So a fortnight (two weeks) ago, I told you about how many countries that I travelled to in 2016. And if you’re just joining us, it was 10!
I also told you how I did it, and the plans that I have for 2017.
In 2016, I’ll be travelling to thirteen (13) countries.
Most of them will be in Europe, and plenty of them, I’ll be reaching by train!
But why?
Why the train?
Why not fly?
Well, to Russia, I’m thinking strongly of taking some sort of ship or cruise, and to England and Ireland, perhaps flying would be quicker….!
And then again. Perhaps not!
But the fact remains.
I live in Berlin.
In Germany.
And Germany is right in the center of Europe.
It has airports, train stations, bus stations, bicycle stations, cars and every possible means of transport.
I travel a lot for leisure and pleasure, and many a time, the adventure is in the getting there rather than the destination itself!
And let’s not forget the hassle, long queues and stringent baggage requirements that airlines require these days. Quite frankly, for a 1.5 hour flight you’re looking at arriving the airport (if flying to the UK) at least 2 hours before, if flying inter-continental, at least 3 hours. Not to talk of actually getting to the airport itself!
Luckily for me, Berlin has excellent local public transport that is cheap, efficient, clean, and reliable. I can’t say the same if you’re trying to get to London Heathrow, which is the busiest airport in the world. And equally as complicated, if you don’t know your way around London.
Being that I live in Berlin, makes it an extremely easy way to travel.
In fact, travelling by train through the European continent is one of the most comfortable ways to travel with ease, from one country to the other. And by far, one of the cheapest!
Is it any wonder that one of my favourite forms of transport is the train!
WHY TRAVEL BY TRAIN IN EUROPE?
There are many reasons why travelling by train in Europe is a most excellent idea, here are some below:
It’s cheap:
I bought a twelve-hour (12) direct train ticket from Berlin to Budapest. In first class for €69.00. Second class was just €10.00 cheaper at €59.00! I couldn’t believe it , so I bought it! My child was free of charge!
I bought a seven (7) hour train journey (second class) train ticket via the Hungarian Railways or MAV at a cost of 11,780 Ft or €38.40 to travel from Budapest to Prague. Child included in the cost!
A five (5) hour train journey ticket (second class) to travel from Prague to Berlin in August, was just €29.00! My child cost nothing at all!
For Switzerland, we took the Sparpreis Europa city night line train, and the eleven (11) hour return ticket journey from Berlin – Lucerne – Berlin, including reserved seating in July. Cost just €98.00. My child was free!
As a matter of fact, our return ticket from Berlin – Copenhagen – Berlin was a mere €58.00! And even though we actually missed our connection on the way home, and had to buy another ticket…it was still a sweet deal!
Kids travel for free:
Throughout last summer, I took an international train every weekend, and the price for our son – The Tall Young Gentleman was nothing at all!
His fare was completely and utterly free.
Yep!
Free of charge.
Nada!
In Germany, children under 15 travelling inter-city or inter-country, with their parents, grandparents, or relatives, travel on the German Rail, otherwise known as Deutsche Bahn (DB), train for free!
Note that if you book Spar Preis Europa trains with the German Rail on this version, your children will be free of charge too!
Other European countries do the same and either have free transport for children, or special prices for families too.
On our last visit to the UK, we bought an Advance Single train ticket – via the National Rail – from Manchester Oxford Road to a station in Cheshire. Our adult tickets for a 30 minute inter-city train were £3.00 each, and £1.50 for our child. Our Express Train tickets from Manchester Airport to Manchester Oxford Road (in the city) were just £5.00 each per adult, and £2.50 for our child.
Delays are minimal and compensated:
When travelling by European train, there is very little fuss to it, and far fewer delays than flying…
In fact, European Regulation (EC) 1371/2007 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations (2009), state that passengers are entitled to standardised rights in the rail sector in Germany and in Europe.
If there are delays of at least sixty (60) minutes or more, you are entitled to compensation, and if you were to take a taxi, or another mode of transport up to €80.00, you could have that refunded too. Make sure you get the correct documentation at either the train station concerned, from another station, or from the train staff!
Luggage:
Train travel means that there is plenty of room for your luggage. And if you wished to take the kitchen sink with you (within reason), you probably could. No need to worry about how heavy your luggage would be and how much. There is relatively little or no fuss. In many cases, the railway staff would even help you carry your bags!
No when was the last time that you saw airport staff carry luggage for anyone!
