Trains, no planes and a lot of patience: Rail Away in Europe
A guide to Europe's complex rail systems. How to book tickets, bring your bike on board, and new train routes. Plus some train journeys from my archive.
I know there are many resources covering train travel, with my favourite being the one and only Man in Seat 61. Yet I still felt compelled to publish this post. Why? Because ridiculous short-haul European flights continue to operate, like those between Brussels and Amsterdam or Frankfurt and Strasbourg. Come on, people! And while train travel is becoming popular in Europe (I’m an enthusiast as well!), it can also be frustratingly complex.
How to book European train tickets
Booking border-crossing train trips in Europe is far from easy and takes a lot of time. Sorry about that. You could compare the European rail network with Lego after the patent expired. Every country has its own building bricks, but they aren't quite compatible.
The reason is that each nation has its own train company or even multiple train companies (to make it even more complicated) with all their own booking systems. Boxes full of Lego lookalikes with particular instructions and rules.
The end of the train tunnel
But there is some light at the end of the train tunnel. The European Commission and the rail sector are taking serious steps to make ticketing systems for train travel across Europe smarter, more user-friendly, and cross-border compatible. This is not done overnight, but the first pilot projects are already underway. Deutsche Bahn (DB) from Germany will adopt the Open Sales and Distribution Model (OSDM) from this autumn. Using the OSDM framework, DB has the ambition to offer integrated ticketing for virtually all major European railways by the end of 20261.
In the meantime, you could use these options to build your own trip:
Budget
Breath in. Take some time and a cup of coffee or tea.
The most economical option is to use the booking engines of the separate train companies, and also to compare the prices between companies (they can differ quite a bit!).
But first: read this very helpful page on seat61.com
Efficiency
There are commercial platforms where you can book cross-border train tickets like Rail Europe, Trainline, or Omio (don’t use Rail Ninja, it's significantly overpriced). It will cost you somewhat more as they charge reservation fees or service fees.
Tip: You can also use these platforms to plan your trip and then use the individual railway ticketing systems.
Comfort
I really like what they do at byway.travel. It's a 100% flight-free travel platform that offers trips, lots of inspiration and a useful planner.
Extra: Train passes
Of course, there are passes for longer train trips in Europe. Europeans can turn to Interrail, and for people outside Europe, there is Eurail. It’s highly recommended to add yourself to their mailing list, as they offer some attractive discounts on passes throughout the year.
Some news from the tracks
Besides the night train between Paris and Berlin (which runs three times a week), a new daytime train was introduced at the end of 2024. It runs daily, and the trip takes over nine hours.
The new Baltic Express launched in late 2024, rides between Prague and Poland's Baltic coast four times daily. The route calls at Kłodzko, Wrocław, Poznań, Bydgoszcz and Gdańsk before reaching its final stop in Gdynia. Booking is possible through cd.cz.
Berlin startup Nox plans to launch overnight trains across Europe by 2027. Their trains will feature private rooms for one or two people at prices comparable to flights. What's interesting about their approach is the scale; they're aiming to create alternatives for short-haul flights throughout Europe.
Source: Nox Social media users will stumble upon picture-perfect trains, a lot of nostalgia, freshly made croissants, elegant pyjamas and dreamy landscapes. Some of those posts represent extremely expensive trains like the Orient Express. Some of them don't provide the whole picture or useful context is missing.
Yes, this train exists and it will ride. But not this year. The fifth generation TGVs will start running in 2026 between Paris, Lyon and Marseille and will gradually be introduced to more TGV routes in France2.
Bringing a bicycle on the train
Recently, I cycled from Amsterdam to Paris3 and wanted to take my gravel bike on the train back home. As I was aware that it is almost impossible with the Eurostar, I booked two separate tickets: one from Paris to Brussels, and the second from Brussels to Amsterdam. The rules for the first leg were somewhat unclear, while for the second leg, they were explicit, allowing me to purchase a bicycle ticket in advance.
