Travelling Europe by train: interrail, night trains and planning

The train is one of the most beautiful ways to discover Europe. You travel from city centre to city centre, watch the landscape slowly change and don't have to worry about rental cars or early flights. With a bit of planning you get surprisingly far.

Travelling around Europe by train: how do you start?

Start with a rough line on the map. Choose a starting point, an end point and a few places you really want to see along the way. Then work out how many days you have. A handy rule of thumb is at least two nights per city, so you have a full day to really take your time instead of just checking in and out.

For short trips you buy individual tickets. If you want to visit several countries, an Interrail Pass is often cheaper and more flexible. You buy a pass for a number of travel days within a certain period and activate it on each day you travel.

How interrail works in practice

With an Interrail Pass you travel through around 30 countries. Important to know: for many fast trains and all night trains you also need a compulsory reservation on top of your pass. Those reservations are limited, so arrange them in time.

• Reserve popular routes (France, Italy, Spain) well in advance.
• Allow for a small surcharge per reservation.
• Keep your pass and reservations together, digitally and on paper.
• Check whether your train has a compulsory or optional reservation.

Night trains: travelling while you sleep

Night trains are back and surprisingly practical. You board in the evening and wake up the next morning in a new city. That way you save a hotel night and half a travel day at once. You usually choose between a seat, a couchette (a simple sleeping spot shared with several people) or a proper sleeper cabin with a bed.

Bring earplugs, a sleep mask and some water. It doesn't always run smoothly, but the charm makes up for a lot. Book here in time too, because the beds fill up fast.

Practical planning

Travelling by train takes a bit more attention than a direct flight, but it doesn't have to be complicated. Pay particular attention to connection times. Plan at least twenty minutes for a change, and more if you have to catch an international train. If your first train is delayed, you'll be less quickly in a panic.

Make sure you have your tickets, reservations and times neatly together. An offline version is worth its weight in gold, because you don't have signal everywhere on the road. Also keep an eye on the departure boards, as platforms can change at the last moment.

If you travel with several people, agree on the pace in advance. One wants to dive into every city, the other mainly to enjoy the view. A train trip has room for both, as long as your expectations match.

All those train times, reservations and stopovers you keep clearly in one place with a travel planner like Zuvy, so on the road all you have to do is get on board.