Traveling within Europe is a great experience. You can absorb the local culture because most travel within Europe is done via train. Do you notice when people refer to those living in Europe they always call them Europeans? Ever wonder why Canadians and Americans do not have a term that refers to both (sure, there’s North Americans, but who ever uses that!)? Europeans travel all over Europe, they are aware of the other countries around them. Their preferred mode of transportation is the rail system because they are convenient, inexpensive and efficient. When you travel by train, you have more opportunities to immerse yourself into another country’s culture and in addition to that, the scenery is great! In North America, we typically travel by plane or car, which limits us to the type of people we’re exposed to.

Make a Train Reservation

If you will be in any country in Europe, be sure to take advantage of their rail system to see other surrounding countries as well.

There are many advantages to traveling within Europe using the rail system. As previously mentioned, you get a taste of the local culture because the locals take the train. You get exposure to the actual land of the place you’re in (the scenery – mostly grassland or urban? You’ll find out if you take the train!). You might not have time to actually enjoy the scenery other than while you’re on the train. The time will need to be spent traveling so why not add scenery to it (in a plane, all you see is the sky – which looks the same almost everywhere).

 The major selling point of the rail system is that it is much cheaper than airfare within Europe and that the train stations are all located in the center of the cities, which is where you want to be. Airports are usually located in the middle of nowhere because they need to be. In a place where English is not the primary language, you will have much more difficulty finding your way in an airport. The train stations are already where you want to be. Your hotel will most likely be closer to the station than the airport!

Make a Train Reservation

Buying tickets is easy too; you just go to the teller or a ticket vending machine. The tellers usually speak English and can tell you whether you qualify for a reduced fare (usually if you’re under 26, it’s cheaper). The machines are convenient as well – they provide all major languages and English is definitely one of them. However, on the machines, you will have to know if you qualify for specific discounts because the machine will ask you if you qualify for a discount, but not tell you the criteria for qualification. You can buy your ticket on the day you’re traveling or book in advance. If you are traveling on a long distance trip, it is best to buy the ticket in advance and reserve a seat so that you are guaranteed a seat. Like airplanes, the trains sell more tickets than they have seats, however on a train, if there is no seat, you stand or sit on the floor. On a plane, you just get another flight where a seat is available.

 Paris to Venice in your Pajamas. Sleeper trains from Rail Europe.

 London to Paris under the Channel in 3 hours