Europe by train?

[ducati_paul]

I'm heading to Europe for a holiday next April and am looking at transport options, last time I was there I did the Contiki thing but now I'm (wayyyy) too old for that but still want to get around without hiring a car. A few people have said that Trains are a good cheap option but at A$300 just to go from Naples to Milan (admittedly at 290 kmh ) it doesn't sound that cheap to me!? Has anyone done the Europe by train thing?
We would like to do Italy, Spain, France, England, Wales, Ireland, Netherlands (Assen will be on for WSBK) then Germany, that's the wish list but only being there for a 3.5 weeks we may have to skip some bits. We fly in to Rome on April 1st and out of Frankfurt on April 25 ... Discuss!

oh BTW I do know about Busabout but their service doesn't commence until May so is not an option .

[dilligaf]

We've travelled a bit by train around Europe. Need to get on the websites and do advanced purchases for the cheap fares.
Last time we had to print out the receipt and they scan it on the train and need the credit card you used as well.
eg.
http://www.bahn.de/i/view/overseas/en/index.shtml
http://www.sncf.com/en_EN/flash/

http://www.raileurope-world.com/map/

Have done railpass as well.
http://www.eurail.com/home

big advantage is the stations are in the middle of town and the big ones have a tourist office to help find accommodation.
plenty of thieving on the overnight trains so be careful.
on popular routes or busy times its worth reserving a seat or you might stand in the corridor the whole way.

[ducati_paul]

Cheers, Thanks for the links

[twelve]

just got back from a 6 week stint in europe and did it by eurail.

Would definitely do it again, but be mindful that you do need to book ahead. I had to changes plans sometimes due to availability. That said I did go in peak season.

[ducati_paul]

Where did you go? We are now thinking of going down through Italy then hanging a left to Greece and up through Bulgaria, Romania, Poland etc.

[rooster]

In Italy I got caught out travelling from Bologna to Modena on the local network as I hadn't validated my ticket and got fined 44 euros, if you are travelling on the local network find out where the validation boxes are, yellow boxes dotted very sparingly around the train station are the validation boxes, trap for the unwary.

If you are travelling Eurostar pay the little bit extra for a reserved seat its worth it, also make sure your baggage can be put in the overhead rails as there is limited and unsecure luggage storage at the end on each carriage.

[oldrdrider]

Hey Paul,

Eurail is a great option you buy a pass that has countries with touching boarders so you cn get 3 countrys right up to all the countries on the europe network. the pass covers your actual train fare but any high speed services such as TGV need to have seats booked on them. The booking fee is about $20 - 50 per seat per train but it works out heaps cheaper than purchasing sectors on their own as you still pay the seat res fee. Just an example of times you can save is london paris - Eurostar is about 2.5hrs you would kill that time just driving from london to stanstead waiting for a plane and then driving into paris from orly airport not including the flying time.

I work in the travel industry so if you want to PM me with where you live i can put you in touch with one of my stores australia wide and if your in sydney i can put you in touch with one of my staff who i ride with and will look after you.

Cheers