Rail travel in Europe
Photo: User: (WT-shared) Shoestring at wts wikivoyage, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Trains are a convenient mode of short, medium and long distance travel across Europe, and often the fastest option. Western and Central Europe in particular have a dense and widely used railway network. Trains are mostly a "greener" way to get around than planes, cars and buses, generating much lower CO2 levels per passenger over the same distance.
Many European cities also have extensive urban rail networks.
UnderstandEuropean trains are fast, reliable and frequent.
Planning your tripThe German national railways has the very convenient Deutsche Bahn router, which covers almost the entire European railway network (and beyond), as well as bus, metro, and ferry connections in Germany.
TicketsIf you plan a longer journey with many stops, especially if you don't like a fixed itinerary, a rail pass may be the best choice.
Routes and lines
Stay safeTrains are the safest mode of travel on land and may be safer than aviation depending on definitions and European trains are among the safest trains in the world, so accidents are extremely rare and unlikely, which is…
CopeIf the train route you have a ticket for cannot get you to your destination, for example because of flooding on the tracks, don't panic: go to the station's information booth.
Specific countriesSee the guides to rail travel in specific countries:
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Rail travel in Europe" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: User: (WT-shared) Shoestring at wts wikivoyage, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons