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Train Stations are usually centrally located within a city. It saves you time and frustration because although flying takes less time, you still need to figure out how to get into the city from the airport. The trip from the airport into the city might take a good amount of time as well. There are usually a variety of stores in the station – gift shops, food stands, cafes, restrooms etc. Unlike the United States – the restrooms will cost you money, usually less than one US dollar. The advantage of paid toilets – they are clean. There will usually be two restrooms to choose from for each gender – regular restrooms and shower restrooms. The shower restrooms will cost more than the regular restrooms. Many train stations have lockers for rent as well. Tickets are available for sale at the train station or you can make reservations online. Reservations online are usually not available for short commuter trains (traveling between cities within the same country). At the train station, you can purchase your ticket using the tellers or the vending machines. Most tellers speak English and the vending machine provides all major languages. However, the teller will be able to notify you of discounts you may qualify for. For example, people under 26 years of age will qualify for discounts on specific trains. This could be as much as a 40% discount. The machine will ask if you qualify for a discount, but you most likely will not know if you do or not. There are smoking and non-smoking cars, so you will need to specify the type of car you prefer. You will generally be asked if you want a reservation – this will guarantee you a seat on the train. For long distance trips, you should definitely get a reservation because standing or sitting on the floor is no fun for half a day. A reserved train ticket will have all the information you need – date, time, destination, type of seating (first/second class) car number and seat number. Otherwise, the seats are first come first serve (usually commuter trains). The major advantage of a teller is that you can ask as many questions as you want whereas there’s no question and answer session with the vending machine. If you have questions and you used the machine, you can still turn to the information booth in the station. Keep in mind that there may be a line, for the booth and the machine, so if you know you will have tons of questions, just go straight for the teller (unless there’s no line at the machine or information booth). You can also opt to upgrade to first class – this just means there’s more room for you to stretch out. If you’re train ride is going to be long, this might not be a bad idea. Eurail Pass: The best way to get around Europe For long distance trains, you can also purchase sleepers – first class or regular. This is basically a compartment – regular sleeper will have 6 beds, three on each side, one on top of another – so for those of you anxious about sleeping up high, make sure to let your teller know when you buy the ticket. Buying sleeper at the machine will not allow you to choose which bed you want. A first class sleeper has two beds and seating that would fit four (but the compartment is only for two) – very spacious. Now that you have your ticket, check the big board that everyone is standing in front of. This tells you the track you should be on based on the destination and departure time. The city names will be in another language, so make sure you know the name of the city you’re going to in that language. If you don’t know, just take a look at your ticket. It’s easier to match on the time and then compare the city name to your ticket. Be very careful because they can also change the track number on you. Getting on the train is pretty straightforward, look for your car number and seat number if you have a reserved seat. If not, just hop on to the car that is the type of seating you bought (ie 2nd class, non-smoking). When you get on the train, make sure you’re on the right train – ask someone. Before boarding the train, be sure to stamp your ticket with the date and time at the little yellow box, they’re about three feet tall and other people will be stamping their tickets too. Don’t throw the ticket out! During your journey, railroad employees will be coming around to check tickets (and that you stamped them! so don’t forget about the 3 feet tall yellow box!). They do not always make to every car for every passenger, but they’re pretty good about it. If you throw you ticket out, and cannot prove that you paid to be on the train, you could get a ticket. More likely than not, your ticket will cost you more than the price of the ticket. Paris to Venice in your Pajamas. Sleeper trains from Rail Europe.
London to Paris under the Channel in 3 hours
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