It’s Us! Babcia and YiaYia! We are here to give you every hot tip, great travel hack, hidden gem, and experience based itinerary you are looking for. We’ve traveled all over Europe and we want to share our experience and expertise with you!
Thanks for joining us today! As always, we hope that our travel nonsense translates into your travel success! For more on our take on travel by train in Europe as well as your other travel options like small group travel when traveling to Europe or any of our other show notes, click here!
In this episode, we can answer:
What are the best train travel tips when traveling to Europe?
How do I efficiently plan train travel to Europe?
What are the best train experiences in Europe?
How do I find out more about European train travel?
What are the best ways to travel by train in Europe?
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We were last in Europe in the Summer of 2023!
Europe’s train system is one of the easiest in the world to use and 9 times out of 10 will be cheaper and faster than any airline travel you can book.
While airports are obviously located outside of all the historic city centers that you wish to visit, the great European train stations are usually smack in the middle of the tourist districts. Amsterdam Central and Gare du Nord in Paris are two perfect examples.
Train stations don’t have the massive security lines that airports are saddled with. Usually, a ticket is all you need to go from curb to platform meaning that you just need to arrive 15-20 minutes before your train rather than 2-3 hours at an airport.
When you start doing the math, often a longer train ride is more time efficient than a shorter trip in the air. For example, to fly from London to Paris can take 45 minutes in the air but add in getting to the airport, through security, waiting for potential delays and then getting back in the city once you land can take up to five hours while the chunnel train has you leaving London and perusing in Paris in about three hours.
Trains can connect two key destinations on your itinerary together with an overnight trip. Hopping on an overnight sleeper in Amsterdam for less than $200.00 then pull into Zurich. Spend a morning in Zurich and after lunch, you can continue on to points in all directions including Venice, Milan, Vienna, Munich and more.
Trains often offer better views than one would imagine. Yes, you’ll definitely see a slice of real life as trains leave the pristine city centers and make their way out toward the countryside. And that countryside! With patchwork quilt fields making up local farms, hills, mountains, rivers and lakes. There’s plenty to see as trains make their way from one big city through plenty of sleepy villages to another famous icon.
Fave trains:
Thalys Paris to Amsterdam
TrenItalia: Paris to Milan
Any train is switzerland
1 hr and 32 mins
59 mins