A first European trip by train: how many cities is too many
Planning · · 2 min read
The classic mistake is eleven cities in fourteen days. What you remember afterwards is stations.
The three-night rule
Three nights per city is the floor for anywhere with a centre worth walking: two full days and no packing on either of them. Two nights works for small places. One night is a station with a hotel attached.
For two weeks, that means four cities, or five if two of them are close together.
Pass or tickets?
A rail pass pays off when you make many long journeys at short notice. Point-to-point tickets bought two to eight weeks ahead are usually cheaper for a fixed route, especially in France, Spain and Italy where cheap advance fares sell out. Germany, Austria, Switzerland and central Europe are friendlier to spontaneous travel.
Note the reservation fees: some high-speed trains require a paid seat reservation even with a pass.
A route that works
Amsterdam - Brussels or Bruges - Paris - Lyon - Nice, or the central version: Prague - Vienna - Salzburg - Budapest. Both keep journeys under five hours and avoid backtracking.
Practical notes
- Trains leave on the minute in Switzerland and Germany; allow more slack in Italy and Spain.
- Night trains have returned on several routes and save a hotel night - book couchettes early.
- Big stations have left-luggage lockers, which turns a travel day into a sightseeing morning.
- Validate paper tickets where machines exist; fines are unsentimental.
Budget
Rail fares are the predictable part; accommodation is not. Booking beds before trains is usually the better order in July and August.