out to nearby islands.

Locarno to Domodossola through the Swiss Alps

View of snowy peaks out the window of a restaurant near Titlis mountain, Switzerland.

Pretty much any journey in Switzerland promises jaw-dropping scenery, and on several routes trains run slowly specifically to show off the mountains, rivers and lakes that can be seen from the window. Travelling between Locarno in Switzerland to Domodossola in the Piedmont region of Italy, the Centovalli (Hundred Valleys) Railway is a short but scenic service past 52km of waterfalls, chestnut groves, church-topped villages, deep ravines and vineyards. Highlights include the Isorno Bridge near the village of Intragna and Intragna’s gorge.

These routes, plus tips on rail travel, are featured in Lonely Planet’s Guide to Train Travel in Europe by Tom Hall, Imogen Hall and Oliver Smith (£19.99), available at shop.lonelyplanet.com

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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.

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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 Super Sparpreis 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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On the Luce travel blog

Europe by train: Five great one-week rail trip routes

Posted on Last updated: December 11, 2023

Explore Europe by train with five of the best European rail trip itinerary ideas you can do in just one week, covering Northern Europe, Italy, Eastern Europe, Spain and Portugal, and Scandinavia.

* This site contains affiliate links , where I get a small commission from purchases at no extra cost to you.

Europe by train: Five great one-week rail trip routes

Train travel is one of the best ways to explore Europe – the continent is fairly compact so it’s easy to get around and there’s a wide network of train routes and rail passes available, so you can just sit back and soak up the views. But if you want to explore Europe by train, most suggested rail itineraries are geared up for InterRailers with months to spare.

That’s not the only option though – you can have a mini European rail adventure too. Just choose a region and a few destinations and create your own route. Or if that sounds too much work, here are five of the best one-week European rail trip ideas to get you started.

Europe by train: The Flamsbana scenic train in Norway

Each of the routes is possible in a week’s holiday, but if you’ve got more time you can take it slower and spend more time in each place. The idea isn’t to wear yourself out trying to see everything in every destination, but to take in the highlights and get a taste for each place (if you find somewhere you love, you can always come back again and stay longer).

From Scandinavia to Spain, there’s the perfect European rail route for you – and if you’re ready to go, check out my detailed one-week itinerary posts, which are linked to after each route description and give you the full details of which trains to take, how much they cost, how to book tickets, what to see and where to stay along the way.

5 itineraries for exploring Europe by train

Europe by train: Swiss mountain railway at Kleine Scheidegg

Northern Europe: Canals and chocolate

Amsterdam > Bruges > Paris > Chur > Milan

This train journey takes you through some of Northern Europe’s higlights – from its cosmopolitan capital cities to its storybook canalside towns and on through the mountains of the Alps on board one of Europe’s most spectacular train journeys.

Start your trip in Amsterdam and spend the day exploring this vibrant city with its 50km of canals and 1500 bridges. Visit one of Amsterdam’s art and culture museums, take a walk around the UNESCO-listed Canal Ring or hire a bike to explore further afield.

Along the canals in Bruges

Then take an early train to the pretty Belgian city of Bruges (3 hours) for an afternoon feasting on local beer and chocolate. Next morning, climb to the top of the Belfort tower or take a boat trip along Bruges canals before catching an afternoon train to Paris (3 hours).

Paris has something for everyone – big-name museums like the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, iconic monuments like the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, parks, pavement cafés and boutique shops. Or why not try out some of the city’s more unusual attractions , like the Promenade Plantée railway line turned park or underground Musée des Égouts?

The Musee d’Orsay in Paris

Then take the train on to Chur (5.5 hours) and spend the evening in Switzerland’s oldest city. Catch the Bernina Express the following morning – one of the most scenic train rides in Europe. This four-hour rail journey runs through the stunning scenery of the Swiss Alps, across bridges and viaducts past Alpine meadows and traditional mountain villages.

The Bernina Express terminates in Tirano in Italy, where you change onto a local train to connect on to Milan (3 hours). Then spend your final morning shopping and sightseeing in the Italian fashion capital’s historic heart before heading home.

Read the full Northern Europe by train itinerary

A one-week rail trip itinerary in Northen Europe

Italy: Palazzos and pizza

Venice > Florence > Rome > Naples > Sorrento > Sicily

This rail trip is a feast of Italian culture, history, food and wine, travelling from Venice in the north to Sicily in the south. Begin your trip with a full day in Venice – cruise the Grand Canal, get lost in the backstreets and brave the crowds at St Mark’s Square and the Doges Palace. Then take an early train on to Florence the following morning (2 hours).

Spend the afternoon soaking up Florence’s artistic atmosphere, with galleries, museums, churches and palazzi overflowing with Renaissance masterpieces, and try some delicious Tuscan food and wine. Next morning, take the short train journey to Rome (1.5 hours).

Rome buildings at sunset

Explore some of Rome’s historic highlights, from the Colosseum and Pantheon to St Peter’s Basilica and the Trevi Fountain, before finding the perfect piazza for a sunset aperitivo .

Travel further south to the gritty coastal city of Naples (1 hour 10 mins) to spend the day exploring its archaeological treasures and stuffing yourself in the home of pizza before taking the Circumvesuviana railway south to Sorrento. Eat gelato and soak up the seaside views in Sorrento then spend the next day visiting some of the nearby sights.

The buried Roman city of Pompeii, Italy

You can go back in time with a trip to the buried Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii , climb Mount Vesuvius, take a boat trip along the coast to the colourful villages of the Amalfi Coast or head across the Bay of Naples to the glamorous island of Capri.

Then finish your trip by travelling south to Sicily. Getting there’s an adventure in itself – you can take the train all the way as it travels onto the ferry for the 30-minute boat trip across the Messina Straits. Once in Sicily, get a taste of the island by choosing from Taormina (6 hours 45 mins), Catania (7.5 hours) or Palermo (9 hours) for your final stop.

Read the full I taly by train itinerary

A one-week rail trip itinerary in Italy

Eastern Europe: Concerts and cake

Budapest > Bratislava > Vienna > Ljubljana > Zagreb

Head east to some of Europe’s cultural capitals to experience world-class art, architecture and music as you travel to five different countries in just one week. Start your rail journey through Eastern European in the Hungarian capital Budapest, with a full day to soak up the city’s culture, steam in its thermal spa baths and party by night in its ruin pubs.

St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna

Then catch a train to Bratislava in Slovakia (2.5 hours), a compact city on the banks of the Danube. Spend the afternoon checking out Bratislava’s mix of 18th-century and Socialist-era architecture, from the blue Church of St Elisabeth to the quirky ‘UFO’ Bridge.

Then travel on to Vienna in Austria (1 hour by train – or if you fancy a change from rail travel, the two cities are also connected by a boat which runs along the Danube).

Visit an ornate palace, take an architecture walk around the Ringstrasse, watch the horses at the Spanish Riding School, catch a Mozart concert at the State Opera House and fill up on delicious sachertorte at a traditional Viennese coffee house.

Lake Bled at dusk

Next travel on to Ljubljana in Slovenia (6 hours) along the route of the scenic Semmering Railway through Austria’s mountains. Spend the afternoon exploring the bridges and Baroque churches of Ljubljana’s charming old town and catch sunset from the castle.

Take a day trip from Ljubljana to beautiful Lake Bled (1 hour by train), famous for its island church, hilltop castle and creamy custard Bled cakes. Then end your trip in Zagreb, across the border in Croatia (2.5 hours), with a day wandering around the historic Upper Town, picnicking in Maksimir Park and visiting the Museum of Broken Relationships.

Read the full Eastern Europe by train itinerary

A one-week rail trip itinerary in Eastern Europe

Spain & Portugal: Paella and port

Barcelona > Valencia > Madrid > Porto > Lisbon

This rail journey takes you across Spain and Portugal, from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, with plenty of fantastic food and drink along the way. Start your trip in the Catalan capital city of Barcelona and spend a full day checking out Gaudi’s unique architecture, people-watching on Las Ramblas and soaking up the sunshine on Barceloneta beach.

Visiting Madrid on a budget

Then take an early train down the coast to Valencia (3 hours) where you have the afternoon to explore its mix of old and new – from the traditional buildings of the Ciutat Vella to the Space-Age City of Arts and Sciences – and try a paella in the city where it was created.

The next day take the short train ride inland to the Spanish capital Madrid (1.5 hours) for an evening of eating and drinking in the city’s tapas bars. Spend the next morning discovering Madrid’s parks, museums and historic buildings – from the famous Prado art museum and Mercado de San Miguel food market to the largest palace in Europe.

Port tasting at Taylor's in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto

Then travel across the border to Porto (6 hours 45 minutes via Vigo) and spend the next day taking a traditional rabelo boat trip beneath the six bridges over the River Duoro and port-tasting at the famous producers across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia.

