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Taking Advantage of Trains in Europe
Travelling Europe by train is one of the easiest ways to explore the continent. Europe has one of the most extensive rail networks in the world, with high-speed trains connecting major cities across 12 countries and national rail systems covering almost everywhere else.
The downside? Trains can be expensive. The good news is that there are several ways to ride trains across Europe without blowing your budget.
For young travellers wanting to travel by train, there are two main options:
| Option | Best For | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eurail Pass | Long trips + flexible travel | Extremely flexible | Can be expensive |
| Separate Train Tickets | Planned itineraries | Cheaper if booked early | No flexibility |
Eurail Pass
The Eurail Pass is the most convenient way to travel Europe — it’s a train pass that lets you hop on and off trains across 33 countries without buying individual tickets for every journey. Youth travellers (ages 12–27) also get 25% off passes.
There are two main types of Eurail Passes:
Global Pass
- Unlimited travel across all 33 participating countries
One Country Pass
- Unlimited travel within one specific country.
For a full in-depth guide on Eurail, check out my post, Eurail: Everything Young Travellers Need to Know
When a Eurail Pass Is Worth It
1. You’re travelling long term
If you’re travelling long-term (3+ weeks), Eurail removes a lot of stress. You don’t need to constantly plan and book your transport (the only thing you need to book are seat reservations on a few mandatory routes). You can simply add your tickets on the move.
2. You’re doing lots of long train trips
Journeys 4+ hours long can often cost between €50–€100+ (and even more if they’re not booked in advance). Buying a Eurail pass will easily save you money.
3. You want flexible travel
With a Eurail Pass, you can change plans last minute, hop on a different connection, and take as many trains as you want in one travel day.
4. You’re visiting expensive rail countries
Train tickets are particularly expensive in countries like the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland and Norway. In these countries, Eurail will save you money.
5. The pass is on sale
Eurail frequently runs Black Friday and seasonal sales. If you find a pass discounted, it’s almost definitely worth it.
When Eurail Isn’t Worth It
1. You’re on a strict budget and aren’t planning long travel days
For e.g. a 5-day Eurail pass costs about €239 (~€50 per day). If you aren’t planning long travel days (<4hrs), and you book your tickets well in advance (4-8 weeks), you may spend less.
2. Most trips are short
If most of your journeys are under 3 hours, individual tickets can often be found cheaply when booked early.
3. You’re travelling in Eastern Europe
In much of Eastern Europe trains are slow, there aren’t as many connections, and busses are often cheaper and faster.
Quick Eurail Rule
Eurail is best if:
- You want flexibility
- You’re taking long train journeys
- You’re travelling for a long period of time (3-6 weeks+)
Buying separate tickets is better if:
- You want the absolute cheapest option
- Don’t care for flexibility
- You plan everything well in advance
Buying Separate Train Tickets
Buying separate train tickets is often the cheapest way to travel Europe by train — but only if you’re organised and you plan well ahead.
There are two main ways to book your tickets separately.
1. Book Direct and Book Early
The best strategy is:
Book 4–8 weeks before your travel day. Prices can be 50%+ cheaper than buying tickets on the day.
Booking directly with national rail companies also saves you €2-€5 in booking fees. The downside of this is that if you are travelling to multiple countries, you have to buy your tickets from multiple national railway network companies. Third-party websites like Trainline let you keep all your tickets in one place.
When booking direct:
- Create an account with the national rail company
- Enter your route
- Enter your age (youth tickets are cheaper)
- Choose the cheapest connection
- Buy your ticket
If booking online, download the national railway app of your selected country and add your ticket there. Or download your ticket as a pdf.
Here are some links to public transport apps and websites for a few countries.
- 🇨🇭Switzerland: SBB App, SBB Website
- 🇦🇹 Austria: ÖBB App, ÖBB Website
- 🇧🇪 Belgium: SNCB App, SNCB Website
- 🇫🇷 France: SNCF App, SNCF Website
- 🇩🇪 Germany: Deutsche Bahn App, Deutsche Bahn Website
- 🇮🇹 Italy: Trenitalia App, Trenitalia Website
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands: NS App, NS Website
- 🇪🇸 Spain: Renfe App, Renfe Website
2. Book with Trainline and Book Early
Alternatively, if you want all your tickets in one place, and don’t mind paying an extra €2-€5 in booking fees, use Trainline. Trainline is a massive booking platform, and will allow you to have all of your train tickets in the one app/website.
Like booking direct, always book your train ticket as early as possible to get the best price.
Downsides of Buying Separate Tickets
The main issue people face is flexibility.
The cheapest tickets are usually:
- Locked to a specific train, date and time
- Non-refundable
- Non-exchangeable
If you miss your train or change plans, you will need to buy a new ticket at full price. This is why Eurail can be better for long trips.
FlixTrain
FlixTrain is a low-cost train company in Germany. It connects around 50 towns and cities and is usually much cheaper than Deutsche Bahn (Germany’s National Railway).
Tickets often start around €5 – when booked early.
Popular routes include:
- Frankfurt → Basel
- Hamburg → Berlin
- Berlin → Leipzig
- Berlin → Dresden
- Berlin → Frankfurt
- Frankfurt → Stuttgart
Downsides
FlixTrain can be unreliable.
Common issues:
- Long delays
- Cancellations
- Old carriages
- No air-conditioning
Since many routes only run once or twice per day, delays/cancellations can cause problems.
But you get what you pay for — at FlixTrain’s prices, it’s hard to say no.
To view all available routes and to buy tickets, visit www.flixtrain.com
Seat Reservations
Seat reservations in Europe are simple. Regional train services don’t require seat reservations. However, on high speed rail, for some countries its mandatory.
Usually Required:
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- Portugal
- Poland
- Any Eurostar service
If you book tickets separately (not with Eurail) through a national railway or Trainline, the seat reservation is usually included automatically in your ticket.
Alternatively, if you have a Eurail Pass, you can book your reservations on the Official Eurail Site.
TIP: If you are travelling on high frequency routes (e.g. London – Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam, Madrid – Barcelona, Milan – Rome etc.) make sure you book your seat reservations in advance as common routes frequently sell out.
Countries With Optional Seat Reservations:
- Germany (Reserve a seat)
- Austria (Reserve a seat)
- Switzerland (Reserve a seat – Switzerland is a relatively small country, so I wouldn’t bother reserving a seat for any intercity trips.)
In these countries you can sit in any free seat that you want without a reservation. However, if the train is scheduled to be busy, you want a guaranteed window seat, or your journey is scheduled to be 3+ hours, I would consider getting a seat reservation.
To buy seat reservations for these countries, I would recommend buying them directly through the national railway rather than through Eurail as it will save you €3-€5.
Luggage Storage
Luggage storage is generally easy.
On high-speed trains:
You’ll usually find:
- Overhead racks
- Large luggage racks at the end or middle of the carriages
If you have a large suitcase, choose seats near the luggage racks.
On regional trains:
Space is more limited. Overhead space is tighter and the trains are generally smaller.
Best places for large luggage:
- Bike/wheelchair areas — normally located at the front and ends of the carriage
What Would I Do?
I will aways buy a Eurail Pass for my Europe trips. They are super simple, get you around most of Europe, and offer so much flexibility. It will always be worth the little bit of extra money to have those extra options. Buying separate tickets may save you money, but you will have zero flexibility to change plans.
If you are also travelling in Germany and want to save some Eurail travel days, I would definitely consider using FlixTrain. They are super affordable, and are a great way to save a couple days on your Eurail pass if you need the extra days.
