Trains in Europe
Feb 11, 2015 03:23:20 #
Firstly thanks to all members for their input to this web site.
We are of to Europe in August and intend to travel by train from Budapest to Prague and from Prague to Vienna.
The internet has plenty of agents who will book your seats for you but they all charge very high commissions.
Has any one booked their own seats on the internet or did you just wait until you were there and buy them at the station.
Thanks in anticipation of your helpful replies
Walter
We are of to Europe in August and intend to travel by train from Budapest to Prague and from Prague to Vienna.
The internet has plenty of agents who will book your seats for you but they all charge very high commissions.
Has any one booked their own seats on the internet or did you just wait until you were there and buy them at the station.
Thanks in anticipation of your helpful replies
Walter
Feb 11, 2015 04:03:41 #
Last summer we travelled through Italy, Austria and Switzerland on public transport. Buses, trains and ferries.
We booked/purchased the tickets at the relevant stations and had no problems.
We booked/purchased the tickets at the relevant stations and had no problems.
Feb 11, 2015 04:10:45 #
Leicaflex wrote:
Last summer we travelled through Italy, Austria and Switzerland on public transport. Buses, trains and ferries.
We booked/purchased the tickets at the relevant stations and had no problems.
We booked/purchased the tickets at the relevant stations and had no problems.
Thanks for the quick and positive reply.
Did you travel include city to city in different countries by train?
Cheers
Walter
Feb 11, 2015 04:43:47 #
Yes, and all the staff at the stations were most helpful.
Occasionally the buses were crowded, especially at commuter times, but all very friendly.
Occasionally the buses were crowded, especially at commuter times, but all very friendly.
Feb 11, 2015 04:54:03 #
Many thanks once again.
We now believe we will wait till we get to Europe.
Regards
Walter
We now believe we will wait till we get to Europe.
Regards
Walter
Feb 11, 2015 07:09:17 #
Hello Walperth,
I have traveled on many European trains, usually a general rule of thumb I use is for High Speed Trains such as TGV, (French) ICE, (German) Thalys, (Belgium) Italo/ Frecciarossa and more (Italy) AVE, (Spain) and Eurostar, UK. There are other HST's but it is advisable to book these in advance on these services as they can get full, it will also save you a lot of money.
Normally there are two price levels, the least expensive tickets cannot be changed in any way and cannot be refunded and can only be used on the train the ticket was booked for!!
The other level costs more but can be changed or refunded, and can be used on another train. HST tickets can usually be purchased upto 3 months in advance.
Generally other train services can be booked at the time of travel, most European train stations have ticket machines which are usually quite easy to use but always allow plenty of time before your train in due to depart.
Another tip: most European stations have a ticket authorization machine which validates your ticket for travel, if you don't do this you will be charged for another ticket.
Here is an excellent site for European train travel etc: http://www.seat61.com
Let me know if want to know more,
John
I have traveled on many European trains, usually a general rule of thumb I use is for High Speed Trains such as TGV, (French) ICE, (German) Thalys, (Belgium) Italo/ Frecciarossa and more (Italy) AVE, (Spain) and Eurostar, UK. There are other HST's but it is advisable to book these in advance on these services as they can get full, it will also save you a lot of money.
Normally there are two price levels, the least expensive tickets cannot be changed in any way and cannot be refunded and can only be used on the train the ticket was booked for!!
The other level costs more but can be changed or refunded, and can be used on another train. HST tickets can usually be purchased upto 3 months in advance.
Generally other train services can be booked at the time of travel, most European train stations have ticket machines which are usually quite easy to use but always allow plenty of time before your train in due to depart.
Another tip: most European stations have a ticket authorization machine which validates your ticket for travel, if you don't do this you will be charged for another ticket.
Here is an excellent site for European train travel etc: http://www.seat61.com
Let me know if want to know more,
John
Typical Ticket Machine
Italian High Speed Train
Feb 11, 2015 10:30:19 #
We also booked from the station in Italy successfully. We also checked our luggage in for storage at the station while we did some day touring outside of Pizza.