Finally travel south to Lisbon (3 hours) to end your trip with a feast of local seafood and pastel de nata custard tarts in Portugal’s capital. Check out the city’s street art scene, ride one of the vintage trams and get a workout climbing to the top of the Miradouro São Pedro de Alcantara or Miradouro do Graça for views across Lisbon’s red rooftops.

Read the full Spain and Portugal by train itinerary

A one-week rail trip itinerary in Spain and Portugal

Scandinavia: Fjords and funiculars

Copenhagen > Stockholm > Oslo > Flåm > Bergen

This final Europe by train itinerary takes in some of the scenic highlights of Scandinavia on a journey across three countries. Start with a full day in Danish capital Copenhagen – cycle the cobbled streets, ride the Tivoli Gardens rollercoasters, walk along the canals of Christianshavn and check out Nyhavn’s design shops and Michelin-starred restaurants.

The following day, take the train across the border to Sweden, travelling to Stockholm across the Öresund Link, a unique combination of a bridge and a tunnel (5.5 hours). Then spend the afternoon and the new morning exploring Stockholm.

Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen

Wander through the medieval streets of Stockholm’s Gamla Stan old town, learn about Sweden’s most famous exports at the ABBA and Nobel Prize museums, or take a boat trip to explore some of the 30,000 islands which make up the Stockholm Archipelago.

Then catch an afternoon train across the border to Oslo in Norway (6.5 hours), where you have the next day to soak up Scandinavian culture at the city’s museums, art galleries and the impressive modern Opera House or historic 13th-century Akershus Fortress.

Historic buildings in Bryggen, Bergen, Norway

Next head west along the scenic rail route towards the coast – first taking a mainline train to Myrdal (4.5 hours) and then catching the stunning Flåmsbana mountain railway down to Flåm, passing mountain peaks, lakes and waterfalls (50 minutes).

Spend the night in Flåm on the edge of the fjords, and take a boat trip into the Sognefjord the next morning before travelling to Bergen (2 hours). Finish your trip visiting the colourful wooden houses of the UNESCO World Heritage Bryggen district, checking out the views from the Mount Fløyen funicular and eating seafood at Bergen’s fish market.

Read the full Scandinavia by train itinerary

A one-week European rail trip itinerary in Scandinavia

Don’t want to organise it yourself? You can also book a custom rail trip based on any of our Europe by train itineraries through our partners Byway ,* the flight-free holiday platform, which include transport and accommodation.

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Explore Europe by train with five of the best European rail trip itinerary ideas you can do in just one week, covering Northern Europe, Italy, Eastern Europe, Spain and Portugal, and Scandinavia | Europe by train | Europe rail itineraries | InterRail itineraries | European train travel

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Monday 15th of May 2023

Hi Lucy, Hope you are well. Loved your article! Planning a trip with kids age 14 and 8. Want to see two countries ( france/switzerland) and end up in London. Would love to see switzerland through rail...like those lovely videos we keep seeing but also explore a bit more. How can we plan this best? Any advice/guidance will be much appreciated! Thank you in advance. Warm regards, Saba

Lucy Dodsworth

Friday 26th of May 2023

Hi Saba, depending on how long you have you could start in Milan and take the Glacier Express scenic train (https://www.ontheluce.com/swiss-scenic-trains-and-the-diy-alternatives/) from Tirano to Zermatt, then travel on to Geneva and into France, either heading down to the South of France or north along the border to Strasborg and Colmar towards Paris.

Sonia henry

Wednesday 26th of April 2023

Hi Lucy trying to get from Athens by train what countries can I do

Tuesday 2nd of May 2023

Hi, you could travel up through North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Germany. Or another alternative is to take a ferry to Bari in Southern Italy and travel north from there.

Monday 27th of February 2023

Hi Lucy. Your feedback is very informative. I'm thinking about going to Norway in a couple weeks for about 7 days. What countries can I visit from Norway within that time? I'm looking to capitalize on as much places I can see. I mentioned Norway, but not quite sure as yet. I may consider Denmark. Let me know your recommendations.

Tuesday 7th of March 2023

Hi Darren, my Scandinavia itinerary covers Denmark, Norway and Sweden is a week so that should be easily doable in your timescale. You can also catch the ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn in Estonia if you also want to venture into the Baltics, there are frequent sailings and it's only around two hours.

Tuesday 20th of September 2022

Loved your article. Do you have any suggestions for an itinerary with an overnight train so that we can experience a night on a sleeper train (with a cabin and bathroom)?

Thursday 22nd of September 2022

Hi Pam, there are quite a few to choose from in Europe – I did a post on some of my favourites here https://www.ontheluce.com/european-night-trains/ but you could travel London to Scotland on the Caledonian Sleeper or the ÖBB Nightjet trains run from Austria to France and Germany, and both have cabins with private bathrooms.

Monday 16th of May 2022

@Lucy, I want to travel by train from Athens to Amsterdam. Any advice?

Tuesday 17th of May 2022

Afraid that's not a route I've done but this article on Seat 61 might be helpful: https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Athens.htm

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Traveling by train in Europe

It’s easy to travel on trains in Europe. The continent’s well-connected rail network means you can travel on high-speed trains as well as regional and sleeper trains.

Whether you’ve got your sights set on Europe’s iconic landmarks, lazy days on the beach or hiking in the mountains, hopping on a train in Europe is a convenient way to explore everything that this fascinating continent has to offer. 

With so many languages, countries and train companies to navigate, we’re here to help make booking your train tickets in Europe as simple as possible - including helping you work out the essentials you should bring on a train trip . So, let’s get started – simply enter your origin and destination in our Journey Planner above or read on to find out more about traveling by train in Europe.

What's in this guide?

European train tickets, how to book european train tickets online, how to buy cheap train tickets in europe, european rail passes, trains in europe map, types of trains in europe, first class on trains in europe, top train routes in europe, bikes on trains in europe, traveling around europe by train, our travel tips for students, families and seniors.

  • Europe’s most underrated tourist attractions

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Frequently asked questions, eurostar standard premier/comfort class tickets are now on sale: 20% off.

Thinking about traveling by Eurostar this summer? Save money on your train fare if you book your trip with Trainline.

Travel between April 15 and June 30, 2024 and you can get 20% off one-way tickets for Eurostar’s Standard Premier and Comfort class . Terms apply .*  

With wider seating for a more comfortable journey, Eurostar’s Standard Premier and Comfort classes can add a touch of luxury to your travel this summer.  

This offer is available on routes between London and Paris, Brussels or Lille, and between Paris and Brussels or Amsterdam. The discount is applied automatically so you can simply search, book, and start planning your trip!

Don't miss out: you can book your tickets now through March 25, 2024 to get this offer.

Book Eurostar tickets

The TGV between France and Italy is back!

  • Paris to/from   Saint-Jean de Maurienne by train
  • Saint-Jean de Maurienne to/from Oulx by coach
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Eurostar and Thalys join forces!

Your European trips just got simpler: Eurostar and Thalys have joined forces under the Eurostar name!

London , Paris , Brussels , Amsterdam and Cologne are just some of the destinations that are within reach as Eurostar expands across the continent.

There are now two types of Eurostar trains : Eurostar’s classic blue trains for journeys to/from the United Kingdom, and red trains (formerly Thalys trains) for all other trips to France , Belgium , the Netherlands and Germany .

So, what’s changed? 😎

✔ You’ll be able to buy tickets for all routes that used to be operated by Thalys with Eurostar (for example, trains from  Paris to Amsterdam )

✔ There will be 2 separate sets of Eurostar travel classes: Standard, Comfort and Premium for trains in Europe , and Standard, Standard Premier and Business Premier for trains to/from London .

✔ Boarding the train will look different depending on where you’re headed : if you’re traveling to/from the United Kingdom, you’ll need to check-in and go through security

✔ All travelers, regardless of destination, can sign up to Club Eurostar (Eurostar’s loyalty scheme).

Want to book your next adventure with Eurostar?

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Depending on the country and train company you’re traveling with, most European train tickets are divided into two categories: advance purchase or on the day. UK train tickets are also divided by time of travel.

Advance European train tickets

In France, Italy and Spain

You can buy your train tickets in advance if you’re traveling on an Intercity or high-speed train in France, Italy and Spain, as well as an international train to or from France. Ticket prices are dynamic like air fares – they’re cheaper when you book in advance than when you buy on the day. The most expensive fares usually allow refunds and changes to travel plans, while the cheapest fares don’t. Also, every ticket includes a reserved seat, so you need to book in advance before all seats are filled up. Check out our guides on how to buy train tickets for Italy or how to buy train tickets for France for more details.

In the UK, Germany and Austria

If you’re traveling on an Intercity train in the UK, Germany and Austria, you can choose to buy your train tickets in advance or on the day. You can buy your tickets in advance if you want to save money and are happy to commit to a specific train with limited or no refunds and no changes to travel plans. These advance tickets go by various names in different countries: Advance train tickets in the UK, Sparpreis or  Super   Sparpreis in Germany, and Sparschiene in Austria.

