I use train travel to get around many countries throughout the world. In Asia and Europe it's the preferred way to go.
Getting around Europe is a snap. Always check the introduction to each country in your guidebooks for specific details on travel. Study it and remember the particulars. Here are my secrets on train travel through a foreign country.
Staying in one general area longer, to me, is a
lot more fun. It's less stressful. I try to learn the
local language before I go. That way it's easier to meet the
locals and understand better what's happening around me when I'm
there.
I did buy a Eurail Pass one summer. I bought it in Egypt. Started it in Greece and traveled by train all the way to Copenhagen, Denmark, to visit friends I met in France. That's a proper use of a Eurail Pass. Today, it's sometimes cheaper and a whole lot quicker to fly within Europe.
For train travel, I usually purchase point-to-point tickets. This is because I tried to keep long-distance travel in Europe to a minimum. I try to stay in one area for the most part and explore it thoroughly. That way I keep culture shock and languages to a minimum, always a good idea.
It’s much easier to try to be a French person for two weeks than two days. That way I study up on the French language and French ways before I take the trip.
If I do purchase a point-to-point ticket, I usually visit the best train travel website in Europe.
That is the Deutsche Bahn or German Railway.
German Railway can help plan and sell ANY rail journey anywhere in Europe, in English and German. It gives all routes, travel times, transfers, travel class (1st, 2nd, high speed, etc.), smoking/non-smoking, arrival times and a whole lot more. It’s easy to use.
I learned about this trick from a Swedish Railway Ticket Seller, who found and booked my trip from Sweden to Norway and back. This was not on the Swedish Rail System but on the German Rail System.
In the USA, I use Amtrak for planning and booking. America has some of the best railway journeys in the world. Try the Coast Starlight (Seattle - Los Angeles) on the west coast or the California Zephyr (Chicago - San Francisco) through the Rocky mountains.
General ticket sales and Rail Passes:
National ticket sales and Rail Passes by country:
Note: Brackets [] indicate dates of operation, Senior discount age and price.
Here are a list of important transportation topics:
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