Trains – Europe Traveler Guide

Europe has a vast network of rail lines that will get you almost anywhere you want to go efficiently and easy. In many situations you can reduce your overall travel time by using the trains rather than flying or driving. Trains are great in getting you from the middle of one city to another, unlike airports which are almost always located far outside of the city centers. This means easier and quicker access to stations and overall less travel time. Train makes good sense when traveling within a country or to adjoining country’s. This is especially true in western and central Europe where the rail network is excellent. The large cities can have multiple stations with trains coming and going continuously on busy schedules. This high frequency of trains will provide you the traveler with an excellent selection of times to depart to another destination.

There are several ways to purchase tickets. You can choose to purchase point to point tickets or if you plan on extensive rail travel you can opt for a rail pass. Several web sites allow you to compare buying rail passes as opposed to purchasing individual point to point tickets. Remember to get your tickets validated at the station prior to boarding the train. Otherwise the conductor will have to charge you and extra €10. Once you arrive at the station check to see what platform your train is departing from. If your early and do not see your train listed on the big schedule board ask a rail employee and they will assist you. If you are connecting to another train find its platform before you do anything else. There are many trains arriving and departing and they are precisely on time so you do not want to miss your train.

If you plan on doing a lot of train travel then a rail pass maybe the answer. However, compare the trips you want to take on the train and price the point to point tickets as opposed to the rail pass. You may find buying point to point tickets will be less costly. Levels of train service can vary from one country to another. Trains in France go just about everywhere with good schedules, are comfortable and inexpensive. Greece is not the same situation, There a bus will probably be your best option and less costly.

You can find more detailed information at pages on specific rail topics listed below.

European Rail Lines

Rail Passes & Tickets

Train Stations

While Europe has high speed trains, they only run on high demand routes and usually cost more than the intercity or regional trains. However, they are modern comfortable and will get you there a lot quicker than the other trains that will make more frequent stops. High speed trains require reservations even with a rail pass. Look at airline flights if the trip time on train runs over 5 hours. At that point you may save time by flying. However, there are night trains available on some long distance routes. A night train allows you to travel at night saving your day time hours for other activities as well as the cost of a hotel room.

European Rail Lines…

international rail lines

These rail providers have departures from one country and a terminus point in another. Their routes are from one major city to one in another country. These rail lines do not provide regional services from their main points of service.

National Rail Lines

These are the largest railway companies within their respective countries and are typically state owned and operated. They provide most of the rail infrastructure and routes that even some of the smaller regional rail companies may use. Some may provide limited cross border routes to high demand destinations in other countries.

regional rail lines

Smaller rail lines that provide limited services to specific areas or regions and not nationally or internationally. Some may only serve a single route and web sites may be available only in the local language.