In the UK, fares are based on how busy trains are likely to be, with tickets during less popular travel times being cheaper than those for peak travel times. For more information, check our  Off-Peak times page.

If you want to travel at any time of day on any train, you can buy a flexible full-price ticket on the day. Flexible full-price tickets are usually more expensive but they allow you to make changes to your booking, as well as request a refund where applicable.  

Whether you buy your ticket in advance or on the day, you won’t get a reserved seat included in the price – you can get on the train and sit anywhere you like, or you can pay an extra fee to reserve your seat.

European train tickets on the day

You can buy tickets on the day for most European local, regional and suburban trains. The ticket price is fixed so there’s no price advantage when you book them in advance. For example, a one-way ticket to travel on the Leonardo Express – the regional train which connects Roma Termini to Rome Fiumicino Airport – always costs €14, so you don’t need to book it in advance, unless you want peace of mind.

On most local, regional and suburban trains in Europe, seat reservation is not necessary and, in most cases, not even available. You just buy a fixed-price ticket and sit anywhere you like.

Digital tickets

It’s easier than ever these days to go paperless with digital tickets. Many train companies across Europe offer the option of using digital tickets on your journey.

If digital tickets are available on your journey, we'll offer you the option at checkout. Find out more about Digital tickets .

How to use digital tickets with us when you travel in Europe

We're here to help make your next train trip in Europe as easy as possible.

When you make a search in our Journey Planner, we will list all the trains running on your chosen day of travel. For each train, we'll show you the following info:

Cheapest price

By default, we’ll highlight the cheapest fare option available on that service. In this case, it's the Youth Serenità fare. You can even opt for a First Class Serenità ticket for an additional cost.

Train number

Underneath the selected journey is the train number for that service. This will be displayed on your ticket. ' FR 6647 ’ means that you'll be taking a high-speed Frecciarossa train.

Departure and arrival times and stations

Finally, we will show you the time this train is meant to depart and arrive and the departure and arrival stations. Some cities have more than one station – Paris Gare de Lyon is different from Paris Gare du Nord – so this is important! For an intercity service such as this one, you must catch the specific train you've booked. Don’t just jump on the first one that arrives on the platform!

How to plan your journey in Europe with the Trainline app

Make sure you’re on schedule for your vacation in the UK and Europe with the Trainline app ⏱️

There are a few different ways you can save money on your European train tickets. Check out these handy hints to help you buy the tickets you need at the right price, and hopefully save a few pennies in the process.

Book in advance

Train tickets in Europe are usually at their cheapest price when they first go on sale. Advance tickets generally go on sale around three to six months before the date of travel. Advance tickets are usually released in tiers. The cheapest tier of tickets is released first; once these have sold out, the next tier is released, and so on.

Learn more about cheap European train tickets .

Travel Off-Peak

Most train tickets across Europe tend to be more expensive during rush hour (generally between 06:00 and 10:00, and 15:00 and 19:00 on weekdays). If you can, be sure to look for tickets outside of these times to see if you can snap up a lower price.

Benefit from the best train deals in Europe

There’s a wide range of train deals and discounts in Europe that can help you save money on your journey. Deals can vary based on the country and train company, but if you’re traveling with children, in a group or fall into a certain age category, you can benefit from discounted ticket prices.

Find the latest European train deals and discounts .

Look out for slower or connecting trains

Depending on the route you're traveling on, you can sometimes take a slower train or change trains during your journey for a cheaper price. You may arrive at your destination a little later than high-speed or direct services, but for those with a little extra time on their hands it’s a great money-saver.

With over 10,000 destinations just waiting to be discovered across Europe, using a European rail pass can be a flexible and money-saving way to travel across the continent. There are a few different types of rail pass available, depending on your nationality and where you’d like to travel in Europe.

Interrail Pass

An Interrail Pass offers unlimited train travel across Europe. Choose between a Global Pass for cross-border travel and a One Country Pass for unlimited travel in a nominated country. Interrail Passes can only be used by European citizens and permanent residents of Europe.

Discover the Interrail Pass .

Eurail Pass

Just like an Interrail Pass, a Eurail Pass allows unlimited train travel across Europe, the only difference being that it’s only available for non-European citizens or residents.

Learn more about the Eurail Pass .

BritRail Pass

A BritRail Pass allows unlimited train travel across the UK and is suitable for non-UK citizens who haven't lived in the UK for the last 6 months or more. Choose between a Consecutive Pass for traveling around Britain for a set number of days in a row and a Flexi Pass for traveling around Britain for a set number of days over a period of 1 calendar month.

Find out more about the BritRail Pass .

Swiss Rail Passes

With a Swiss Rail Pass, you'll get to enjoy unlimited travel on Swiss trains, buses, boats, cable cars and public transport in more than 90 cities.

Discover the different types of Swiss Rail Passes available.

Where can I travel with a Eurail Pass?

if you're keen to travel with a Eurail Pass but unsure how to start planning your trip, read through some of our European train itineraries for inspiration:

Europe in two weeks: the ultimate Eurail Global Pass “challenge”

Mediterranean express: a train itinerary with the eurail global pass, eurail benelux pass: three countries, eight cities, unlimited joy, epic train trip ideas across italy with eurail pass, your guide to the eurail pass in france.

Flying may give you a bird’s-eye view but to get to know a country you need to see it from the ground. Our Europe train map shows some of the most popular rail routes across Spain , France , Switzerland , Germany and Italy .

Taking the train in Europe is often quicker (and greener) than catching a flight from one destination to another. Major cities across the continent can be reached by high-speed services in no time. For example, you can get from London to Paris in just 2 hours and 16 minutes on the fastest Eurostar services – you’ll travel from one city center to another so you won’t even have to worry about airport transfers or parking, making train travel a breeze.

If you're thinking ahead to traveling next year, it's important to know that US citizens will need to complete an ETIAS application before traveling through Europe from mid-2025 (it's a bit like the ESTA system in the US). Right now, though, no pre-authorization is needed!

Ready to start planning your trip around Europe by train? Check out our interactive European train map , as well as our European packing list and our top 3 tips for planning your first trip around Europe .

While train models and their onboard facilities vary between the different European rail companies , the types of trains you’ll travel on are very similar across all countries. We’ve listed the most common types of trains in Europe you can find yourself on below.

International trains

Often a quicker and more convenient alternative to flying, international or cross-border trains make it easy to travel around Europe. Travel from the UK to France, from France to Germany and Spain, and from Germany to Italy, Austria and Switzerland in no time at all.

High-speed trains

High-speed trains are usually the quickest way to get around Europe by train, with most countries offering a high-speed train service. Traveling at speeds of up to 248 mph (400 km/h), you’ll reach your destination before you even know it! Here’s an overview of the main high-speed trains in Europe:

Night trains

Ideal for those who want to spend their days exploring rather than traveling, night trains in Europe will take you to your destination well-rested and ready for the day. European sleeper trains often connect major cities in Europe and are a practical solution for those who want to save on accommodation costs.

Regional trains

Regional trains are an excellent way to discover Europe. These trains may not always have the luxury or speed of high-speed trains, but they're still a very comfortable way to get around. With the exception of the UK, most European countries have one or two main train companies that run regional, short-distance and commuter trains.

Scenic trains

There’s so much to see out of your window when traveling Europe by train – but some views are extra special. Scenic trains in Europe can get you up close and personal with rugged coastlines, breath-taking mountains, and beautiful viaducts. Why not check out some of our favorite scenic train rides for some inspiration?

New TGV INOUI services between Paris and Barcelona

You can now book your TGV INOUI tickets to travel between Paris and Barcelona  with Trainline. 

With TGV INOUI, you'll get to enjoy plenty of amenities on board, including more space in the different cars, free WiFi, gourmet meals, an entertainment portal with movies, documentaries, and newspapers, and staff speaking at least 3 languages ready to ensure you have an unforgettable journey.

There are at least 2 TGV INOUI services running between Paris and Barcelona every day. Trains will depart from Paris Gare de Lyon station at 9:42am and at 2:56pm and will arrive at Barcelona Sants station at 4:34pm and 9:25pm respectively. In summer, there is also a service leaving Paris at 6:56am that arrives in Barcelona at 1:25pm.

Want to travel from Barcelona to Paris? You're in luck - you can also do the return trip by train! Direct trains to Paris leave Barcelona Sants station at 10:33am and 2:32pm each day, with an extra journey at 4:10pm during the summer months.

Check your route in our Journey Planner for the most up-to-date times and tickets.

Travel in First Class and enjoy plenty of amenities on board European trains, from comfy seats with extra space to tasty complimentary snacks and drinks. For example, if you want to travel around Italy in First Class, why not choose Frecciarossa Executive – you’ll get to enjoy extra-wide leather reclining armchairs, plenty of legroom and space between seats, free WiFi, dedicated at-seat catering service and free access to the First Class lounges FrecciaClub and FrecciaLounge at main train stations.

