“What’s the best way from X to Y?” It is a query we’ve read a thousand times here on EuroCheapo, and it comes in various guises on hundreds of other travel forums: from Fodor’s to Frommer’s, from BootsnAll to the Thorn Tree. For those who pose such questions “best” probably equates “cheapest” or “fastest.” But » Read more
Train: Budget Travel Guide
Madrid Chamartín station has little of the appeal or the convenience of the Spanish capital’s main rail hub at Atocha. Located near the city center, Atocha is extravagant and exuberant. The classic art nouveau train shed, now a superb indoor tropical garden, stands cheek by jowl with architect Rafael Moneo’s assertive late-20th century new add-on » Read more
AVE is Spain’s fastest, slickest and most modern train. Those who want to travel in style and comfort take Ave and pay, for the most part, a pretty penny to do so. With so many cheapo flights around Europe these days (Vueling, Ryanair, easyJet, etc.) normal train travel is often the second choice for those » Read more
The great majority of our many rail journeys across Europe work perfectly. Most trains really do arrive punctually. But from time to time Europe’s railways do have bad days, particularly when bad weather rolls in and plays havoc with schedules. When winter strikes In three of the last five winters, we have had at least » Read more
Eurostar’s flagship services linking London’s magnificent St Pancras station with Paris and Brussels have been an overwhelming success, transforming London’s relationship with two close continental capitals. So much well-justified praise is heaped on Eurostar’s capital city links that it is easy to overlook that the rail service through the Channel Tunnel is good for more » Read more
March is the month when many Europeans crawl out from their winter shells and start exploring. And with spring beckoning, we have come up with a handful of easy daytime rail journeys that just clamor to be taken. There is something seductive about climbing onto a comfortable train just after breakfast, knowing that all you » Read more
Yes, the weather may still be wintry in New York and Nice, but now is the time to start planning spring and summer 2011 travels around Europe. Many European railway administrations operate on a three-month advance booking horizon, so services on lots of French, German, Italian and Spanish trains (by way of example) are now » Read more
Last week we gave a rail service update for Britain, focusing on some of the new train services that started with the schedule changes that came into effect last Sunday, December 12. Now we’ll take a look at how the 2011 schedules look for continental Europe. Discontinued services First the bad news. A number of » Read more
Chile wasn’t the only subterranean tale this past week. The news that engineers had burrowed through the Gotthard Massif to create a 57 km-long tunnel deep under the Alps was accompanied by plenty of news reports predicting a revolution in European rail transport. Don’t hold your breath. The first trains will not run through the » Read more
Spain’s high-speed rail network was inaugurated in 1992 with the opening of the Madrid–Seville link. Latterly the network served by super-fast trains (known as Alta Velocidad Española or AVE services) has been extended to include Málaga (in 2007) and Barcelona (in 2008). A new AVE service to Valencia will start in December 2010. High-speed links » Read more
There are some occasions on trips through Europe when you just know that a car is essential, but with European fuel prices through the roof, and automobile rental companies sometimes levying draconian one-way drop charges (especially for international journeys), many folks are naturally wary about opting for a vehicle. European car trains can, however, play » Read more
June 30, 2010. As we have said before, it is not compulsory to take the fast train. On most routes through Europe, there are plenty of slow train alternatives, often more scenic and sometimes much cheaper. A great weekend bargain in Germany On the weekends, for example, travelers can roam the length and breadth of » Read more
Taking the train between Paris and Amsterdam, Brussels, or Cologne this summer? If you act quickly, you could book a seat on a high-speed train for as little as €25. The French National Railway, SNCF, announced today discounted train tickets on the Thalys line from Paris to a select number of cities for travel between July 5 and » Read more
As Cheapos know, it’s almost always less expensive to buy train tickets directly through the website of a country’s national rail service rather than through RailEurope’s English-language site or overseas agents, especially for France’s TGV system. Fares can also be cheaper booking online than buying the tickets in person at the station. However, booking a » Read more
Okay, we’ve said it before, but we’ll gladly say it again. Have Cheapos realised just how much rail fares in Europe can vary according to where you purchase your tickets? We took a day out from our regular work with hidden europe magazine last week and conjured up a tempting palette of trips criss-crossing the » Read more
It is that time of year when many travellers start sketching out their plans for 2009 trips to Europe. And for travel within Europe, many of the continent’s budget airlines will unveil their summer 2009 schedules in the coming weeks. Book early for the best discounts. Plan ahead: Rail travel for next year Rail travelers » Read more
Nicky and Susanne of hidden europe magazine posted on our blog last week about the joys of night trains in Europe. Today, they came across a Cheapo-friendly night train offer from TGV, the French railway: When we wrote last week’s post, we assumed that First Scotrail’s Caledonian Sleeper services (nightly from London Euston to over forty destinations » Read more
We’re big fans of the French TGV rail system. These sleek trains zip throughout the country, transporting passengers comfortably at speeds up to 200 mph. The trains are such a success that short flights between most cities in France don’t make sense — the TGV is faster, and much less of a hassle. Related: Sometimes First Class TGV is cheaper » Read more
