It shouldn’t be a surprise anymore that flying is bad for the environment. But with budget airlines being dirty cheap, it’s often the easy and affordable option for a short trip. But have you thought about train travel instead?
With some proper planning, it’s perfectly doable to find cheap train tickets for a sustainable train trip through Europe. Which, if you ask me, is the best way to travel the continent. Let me take you along in the world of European train travel by explaining how you can plan your Europe trip by train next time.
Train travel across the continent
It might not always look like it, but many European countries have been building on their railway systems, and cross-county connections have been increasing. There are different ways to go from country to country, depending on your preferences.
Night trains in Europe
One form of European train travel that has been vastly developing over the past years, are night trains. Some of those are part of the known railway companies of specific countries. For example, most night trains to Vienna are operated by the Austrian railway operator ÖBB.
But some new night trains are initiatives from private operators who decided it was time for more sustainable travel options. A recent example of that is the train “European Sleeper” that brings travellers from Brussels to Berlin. Plus, a very convenient connection with the Eurostar in London and plans to extend the journey to Prague.
The benefit of a night train is, of course, that you don’t miss any daytime during your trip. Sure, not all-night trains are as comfortable as a proper hotel room, but it does get you a few hours of sleep so you can explore during the day. Here’s a map of all routes and some tips on how to find the right journey for you.
Interrail passes
A popular way for people to train travel in Europe for a longer period, is by using Interrail passes. These passes are created in collaboration with all the local train operators in Europe and even some ferry services.
You buy a pass for a certain amount of travel days, for example 15 travel days in the course of a month. This pass allows you to freely hop on a whole lot of trains throughout Europe. In some cases, however, you’re obligated to still reserve a seat and sometimes this cost you a little extra.
Unfortunately, this does mean that sometimes the Interrail pass isn’t the cheapest option. Some countries charge quite a bit for those seat reservations. Adding those amounts to the price of the pass, it can run up quickly.
If you’re looking for the cheapest way to train travel Europe, the Interrail pass needs some research ahead of time to figure out if it’s worth it. However, if money isn’t such an issue and you’re mostly just looking for a way to avoid to constantly have to buy tickets, then the interrail pass should be your go to.
You simply check in the app whether or not you need a seat reservation and if not, you just hop on any train you like.
Online railway booking
If you’re not choosing an Interrail pass, then online railway booking websites are an easy go to for cross-country train tickets. These operators, like Omia, Trainline or RailEurope, have collaborations with most rail operators throughout Europe.
Because of this, you can buy your whole route in 1 go and they’ll create the route for you. You’ll be switching operators when you cross countries, but it’s all in 1 ticket from these railway booking sites.
This of course only goes if you want to take the journey at once. If you want to make stops in between, you will have to book separate tickets per journey. But these websites offer most options throughout the continent, as long as they collaborate with the local train operators.
Train travel across countries
However, it’s also sometimes possible to buy cross-country tickets with a local provider, which might turn out cheaper. Many countries offer routes to the next big city in the next country.
For example, you can easily go from Prague to Vienna, Munich to Salzburg or Bucharest to Budapest, without leaving the train at the border.
For these routes, you can buy tickets at both local operators, as it’s a collaboration between the 2 countries. This might even mean that certain discount tickets are also valid for these cross-border destinations.
How to decide where to go?
One of the things I love about train travel is that the options for destinations are absolutely endless. Trains get you anywhere, to way more destinations than planes do. But of course, this also makes it a bit harder to choose where to go.
What I usually do is choose a specific location that has been on my bucketlist. Then I go to either Google maps or Rome2rio and check out the rough route. Which are the places you’d pass if you’d take a direct route?
Then I start searching for locations worth a visit, along this route. Of course, you can take as many detours as you’d like. But this generally helps me to create a route that makes sense and offers me plenty of sights I want to see.
Definitely take your time for your train journey and make it a lovely slow travel trip. This is the best way to make the most out of your experience and ensure you’ll actually get home relaxed and recharged.
How to find the cheapest train tickets?
Unfortunately, finding cheap train tickets is a bit of a challenge. Like I mentioned, you can buy an interrail pass which gives you quite a bit of insight in the cost. However, with seat reservations, cost might run up after all.
Unfortunately, there currently isn’t a website to find the cheapest train ticket, like you have Google Flight or Skyscanner for flights. You’ll have to do your own research.
It helps to know who’s the local train operator, because often the tickets are cheapest on their website. However, that’s not always the case. Sometimes an online provider like Omio or RailEurope offers a slightly cheaper option for a specific day.
And of course, there are discounts and rail cards that can give you discounts. Some countries offer rail cards for a month, for very low prices. If you’re planning to make a few stops in 1 country, it might be worth it to but one of those rail cards. Just don’t forget to cancel after your trip!
Make a list and be flexible
My recommendation is to make a little list of all the train ticket options you can find. So, the general websites like Omio, RailEurope, Trainline et cetera and the local operators. Then, when you’re looking for tickets, open all of these websites and just compare the outcome for a certain trip. It sounds like a hassle, but you’ll get the hang of it. It can save a lot of money!
Also always check different times. It often saves half the price if you’d be willing to travel at 6am. High traffic hours are often more expensive. So, it could be cheap at 6am, then expensive between 8am and 11am, and cheap again between 11am and 3pm. If you’re flexible in your schedule and travel times, it shouldn’t be hard to find a bargain.
Let me help you
Sounds like too much hassle? Let me help you. As a sustainable travel agent, I can help you plan your European train trip. I will do all the research for you, to fit the trip into your budget. Or have a look at one of my train travel guides, where I will give you all the tips you need for a specific trip or country.
*Guest post by AwanderFoodWorld