Sometimes First Class tickets can be even cheaper than Second Class fares so you’ll get to save money without having to give up comfort. Need more information about First Class trains in Europe? Tap one of our guides below or, if you’ve already made up your mind, simply use our Journey Planner and we’ll automatically show you if there are any cheap First Class tickets available.

First and Second Class on European trains

TGV First Class

Trenitalia First Class

EuroCity First Class

Bernina Express First Class

Glacier Express First Class

Renfe AVE First Class

TGV Lyria First Class

SNCF First Class

ÖBB First Class

Eurostar Business Premier (First Class)

Deutsche Bahn First Class

Frecciarossa Executive (First Class)

Italo Club Executive (First Class)

First Class train tickets in the UK

AVE trains between France and Spain – from just €29! *

Forget about flying: it’s time to take the train between France and Spain ! Renfe , Spain’s national train company, has just launched new routes between France and Spain. Whether you’re planning a trip from Lyon to Barcelona or Marseille to Madrid , you can travel in style on a high-speed AVE train. Tickets start from €29 when travelling from Lyon or Marseille to Spain. 

Sit back and relax as you enjoy free WiFi and power outlets at your seat, plus the freedom to stretch your legs and grab a coffee from the onboard café-bar at any point throughout the journey. Tickets available to buy now with Trainline.

Buy Renfe AVE Tickets

* Prices subject to availability.

Take a look at our video to see what it’s like to fly around Europe by train, then check out some of the most popular European train journeys below.

You can take your bike on all British trains free of charge, although the types of bikes allowed can vary. Fully folding bicycles are allowed on all trains without reservations or restrictions. Reservations are sometimes required for full-size bicycles on certain services, and there are also restrictions on Peak-time travel. Find out more about bikes on trains in the UK .

In mainland Europe

In Europe, you can travel with your bike on most trains free of charge, provided it’s semi-dismantled and kept in a special bag or case. On some trains, you’ll need to place your bike in a special bike compartment for which you’ll need to pay for a small fee.

Food and drink on trains in Europe

Fancy a bite to eat while you're traveling through Europe?

Whether you want to pack your own snacks, grab something at the station or eat on board, we’ve got you covered ✅

Watch our quick video to get the lowdown on food and drink on board trains in Europe, or check out more detailed info about what's on board trains on popular routes, including:

  • Barcelona to Madrid
  • Paris to Zurich

Europe is small when you travel by train. In just a few hours, you can whizz across countries, between city centers and swap the Mediterranean seaside for cool mountain ranges or soft green hills. Here’s our guide to some of the countries in Europe you can travel around by train. If you're looking for Europe itineraries , we've got those too!

Art / Cuisine / History / Cities

Italy is home to some of the world’s finest artwork, extraordinarily good cuisine, a long and varied history that extends far beyond the Roman Empire, and an unquestionable need to live la dolce vita .

Travel around this beautiful country and visit the iconic cities of Rome , Florence and Milan coming face-to-face with the artworks of Europe’s Renaissance masters – the Sistine Chapel , Michelangelo’s David, and da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Beyond the city walls, Italy’s varied landscape is a must-see, from the icy reaches of the Alps to the glistening azure ocean in the south. And don’t forget the food! Whether you’re enjoying a fresh, fire-baked pizza, refreshing gelato or tagliatelle al ragù smothered in Parmigiano Reggiano – you’ll always eat well in Italy.

Find out more about trains in Italy .

Popular destinations

  • Trains to Milan
  • Trains to Florence
  • Trains to Rome

Main train stations

  • Milan Central station
  • Roma Termini station
  • Firenze Santa Maria Novella station

Main airport transfers

  • Trains to and from Malpensa Airport
  • Trains to and from Fiumicino Airport
  • Trains to and from Ciampino Airport

The elegance, gastronomy and cultural history of France are matched by few. Come to France and be seduced by its café culture, iconic landmarks and indulgent cuisine.

SNCF trains make it easy to travel around this country by train – enjoy a freshly baked croissant while wandering the cobbled streets and famous sites of Paris , then travel from Paris to Lyon easily by train . Why not hop over to Bordeaux for a refreshing glass or two of vin rouge ? Check out our guide to visiting Bordeaux for its wine , or find out what to do in Bordeaux besides drinking . In the north, you’ll find rocky, windswept coastlines and rolling green pastoral lands, a stark contrast to the sun-baked Mediterranean shores of Nice in the south. If cooler climates are more your thing, head to the snow-capped Alpine region to the east - check out our rundown of the best European ski resorts you can travel to by train , including Les Gets in the Alps. Head to some of France's best spa towns if you want a relaxing break. Or if you want to brush up on your history, you could visit Normandy and its D-Day beaches or some of the coolest castles in France . Not sure where to visit first? Check out our best places to visit in France . 

Find out more about trains in France .

  • Trains to Paris
  • Trains to Bordeaux
  • Trains to Nice
  • Paris Gare du Nord station
  • Bordeaux St-Jean station
  • Nice Ville station
  • Trains to and from Charles de Gaulle Airport
  • Trains to and from Paris Orly Airport

Beaches / Cuisine / History / Art

The sultry sun-soaked shores, vibrant cities and snow-capped Pyrenees of Spain have long been a magnet for tourists during all seasons. This passionate country is full of diverse cultures, good food and a belief that life shouldn’t be taken too seriously. 

It’s the small things in Spain that will charm you the most – from the sweep of a flamenco dancer to the clink of cerveza glasses. Renfe trains can whisk you from the bustling Las Ramblas in Barcelona to Spain's capital, Madrid (check out our guide on travelling between Barcelona and Madrid by train ). Or, why not discover some of the best restaurants in the world in San Sebastián? If you fancy exploring Andalucia and speeding down from Madrid to the southern Spanish city of Seville , you can do that too. You’ll find signs of Spain’s extraordinary history dotted throughout the country – expect ancient castles, Roman amphitheatre ruins and exquisite examples of Islamic architecture.  If you’re feeling like a fiesta , head to the Southern shores of Malaga for a night you won’t forget. Check out our ultimate guide to train travel in Spain for more information.

Find out more about trains in Spain .

  • Trains to Barcelona
  • Trains to Madrid
  • Trains to Valencia
  • Barcelona Sants station
  • Madrid Atocha station
  • Valencia Joaquín Sorolla station

Cool / Tech / Culture / Countryside

A powerhouse in Europe, Germany is home to trend-setting cities, emerald forests, over 2,000 kilometres of coastline and the odd fairy tale castle dotted along the way. 

Travel around the country that gave us Albert Einstein and Beethoven (to name a few) with Deutsche Bahn and immerse yourself in German culture. No trip is complete without a visit to capital city Berlin, with its urban artwork, lively nightlife and iconic landmarks. Be sure to stop at Germany’s other vibrant cities too – Frankfurt and Cologne are full of fascinating museums, period architecture and unique gastronomy. We can’t go on without mentioning Germany’s biggest Bavarian party – Oktoberfest – which hosts more than six million people dressed in lederhosen each year.

Find out more about trains in Germany .

  • Trains to Berlin
  • Trains to Hamburg
  • Trains to Cologne
  • Berlin Hbf station
  • Hamburg Hbf station
  • Köln Hbf station

Cuisine / History / Art / Cities

Belgium may be a small nation, but its impressive range of languages ​​and cultural influences make it an unmissable place to visit. 

With the longest train journey in the country clocking in at around just two hours, SNCB trains make exploring this charming country easy. Home to the European Union, Belgium’s capital city Brussels is well worth a visit for all food, art and beer lovers - check out our guide to food and drink in Brussels . Immerse yourself in the Flemish tradition and Renaissance architecture in the historic port city of Antwerp (check out our Antwerp guide for more inspiration), then wander around the Medieval streets and take in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Ghent – Belgium’s best-kept secret.

Find out more about trains in Belgium .

  • Trains to Brussels
  • Trains to Bruges
  • Trains to Ghent
  • Brussels Midi station
  • Bruges station
  • Ghent station

The Netherlands 🇳🇱

Culture / Art / Countryside / Cool

With welcoming cities, colourful tulip-laden fields and 250 km of dune-filled coastline, the Netherlands is a culture-filled country just waiting to be explored. 

No trip to the Netherlands is complete without a visit to Amsterdam – one of the most popular destinations in Europe. Wander along the canals of this quirky capital city, pay a poignant visit to Anne Frank House or immerse yourself in the art of Van Gogh. Check in to one of Amsterdam's best hotels to make the most of your trip. Hop on an NS train and be whisked along to Rotterdam – this modern city is extremely passionate about football, so sporting fans should make time to catch a match. Make sure you also head to Scheveningen Beach in The Hague during the summer months to catch some rays. 

Find out more about trains in the Netherlands .

