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TRAIN TRAVEL

UPDATED: The best websites for cross-Europe train travel

Planning to travel by train across Europe but not sure where to start? Here are the best websites to help make it happen.

Published: 29 September 2022 13:20 CEST
Updated: 4 October 2022 15:18 CEST
UPDATED: The best websites for cross-Europe train travel
Travelling by train across Europe is easy - once you know where to look for tickets and routes. (Photo by Niklas Jeromin / Pexels)

Travelling across Europe by train is quickly becoming the preferred mode of transport for many people – mostly due to environmental concerns.

For others though, making the switch from cars or planes to trains is not so simple.

With planes, there are well-known websites like Skyscanner and Expedia, which makes it easy to find cheap flights. As well good connections across the continent from most major airports.

Then there is the convenience of travelling by car, which can be hard to beat – especially for those living in more rural areas. 

So what are the options for trains? Are there websites like Skyscanner but for train travel? And where can you find cheap tickets or the best routes?

Here are the websites you need to know when planning a trip across Europe by train.

Seat 61

The Seat 61 website provides tips on how to travel comfortably and affordably by train, while aiming to help visitors to rediscover the “pleasure, romance  and adventure of the journey”.

It includes an introduction to train travel in Europe, as well as an extensive search feature to find trains by starting location.

For example, The Local searched for trains from Salzburg to Italy and found routes to Venice, Milan, Florence, Rome and Naples, including on Nightjet sleeper trains.

The guide then describes the features of the Nightjet service, such as air conditioning, showers and room service – all useful information for any newbies starting out with train travel.

Seat 61 is run by Mark Smith, a train enthusiast and former manager at the UK Department of Transport.

READ MORE: Discover Austria: 19 ways to make the most of autumn this year

Trainline

The Trainline is an international platform focused on train travel. The company is based in the UK but has extensive coverage of train travel in 45 countries across Europe.

The aim of the Trainline is find to the cheapest tickets for a selected route. Most of the time, this means booking in advance.

The site also highlights some great offers, such as €7 tickets between Barcelona and Madrid, and Paris to Amsterdam from €20.

As an added bonus, the search function on the Trainline is very user-friendly and allows people to search by location, as well as add extras such as railcards or return tickets.

The Trainline can be accessed via the website or app.

Rail Europe

Rail Europe is a leading distributor of European train tickets. The website covers 25,000 destinations and 11,000 routes across the continent.

The search function on Rail Europe works in a similar way to other websites and users can view tickets by destination to get the best price. It’s also possible to purchase railcards direct from Rail Europe.

Additionally, the site includes a useful overview of the latest ticket releases and sales, such as special offers on journeys between Paris and Geneva.

Users can pay for tickets in Euros, Sterling or Dollar (US, Canada and Australia) on the website or the app.

Rail Europe is headquartered in Paris but was founded in New York in 1932.

READ ALSO: Ryanair to raise flight ticket prices in Austria

Interrail

The Interrail Pass is a railcard that is available for residents in Europe. For people that live outside of Europe, they can purchase the Eurail Pass.

The passes are aimed at backpackers, or anyone spending time travelling across Europe.

The Interrail website has details about the different passes on offer under the umbrella of Interrail, like the Global Pass, One Country Pass and the German Rail Pass. 

For example, prices for the One Country Pass for Spain start at €182 for three days of travel within one month. Or you can pay €235 for five days of travel within one month.

Whereas the Global Pass starts at €251 for seven days of train travel in one month, but goes up to €677 for a three month unlimited travel ticket.

Interrail or Eurail Pass holders can buy tickets and make reservations via the desktop website or the Rail Planner app.

Omio

Omio is a travel platform where you can book train, bus and flight tickets. It has a free app to download or users can search and book on the website.

The Omio site has a dedicated section just for train travel. It even highlights 28 routes in Europe that are faster by train than plane – as well as the amount of carbon dioxide saved on the trip.

Examples are London to Brussels, which takes just two hours, or Frankfurt to Cologne in one hour.

There is also a handy FAQ section with information about booking train tickets in Europe, baggage conditions and travelling with pets.

At the time of writing, The Local found a ticket from Zurich to Vienna on Omio for €60 (when searching for dates two months in advance).

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National rail operators

Aside from the five websites detailed above, it’s also worth checking out the websites of national rail operators to find deals and travel passes.

Here are the rail operators for each country covered by The Local.

Austria: Visit oebb.at to find Sparschiene (cheap/discounted) tickets on selected routes across the country. Tickets can also be booked for the Nightjet (overnight rail service).

Denmark: DSB is the national rail operator in Denmark. Timetables and tickets can be found at dsb.dk, including discounts for travelling outside of rush hours. 

