Unlike much of North America, Europe basically runs on trains. We’ve had a lot of positive experiences using trains in the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Here trains are frequent and seats are roomy. You can often get a discount when buying tickets online in advance. On top of that many lines offer first class which includes a meal or snack and a drink. There’s also more room.
With the multitude of trains one must be careful to select a direct route with the fewest number of stops possible. Regional trains that do a milk run can take double (or more) the time of a direct bullet train between major cities.
We usually buy our tickets ahead of time when planning trips with multi-city itineraries and look for arrivals and departures that line up with hotel check-in/out times at our destinations. Consider also the distances between train stations and hotels. Check if your hotel offers a shuttle service and where to take it or if it has to be ordered in advance.
The train stations themselves are often works of art. Train travel was once the ‘newest fad’ that only the rich could afford. Some stations are elegant and have gourmet restaurants (Le Train Bleu in the Gare de Lyon in Paris for example).
What we love about train travel is that you can arrive ticket in hand 10-15 minutes before your train departure and not have to worry about long security lines or airport style screening. Will this last forever? Who knows, but for now definitely a plus!
Train stations are also generally in the city-center and make for a shorter and easier commute. Rides are comfortable and you can keep your bag right next to your seat or in the worst case down a few seats in a luggage area. Keep in mind that there are no luggage handlers, so you must remember to put it on and take it off the train yourself. Another bonus; no delayed or lost baggage!
In most places tickets are also very reasonable. Booking online in advance can often yield half price tickets. Most of the websites are quirky with some strange or only partial translations so if you’re not familiar with the local language just be careful in making your selection.
Further, the back button of your browser will often reset all your options so this can be challenging and if you let it get to you, it can make for a frustrating experience.
Be particularly weary of third party websites trying to sell train tickets, we’ve generally concluded these are scams. And they try to sell you pricey open tickets and charge a much higher price. Go directly to the regional train company to get your tickets. You are sure they will be legitimate and you will get the best price and best selection.
See our post: Train Travel in Japan Explained