  • Trains to Amsterdam
  • Trains to Rotterdam
  • Trains to Utrecht
  • Amsterdam Centraal station
  • Rotterdam Centraal station
  • Utrecht Centraal station

Switzerland

Nature / History / Adventure / Cities

Ideally located in the heart of Europe, trains in Switzerland offer breath-taking views of mountains, lakes and waterfalls on their journeys.

Switzerland is well connected by rail, thanks to SBB trains. As a relatively small country, it’s easy to see several destinations by train without too much travel time. Visit elegant Geneva , the gateway to Europe from Switzerland, then Bern, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Or check out the best things to do in Zermatt . Don’t miss Zurich on your trip either – it’s the financial capital of Switzerland and has a historic centre of great value.

Find out more about trains in Switzerland .

  • Trains to Geneva
  • Trains to Zurich
  • Trains to Basel
  • Genève Cornavin station
  • Zurich Hb station
  • Basel SBB station

UK & Great Britain 🇬🇧

Cosy pubs / Hikes / Food and Theatre / Castles

Each country in the United Kingdom is unique in its own right, although you’ll still find an intrinsic bond which holds England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland together – from lingering over a pint by a crackling fire in a cosy pub to a dry sense of humour and newspaper-wrapped chips.

Traveling by train in the UK opens up a world of possibilities. Glide from London ’s iconic landmarks to dramatic moorlands in a couple of hours. Wander along coastal pathways then step back in time with a visit to one of the many historic castles and stately homes in this green and pleasant land. Seek out Nessie in Scotland or taste drams of single malt whisky in Edinburgh . And don’t forget about hiking amongst the rolling hills and dramatic landscapes of Wales . Is it your first time taking the train in the UK? Check out our first-timer's guide on how to travel by train in the UK . 

Find out more about trains in Britain .

  • Trains to London
  • Trains to Edinburgh
  • Trains to Cardiff
  • London Victoria station
  • Edinburgh Waverley station
  • Cardiff Central station

 Main airport transfers

  • Trains to Gatwick Airport
  • Trains to Heathrow Airport
  • Trains to Stansted Airport

Depending on the country you're visiting, student, family and senior discounts can vary between different train companies, types of train and when you choose to travel. Here are some of the best deals to look out for:

Student/budget travelers

  • Youth Discount with Eurail: Get up to 25% off the price of an adult Global Pass if you’re under 27 years old. Available for First and Second Class passes
  • 16-25 Railcard : Save up to 1/3 off the price of eligible train tickets in the UK. Great for teenagers, students, graduates, and young professionals
  • Super Sparpreis: Book in advance and get cheap train tickets for long-distance Deutsche Bahn services within Germany from €17.90 (fare excludes booking fee).

Check out our top places to study abroad in Europe , if you're looking to spend a semester away from the States.

Family travelers

  • Trenitalia Bimbi Gratis: Get free train travel for children under 15, if they travel with a group of 2 to 5 adults with a valid Base ticket in First and Second class on most Trenitalia services
  • Renfe - Niño: Get 40% off train tickets for children aged 4-13. Get free travel for children under 4 if they’re travelling on an adult’s lap
  • Kids for a Quid : Some UK train operators allow up to 4 children aged 5-15 to travel for just £1 on a single or return journey when accompanied by an adult during Off-Peak times.

Senior travelers

  • Senior Discount with Eurail: Get 10% off the price of an adult Global Pass if you’re over 60 years old. Available for First and Second Class passes
  • Senior Discount with BritRail: Get 15% off the price of an adult BritRail Pass if you’re over 60 years old
  • Senior Railcard : Save up to 1/3 off the price of eligible train tickets in the UK if you’re aged 60+.

It may be the slower option, but Europe’s extensive bus network often offers lower fares than trains for the same journey. With most bus companies providing similar onboard amenities to trains such as air-conditioning, WiFi and power sockets, taking the bus can be a relaxing way to cruise between destinations.

Check out our dedicated buses in Europe page to find out more.

Are trains in Europe safe?

Yes. Trains in Europe are perfectly safe, both in terms of engineering and crime rate. Most European stations are open 24 hours a day and are equipped with a video surveillance system or a local security team. If anything goes wrong, you'll usually find a police station and an information desk with English speaking staff to help you.

Are dogs allowed on trains in Europe?

Yes. The general rule is that small pets are allowed to travel on European trains for free if they’re in a carrier. Larger pets need to be muzzled and kept on a leash and usually travel for a reduced rate. Check out our guide to dogs on trains for more information about traveling with your dog in the UK.

How can I get cheap European train tickets?

The best way to save money when booking European trains is to buy your tickets in advance. Prices can be much higher on the day of travel, so be sure to plan well in advance to get the cheapest fares. We also recommend you avoid traveling during rush hours, as well as check if you can benefit from the wide range of discounts available for train travelers in Europe.

How early can you book train tickets in Europe?

European train tickets can go on sale from three to six months in advance, depending on the route and operator. If you want to snap up the cheapest fares, we recommend you book your ticket as soon as your travel plans are confirmed.

Where’s the biggest train station in Europe?

The biggest train station in Europe is Leipzig Hauptbahnhof in Germany. It has 19 overground platforms housed in six iron train sheds, a multi-level concourse with towering stone arches, and a 298 metre long facade.

How fast do high-speed trains go in Europe?

High-speed trains in Europe can reach speeds of up to 248 mph (400 km/h). They usually run direct routes to major European cities, taking you to your destination in no time.

Looking for more travel inspiration?

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We help customers across Europe make more than 172,000 smarter journeys every day.

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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.

The Temple of Hephestus

The best train rides in Europe: 10 amazing journeys for 2024

Jan 16, 2024 • 8 min read

Woman taking photo with a smartphone of Jungfrau while riding in train

Incredible scenery awaits traveling through the Bernese Alps; Jungfrau, Switzerland © Thomas Barwick / Getty

There’s something magical about a journey by train.

Sometimes the magic is inside – on a train you have room to move and meet people, dine in a restaurant car with white tablecloths, and sleep in a private compartment between crisp, clean sheets with the sound of steel wheels swishing on the rails beneath you. Sometimes the magic is outside, in the landscape the train traverses – an adventure, an experience, an insight into the heart of a nation.

Below are some of the most beautiful train rides in Europe – some well known, some less so, some luxurious and expensive, others true bargains. From countryside views and mountain villages to alpine passes and landmark bridges (with a little wildlife spotting thrown in for good measure), the continent offers up some of the most scenic train rides in the world.

The best European train trips include the fabulous Bernina Express, the most enchanting Swiss Alpine ride of all, and the spectacular railway from Belgrade to Bar through the mountains of Montenegro . The latter is one of the most scenic train rides you’ve probably never heard of, with a bargain fare of just €21. So here they are, the 10 best train journeys in Europe, extracted from Lonely Planet's Amazing Train Journeys .

Train crossing the Ribblehead viaduct in Yorkshire Dales, England.

1. Settle to Carlisle, England

Route: Settle to Carlisle Best bit? Marveling at the Ribblehead Viaduct, one of the great views of northern England , preferably as a steam train thunders over. Distance:  113km (73 miles) Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes

England’s Settle-to-Carlisle line has long been synonymous with the fight to preserve beautiful and historic stretches of railway. But this is no heritage line. Proudly part of the British rail network and served by regular mainline trains, the railway enjoys a double life as a frequent host of steam specials and, even rarer, steam-hauled mainline services.

Whether you have the whiff of steam in your nostrils or the hard-working growl of diesel-hauled regular trains in your ears, the views from the carriages are pretty much unmatched on the English railway network.

Passengers can feast their eyes on mile after mile of magnificent Yorkshire Dales and North Pennines scenery, interrupted only by stations so sweet you would expect to find them pictured on a box of biscuits.

The Little Yellow Train (Le Petit Train Jaune) passing through Villefranche-de-Conflent, France

2. Le Petit Train Jaune, France

Route: Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour-de-Carol Best bit? Holding your breath as you cross the gravity-defying Pont Gisclard. Distance:  63km (39 miles) Duration: 4 hours 30 minutes

Since 1910, the dinky, sunflower-yellow carriages of the Ligne de Cerdagne have been rattling and clattering their way through the rolling forests and saw-toothed mountains of the Pyrenees , and they have secured a special place in the hearts of many French travelers.

Affectionately known as the Canary, or Le Petit Train Jaune (Little Yellow Train), this mountain railway is frequently cited as the most scenic in France , but it’s definitely not a luxury service – it’s a rollercoaster ride on which you will feel the wind in your hair and the chill of the mountain breeze as you ratchet your way up to the highest train station in France. On y va!

