<BR>Hello, I am a recent college grad and am going to be an "Au Pair" next year in France. With the opportunity I am hoping to travel Europe quite a bit. I wanted to specifically ask the question of experienced European Train Traveller's what is the difference between 1st and 2nd classes on trains? <BR> <BR>Also any hits for longterm living abroad would be helpful! <BR> <BR>Thanks!

<BR>I'm hardly an experienced European train traveler, (just 3 weeks of riding around Italy) but I think you would most appreciate second class travel. First, if you're under 26 you can benefit from the Eurail and Eurorail youthpasses, which are a lot cheaper than the first class versions of those passes which us older people are stuck with. Second, there are a lot more second class seats available. Third, few locals travel first class; if you ride there you'll probably find only tourists. Fourth, you can have some very interesting conversations in second class if there's no language problem. The first class cars I saw in Italy didn't look so much more comfortable as to be worth the extra price. <BR>Have fun!

In Scotland and England, we have bought regular priced tickets and upgraded to first class for only 9 pounds per ticket. Just buy your ticket, get on a first class car, sit anywhere that is not reserved and pay the conductor the extra fare. We do this regularly and is well worth the extra money, especially on long trips. Hope this helps!

In Western Europe 2nd class is perfectly fine! The only difference may be a little padding on the seats and, in some cases, an open car rather than a compartment setup. Be sure to get a reserved seat for a specific train [a small supplement], particularly in 2nd class as it can get crowded.The best trains are the EC and IC ones. I've used the trains mostly in Central and Eastern Europe. I've had 1st class coaches that were less comfortable than the second class ones. If you are traveling 2nd class in Central/Eastern Europe be sure to stick to the EC and IC trains. Again be sure to reserve a seat.

Just returned from three weeks in Europe. We traveled on trains in the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and Austria (briefly). We never rode first class and we never made a reservation. We met many interesting local people and had good conversations whenever we could do so language-wise. I would only worry about reservations if it is a particularly busy time or place. Also I didn't worry about whether the train was EC or IC, except to the extent of not getting on milk-run trains when we needed to make good time. Travelling on trains in Europe is part of the experience as far as I'm concerned. It forces you to at least partially live WITH the people and not isolate yourself. Sometimes you have to ASK someone something and that leads to a good conversation.

I guess it depends on your age, my husband and I are in our late 40's and we much prefer to train first class, mostly because we travel all hours of the day and if you happen to travel in the a.m. or late afternoon other than summer months, you will be jammed into second class with a lot of local students. While it is interesting to watch the local youths, it is also very, very noisy. You may also want to make sure you get a non-smoking car. First class non-smoking cars you will probably find yourself almost entirely alone. Europeans are big smokers and it can get pretty thick in there and some travelers don't want to open the windows.

We just rode Eurostar in the first class section. The entire car is open, unlike the older, compartmentalized European trains. Our seatmates, aside us and across the aisle, plus ourselves were engaged in lively, funny discussions on all the train segments. Food was openly shared and we got some excellent tips on things to do in Naples...so, it doesn't seem to matter much which class one chooses, so long as there are no barriers between the seats.

There is also Euroair.com which is $90 per leg, minimum 3 legs. Tickets which are open ended & must be purchased here in the States (similar to Eurail). Enjoy!

I've done both, and figure I'm probably about your age, so I think I can help. On one trip I had a Eurail Youthpass (2nd class) and on another, a 1st class Flexipass. Second class is great, mostly because it is cheaper, but also because of the interesting people you will meet. Only once in two months, traveling every other day or more, did I have to stand in the aisle; otherwise I always got a seat. The first class pass was a definite waste of money. Often the trains we took were small and didn't even HAVE first class, or the seats in the one first class car were all reserved. I think out of eight lengthy train rides we got to sit in first class once. We didn't talk to anyone because the only other people there were part of a huge American tour group, a bunch of new retirees on the way to Venice for a cruise. They were so loud and so annoying and obnoxious that I actually wanted to move into second class to get away from them. I much prefer the compartmentalized cars (though contrary to comments above, these aren't reserved to second class alone). Whether you are a non-smoker or smoker makes no difference; smoking and non-smoking areas are provided in both classes. <BR> <BR>My point is, our first class rail passes were a waste of money, especially since we were still young enough to get the youthpass. Save your hard-earned cash for more worthwhile things.