Ignore the conductor
When I placed my bike in the designated area, the train conductor confronted me, urging me to disassemble my bike or leave the train. A Belgian woman advised me to stay calm, ignore the conductor to some extent, and place my bike behind other luggage. Then, two Dutch passengers boarded the train with their dismantled bikes sloppily wrapped in plastic. “Those rules weren't clear for us either”, they mentioned. I ended up removing my front wheel and positioning my bike behind their two bikes.
After we left Paris, the conductor approached me again, still angry. I showed him the information I had found on the SCNF website. He reiterated that the bike should have been packed in a case because travelling like this is prohibited in France. However, for this trip, I was allowed to remain on the train😮💨.
From the Dutch bikepackers, I learned that travelling with a bike on regional trains in France is actually no problem at all. So next time I'll likely bring some plastic wrapping or take the slower regional route.
Is it possible then?
Yes, it already is possible! And the situation will improve further in the future.
The European Commission (yes, them again) now requires all new trains ordered after 7 June 2025 - and any majorly refurbished ones - to have at least four spaces for assembled bikes.4
Again, the Man in Seat 61 has a very helpful page about bringing a bike on European trains.
High-speed trains like the TGV, Eurostar, ICE or AVE aren’t exactly bike-friendly; they often require you to dismantle and bag your bike. Regional and Intercity trains are usually much more relaxed.
On international or long-distance routes, you’ll often need to book a bike space in advance and pay a small fee.
Night trains like the Nightjet usually have special bike compartments, and a reservation is a must. European Sleeper (the night train from Brussels to Prague) offers bike spots from 4 June to 31 August 2025.
For journeys to and from the Netherlands (I’m ‘Direct Dutch’ after all) see this page. For travel within the Netherlands, check this info.
Train trips from my archive
🥾Hiking in Wales
When I visited London last year, I also wanted to spend a day and a half in Wales for a hike and to visit Cardiff Castle.
You can take a train from London Paddington Station to Cardiff with Great Western Railway. Book local Welsh train tickets on fw.wales.
From:
🍷 Wine tasting in Hungary
From Budapest, you can travel by train to Mád, a village in Hungary’s Tokaj wine region. It’s in the heart of the area, with vineyards and wineries scattered across the surrounding hills.
Train travel in Hungary is easy and fun. You can buy tickets directly on mavcsoport.hu/en
More:
🐚 Nice and the Riviera
From Nice, take the train to Italy, to places like San Remo or Ventimiglia.
Another destination near Nice by train is Menton, a charming small city with the Jean Cocteau Museum.
A highlight along the coast is Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (there is a train stop there).
From:
🚃 Sleeper trains in Europe
Take the nostalgic night train from Bucharest to Chişinău in Moldova.
Travel by train from Turkey to Georgia aboard the iconic Doğu Ekspresi.
Plus an extensive list of must-try European night trains
More:
Read, listen & for your agenda
An interesting article on BBC Travel about a trip on the Baltic Express between Prague and Gdynia: The Baltic Express: Central Europe's new hop-on hop-off train
In Paris this summer? You should definitely visit the David Hockney exhibition in Fondation Louis Vuitton!
Just because the name of this playlist is so good:
The French are very proud that the new TGV is made in France (SCNF)
Read: Rail transport: passengers to enjoy better protection and smoother travel experience (European Commission)
And a note on the title: Rail Away is a popular TV program in the Netherlands about train travel. Slow TV to the max.
Thank you for that summary, Marloes! I'm based in Zambia now, but still travel to the Netherlands (and elsewhere in Europe) more or less regularly. On our honeymoon (decades ago) we travelled 3 weeks through Europe on a Eurail Pass. (Great memories resulted, as you can imagine! Sadly, before the days when we could take thousands of digital pictures at almost no cost.) I'd love to take another journey through Europe again, and trains are my favourite if we can travel light. Will save your article as a great reference doc!
We try to use trains as much as possible and don't own a car. But despite our best efforts, flights are often cheaper and faster. Changes are afoot, though.