A woman is traveling on a train, leaning out of a window and looking out at the scenery

3. Belgrade-to-Bar Railway, Serbia and Montenegro

Route: Belgrade to Bar Best bit? Levitating atop the 499m-long (1637ft), 198m-tall (650ft) Mala Rijeka Viaduct, one of the planet’s highest railway bridges, before the train glides over the Balkans’ largest lake, Skadar. Distance: 476km (296 miles) Duration: 12 hours

Dramatic is the operative word for this route, which rumbles over an unsullied, mountainous landscape from Serbia 's capital, Belgrade , to Montenegro ’s Adriatic Coast . During the 12-hour journey, the train disappears into the Dinaric Alps, charges through canyons, teeters on stilted bridges spanning river gorges and skims atop an ancient, tectonic lake.

Like the region it serves, the railway, which chugs across the heart of the Western Balkans , eludes most tourists’ maps. The reward for treasure-hunting travelers, who are informed (or lucky) enough to know where to dig: an embarrassment of authentic culture and pristine geographic riches at every bend.

Bernina Express train passing through a snow-covered mountain range.

4. The Bernina Express, Switzerland

Route: Chur to Tirano Best bit? Marveling at the astonishingly turquoise Lago Bianco from the route’s highest station, Ospizio Bernina (2253m/7392ft). Distance: 156km (96 miles) Duration: 4 hours 30 minutes

We can wax lyrical about the glacier-capped mountains, waterfall-draped ravines, jewel-colored lakes and endless spruce forests glimpsed through panoramic windows on Switzerland ’s Bernina Express – but, trust us, seeing is believing.

Rolling from Chur in Graubünden to Tirano in northern Italy in around four hours, this narrow-gauge train often tops polls of the world’s most beautiful rail journeys. It's certainly one of the most scenic train journeys in Switzerland.

Beyond the phenomenal Alpine landscape, the railway itself is a masterpiece of early 20th-century engineering, taking 55 tunnels and 196 bridges in its stride. The line is on the UNESCO World Heritage List – and with good reason.

Scenic landscape with sheep grazing in front of Castell Carreg Cennen (Carreg Cennen Castle), Trapp, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, Wales,

5. The Heart of Wales Line, Wales and England

Route: Swansea to Shrewsbury Best bit? Disembarking at lonely Sugar Loaf Station for a walk or picnic around the iconic nearby knoll of the same name. Distance: 194km (121 miles) Duration: 4 hours

This is Swansea to Shrewsbury the slow and, frankly, surreal way. This one-carriage train traverses track through Wales and England that might easily have been consigned to a museum or an out-of-print book, but that has somehow defied time and logic to survive as a passenger route.

Expect a spectrum of scenery, alternating from the sand-edged estuaries of South Wales, via bucolic farming towns and tracts of forest and hill country you probably never knew existed, through to one of England’s prettiest medieval cities. This four-hour, 34-station zigzag passes almost no major sights or countryside villages, but a very high concentration of spectacularly zany ones.

A regional train on the Brenner Railway cuts through in the Austrian Alps

6. Munich to Venice on the Brenner Railway, Germany, Austria and Italy

Route: Munich to Venice Best bit? Stretching your legs at 1371m (4498ft) Brenner Pass, the highest point on the trip. Distance:  563km (350 miles) Duration: 6 hours 30 minutes

The Brenner Railway is attractive for two key reasons: mountains and wine. There may be more technically astonishing high-altitude trains, but this was the first to cross the Alps, in the 1860s.

On a surprisingly speedy day trip, you pass through three countries – Germany , Austria and Italy – and descend from the snow line to sea level. You’re rarely far from highways, but the vineyard views are still stunning. Bonus: great European cities with historic architecture – Munich and Venice – are at either end.

A Scotrail Class 158 diesel passenger train crosses the glacial delta estuary of the River Attadale as it winds along the Kyle Line railway on the coast of Loch Carron, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in the West Highlands of Scotland.

7. The Kyle of Lochalsh Line, Scotland

Route: Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh Best bit? Passing under the gentle grassy slopes of Fionn Bheinn – a munro rising high over Achnasheen. Distance:  135km (84 miles) Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Scotland has an abundance of windswept railways – the West Highland Line and the Far North Line to Thurso among them. Though comparatively unsung, perhaps the loneliest of all is the Kyle of Lochalsh Line – with trains rumbling doggedly from Inverness through desolate glens and past snowy munros, connecting the cold shores of the North Sea to the furious whitewater of the Atlantic.

It is a railway line full of poetry and beloved by aficionados – but it’s also a useful way for independent travelers to access remote nooks of the Highlands, and make a journey to the Isle of Skye.

Colorful rowing boats line up on the shore of Lake Bled, with the surrounding trees in beautiful fall colors and Bled Island and Church of Mary the Queen in the background.

8. Nova Gorica to Jesenice, Slovenia

Route: Nova Gorica to Jesenice Best bit? Catching a glimpse of picture-perfect Lake Bled’s church, castle and bright-blue water. Distance: 89km (55 miles) Duration: 2 hours

Here is a near-perfect railway adventure that most people have never heard of. Then again, you could be forgiven for missing it. The Bohinj Railway, after all, connects two places whose significance can be lost to modern travelers. Europe’s shifting borders and politics may have rather marooned the Nova Gorica–Jesenice line, but that only adds to the appeal.

An unassuming regional train rattling out of a faded-grandeur halt on the Italy– Slovenia border doesn’t even hint at what’s to come. The journey is a spectacular tour of Slovenia’s upland highlights, climbing through mountain towns and villages along the Soča River, passing through superb Alpine scenery close to Lake Bohinj , and past world-famous Lake Bled , offering photo opportunities galore.

The view from Intragna on the River Melezza, as the the Centovalli Express cuts through the Hundred Valleys in Switzerland.

9. The Centovalli Express, Switzerland and Italy

Route: Domodossola to Locarno Best bit? Taking in the Isorno viaduct, the site of Switzerland’s first bungee jump. Distance:  52km (32 miles) Duration: 2 hours

Often eclipsed by Switzerland’s more famous rail rides, this two-hour trundle from Locarno on the palm-rimmed shores of Lake Maggiore to Domodossola over the Italian border in Piedmont is something of an unsung beauty.

Brush up your Italiano to swoon in sync with fellow passengers as the dinky train clatters across 83 bridges and burrows its way through 34 tunnels. The views make for spirit-lifting stuff: waterfalls shooting past cliffside views, hillside vineyards, gracefully arched viaducts, slate-roofed hamlets, glacier-carved ravines and mile after mile of chestnut and beech forests, all set against the puckered backdrop of mountains that are snow-capped in winter.

A train passes snow-capped mountains and a river from Oslo to Bergen in Norway

10. Bergensbanen, Norway

Route: Oslo to Bergen Best bit? Gazing over the soul-stirring landscape of Hardangervidda between Geilo and Finse. Distance: 496km (308 miles) Duration: 6 hours 30 minutes

This astonishing train is one of the wonders of 19th-century railway building, and yet outside Norway hardly anyone knows about it. In just over six hours and some 490km (300 miles), it covers the spectrum of Norway ’s natural splendor: climbing canyons, crossing rivers, burrowing through mountainsides, swooping past fjords and traversing barren icescapes. All aboard for the Oslo to Bergen trainline, Bergensbanen: a mainline into Norwegian nature.

This article was first published August 2019 and updated January 2024

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2 weeks in spain.

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The 5 destinations in this itinerary will show you what Spain is all about! Travel from the beaches in the south, to the impressive sights of Barcelona. 

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If your time is limited but you want to get the most out of your trip in Europe, take a look at this itinerary. Everything is easily reachable by train.

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Sun, sea, and beautiful beaches... You'll find this, and much more, on the amazing islands of Greece. Discover as many as you can in 2 weeks.

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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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10 Beautiful Train Trips in Europe

Posted: January 12, 2024 | Last updated: January 12, 2024

<p>Switzerland is renowned for its scenic train routes—but don’t sleep on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Scotland too.</p><p>Photo by Guitar photographer/Shutterstock</p><p>Train travel in Europe is getting better and better. Expanded timetables, updated trains, extended routes, and new connections mean that there’s really no reason to get a polluting short-haul flight across the continent in 2024. </p><p>If you like your travel by night, a<a class="Link" href="https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20231211-night-train-linking-berlin-and-paris-gets-rolling-again-after-9-year-hiatus" rel="noopener"> sleeper</a> links Paris and Berlin again, while a brand-spanking-<a class="Link" href="https://www.nightjet.com/en/komfortkategorien/nightjet-neue-generation" rel="noopener">new service</a> between Austria and Germany offers swanky new sleeping facilities and even capsule hotel–like pods for solo travelers. Poland has lucked out: 2024 brings double the connections between Kraków and Berlin, and Wrocław is now hooked up with Vienna. A new route from <a class="Link" href="https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/crossborder/euregio-ticket" rel="noopener">Liège to Maastricht via Aachen</a>, meanwhile, unfurls Northern Europe to curious travelers who want to see something outside the capitals.</p><p>Hanging around in airports also means you miss out on some of the most beautiful countryside Europe has to offer. These 10 train trips carve through some of the most scenic landscapes in Europe. You won’t want to get off.</p><p>Its 25 miles of track through Alpine scenery made the Semmering Railway an architectural wonder in the mid-1800s.</p><p>Photo by Photofex_AUT/Shutterstock</p>

Switzerland is renowned for its scenic train routes—but don’t sleep on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Scotland too.

