The Best Way to Book Trains in Europe

So, you’ve decided to travel around Europe by train. You know you’ll get some spectacular views of the continent as you whizz through its countryside. It’s likely that at least one of these journeys will end up being the highlight of your trip. Now all you need to work out is how to turn your vision into a reality.

Booking train tickets is easy. Making sure you get the best deal when you book your tickets can be a little trickier. But, getting cheap train tickets that suit you is far from impossible. You just need to know how to go about doing it. Here is our quick and easy guide on the different ways to book train tickets and the pros and cons of each method.

Booking Through an Agent

Booking through an agent comes with the benefit of knowing that everything is going to be sorted for you. Simply tell your agent where you want to go and just like magic your tickets will appear in front of you. This means you can save your energy and stress level for other things on your trip. You also don’t need to worry about translating obscure websites or booking the wrong thing.

The disadvantage of booking through an agent is usually the price. Agents will charge a commission for their service and there is no guarantee they will book the cheapest tickets in the first place. This means that your bill could end up larger than you anticipated. Another downside of using an agent is that you relinquish some control over your bookings. Sure, you give your order to the agent, but you won’t have the opportunity to browse options yourself.

Booking Online

For those who want to plan things in advance and retain complete control over their vacation, booking online yourself is the best option. You will be able to pick a time and price that suits you. You might even be tempted to change destination once you see how cheap other places are to get to. The freedom to browse should not be underestimated.

If you plan on booking online then be aware of this pitfall. Not all websites will offer you the same price. Local train companies of the country you intend to visit will have their own websites and these websites will offer you the best deals. If you go elsewhere you could end up paying 3-4x more than the ticket is actually worth. Plus you might have to pay delivery costs to have your ticket sent to you. Be smart when you book and you’ll save yourself a bundle of cash.

Booking at the Station

There is something to be said for leaving it to chance and booking your ticket on the day you want to travel or the day before at your departure station. This offers you a lot more freedom than booking online in advance as it allows you to be spontaneous. You can wake up in the morning and ask yourself: “where do I want to go today?” There is something deeply liberating about this.

But, leaving it until the day you want to travel to book your ticket comes with two potential problems. The first is that there might not be any free seats left on the train you want to board. This means you’ll have to wait however many days it takes for a seat to become available. The second is that often tickets bought on the day of travel are more expensive. This could cause problems for individuals travelling on a tight budget.

Train travel is a beautiful thing and can be an exhilarating experience if done properly. Work out which option suits you best and get ready for the vacation of a lifetime.