Seeing Europe by train: passes, tickets and your Schengen plan

Ask anyone who has done it and they will tell you the train is the best way to see Europe. You go from city centre to city centre, skip the airport queues, and watch lakes, vineyards and mountains roll past the window. For a first trip from Bangladesh it also has a quieter advantage: a clear rail route makes your whole itinerary easier to plan and easier to explain on a visa application.

Rail pass or point-to-point tickets?

This is the first question everyone asks, and the honest answer is that it depends on how you travel.

• A rail pass suits you if you plan to cover a lot of ground, change plans on the go, or take several long journeys in a short time. Travellers living outside Europe usually buy a Eurail pass; Interrail is for European residents. Some countries also have their own passes, such as the Swiss Travel Pass.
• Point-to-point tickets suit you if you are visiting three or four cities with a few days in each. Booked ahead, single tickets on high-speed routes can work out better value than a pass.

A simple way to decide is to list your journeys, price them as single tickets, and compare that with a pass for the same number of travel days. Many people find a mix works best: a national pass in one country and single tickets everywhere else.

Book ahead and understand seat reservations

Fares on many high-speed trains work like airline fares: the earlier you book, the better the price, and the cheapest tickets often cannot be changed. Regional and local trains are different. They usually have fixed fares and you can buy on the day.

Having a pass does not always mean you can just get on. Many high-speed trains, night trains and famous scenic routes need a seat reservation on top of the pass, paid separately, and on busy routes these sell out in summer. In Switzerland, panoramic trains such as the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express usually need a reservation even though the line itself is covered by many passes.

Before you buy a pass, check which of your journeys need a reservation. A pass with several paid reservations can end up costing more than single tickets.

Validate before you board

On some regional trains, especially in Italy, a paper ticket must be stamped in a machine on the platform before you board. Digital tickets and passes usually just need to be shown on your phone, but keep it charged.

Luggage on European trains

There is usually no check-in and no weighing on European trains, but you carry everything yourself, often up steps and along narrow aisles. That changes how you should pack:

• Take one medium suitcase each rather than two large ones. You will lift it onto racks several times a day.
• Keep a small day bag with your passport, tickets, medicines and a jumper; mountain trains can be cool even in summer.
• Use the racks above your seat or at the end of the carriage, and keep valuables with you at stations.
• Leave enough time between connections. A missed connection on a tight change can unravel a whole day.

How train travel fits your Schengen visa

Most rail trips stay inside the Schengen area, which includes Switzerland as well as countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands. The usual rule is that you apply to the country where you will spend the most time; if your time is split evenly, you apply to the country you will enter first. A train-heavy itinerary makes this easy to show, because your nights and routes are written down day by day.

1. Plan your route and count the nights in each country.
2. Apply to the main destination country and keep that country at the centre of your plan.
3. Make sure your hotel bookings, train plan and insurance dates all match.
4. Use refundable or flexible bookings where you can, in case your visa dates change.

Remember that the UK and Ireland are not in Schengen, so a Eurostar trip to London needs a separate visa. Requirements and appointment systems change, so Softway Travels checks the current rules with you before you apply. Our visa service helps you build an itinerary that is consistent from the first page to the last, and our guide to preparing a Schengen application covers the paperwork in more detail.

A sensible first route

For a first trip of ten to fourteen days, pick three or four bases rather than seven or eight cities. Something like Paris, then Switzerland for the mountain railways, then northern Italy gives you big cities, the Alps and lakes in one line, with no long backtracking. Give each base at least three nights so you have time for day trips by train.

If you would like help shaping the route, booking hotels and flights, and preparing a visa file that matches it, Softway Travels can plan it with you from start to finish.