European Train Travel: What to Book, When and How
Trains are the best way to move around most of Europe, and also the easiest thing to overpay for. The rules are not complicated, but they differ enough between countries to catch people out.
8 min read
Two kinds of ticket
High speed and long distance trains in France, Spain, Italy and the UK use airline-style pricing. Cheap fares are released two to three months ahead and rise as seats sell. These tickets are tied to a specific train.
Regional trains in most of Europe are fixed price, sold on the day, and valid on any service in a time window. There is no advantage to booking them early.
- Book early: TGV, AVE, Frecciarossa, Italo, Eurostar, UK intercity
- Book on the day: German regional, Italian regionale, Spanish cercanias, Portuguese urbano
- Reservation compulsory: France, Spain, Italy high speed, most night trains
Do rail passes still make sense?
Less often than they used to. An Interrail or Eurail pass works well for long, improvised trips with many journeys, particularly through Germany, Austria, Switzerland and central Europe where reservations are frequently optional.
It works poorly in France, Spain and Italy, where the pass still requires paid seat reservations on high speed trains, and where advance fares are often cheaper than the pass day itself.
Validation and small legal traps
In Italy, paper regional tickets must be validated in a machine before boarding. In Portugal and Spain, urban tickets are tapped through gates. In Germany, many tickets are checked onboard with no barrier at all, which feels wrong and is fine.
Fines for an unvalidated ticket are real, generally 50 EUR or more, and inspectors have heard every explanation.
Practical habits that help
Check which station. Large cities have several, and Paris in particular sends different regions from different terminals that are 30 minutes apart.
Arrive 20 minutes early rather than 5. Platforms are often announced only 10 to 15 minutes before departure, and long platforms mean a walk to coach 12.
- Screenshot your ticket, station wifi is unreliable
- Sit in the direction of travel if you get motion sick, seat maps show orientation
- Luggage racks are at the coach ends, board early on busy routes
- Night trains: book a berth, not a seat, unless the trip is under six hours
When to fly instead
Rail wins comfortably under four hours city centre to city centre. Between four and six hours it depends on airport transfer times and how much you value not queuing.
Beyond six hours, a flight usually wins on time and often on price, though not on emissions or on the quality of the day.