Rail Line	Type	Service Area
Oy Karelian (Allegro)	International Railway	High-speed cross boarder service by VR & RZD Allegro train from Helsinki, Finland to St. Petersburg, Russia
ICE(Inter-City Express)	International Railway	Cross boarder service operated by DB from Germany
IC -EC (Inter-City – Euro-City)	International Railway	Cross boarder service operated by DB from Germany
Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express	International Railway	Luxury vintage train between London or Paris to Venice
Eurostar	International Railway	High speed trains through the Channel Tunnel. From London to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam & other France locations
Euro Tunnel	International Railway	Transport your car by train from Folkstone, Uk to Calais, France
Intercity Direct	International Railway	Cross boarder service from Amsterdam to Brussels operated by NS
RailJet	International Railway	Service operated by ÖBB & ČD between Austria & Czechia
Optima Express	International Railway	Transport your car by train from Villach, Austria to the Edirne, Turkey
Øresundståg	International Railway	Cross boarder service between Copenhagen, Malmö & Lund Sweden by DSB & SJ
Elipsos	International Railway	TGV and AVE high speed trains between France and Spain. Paris-Toulouse-Lyon-Marseille-Barcelona- Madrid by SNFC & Renfe
TGV	International Railway	France, with cross boarder services to Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain & Netherlands by SNFC
TGV Lyria	International Railway	Formed by SNCF & SBB to provide high- speed rail service between France and Switzerland
Thalys	International Railway	A consortium of 3 companies provide high-speed rail between Belgium-France-Germany- Netherlands
thello	International Railway	Trenitalia overnight service between France & Italy. Marseille-Milan, Paris-Venice
JSC	National Railway	Serbia’s National Rail System
HŽPP	National Railway	Croatian National Railways
CFM	National Railway	Moldova’s National Rail System
ZCG	National Railway	Montenegro’s National Rail System
HSH	National Railway	Albania’s National Rail system. (Website in Albania only)
MZ Transport	National Railway	North Macedonia’s National Rail System
SŽ	National Railway	Slovenia’s National Rail System
PKP	National Railway	Poland’s National Rail System
Deutsche Bahn	National Railway	Germany’s National Rail system
BDZ	National Railway	Bulgaria’s National Rail System
NMBS / SNBC	National Railway	Belgium’s National Rail Line
ČD	National Railway	Czechia National Rail System
CFL	National Railway	Luxembourg’s National Rail System
CFR	National Railway	Romania’s National Rail System
CP	National Railway	Portugal’s National Rail system
DSB	National Railway	Denmark’s National Rail System
Elron	National Railway	Estonia’s National Passenger Rail System
Irish Rail	National Railway	Ireland’s National Rail
LDz	National Railway	Latvia’s National Rail System
Lietuvos	National Railway	Lithuanian’s National Rail System
MÁV	National Railway	Hungary’s National Rail service
National Rail	National Railway	United Kingdom’s National Rail System
NS	National Railway	Netherland’s National Rail System
ŐBB	National Railway	Austria’s National Rail system. Also includes Liechtenstein.
OSE	National Railway	Greece’s National Rail System
Renfe	National Railway	Spain’s National Rail System
Belarussian	National Railway	Belarusian Railway System
SBB CFF FFS	National Railway	Switzerland ‘s National Rail System
SJ	National Railway	Sweden’s National Rail System
SNCF	National Railway	France’s National Rail Line
TCDD	National Railway	Turkey’s National Rail System
Trenitalia	National Railway	Italy’s National Rail system
YKP	National Railway	Ukraine’s National Rail System
VR	National Railway	Finland’s National Rail System
