EUROPE by TRAIN. Please advise.
 

It will be my first trip to Europe. We plan to go to Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and France. Would anyone suggest the best way to find a train deal?

I looked around and found some information on trains in Europe, but unsure what the best way to go would be...

For those who has traveled by train in Europe, any tips, suggestions, would be truly appreciated!

Thank yoU!

www.seat61.com

www.railsaver.com

We did two weeks in Italy last year and traveled solely by train including one overnight train from Venice to Naples. I find the trains in Italy to be clean and convenient and easy to access.

I booked some of the longer trips via Trenitalia.com individually so I would be sure to have the seats/compartments I desired. But for short trips from city to city, we just bought tickets at the station in the vending machines.

You may want to look into a rail pass as this could save you money. Raileurope.com is a good place to start.

Good luck.

The two Web sites listed above give excellent information. One more to check is www.ricksteves.com. Read the pages on rail travel, railpasses, and the downloadable railpass guide.

I now see that a note was posted between the first one and mine. I was referring to seat61 and railsaver.

I would definitely go to railsaver and input the proposed itinerary (assuming that is pretty much set) so you can compare prices of passes vs. point-to-point tickets.

IF you are using rail simply to get from Point A to Point B then a pass probably isn't the best idea. If you plan to do a lot of hop on and hop off rail trips while you are IN the various places listed then a pass might make more sense. Passes become more economical the more you use them.

Be aware that agencies such as RailEurope charge a shipping and handling fee for any and all products they sell you (some agencies will not charge the S+H fee) and there can be a mark-up on point to point tickets which are usually cheaper to buy once you arrive in Europe.

After you've done the railsaver thing you may have more specific questions.

The above sources given all are good ones - I recommend getting the free European Planning & Rail Guide, which has tons of info on rail travel - great for novices - rail maps, itineraries, etc.(free from BETS: www.budgeteuropetravel.com). Off hand you probably should dwell in on the Eurail Select pass for those countries.

Thank you so much!!!!
It was really helpful!

What are your time restraints? In my research on prior trips, I almost always found a car rental deal that beat the cost of train passes. The added bonus with a car is the mobility you have. Many places you might want to see are not train accessible. Perhaps fewer countries but in greater detail would be worth consideration. Sounds like a great trip. If you or a companion drive, check out a car rental or if you trip will be longer than 3 weeks, consider a lease. There is plenty of info on this site about both options.