Photo by Guitar photographer/Shutterstock

Train travel in Europe is getting better and better. Expanded timetables, updated trains, extended routes, and new connections mean that there’s really no reason to get a polluting short-haul flight across the continent in 2024.

If you like your travel by night, a sleeper links Paris and Berlin again, while a brand-spanking- new service between Austria and Germany offers swanky new sleeping facilities and even capsule hotel–like pods for solo travelers. Poland has lucked out: 2024 brings double the connections between Kraków and Berlin, and Wrocław is now hooked up with Vienna. A new route from Liège to Maastricht via Aachen , meanwhile, unfurls Northern Europe to curious travelers who want to see something outside the capitals.

Hanging around in airports also means you miss out on some of the most beautiful countryside Europe has to offer. These 10 train trips carve through some of the most scenic landscapes in Europe. You won’t want to get off.

Its 25 miles of track through Alpine scenery made the Semmering Railway an architectural wonder in the mid-1800s.

Photo by Photofex_AUT/Shutterstock

<p>Train travel in Europe is getting better and better. Expanded timetables, updated trains, extended routes, and new connections mean that there’s really no reason to get a polluting short-haul flight across the continent in 2024. </p> <p>If you like your travel by night, a<a class="Link" href="https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20231211-night-train-linking-berlin-and-paris-gets-rolling-again-after-9-year-hiatus" rel="noopener"> sleeper</a> links Paris and Berlin again, while a brand-spanking-<a class="Link" href="https://www.nightjet.com/en/komfortkategorien/nightjet-neue-generation" rel="noopener">new service</a> between Austria and Germany offers swanky new sleeping facilities and even capsule hotel–like pods for solo travelers. Poland has lucked out: 2024 brings double the connections between Kraków and Berlin, and Wrocław is now hooked up with Vienna. A new route from <a class="Link" href="https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/crossborder/euregio-ticket" rel="noopener">Liège to Maastricht via Aachen</a>, meanwhile, unfurls Northern Europe to curious travelers who want to see something outside the capitals.</p> <p>Hanging around in airports also means you miss out on some of the most beautiful countryside Europe has to offer. These 10 train trips carve through some of the most scenic landscapes in Europe. You won’t want to get off.</p>

1. Semmering Railway, Austria

The Semmering Railway is one of the oldest railway lines in Europe and was the first to be recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Work on the railway started in 1848, and the line got the UNESCO nod exactly 150 years later. UNESCO tends to not get this kind of thing wrong: The railway was a marvel of engineering back then, and the line’s 16 viaducts and 15 tunnels have stood the test of time. Jump on at Vienna to get to Semmering. The route slices through 41 kilometers of fir-laden mountain passes in eastern Austria, treating passengers to jaw-dropping views of lush Alpine valleys.

<h2>2. U Trinichellu, Corsica, France</h2> <p>This little old-fashioned train shuttles you along the northwest coast of Corsica from L’Île-Rousse to Calvi, stopping in beach towns along the way. It’s a pick-and-choose train line: Most of the stops are on request. But don’t worry if you don’t like your choice—the tickets are hop on, hop off, so you can take a day to test all of the beaches on the Balagne coast, traveling with the sparkling Mediterranean on one side and craggy pine forests on the other.</p>

2. U Trinichellu, Corsica, France

This little old-fashioned train shuttles you along the northwest coast of Corsica from L’Île-Rousse to Calvi, stopping in beach towns along the way. It’s a pick-and-choose train line: Most of the stops are on request. But don’t worry if you don’t like your choice—the tickets are hop on, hop off, so you can take a day to test all of the beaches on the Balagne coast, traveling with the sparkling Mediterranean on one side and craggy pine forests on the other.

<h2>3. Cinque Terre Express Train, Italy</h2> <p>The Cinque Terre have to be seen to be believed: five villages comprising a mishmash of ochre, yellow, and pink houses pressed into cliffs on the Ligurian coast. Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore are the five “terre” that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, and you can explore all of them in one day—the train takes you from one end to the other in just 20 minutes.</p>

3. Cinque Terre Express Train, Italy

The Cinque Terre have to be seen to be believed: five villages comprising a mishmash of ochre, yellow, and pink houses pressed into cliffs on the Ligurian coast. Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore are the five “terre” that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, and you can explore all of them in one day—the train takes you from one end to the other in just 20 minutes.

<h2>4. Train de la Rhune, Basque Country, France and Spain</h2> <p>Can’t decide whether to holiday in France or Spain? Basque Country, a region with beautiful landscapes, straddles the two countries, and Train de la Rhune allows you to have the best of both worlds. The Rhune, a 900-meter-high mountain, rises out of the Pyrenees mountain range that fringes the border between France and Spain. The vintage “little Rhune train,” as it’s called, climbs this iconic summit over the course of 35 minutes past wild grazing ponies and small copses. At the end you’re rewarded with a breathtaking view of a patchwork quilt of green fields joining all seven Basque provinces on either side of the border.</p>

4. Train de la Rhune, Basque Country, France and Spain

Can’t decide whether to holiday in France or Spain? Basque Country, a region with beautiful landscapes, straddles the two countries, and Train de la Rhune allows you to have the best of both worlds. The Rhune, a 900-meter-high mountain, rises out of the Pyrenees mountain range that fringes the border between France and Spain. The vintage “little Rhune train,” as it’s called, climbs this iconic summit over the course of 35 minutes past wild grazing ponies and small copses. At the end you’re rewarded with a breathtaking view of a patchwork quilt of green fields joining all seven Basque provinces on either side of the border.

<h2>5. Belgrade, Serbia to Bar, Montenegro</h2> <p>This is a bucket-list type of journey—and only costs about €24. The train going from Belgrade in Serbia to Bar in Montenegro (or the reverse journey) crosses 435 bridges over deep gorges, winds its way through imposing mountain passes and small towns that look like frontier outposts, and hugs bright, teal-blue lakes and rivers. The ride takes a solid 11 hours, though—and more if the train breaks down, which unfortunately <a class="Link" href="https://www.seat61.com/belgrade-to-bar-railway.htm" rel="noopener">has been known to happen</a>.</p>

5. Belgrade, Serbia to Bar, Montenegro

This is a bucket-list type of journey—and only costs about €24. The train going from Belgrade in Serbia to Bar in Montenegro (or the reverse journey) crosses 435 bridges over deep gorges, winds its way through imposing mountain passes and small towns that look like frontier outposts, and hugs bright, teal-blue lakes and rivers. The ride takes a solid 11 hours, though—and more if the train breaks down, which unfortunately has been known to happen .

<h2>6. Rhodope Railway, Bulgaria</h2> <p>Step back in time on Bulgaria’s last operational narrow-gauge railway, running between the small towns of Septemvri and Dobrinishte in western Bulgaria. The railway connects remote mountain villages, so it’s a humdrum commuter train for locals, but the peaceful views of farmland, gorges, and woods are a draw for tourists. Fun fact: The highest train station in the Balkans is Avramovo, at 1,267 meters above sea level, and this train delivers you there, where you can alight for a quick photo op before jumping back on to continue the journey.</p>

6. Rhodope Railway, Bulgaria

Step back in time on Bulgaria’s last operational narrow-gauge railway, running between the small towns of Septemvri and Dobrinishte in western Bulgaria. The railway connects remote mountain villages, so it’s a humdrum commuter train for locals, but the peaceful views of farmland, gorges, and woods are a draw for tourists. Fun fact: The highest train station in the Balkans is Avramovo, at 1,267 meters above sea level, and this train delivers you there, where you can alight for a quick photo op before jumping back on to continue the journey.

<h2>7. Flåmsbana, Norway</h2> <p>Do you know any other trains that make a special stop so passengers can get close to a huge, roaring waterfall? Kjosfossen waterfall is just one of the highlights of the Flåm railway line, which takes you from one of Norway’s most picturesque fjords, two meters above sea level, all the way up to the mountain station of Myrdal, at 876 meters above sea level. It’s regularly voted one of the most beautiful train trips in the world, and is certainly one of its most vertiginous, with 80 percent of the journey running on a gradient of 5.5 percent.</p>

7. Flåmsbana, Norway

Do you know any other trains that make a special stop so passengers can get close to a huge, roaring waterfall? Kjosfossen waterfall is just one of the highlights of the Flåm railway line, which takes you from one of Norway’s most picturesque fjords, two meters above sea level, all the way up to the mountain station of Myrdal, at 876 meters above sea level. It’s regularly voted one of the most beautiful train trips in the world, and is certainly one of its most vertiginous, with 80 percent of the journey running on a gradient of 5.5 percent.

