Europe by rail

Late last year, I booked a flight to Europe and noticed how expensive it would be to fly between cities, not to mention all the time wasted in airports, getting to airports and on planes (did I mention I’m not that keen on flying?). While my fear of flying is not extreme, I am still a very nervous flyer and would rather drive up to Sydney from Melbourne for example, instead of taking the plane. While planning my trip and after a lot of research, I found taking the train around Europe was by far the cheapest and most convenient way to travel.

As you can see by the map, I took three separate trains during my stay in France and Italy. I started my journey out in Paris and enjoyed a beautiful journey through the countryside and mountains on my way to Milan where I got to see the contrasting lifestyles. I will admit that the train ride from Milan to Venice was not as spectacular but the final leg of the train trip arriving in Venice right on the Grand Canal was spectacular (as was my $20 a night hostel right on the canal). The final train journey was from Venice to Rome. This was the only part of the trip I had not pre-booked and the night before, I walked down to the station and purchased a ticket for a train the next day.

I did encounter a few problems along the way. Firstly, I booked the wrong dates, which to my surprise were corrected (on the day of my departure) within 30 minutes when I collected them in the office of the company through which I made the arrangements. There are strict conditions to using the tickets (you need to get a person at the first train station to authorise your ticket and to enter the start date etc). It did take me about 20 minutes to find the right place for this but once that happened, there was no more inconvenience and I just filled in the date of use before I boarded the next train.

If I were travelling to Europe in the future, I would definitely travel by train as it allowed me to catch up on some sleep, read a book, and prepare for the next section of my journey.

To book a train journey or to research routes and prices throughout Europe and the world, visit Railplus.

Seniors Card holders can receive up to 50% discounts on all Queensland rail journeys with Travel Train.

Find more information about Australian Train Journeys through Great Southern Rail.