Cheap European Train Travel

Budget travelers in Europe like interrailing (traveling with a rail pass). (Photo: train leaving barmouth station image by Harvey Hudson from Fotolia.com )

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Not only is taking the train greener than flying, it can also often work out to be cheaper if you plan on taking more than hand luggage. Even high-speed train travel through Europe is inexpensive if booked in advance: you can travel from the UK across France to Germany for under 50 euros (about $67) in 2010.

Advantages

There s no weight limit for luggage on European trains, and you can usually travel with one or two large suitcases plus hand luggage, while a growing number of airlines charge extra for anything but hand luggage. You don t have to take pricey public transportation to the airport, check your luggage in, and wait around for hours with nothing but duty-free shops for entertainment since most stations are in town centers. You arrive at your destination, not miles from it, with central transportation links for onward travel instead of expensive airport shuttles to a main central station.

High-Speed Services

Rail Passes

If you are planning to travel extensively in Europe for a month or two, you can buy an unlimited train travel pass for non-European residents called Eurail (InterRail passes are available to European residents). Eurail passes are either valid for travel on a given number of days within a month or continuously for up to three months in one or more countries. Prices in 2010 started from 29 euros ($39) for three days travel in Bulgaria within one month. Bear in mind that supplements for reservations on high-speed train services, such as the TGV in France, may apply.

Booking Cheap Travel

The Rail Europe website sells tickets for travel within single countries and across borders. It also has a comparison tool for passes and tickets to help customers work out the cheapest option. Tickets to Eastern Europe may not be available online, but they can be purchased over the phone.

You can often save a great deal by booking the legs of your journey separately through the rail operators to take advantage of low fares. For example, in 2010 a standard-class ticket from London to Paris cost 42.50 euros ($57) from Eurostar, and a discounted PREMS ticket from Paris to Toulouse was 24.90 euros ($34) from the French SNCF site. A London-to-Toulouse trip, traveling on exactly the same trains, cost 111 euros ($148) from Rail Europe versus about 68 euros ($91) for the trip with separate tickets as of 2010. Take the time to visit the national rail companies sites major ones such as the French SNCF site and the German Deutsche Bahn have English-language versions, and others aren t difficult to navigate with a dictionary at hand. Book as far in advance as you can for cheaper fares and take advantage of special rates if you are under 26 or over 60.

Night Trains

Rather than paying for accommodations and travel, combine the two and save time to boot by taking an overnight train. The options vary from one country to the next, but they range from sleepers (bedrooms with washbasins) to couchettes (basic four- to six-berth bunk cabins) and reclining seats, which are the cheapest. Fares from Frankfurt to Prague on the City Night Line service started at 39 euros ($52) in 2010. Night trains are booked in the same way as ordinary tickets just enter an evening departure time.