VY	National Railway	Norway’s National Rail System
ŽFBH	National Railway	Bosnian National Railways
ŽSSK	National Railway	Slovakia’s National Rail System
Adif	Regional Railway	High Speed rail service in Spain
Appenzeller Bahnen	Regional Railway	Rail service in cantons of Appenzeller Innerrhoden & Ausserrhoden & St. Gallen
MOB	Regional Railway	Golden Pass scenic route from Montreux to Gstaad, Guryéres, Les Pléides or Broc
TfL	Regional Railway	Rail service by Transport for London
TFW	Regional Railway	Regional rail service in Wales
westbahn.at	Regional Railway	Rail service in to Salzburg, Vienna, Upper & Lower Austria regions
Avanti West Coast	Regional Railway	London Euston to Scotland, Manchester, Liverpool & Birmingham
bls	Regional Railway	Passenger service from Bern & Luzern to areas in the Swiss canton of Berne.
C2C	Regional Railway	Rail service From London Fenchurch station east to Essex
CFC	Regional Railway	Chemins de fer de la Corse Rail service on the island of Corsica
Chiltern Railways	Regional Railway	London Marylebone to Birmingham, Regional rail service in Scotland
CP zou	Regional Railway	Chemins de Fer de Provence Narrow gauge railway from Nice to Digne.
Cross Country	Regional Railway	Birmingham to Cornwall, Bournemouth, Cambridge, York, Cardif, & Scotland
East Midlands	Regional Railway	Regional Rail System serving England’s Cities
Circumveruviana	Regional Railway	Regional service in Naples, Pompeii & Amalfi areas.
euskotren	Regional Railway	Regional service for Hendaye-Irun-San Sebastian-Bilbao
Grand Central	Regional Railway	London King’s Cross to York, Bradford & Sunderland
Greater Anglia	Regional Railway	London Liverpool St to northeast England & Stansted Express
GWR	Regional Railway	London Paddington west to Cornwall, Wales & Bath
Hull Trains	Regional Railway	London King’s Cross to Hull
italo	Regional Railway	Private Italian High Speed rail service
IVB	Regional Railway	Operates the Stubai Valley Railway from Innsbruck to Fulpmes
Bernese Oberland Bahn / Jungfraubahn	Regional Railway	Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen/ Grindelwal/ Wengen/ Kleine Scheidegg/ Jungfraujoch
leo express	Regional Railway	Passenger service from Czechia to Austria, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia & Ukraine
LNER	Regional Railway	London Kings Cross north to Scotland, Leeds, Newcastle & York
London North Western	Regional Railway	London Euston to Birmingham, Coventry, Liverpool & Milton-Keyes
Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn	Regional Railway	Zermatt to Disentis / Mustér
Mersey Rail	Regional Railway	Liverpool area rail service
Mitterrhein Bahn	Regional Railway	Runs the route from Cologne to Mainz along the river Rhine.
Mt. Blanc Express	Regional Railway	Line from Martigny, Switzerland to Chamonix, France
NÖVOG	Regional Railway	Operate a number of secondary lines in Lower Austria
Ouigo	Regional Railway	Low-cost high-speed line from Paris CDG to Marseille, Montpellier, Rennes & Nantes
RATP	Regional Railway	Transit system operating rail lines around Paris area
Regio Jet	Regional Railway	Train and bus routes from Czechia to 14 European countries
Glacier Express	Regional Railway	Scenic route from Zermatt to St. Moritz
Scot Rail	Regional Railway	Regional rail service in Scotland
Caledonian Sleeper	Regional Railway	Overnight rail service London Euston to Scotland
SOB	Regional Railway	Rail service in Southern Switzerland (site in German only)
South Western	Regional Railway	London Waterloo & Victoria southwest to Southhampton, Bournemouth & Portsmouth
SZU	Regional Railway	Rail service in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland (site in German only)
