Trains
The Best Booking Sites for Train Tickets for Spain — Reviewed
In our search for the cheapest tickets and easiest booking, we’ve reviewed all of the options for buying train tickets for Spain. We looked at the official Renfe site and compared it to a number of private portals. While Spanish trains in general are a pleasure to ride, Renfe’s own official website is full of …
How to Get the Best Child and Youth Discounts on European Trains
The value proposition for travelling by train in Europe grows by multiples when it comes to travelling with children. Compared to flying, train operators are quite generous in the age brackets for free travel with babies and toddlers and they offer significant discounts for youth. Also, trains are quite a bit more comfortable, often have …
Senior Savings on European Train Travel: The Ultimate Guide to the Discounts
Savvy seniors over the age of 60 can get a range of discounts on the European railroads. Some countries like Hungary essentially let you travel for free, Interrail and Eurail give 10% discounts on their passes, and lots of countries offer no real senior discounts unless you buy a year-long pass for their system. Read …
How to Keep Comfy on Trains in Germany: Secrets Behind the Amenities of the Deutsche Bahn Fleet
For years I’ve ridden everything from the local S-Bahn to the bougie ICE trains that whisk you around Germany, so I know what to expect in terms of amenities. With that in mind, I hereby present you with my guide as to what you can expect on their fleet as well. The Deutsche Bahn ferries …
Can I Take Fido? Top Tips for Riding European Trains With Dogs
For over two years I’ve been crisscrossing Europe by train with a dog. I am a digital nomad and the dog in question is actually my daughter’s, but is with me while my daughter finishes her degree. So where I go, the dog goes. Traveling around Europe may seem like a carefree life, but it …
Our Test Results: The Best Train Booking Platform for Europe
We performed hundreds of searches for train tickets on the websites of national European train companies as well as private portals. The goal: determine the cheapest and best way to buy tickets for riding the rails in Europe. We’ve been riding around Europe ourselves for a few combined decades and plan to continue to do so …
The Cheaper Tricks for Booking Europe Train Tickets from Australia
If you’re Australian and looking to book train tickets for a jaunt through Europe, there’s a good chance you’ll wind up redirected to more expensive booking sites like Rail Europe (formerly Rail Plus). Or you’ll attempt to buy tickets from SNCF Connect but hit website errors, from Trenitalia but not understand the Italians’ quasi-English, from …
RailEurope vs Trainline: Which Train Booking Platform Is Best for Europe?
We ran dozens of pan-Europe searches on our two favorite train booking platforms, RailEurope (formerly Loco2) and Trainline, and compared the results. The goal: determine which booking experience is smoother and results in better and cheaper routes. We have found that both of these platforms are better than booking directly from mainland Europe’s national train companies. …
Solved! The Problems with SNCF Connect and Ouigo Websites — and How We Buy French Train Tickets in Spite of Them
If you are blocked by error messages on the SNCF Connect or on Ouigo.com, you’re not alone. The websites and apps have lots of redirects and undergo constant updates that can render them in some cases nearly unusable. In particular, the transition to the new SNCF Connect website has been very rough and disabled a number …
Solutions for Buying Train Tickets for France in Spite of Credit Card Rejections from Ouigo and SNCF Connect
The French train operator’s websites SNCF Connect and Ouigo are notorious for rejecting bank and credit cards from outside of France. Those from Brazil, Eastern Europe, the United States, Australia, and Canada in particular report problems with payments not going through or getting rejected. We’ve been carefully researching the best alternatives for foreigners looking to purchase …