<h2>8. Bernina Express, Switzerland</h2> <p>You can take this trip any time of year. If you go in summer, you’ll be threading your way through sunny green Swiss meadows, but on a winter trip you’ll see the landscape transform into a snowy winter wonderland. The Bernina Express is equipped with massive windows so you can see the scenery, but here’s a top tip: If you don’t mind swapping the fancy decor of the Bernina Express for something a bit less swish, you can also take one of the regional trains along the same route and even hop on and hop off with the same ticket. The route starts at Tirano in Italy, snakes round the iconic Brusio spiral viaduct, and climbs toward the mountains. After hitting the summit more than 2,000 meters above sea level, you slither down through the desolate Bernina Pass and dramatic Alpine valleys before arriving in Chur, Switzerland.</p>

8. Bernina Express, Switzerland

You can take this trip any time of year. If you go in summer, you’ll be threading your way through sunny green Swiss meadows, but on a winter trip you’ll see the landscape transform into a snowy winter wonderland. The Bernina Express is equipped with massive windows so you can see the scenery, but here’s a top tip: If you don’t mind swapping the fancy decor of the Bernina Express for something a bit less swish, you can also take one of the regional trains along the same route and even hop on and hop off with the same ticket. The route starts at Tirano in Italy, snakes round the iconic Brusio spiral viaduct, and climbs toward the mountains. After hitting the summit more than 2,000 meters above sea level, you slither down through the desolate Bernina Pass and dramatic Alpine valleys before arriving in Chur, Switzerland.

<h2>9. Sarajevo to Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina</h2> <p>This train ride may be one of the best kept secrets in Europe. Sweeping, Jurassic Park–style views greet you as the train winds its way around rolling hills, taking you past deep gorges and emerald lakes. And although the journey alone makes the trip worth it, it also connects two of the most fascinating cities in <a class="Link" href="https://www.afar.com/magazine/exploring-historic-towns-and-scenic-hiking-trails-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina" rel="noopener">Bosnia and Herzegovina</a>. Explore Sarajevo’s layers of history, from the Latin Bridge, where Franz Ferdinand’s assassination ignited the First World War, to the Tunnel of Hope, a tunnel used to transport supplies during the siege on the city in the Bosnian War. The city’s also known, of course, for its great food, excellent coffee culture, and mix of architectural styles. When you’ve had your fill, head to Mostar to visit Stari Most bridge—which you have to see once in your lifetime.</p>

9. Sarajevo to Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

This train ride may be one of the best kept secrets in Europe. Sweeping, Jurassic Park–style views greet you as the train winds its way around rolling hills, taking you past deep gorges and emerald lakes. And although the journey alone makes the trip worth it, it also connects two of the most fascinating cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina . Explore Sarajevo’s layers of history, from the Latin Bridge, where Franz Ferdinand’s assassination ignited the First World War, to the Tunnel of Hope, a tunnel used to transport supplies during the siege on the city in the Bosnian War. The city’s also known, of course, for its great food, excellent coffee culture, and mix of architectural styles. When you’ve had your fill, head to Mostar to visit Stari Most bridge—which you have to see once in your lifetime.

<h2>10. Jacobite Express, Scotland</h2> <p>You probably know this train by its other name: the Hogwarts Express. Yes, this is the steam train that puffs its way over the majestic Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Harry Potter movies. It runs from Fort William to Mallaig, and in between, travelers are whisked past the best of Scotland’s epic Highlands scenery, from Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, to its deepest freshwater loch, Loch Morar. On arrival in Mallaig, you can continue the journey by getting a ferry to the Isle of Skye, which has miles of hiking trails through fairy-tale landscapes.</p>

10. Jacobite Express, Scotland

You probably know this train by its other name: the Hogwarts Express. Yes, this is the steam train that puffs its way over the majestic Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Harry Potter movies. It runs from Fort William to Mallaig, and in between, travelers are whisked past the best of Scotland’s epic Highlands scenery, from Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, to its deepest freshwater loch, Loch Morar. On arrival in Mallaig, you can continue the journey by getting a ferry to the Isle of Skye, which has miles of hiking trails through fairy-tale landscapes.

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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.

euro train trip

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.

euro train trip

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.

euro train trip

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.

euro train trip

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.

euro train trip

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.

euro train trip

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.

euro train trip

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.

euro train trip

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.

euro train trip

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.

euro train trip

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.

euro train trip

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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

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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. Euro train

  2. Euro Train Driving 2019

  3. Traveling by train in Europe

  4. Took the Euro Tunnel Train under the English Channel #traveleurope

  5. Express train in Europe park

  6. Euro Train Germany 2024

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  1. 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.

  2. 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!

  3. Eurostar.com: Book Europe Train Tickets and Holidays

    Tickets between London and Paris/Lille/Brussels. *$52 per person one way based on a mandatory return trip in Standard between London and Brussels-Midi/Zuid, Paris, Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Lille, for travel between 17/04/2024 and 24/07/2024. Subject to availability. Availability varies according to dates and times. Blackout dates may apply.

  4. Europe Train Vacation Packages

    Traveling Europe by train or a river cruise allows you to soak in the landscapes as you move between cities. On our well-planned itineraries the journey is part of the adventure. Ride Famous Trains: Glacier Express, Jungfrau Railway, Jacobite Steam Train, Royal Scotsman, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Bergen Railway and more. Explore by Travel ...

  5. 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.

  6. Best European train routes worth taking instead of a plane

    Europe's train system, particularly for intracountry travel, is a well-developed and affordable option for travelers visiting the region. If you already live in Europe, it can be an incredibly easy way to travel without flying. You won't have to deal with long airport security lines, airport commute hassles, luggage fees or a host of other ...

  7. 10 of the best train journeys in Europe, chosen by Lonely Planet

    These routes, plus tips on rail travel, are featured in Lonely Planet's Guide to Train Travel in Europe by Tom Hall, Imogen Hall and Oliver Smith (£19.99), available at shop.lonelyplanet.com.

  8. 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 ...

  9. 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.

  10. Europe by train: Five great one-week rail trip routes

    The Musee d'Orsay in Paris. Then take the train on to Chur (5.5 hours) and spend the evening in Switzerland's oldest city. Catch the Bernina Express the following morning - one of the most scenic train rides in Europe. This four-hour rail journey runs through the stunning scenery of the Swiss Alps, across bridges and viaducts past Alpine meadows and traditional mountain villages.

  11. 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. Book now for an unforgettable adventure. ... Travel through stunning fjords, rugged coastlines, Viking treasures, and the majestic Northern Lights, all while ...

  12. Trains in Europe

    Check out our interactive European train map, as well as our European packing list and our top 3 tips for planning your first trip around Europe. Types of trains in Europe While train models and their onboard facilities vary between the different European rail companies , the types of trains you'll travel on are very similar across all countries.

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

    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 ...

  14. The best train rides in Europe: 10 amazing journeys for 2024

    The best European train trips include the fabulous Bernina Express, the most enchanting Swiss Alpine ride of all, and the spectacular railway from Belgrade to Bar through the mountains of Montenegro. The latter is one of the most scenic train rides you've probably never heard of, with a bargain fare of just €21.

  15. Suggested Itineraries

    Check out our suggested European train itineraries and see where you can go with your Eurail Pass. Start planning your vacation rail trip today! honeypot link. SPRING SALE: Get 15% off Passes until March 12. ... It's never too early to start planning your next big trip to Europe! Get your Eurail Pass now and start dreaming of all the ...

  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. Eurail Planner

    Planning a rail trip around Europe?Use Eurail Planner to plan your route, book accommodation, and more! Plan your trip! Our app makes it easy to plan and book everything you need for your trip around Europe. Map. Plan the best route across Europe and see your eurotrip come to life. Itinerary. See your day-by-day trip itinerary, so you know when ...

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

    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 ...

  19. Luxury European Train Tours & Luxury Train Vacations Europe

    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.

  20. Perfect Europe Train Itinerary: 19 Exciting Routes (Up to 10 Days

    √ 10 day Europe by Train Itinerary. Route: Lisbon, Porto, and the Douro Valley. Duration: 7-10 days. Created by: Pafoua of Her Wanderful World. One of the best places for train travel in Europe is the country of Portugal. With its unique scenery and rich culture, Portugal is an excellent destination for a week-long train journey.

  21. 10 Beautiful Train Trips in Europe

    Train travel in Europe is getting better and better. Expanded timetables, updated trains, extended routes, and new connections mean that there's really no reason to get a polluting short-haul ...

  22. Train fares don't have to be expensive: Rail Europe's ...

    Bjorn Bender, CEO of Rail Europe, is a man who knows trains. In the last year alone he travelled roughly 75,000 kilometres across Europe. For him, train travel is "not about going from A to B ...

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

    Look inside the train's most extravagant accommodations to peek at the luxury journey of a lifetime. Advertisement The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is the epitome of luxury train travel in Europe.

  24. 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 ...

  25. 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.