Thames Link	Regional Railway	3 Railways (Great Northern, Southern, Southeastern & Gatwick Express) Operating from London Bridge, St Pancras or King’s Cross.
Thurbo	Regional Railway	Rail service in eastern Switzerland
Northern	Regional Railway	Rail service in Northern England in the United Kingdom
TILO	Regional Railway	Trains in Ticino and Lombardia, including over the old Gotthard pass route
Transpennie Express	Regional Railway	Rail service in Eastern England to Manchester and Scotland
Translink	Regional Railway	Railway provider in Northern Ireland
West Midlands	Regional Railway	Regional trains from Birmingham
Zentralbahn	Regional Railway	Narrow gauge railway from Luzern to Interlaken and Engelberg
ŽRS	Regional Railway	Train service in Republika Srpska in Bosnia & Herzegovina. (Website in Serbian only)
mbs	Regional Railway	MBS operates the Arlberg line
FLiXTRAIN	Regional Railway	Rail service in Germany to Stuttgart, Berlin and NW Germany
Stern Hafferl	Regional Railway	Operates regional trains lines in Upper Austria
Wiener Lokal bahanen	Regional Railway	WLB operates a light rail service from Vienna to the spa town of Baden
NJ	Regional Railway	Aalborg, Hjørring, Frederikshav, Skagen, Hirtshals, Skørping
Go Rail	International Railway	Cross boarder service from Tallinn to St Petersburg and Moscow
Arriva.dk	Regional Railway	Private Rail out of Aarhus, Struer
Lokaltog	Regional Railway	Service out of Nykøbing, Køge, Tølløse & Holbæk
Rhätische Bahn	Regional Railway	Bernina Express & 10 other lines throughout Switzerland
Bla*Tåget	Regional Railway	Private rail line between Stockholm – Göthenburg, Sweden
GYSEV / Raaberbahn	International Railway	Cross boarder rail services in Hungary and Austria
GW Train Regio	Regional Railway	Rail service in Bohemia and Moravia regions of Czechia.
Westfalen Bahn	Regional Railway	Regional rail service in Western Germany
Polregio	Regional Railway	Regional rail service in Poland
Koleje Mazowieckie	Regional Railway	Rail service in Masovia Voivodeship of Poland
Koleje Śląskie	Regional Railway	Rail service in Silesia Voivodeship of Poland
Koleje Wielkopolskie	Regional Railway	Rail service in the Greater Poland Voivodeship of Poland
Koleje Dolnośląskie	Regional Railway	Rail service in Lower Silesia Voivodeship of Poland
Koleje Małopolskie	Regional Railway	Rail service in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of Poland
TCF	Regional Railway	Rail service in Romania (site in Romanian only)
Srbija Voz	Regional Railway	Rail service in Serbia
BRB	Regional Railway	Trains from Munich to Tegernsee, Lenggries and Bayrischzell.
BOB	Regional Railway	Trains in North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia
SWEG	Regional Railway	Regional rail service in Bavaria Germany
cantus-bahn	Regional Railway	Regional express trains on routes out of Munich to Lindau/Oberstdorf, Regensburg, Furth im Wald
Eurobahn	Regional Railway	Regional trains from Berchtesgaden to Freilassing and Salzburg
Erfurter Bahn	Regional Railway	Regional trains in the region around Erfurt
erix x	Regional Railway	Regional trains in Northern Germany Bremen, Brunswick, Hanover
evb	Regional Railway	Regional trains from Cuxhaven via Bremerhaven to Buxtehude
ODEG	Regional Railway	Regional trains in the Berlin area
HLB	Regional Railway	Regional and suburban trains around Frankfurt/Main
HzL	Regional Railway	Regional service in southern Baden-Württemberg
metronom	Regional Railway	Regional trains from Hamburg to Bremen and Hanover
Zillertal Bahn	Regional Railway	Operate local trains on the line from Jebach to Mayrhofen
NEB	Regional Railway	Regional trains on regional lines around Berlin
Transdev	Regional Railway	Operate region lines NOB, BRB, HEX, WEG & NordwestBahn in Germany
Rutalbahn	Regional Railway	Regional trains from Düren via Jülich to Linnich