Personal space:
Unlike air or bus travel, there is room to move around, and really stretch your legs. And depending on how long the journey is, they sometimes have some dedicated time for passengers to go outside, buy some refreshments, get some fresh air, take photographs, or get some WiFi!
The social factor:
The European train is a little like the Indian train in the sense that you actually get to meet people. And talk to them.
I mean, you’re sitting elbow to elbow, you’re probably going to an international country, the passengers are either locals or tourists themselves, and to be frank, everyone is quite interested in your journey. And if you’ve got a bottle of booze somewhere.
All the better!
So now to the real McCoy!
HOW TO USE THE TRAIN IN EUROPE: 10 TIPS TO HELP YOU
Depending on where you are coming from, you need to:
1. Get a train ticket:
The cheapest way to ease into buying train tickets through most European countries (not all), is to actually book through the Deutsche Bahn portal on the local German English version not the UK or USA version! Note that for Germany, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland, if you’re going by train, I don’t recommend that you do so by InterRail or EuroRail passes, if you’re only travelling to one country, as the prices are ridiculously expensive and children have to be paid for!
The snag is to book tickets with the national train companies, directly. On their own websites, or through the German Rail otherwise known as Deutsche Bahn. Most websites have an English version. Some can be admittedly slightly hidden, but persevere, or contact them directly by calling, or via Email!
But don’t forget. Not all train companies allow you to pay online, or even to buy local tickets at local prices! Some train companies only allow you to buy a Eurail ticket if you’re buying from abroad, and which you can only pay for with a credit card. For more info on that check here.. And some do, but you either have to buy the ticket on the train, or have to pay online and then collect the train tickets once you’re in the country itself, or change the language of the website!
For train travel all around the world check out the website of The Man in Seat Sixty-One . . . or Deutsche Bahn.
But remember, if you’re using the Deutsche Bahn website, change the location to Germany and use the English word for Deutschland which is Germany! NOT the UK/Ireland one! And then change the language to English!
2. Check online for best routes:
Many train companies have their own website which you can access for routes so that you can see where you want to go. Or better yet. Where they actually go, and how to get there!
3. Do your research:
I live in Berlin and the Polish border is just under two hours away as such, there are discount prices from the German Railway Service known as Deutsche Bahn or DB. You can get a one-way single ticket from Berlin to Stettin or Szczecin in Poland, for just €11.00. Reduced tickets for €8.30. If you want to make a day of it, a day ticket would be €22.00 and €16.60 respectively. You could use it for every local transport in Stettin and the ticket is valid until 03:00 the next day!
Or you could get the German Regional tickets also known as the Länder-Tickets. These are fantastic bargains as the Berlin-Brandenburg regional one day ticket is only €29.00 and can be used by up to 5 people! That’s right! 5 people can travel on this ticket and they don’t have to be related! This ticket is valid from 09:00 to 03:00 the following day, and on the trams and buses in Stettin (Szczecin), and can be used to get to the Polish border!
You sometimes see people hustling for ticket holders in Stettin (Szczecin) ‘cos if you have 5 people travelling together that’s €5.00 each. A bargain if ever I saw one!
You can get this ticket from the VBB Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg website or DB online. For more information check here and here.
4. In fact, if you are in Germany, why not hop to some of our neighbouring countries too:
It might take you a while, but you can take the train from Berlin to London for as little as €59.00, to Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Italy, Denmark, Croatia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Poland for as little as €39.00 per single ticket or one way trip!
And if it’s not too far away. And being that this is Europe we’re talking about, so it isn’t! Fares can sometimes go as low as €19.00 for destinations such as to Prague for example!
<img data-attachment-id="8159" data-permalink="https://thebritishberliner.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/how-to-use-the-train-in-poland-10-tips-to-help-you/deutsche-bahn-418191_1280/" data-orig-file="https://thebritishberliner.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/deutsche-bahn-418191_1280.jpg" data-orig-size="1280,853" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="The Deutsche Bahn building in Berlin!" data-image-description="" data-medium-file="https://thebritishberliner.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/deutsche-bahn-418191_1280.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://thebritishberliner.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/deutsche-bahn-418191_1280.jpg?w=700&h=466" class="size-large wp-image-8159" src="https://thebritishberliner.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/deutsche-bahn-418191_1280.jpg?w=700&h=466" alt="The Deutsche Bahn building in Berlin!" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://thebritishberliner.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/deutsche-bah