Feb 11, 2015 12:18:34 #
WalPerth wrote:
Firstly thanks to all members for their input to this web site.
We are of to Europe in August and intend to travel by train from Budapest to Prague and from Prague to Vienna.
The internet has plenty of agents who will book your seats for you but they all charge very high commissions.
Has any one booked their own seats on the internet or did you just wait until you were there and buy them at the station.
Thanks in anticipation of your helpful replies
Walter
We are of to Europe in August and intend to travel by train from Budapest to Prague and from Prague to Vienna.
The internet has plenty of agents who will book your seats for you but they all charge very high commissions.
Has any one booked their own seats on the internet or did you just wait until you were there and buy them at the station.
Thanks in anticipation of your helpful replies
Walter
Viking
Feb 11, 2015 19:28:45 #
Hi John,
Many thanks for a very full reply, a very full explanation.
Will check out the web site you recommend.
Cheers
Walter
Many thanks for a very full reply, a very full explanation.
Will check out the web site you recommend.
Cheers
Walter
Feb 11, 2015 19:30:07 #
KVM wrote:
We also booked from the station in Italy successfully. We also checked our luggage in for storage at the station while we did some day touring outside of Pizza.
Thank you very much for your reply, feeling more confident already.
Cheers
Walter
Feb 11, 2015 19:32:04 #
warrior wrote:
Viking
Hi Warrior,
Thanks for your reply but do not understand what you mean "Viking".
Is it a web site or Agency or what.
Cheers
Walter
Feb 12, 2015 07:26:18 #
I heard on a travel show hosted by Rick Steves ( a European travel guru) that it is cheaper to buy your train tickets before you leave the US. I think there may be a business in NYC that sells Eurarail passes, so they may also be able to sell you tickets to match your travel plans. Sorry, I don't remember the name of the company.
If you have your itinerary set, this should help you buy the correct dates and departures.
If you have your itinerary set, this should help you buy the correct dates and departures.
Feb 12, 2015 08:57:31 #
sye wrote:
I heard on a travel show hosted by Rick Steves ( a European travel guru) that it is cheaper to buy your train tickets before you leave the US. I think there may be a business in NYC that sells Eurarail passes, so they may also be able to sell you tickets to match your travel plans. Sorry, I don't remember the name of the company.
If you have your itinerary set, this should help you buy the correct dates and departures.
If you have your itinerary set, this should help you buy the correct dates and departures.
Bought a 5 day Eurarail ticket for a 10 day vacation in Europe.
With it, we could take any train (except ICE) to any destination in Europe. Traveled from Frankfurt to Venice then to Rome to Switzerland and back to Munich, with side trips to Fussen and Vienna. Tickets were $250 each and only good for any 5 of the 10 day stay. This was back in the late 90's. Absolutely a great way to travel.
Feb 12, 2015 09:51:06 #
WalPerth wrote:
Firstly thanks to all members for their input to this web site.
We are of to Europe in August and intend to travel by train from Budapest to Prague and from Prague to Vienna.
The internet has plenty of agents who will book your seats for you but they all charge very high commissions.
Has any one booked their own seats on the internet or did you just wait until you were there and buy them at the station.
Thanks in anticipation of your helpful replies
Walter
We are of to Europe in August and intend to travel by train from Budapest to Prague and from Prague to Vienna.
The internet has plenty of agents who will book your seats for you but they all charge very high commissions.
Has any one booked their own seats on the internet or did you just wait until you were there and buy them at the station.
Thanks in anticipation of your helpful replies
Walter
You can do it all yourself on-line, in advance. You can also wait until you are there. The only problem is that August might be very busy and 1st Class seats (You DO want first class) might be scarce. We book trains all through France last year without any problems.
Feb 12, 2015 09:59:48 #
We travelled through Germany (Frankfurt to Heidelberg, Heidelberg to Berlin, Berlin to Dresden, Dresden to Munich) booking our train tickets as we went and had no problems at all. Have a great trip.
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