The Following web sites contains in depth information on train travel

➾ The Man in Seat Sixty One

➾ Night Trains

High Speed Rail Lines & Routes…

Europe’s high speed rail routes are excellent for getting to a destination quickly. They will cost slightly more for a ticket but, going up to speeds of almost 300 km/h they do not make very many stops, unlike the other trains, increasing your overall travel time. You can also find some regional trains marked “Rapid” which also means they will not make many stops allowing for quicker travel time. Remember, even with a rail pass, you must make a reservation on the high speed trains.

There are two types of high speed lines with one dedicated and another upgraded. The dedicated lines which means they can travel at 250 km/h (155 mph) on newer and faster tracks. Upgraded lines can travel at least 200km/h (124 mph) for upgraded tracks. Trains may have to slow down while traveling over older tracks, those not upgraded or traveling through metropolitan areas.

ALFA PENDULAR

The Alfa Pendular travels down the coast of Portugal.
Routes: Braga-Porto / Porto-Coimbra / Coimbra – Lisbon / Lisbon – Faro

EUROSTAR

The high-speed Eurostar train will transport you via the Channel Tunnel to the heart of London from Amsterdam, Brussels or Paris . Routes: London – Paris / London – Amsterdam / London – Brussels / London – Lille

ICE

ICE trains connect all major cities in Germany and many cities in neighboring countries. This modern high-speed train, with hourly services, offers many conveniences.
Routes: Frankfurt – Hamburg / Frankfurt – Munich / Frankfurt – Cologne / Frankfurt – Stuttgart / Hamburg – Munich / Berlin – Hamburg / Berlin – Frankfurt / Berlin – Munich / Cologne – Berlin / Frankfurt – Aachen / Frankfurt – Brussels (via Brussels Noord) / Cologne – Brussels (via Brussels Noord) / Frankfurt – Paris / Frankfurt – Basel / Frankfurt – Amsterdam / Nuremberg – Vienna

ITALO

Private high speed rail line that competes with Trenitalia the national rail service.
Routes: Venice – Rome / Naples – Rome / Rome – Milan / Florence – Rome / Milan – Venice / Rome – Bolzano / Turin – Reggio Calabria / Turin – Salerno / Milan – Ancona / Rome – Bologna

LE FRECCE

The Le Frecce are a series of 3 modern high-speed train lines connecting cities and towns all across Italy.
Frecciarossa Routes: Turin – Salerno / Venice – Salerno / Bergamo – Rome / Trieste – Milan / Venice – Genoa / Bolzano – Milan / Turin – Lecce.
Frecciargento Routes: Rome – Venice / Rome – Verona / Rome – Reggio Calabria / Rome – Mantua / Rome – Ancona / Rome – Pescara / Rome – Bari / Rome – Lecce / Rome – Puglia / Rome – Genoa ( via Fiumicino airport) / Rome – Reggio Calabria
Frecciabianca Routes: Rome – Turin (via Genoa) / Milan – Venice / Milan – Lecce / Milan – Bari / Venice – Lecce / Rome – Reggio Calabria (via Naples) / Rome Ravenna

RAILJET

Railjet (RJ) high-speed trains operate between Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary and Switzerland.
Routes: Vienna – Budapest / Vienna – Prague / Vienna – Salzburg / Vienna – Innsbruck / Vienna – Graz / Vienna – Villach / Salzburg – Budapest / Salzburg – Zürich / Salzburg – Munich / Innsbruck – Budapest / Graz – Prague / Munich – Budapest

RENFE

Spain’s national rail network of high speed trains connects most major cities as well as links up to lines for international travel to France and Portugal.
Altaria high-speed train Madrid, to southern Spain.
Routes: Madrid – Algeciras / Madrid – Granada / Madrid – Cartagena / Madrid – Murcia
Alvia
Routes: Alicante – Gijón / Alicante – Santander / Madrid – Alicante / Madrid – Bilbao / Madrid – Cadiz / Madrid – Gijón / Madrid – Huelva / Madrid – Logroño / Madrid – Pamplona / Madrid – Santander / Madrid – Castellón / Madrid – Vitoria-Gasteiz / Barcelona – A Coruña / Barcelona – Irún (Spain) / Barcelona – Vigo / Madrid – A Coruña / Barcelona – Gijónvia León
AVE high speed train out of Madrid
Routes: Madrid – Barcelona / Madrid – Seville via Ciudad Real – Puertollano – Córdoba Central / Madrid – Huesca via Guadalajara – Calatayud – Zaragoza-Delicias – Tardienta / Madrid – Malaga / Madrid – Alicante / Barcelona – Seville via Madrid Puerta de Atocha / Barcelona – Malaga via Madrid Puerta de Atocha / Madrid – Valencia via Cuenca – Fernando Zóbel – Requena-Utiel / Valencia – Seville via Cuenca – Fernando Zóbel – Ciudad Real / Madrid – Figueres
Euromed operates along the Mediterranean coast.
Routes: Barcelona – Tarragona / Barcelona – Castellón / Barcelona – Valencia via Madrid Puerta de Atocha / Barcelona – Alicante

RENFE-SNCF

The Renfe-SNCF is an international consortium high-speed train that connects Spain and France.
Routes: Barcelona – Paris / Barcelona – Toulouse / Barcelona – Lyon / Madrid – Marseille