France: Rail operator SNCF can be found at sncf.com. The website even has a guide on how to save money on rail travel in France.

Germany: Deutsche Bahn is Germany’s national rail service. Visit bahn.com to find cheap tickets for travel within Germany and throughout Europe.

Italy: Train tickets in Italy can be purchased at italiarail.com. You can even get a free Italian phrase ebook if you sign up to the Italia Rail newsletter.

Norway: Travellers can check prices and book tickets in Norway at norwaytrains.com. Most trains in Norway are operated by SJ or Vy trains.

Spain: Renfe is the leading train operator in Spain and can be found at renfe.com. The website has a page dedicated to discounts and another where you can buy tickets for luxury tourist trains.

Sweden: SJ is Sweden’s national rail operator. Tickets can be bought at sj.se, including annual passes and special offers.

Switzerland: Visit sbb.ch for tickets on Switzerland’s national rail network. The website is available in four languages (English, German, French, Italian) and features offers like Supersaver tickets and the GA Travelcard.

Do you have other suggestions for websites we should add to this list? Let us know in the comments section below or email [email protected]

Member comments

  1. Commercial travel websites show what their sponsors wants them to show, and they are also designed from the ground up for air travel. German Rail bahn.com allows you to choose all details of your trip, you can choose high speed trains or not, regional or even boat and bus. It works for all EU train stations, I even use it for domestic Swedish or France train travel,. France SNCF may be the worse, as it has separate sites for high speed, intercity and regional, and one for each region, totally confusing.

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TRAIN TRAVEL

Austria’s ÖBB announces new train timetable for summer

ÖBB is using the summer for extensive construction work in eastern Austria. There will be a new timetable on some routes.

Published: 30 April 2024 14:57 CEST
Austria's ÖBB announces new train timetable for summer

ÖBB is using the summer for construction work in the country’s east. A new timetable will apply on some railway lines in Vienna and Lower Austria from June 29th to September 2nd, the Austrian rail company announced on Tuesday.

There will be no trains between Floridsdorf and Praterstern. Instead, a rail replacement service with buses will be provided. A reduced train service is available between Praterstern and Liesing. Wiener Linien will accept ÖBB tickets on selected alternative routes.

Trains on the REX1 line (Floridsdorf—Gänserndorf —Břeclav route) will be diverted at longer intervals via Vienna Stadlau and Vienna Simmering. All other trains north of Vienna start and end in Floridsdorf or are cancelled.

READ ALSO: The seaside destinations you can reach without a car or plane from Austria

The trains on the S1 line with the destination and departure station Marchegg are cancelled between Vienna Süßenbrunn and Marchegg. A rail replacement service will be set up between Vienna Süßenbrunn and Gänserndorf. The S1 trains travelling to/from Gänserndorf every hour according to the annual timetable will be extended to/from Marchegg.

Timetable changes will occur on the southern line between Vienna and Wiener Neustadt Hbf. Trains will not run on the section between Bad Vöslau and Leobersdorf, and long-distance trains will be diverted.

Those on the CJX9 line start and end at Vienna Central Station and will be diverted between there and Wiener Neustadt. Therefore, the stops in Vienna Matzleinsdorfer Platz and Baden will be cancelled.

Replacement buses

ÖBB is organising rail replacement services with buses for the following route sections: 

  • Leobersdorf – Bad Vöslau
  • Leobersdorf – Mödling for the suburban trains
  • Wiener Neustadt Hbf – Felixdorf for trains on line R95
  • Wiener Neustadt Hbf – Wien Liesing (for the night-time closure from 23:25 to 04:00)

The Railjet and CAT connections and the Vienna Airport Lines buses will continue to run to Vienna Airport. There will be timetable changes on the S7 line. Trains on the REX7 line will be cancelled. From Fischamend to Wolfsthal, trains will be replaced by buses.

ÖBB launches information campaign

To offer passengers planning security and to inform customers comprehensively and promptly about rail replacement services, alternative routes and timetables, ÖBB is launching a comprehensive information campaign in May, the company added. 

Advertisements in daily and district media, information posters at railway stations, customer guides, and distribution campaigns for a particular information folder before and during the closure period will help travellers find the proper connection. 

READ ALSO: Five European cities you can reach from Austria in less than five hours by train

Municipalities and residents affected by construction work are informed electronically or by post about disruptions such as noise, dust and increased lorry traffic on construction site access roads.

Travellers can find information on the timetable at www.oebb.at, www.oebb.at/baustellen, 05-1717 and on the SCOTTY mobile app. Information on the Vienna S-Bahn upgrade can also be found at www.s-bahn.wien.

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