Trains
Rail Europe vs Omio vs Trainline: Which Consistently Gets the Best Deals on Train Tickets
We ran dozens of pan-European searches on the three top train booking platforms, Rail Europe, Omio, and Trainline, and compared the results. The goal was to find out: Which site results in better and cheaper train trips? All three of these websites are far easier to use than most national European train booking sites, which can …
Our Test Results: The Best Train Booking Platform for Europe
Me: A stingy-ass connoisseur of train booking websites. I’m on an Iryo train in Spain—an alternative, cheap, high speed train option you’d never see if you only checked the official Renfe site. We performed hundreds of searches for train tickets on the websites of national European train companies as well as private portals. The goal: determine …
We Tested the Legitimate Train Booking Platforms for France—Here’s What Works Best for Cheap Tickets
I’ve been booking train tickets online for French trains for two decades, both with the SNCF’s official websites and the various good competing private booking platforms. There is now a healthy variety of alternatives for booking French train tickets that can get you e-tickets with the same dynamic pricing as you’d get purchasing directly from …
How to Travel Europe by Train
Our full guide to the charms of taking trains, including how best to buy tickets and what to pack; photo copyright Charley Aimée. We’ve been travelling all around Europe by train for two decades now, and we’ve got more than a few dos and don’ts to have a cheap, comfortable, and lovely time rolling across the …
Omio Is a Decent Travel Booking Site, but With Some Problems—We’ve Used Better Alternatives
Me on a TGV INOUI train in France—one of the many trains bookable via Omio—though that’s not how I bought my ticket A lot of reviews would have you believe that Omio is a great way to book travel. And Omio is certainly an honest booking site (it’s not a scam, your e-tickets from Omio …
We Tested the Best Legitimate Train Booking Sites for Spain to Get the Best Deals and Smartest Routes
There are lots of sites that offer to sell train tickets for Spain. So my team and I ran dozens of searches on them to see what’s best—and we’ve been monitoring them this way (as we travel) for years. The starting for many looking to take a train is the official site for the national …
Schemes for Cheap Train Tickets in France
The minimalist cheapskate writer of this article on a Ouigo train I’ve been whizzing around France on TGV and other trains as cheaply as possible for over two decades. And here, my dear penny-pinching minimalists, is an insider’s guide to the best current strategies, booking platforms, discount cards, sales, and future insights for bopping around …
How to Book French Train Tickets: A Guide to Painless Trip Prep
On another train. My butt’s been in all kinds of European train seats for 21 years. Trains are hands-down the best way to get around France. If you’re not used to France and/or to European train travel, the ticketing options can seem a bit overwhelming. But I’ve been traveling the French rails for the past …
The Best & Cheapest Ways to Travel Between Paris and Barcelona: Train, Bus, and — If You Must — Plane
I’ve long lived in the lovely, romantic French capital Paris and the lively, sexy Catalan capital Barcelona — these are absolutely my favorite two cities in the world. But how to travel between them? There are lots of websites that promise to sell you tickets between the two cities. A lot of them are terrible, …
Ouigo, Iryo, Avlo, and Ave: The Key Differences in High-Speed Train Options in Spain—at a Glance
Renfe’s two high-speed train services: Ave and Avlo. Photo credit: Smiley.toerist CC 4.0. We’re spoiled for options for crossing Spain and Catalonia by train. There are four operators running daily high-speed trains here and all of them are comfortable, fast, and often pretty cheap. The standard-bearer from the national operator is Renfe’s Ave service; Renfe …