SJ X2000

The Swedish SJ high-speed trains that offer a high level of comfort and can transport swiftly to the center of many cities in Sweden such as Stockholm.
Routes: Stockholm – Malmö / Stockholm – Sundsvall / Stockholm – Östersund / Stockholm – Gothenburg / Stockholm – Karlstad / Stockholm – Borlänge / Gothenburg – Malmö / Copenhagen – Stockholm / Copenhagen – Malmö / Oslo – Stockholm

SUPERCITY

The high-speed SuperCity train is a great option for exploring the major cities in the Czech Republic.
Routes: Prague – Ostrava / Bohumín – Františkovy Lázně / Prague – Havirov

TGV

The TGV is a high-speed train that operates all over France and beyond.
Routes: Paris – Lille / Paris – Calais / Paris – Reims / Paris – Metz / Paris – Strasbourg / Paris – Dijon / Paris – Grenoble / Paris – Lyon / Paris – Avignon / Paris – Perpignan / Paris – Nice / Paris – Brodeaux / Paris – Biarritz / Paris – Lourdes / Paris – Toulouse / Paris – Nantes

TGV LYRIA

The TGV Lyria is an international high-speed train that connects France and Switzerland.
Routes: Paris – Basel / Paris – Zürich / Paris – Bern / Paris – Interlaken / Paris – Lausanne / Paris – Genéva / Marseille – Basel

THALYS

Thalys is an international high-speed train consortium connecting France (Paris), Belgium (Brussels), Germany (Cologne) and The Netherlands (Amsterdam).
Routes: Paris – Brussels / Paris – Amsterdam / Amsterdam – Brussels / Paris – Liège / Paris – Cologne / Brussels – Dortmund (Via Köln Hbf) / Paris – Antwerp / Brussels – Lille

Scenic Train Routes…

Line Name – Departure City to Major Stops to Destination City
Arlberg Line – From Blundez to Landeck to Innsbruck, Austria (or vice versa)
Bergen Railway – From Bergen to Oslo, Norway (or vice versa)
Bernina Express – From Chur or St. Moritz to Tirano, Switzerland (or vice versa)
Black Forest Lines – Ofenburg to Konstanz and Freiburg to Seebrugg Germany
Centovalli Railway – Domodossola to Locarno
Chocolate Express – From Montreux to Broc and back ( one day excursion trip)
Danube Express – Istanbul to Budapest
Flåm Railway – Myrdal to Flam Norway
Glacier Express – From Zermatt to St. Moritz, Switzerland (or vice versa)
Golden Pass – From Lucerne to Interlaken – Montreux, Switzerland (or vice versa)
Inlandsbanan – Kristinehamn to Gällivare, Sweden
Rauma Line – Dombås to Åndalsnes, Norway
Rhine Valley Line – Trains run everyday from Mainz to Koblenz: Koblenz to Cologne (or vice versa) stopping along the way at many small river villages and sights.
The Royal Scotsman – 13 Luxury tours all out of Edinburgh across Scotland and the UK.
Semmering Line – Wiener Neustadt to Bruck an der Mur, Austria
Venice Simplon Orient Express – Famous Luxury Train with multiple routes. Venice to London/ Istanbul to Venice/ Venice to Stockholm/ Paris to Istanbul
Wilhelm Tell Express – From Lucarno/ Lugano to Lucerne, Switzerland (or vice versa) A segment of trip is on a boat.

Night Trains…

Night trains can be a very time saving way to travel. Traveling at night instead of during the day time hours frees up those hours for sightseeing and other activities. I can also save some money by not staying at a hotel or other accommodation.

When it comes to night train travel you have several options, Sleeping Cars, Couchette Cars or Regular Seating. All have their different amenities and of course cost.

Sleeping Cars – Have 1, 2, or 3 bed compartments with a wash basin & toilet. Some lines also offer a deluxe suite versions with shower. These convert from bedrooms to sitting rooms when not sleeping. Breakfast is normally included.

Couchette Cars – Have 6 or 4 berth bunk compartments w blanket, sheet & pillow. Bunks convert to seats when not sleeping. Good for family and group travel. May offer limited breakfast.

Regular Seats – These are normal couch seats if you can sleep in them you’ll save some money.