Train Travel Between Cities

Trains are the mode Americans most consistently underuse abroad, because there is no domestic habit to draw on. On many routes the train beats the plane door to door once you count the airport, and it puts you in a city center rather than forty minutes outside one. The one thing to understand before booking is that a ticket and a seat are not always the same purchase.

What You Need to Know

Ticket, reservation, pass

Three separate things, and the confusion between them is the source of most rail mistakes:

• A ticket gives you the right to travel on a route, sometimes on any train that day.
• A reservation gives you a specific seat on a specific train. On many high-speed, sleeper and international services it is compulsory, and boarding without one is treated as traveling without a ticket.
• A pass gives you the right to travel over a period or a number of days. It does not usually include compulsory reservations, which are bought on top and can be scarce in peak season.

When a pass makes sense

Passes are excellent for open-ended travel over many journeys, especially where trains are frequent and reservations are optional. They are poor value for two or three long journeys booked in advance, where advance fares undercut the pass substantially. Price your actual itinerary on the operator’s own site before buying a pass; it takes ten minutes and frequently changes the answer.

Advance fares behave like airfares

On many networks the cheapest fares are released months ahead in limited quantity and rise as departure approaches. On others, fares are regulated and identical whenever you buy. Knowing which system you are in is worth real money, and the operator’s own website is the place to find out rather than a reseller.

Book with the operator where you can

Third-party rail booking sites are convenient and sometimes the only practical option for a complex international itinerary, but they add fees, complicate refunds and can leave you holding a booking the operator cannot see when something goes wrong. Where the national operator sells directly in a language you can navigate, that is the better route.

Overnight trains

A sleeper turns a travel day into a travel night and saves a hotel, which makes it attractive on a long itinerary. Compartment options run from a seat to a shared couchette to a private cabin, and the price difference is substantial. Bring a padlock for the compartment door if one is not fitted, keep valuables with you rather than on the luggage rack, and expect to be woken for a border check on international routes.

What to Do Before Your Trip

• Price the actual journeys on the operator’s site before considering a pass.
• Check whether reservations are compulsory on each leg.
• Book advance fares early where the network uses them.
• Confirm which station. Large cities have several, and they are not adjacent.
• Check what documents cross a border: international trains have passport checks.

Important Considerations

Compare door to door, not city to city

A three-hour train from center to center routinely beats a one-hour flight once you add the journey to the airport, the check-in cutoff, security, boarding, taxiing, baggage reclaim and the journey in at the far end. It is also unaffected by most weather and by connection risk. On short and medium hops the train is frequently the faster option and almost always the calmer one.

Luggage rules are looser, but the racks are not

Most trains have no weight limit and no baggage fee, which is a genuine advantage over flying. What they do have is finite space at the ends of the carriage, taken on a first-come basis. Travel with cases you can lift onto a rack yourself, and board a few minutes early on a busy service.

Tips for Group Travelers

• Book the group together so the reservations are in one block; separately booked seats scatter across the train.
• Ask about group fares. Many operators discount from about ten passengers, and some require booking through a group desk.
• Agree the carriage and seat range and share it, so a late arrival can find everyone.
• Board early with luggage. Twenty cases and one rack is a predictable problem.
• Name the destination station explicitly where a city has several.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Buying a pass without pricing the journeys.
• Assuming a pass includes reservations. It usually does not.
• Turning up for a high-speed train with no reserved seat.
• Booking to the wrong station in a multi-station city.
• Leaving an advance fare too late on a network that prices dynamically.
• Not validating where the network requires it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a rail pass worth it?

Only if you will make many journeys, or want the flexibility to decide day by day. For two or three planned long journeys, advance point-to-point fares are usually cheaper.

Do I need a seat reservation?

On many high-speed, sleeper and international services, yes, and it is compulsory rather than optional. Check per leg; the answer varies within a single itinerary.

How early should I arrive at the station?

Far less early than for a flight, often fifteen to twenty minutes is ample, but allow more at a large terminus, on an international service with border checks, or with a group and luggage.

Is the train safer than driving?

Generally, yes by a wide margin, and it removes the night-driving problem entirely. See road safety for international travelers.

Can I bring as much luggage as I like?

Usually there is no weight limit or fee, but storage space is limited and first-come. Bring what you can lift yourself.

Related Travel Tips

• Getting around and transportation, the section this guide belongs to.
• Long-Distance Buses and Coaches
• Planning a Multi-Country Trip
• Using Public Transportation Abroad
• Packing Light

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