3. Consider an Interrail ticket for longer trips
If you’re setting off on a longer journey with several stops, check whether it might be worthwhile to buy Interrail tickets. The versatile Global Passes, which allow you to travel across multiple countries for several days, weeks or months, are often discounted. Once you have bought it in a sale, you still have several months to activate the pass. Note, however, that you will still need to buy reservations for many high-speed trains. In some countries (especially France), these can sell out weeks in advance, so plan well ahead.
4. Plan your transfers wisely on international routes
To buy tickets for international journeys with connections, you will usually need to buy individual tickets from different national train operators. If you’re on a multi-ticket journey with tickets bought from two different train companies, you should be able to “hop on the next available train” (HOTNAT) if you miss a connection and if both train companies are part of Railteam (Slovenske železnice are not). However, instead of making a tight connection, it may be wise to plan for a generous buffer or even an overnight stop. If you’re travelling by train from Prague to London, for example, why not spend a few hours in Paris for an extended lunch or a night? Economic factors may be a barrier to longer stopovers – but thinking creatively about how to structure stopover trips can also create opportunities to fit in a business meeting or visit friends and family along the way.
5. Explore night-train options
Although the last few years have seen something of a renaissance for night trains in Europe, there are still many gaps in the network and many countries are completely cut off (the Baltic States, Portugal, Greece). The NGO Back on Track, which promotes international night trains, provides an up-to-date map of connections in Europe to help you research your options.
6. Keep up with railway news
To stay up to date on new routes, sales, and regulations, follow advocacy organisations, experts, platforms and train influencers on social media. Suggestions include The Man in Seat 61, Jon Worth, Back on Track, Europe by Rail and European Rail Timetable.
The tips were written for the seventh issue of the Kompost newsletter, which was prepared by the Czech Creative Europe Desk (Culture) and the CzechMobility.Info (MIP CZ), both operating under the Arts and Theatre Institute (ATI). We thank our colleagues for the opportunity to publish the translation.
Photo credit: Frederic Köberl / Unsplash
