Can Point to Point tickets for 'any' route in europe be booked from any train station? <BR><BR>i.e. I'm touring Italy and getting on a train in Rome to go to Florence. Knowing that I'll be in Nice leaving for Barcelona in 3 days, can I book/reserve/buy my Nice-Barcelona ticket while at the Rome train station?

Actually, that's not such an easy question, Spawned <BR><BR>IME, you can buy tickets for a CROSS-BORDER train journey from any European train station hooked up to the central booking system, even if the trip doesn't involve the country in which you are purchasing the ticket (say Geneva-Paris purchased in Rome).<BR><BR>However for a purely DOMESTIC trip, you can sometimes only purchase the ticket directly from the rail operator of the country you will be travelling in (this is the case for domestic travel within France on SNCF for example) or from companies such as RailEurope at a significant surcharge. <BR><BR>That said, I would always recommend purchasing a ticket in the country from which a given train journey originates. This gives you access to the full range of discount fares available on that route and should you need to change your travel plans en route, the railway personnel will not be puzzled by an &quot;exotic&quot; ticket issued abroad.<BR><BR>Thanks to the internet, it's truly easy to book train travel in most European countries straight at the source.<BR><BR>Hope this helps,<BR>Andre

To be more specific, you can almost certainly purchase your Nice-Barcelona ticket in Italy, but only at full fare - and just try to get that italian-issued ticket changed/refunded in France...<BR><BR>Rather, go to<BR>www.sncf.com<BR>Book at the best available fare, prepay and pick up your ticket at any train station or &quot;Boutique SNCF&quot; in France.<BR><BR>Andre

Thanks for the replies. I assume from what you say that paying &quot;full fare&quot; when booking in Italy would/might be more than I might pay booking on-line or in person while in France?<BR><BR>I'm trying to avoid booking in advance (more than a few days) as I don't know exactly when I'll be traveling. I know when I'll be in Europe, but not necessairly when I will be in each city.<BR><BR>Q1: Are there sometimes discounts on last minute P2P tickets, or would it be MORE money, or always the same?<BR><BR>Q2: Is the European bus system(s) totally seperate from the train system? For shorter trips where I wouldn't mind taking a bus (or maybe where there is no train service), would I have to go to the bus station to find fares and depart. times, then hike over to the train station to compare? Or are there ticket kiosks that have info on both?<BR><BR>Thx again. This is a big help on info that's not so easy to find on the web.

Q3: With P2P tix I know you can get off the train enroute, then use your ticket to get on a later train and continue/complete your journey. Does this only apply for the SAME day, or can you get off, stay the night in town, then get back on the train the next day and use your orignal P2P ticket to finish your travel?

Spawned,<BR><BR>From the top:<BR><BR>Q1 - The fare structure for trains varies quite a bit from country to country, however several of them (most notably France and Germany) offer cheaper fares for those who book early. These discounts can be significant. Often, discounts are also offered for people travelling together (as few as 2 people will often do), seniors and children. You can get all the fare information you need on the web site of the railway operating the service you intend to use.<BR>In addition to perhaps paying more for a last-minute ticket, you run the risk of not getting a seat/bed on the train of your choice. That said, it's impossible to generalize without knowing your planned itinerary.<BR><BR>Q2: There is no integrated european long distance bus system, with the exception of the Eurolines association of international bus operators (www.eurolines.com), which I would only recommend for people seeking the cheapest possible form of transportation. <BR>In some countries, such as Spain and the the UK, the domestic bus system is quite developed and a real alternative to train travel. Generally, these services can/should also be booked in advance by phone or internet.<BR>In other countries, such as Switzerland and The Netherlands, the buses routes are integrated with the railway systems and connect those towns too small or remote to have train service.<BR>As you see, it's hard to generalize...<BR><BR>Q3: Again, you need to be more specific on your planned itinerary. <BR>For example, a P2P TGV ticket from Paris to Avignon does NOT allow you to get off in Lyon and get on a later train. <BR>OTOH, with a P2P ticket in Switzerland you can get on and off as much as you like, as long as you have the train conductor note on the ticket that you are getting off before your final destination and you complete your journey before the ticket expires - validity of swiss P2Ps varies according to the distance traveled. <BR><BR>Hope this helps,<BR>Andre