Five Things You’ll Love & Hate About Travelling Around Europe by Train
Greetings from Frankfurt, Germany! We’re about to take the train to Hanover, and highly recommend train travel in Europe. The trains go everywhere, and you get to see all the small towns and villages. However, train travel in Europe isn’t always perfect. Today we’re sharing the five things you’ll love, and hate, about travelling around Europe by train.
Europe Train Travel Hate #1: Train Travel Can Be Expensive
Not every country has expensive trains, but it can be expensive in some areas. It’s rather affordable in Italy and Eastern Europe. Try to look for group or age discounts. Because of high prices, it can sometimes be more cost effective to fly a low-cost carrier like RyanAir.
Europe Train Travel Hate #2: Trains Can Get Crowded
Especially on weekends and holidays, trains in Europe can get very crowded. Make sure you get a seat reservation when buying a train ticket. On some of the high-speed trains in Italy and Spain, a seat reservation is required, but that’s not the case in Germany. So, if you want to make sure you have a seat, pay the extra for a seat assignment.
Europe Train Travel Hate #3: Comfort is Optional
You get what you pay for on European trains. The faster, more modern trains in Europe are usually very clean and comfortable. However, if when traveling to smaller towns, often regional trains are involved, and those vary in terms of cleanliness and comfort.
Europe Train Travel Hate #4: Booking Tickets Between Countries
Traveling within a country by train is fairly simple, however it’s a lot more complicated to buy a train ticket between countries. Often, you have to go to the ticket booth and wait in line before you can buy a ticket. One way to simplify this is to get to the major city in the country you are visiting, then buy your transfer ticket. For example, if you want to go to Bruges, it may be easier to buy your ticket into Belgium at Brussels, then once in Brussels, buying a ticket to Bruges is much easier.
Europe Train Travel Hate #5: Unwritten Rules of Train Travel
There are some odd rules of train travel and they aren’t well known so it’s easy to slip up. For example, you can get fined for using the bathroom at some of the stops. Eurail tickets work as a ticket, but not as a seat reservation, or not on certain trains. Anyone using a Rail Pass really has to read between the lines.
Europe Train Travel Love #1: The Trains Go Everywhere
One of the best things about train travel in Europe is that the trains go everywhere. Whether it’s a big city or a small town, there is likely train service. For the most part, the trains are very simple to use.
Europe Train Travel Love #2: You Get to See the Country
Riding a train in Europe is a great chance to put away the electronics and really enjoy the scenery as you pass through. As the train passes through the countryside, you might see random castles in the middle of nowhere, or tiny villages in the midst of the Alps.
Europe Train Travel Love #3: Freedom & Flexibility
One of the best things about train travel as opposed to air travel is the freedom and flexibility to travel when you want and where you want. In many cases, you can buy a same-day train ticket, which means you can decide on the spot where you want to go. If you oversleep, just grab a later train. Not so easy if you oversleep for a flight.
Europe Train Travel Love #4: Lots of Deals on Train Tickets
While train travel can be expensive, there are many deals to be had. The Bahn card in Germany can save up to 25%. If you get tickets early, often online, you can save a lot of money. Train tickets in Germany are almost half-price if you buy them a few weeks early. There are rail passes that can save you money, group tickets, child tickets, and more.
Sites where you can save on tickets:
- Germany – bahn.de
- Italy – trenitalia.com
- UK – nationalrail.co.uk
Europe Train Travel Love #5: A Chance to Relax
Very often, a trip to Europe means non-stop sightseeing, from castle to ruins to museums, with very little chance to relax. Taking a train journey gives you some time to relax, read a book, and just enjoy being along for the ride.
Now that you’re ready to plan a train trip in Europe, check out some of our other travel blog posts: