My First European Train Experience & 3 Helpful Tips I Learned Along The Way

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This past weekend, Charlie and I officially had our first European train experience! While we have become quite proficient at using buses, U-bahns, S-bahns (you can find my guide to those in Munich HERE!), trams, planes and cars, we thought that our European life abroad couldn’t be complete without experiencing at least a few trains as well. And I have to say, we definitely have now experienced them! After deciding to tag along on a work trip with Charlie this past weekend, we made plans for a long (about 10 hour) but relatively easy trip from Munich, Germany to Debrecen, Hungary with one change along the way in Budapest. Unfortunately, Storm Boris rolled in to totally upend Central Europe including our train travel adventures which led us to arriving in Debrecen about 36 hours and 6 stops later. We are so blessed to have arrived safe and sound, as many communities have had devastating weather but it didn’t transpire quite as we had imagined. While our first train experience is HIGHLY unusual due to this “100 year” storm and the flooding it has brought, I thought I might share all the details on my first European train adventures including the things I loved and three helpful tips I learned along the way. So, if you too are interested in using trains throughout Europe, here are a few things that are good to know! 

Why Use Trains? Perks Of European Train Travel 

With the speediness of traveling by air and the convenience of traveling by car, you might be wondering, why even use a train? Well, I have discovered many perks of the European train network so let’s dive into them! 

A Leisurely Ride 

The first series of perks of traveling through Europe by trains is the leisurely ride that they provide. If you are able to book a direct trip or one with minimal stops, all you must do is show up with your ticket and hop on! From there, you can enjoy the views and settle in to relax on your journey. For longer trains, you also will have the option for food and restrooms onboard, comfortable seats and charging ports along the way. Not having to worry about navigating traffic, acquiring necessary toll passes, parking, picking up/returning a rental car or going through airport security can make your journey overall a sweet one. 

Easy Accessibility 

The next major perk for traveling by trains throughout Europe is how connected the various networks of towns, cities and countries are. Certainly, you lose some flexibility and convenience regarding what you can venture out to see outside of the city, however if you are hoping to avoid renting a car (or perhaps live abroad but don’t own/have one to use), you easily can still travel between cities and countries with the wide network of train options. 

Large Group Travel 

The last major perk for traveling by trains is the option for large groups to travel together. Whether you have a large family or a group of friends that are traveling together, using a train allows you to all travel in tandem without having to rent multiple cars, take tour buses etc. Even if you live in Europe and own a car, if you have large groups that come visit and want to sightsee, you have the option of all riding a train together. 

Drawbacks Of Trains

From my recent experiences, the two biggest drawbacks of trains are the lack of convenience and the potential for the unexpected. However, honestly, both of those drawbacks could also apply to most other forms of travel transportation as well so I don’t hold them against trains specifically. 

Regarding the lack of convenience, it can be more challenging to access areas outside of key cities or town locations beyond where public transportation is available. However, the same could be said for traveling by plane in that upon arriving, you are depending on public transportation, a car rental or some version of ride sharing. So, while this is a drawback of train travel, it operates within similar limitations of traveling by air. And while trains do take longer than traveling by plane (comparable to the time it would take to drive somewhere), you are able to enjoy the views along the way. 

The second drawback that we most acutely experienced was the potential for the unexpected (weather in this case) to derail our initial journey. Certainly, it was a bummer for our 10 hour trip to turn into a 6 stop journey with a surprise hotel stay overnight, however again, when traveling the unexpected does happen on occasion. Even if traveling by car or plane, you could experience major weather problems, accidents, a flat tire, delayed flights, canceled flights or any number of issues. Any travel setback is not ideal regardless of your mode of transportation, so again these things can happen (and occasionally do), but on the whole from most of our experiences, they normally run smoothly with few problems.

For me personally, even after the dramas of our past weekend, I would say that the perks of train trips throughout Europe generally outweigh the cons, especially if you are going shorter distances or primarily between larger cities which you intend to stay in. 

3 Helpful Tips For Train Travel 

So, now that you know the primary pros and cons of train travel, let’s dive into helpful tips to make your journey as smooth as possible! 

Tip #1: Purchase With Flexibility In Mind 

The first tip that I find extraordinarily helpful when traveling by trains is the ability to purchase flexible tickets. Regardless of whether you are traveling by Deutsche Bahn or OBB, in France or Germany, in Austria, Hungary or anywhere else in Europe, most train providers offer a version of what they call “flexible fare”. While these flexible tickets can be more expensive, most allow not only for cancellations with refunds before the first day of validity (the time frame in which the ticket can be used, typically a day or two), but they also allow you to ride any train within that train network towards your final destination and not just the train arriving at one specific time. 

For example, this feature was particularly helpful when due to the changing weather situation, we missed our 9:30 OBB train towards Salzburg. Since we had purchased a flexible ticket, we were able to simply hop on the next OBB train available (around 10:15) that was headed to Salzburg. I definitely recommend knowing the details for your specific flexible tickets, however most operate in this same manner and can be wonderful especially if you have several connections. Being able to travel freely within a train company and not simply on one train coming at one time can really help to reduce stress should you decide to squeeze in one more thing to your itinerary or experience a delay of any kind. 

Tip #2: Consider Seat Reservations 

Another key tip to consider when purchasing train tickets is if you want a seat reservation. Most trains allow you to purchase either a general ticket or tickets with a specific seat reserved. Occasionally, trains require everyone to have a seat reserved, but typically you have this flexibility. 

So, what do you need to know with seat reservations? 

Well, much as it sounds, if you purchase a ticket with a seat reserved, you will have that seat held for you on that train. If you opt for a general ticket, you will simply need to find a seat that is open and not reserved. From my experience, most German and Austrian trains clearly mark which seats are reserved for which portions of the journey with a little slip of paper above the seat number. Hungary on the other hand does not as clearly mark which seats are open and which are not, so it can be a bit more challenging to determine. 

First Class VS. Second Class

Another good thing to note is that most first class tickets automatically come with a seat reservation (within the first class car, marked on the outside with a “1”), while seat reservations can be purchased additionally for second class tickets (applicable for train cars marked on the outside with a “2”). With either option though, if you purchase a flexible ticket, your seat reservation only applies to the original train trip that you select. If you miss your train or opt to take a later train with your flexible ticket, you most certainly can board, but you must sit in an unreserved seat. 

Are seat reservations worth it? 

While seat reservations are not always needed, they can be helpful if you are traveling with a large group. On very busy trains, seat reservations ensure that you won’t have to sit apart from your group or stand throughout your journey. That being said however, if you are traveling by yourself or in a group of two or three, especially at non peak travel times, most often you can find a seat just fine. 

Tip #3: Embrace Train Apps

The last tip that I have is to embrace train apps whenever possible. When purchasing tickets, you can purchase online and print them beforehand, use an app for a mobile ticket or use an individual ticket kiosk. While purchasing online beforehand or using the ticket kiosk can be a great option for short or last minute trips, using the app of the train company can help you to receive all the latest information regarding which track your train will arrive on, if it is experiencing any delays etc. Most of this information can be found also on the main schedule board within the station, however if the information changes by the time you leave the station to wait at your specific train track, then having the app to inform you can be an added bonus. It certainly is VERY possible to navigate without them, but they do help particularly in areas in which you are not confident in the language. 

Similarly, regarding language barriers, I found that most large cities (and all stops in Germany and Austria) make their announcements in both the native language (in this case German) and in English. In Hungary however, once outside of Budapest, most locals only speak Hungarian and all announcements were made solely in Hungarian, so using the app helped us to receive the latest information that we otherwise could have missed. 

Final Thoughts 

While our train adventures became far more interesting than we ever had imagined, we certainly learned a lot along the way and now have a story to tell! Overall though, riding a train is a really neat experience and embracing them when traveling throughout Europe often helps to make your journey much easier, particularly when hopping between countries. Yes, there are slight rule variations between train companies, but on the whole there are a plethora of options that become very easy to use once you are a bit familiar. But, I would love to know – do you have any train tips that you have learned traveling in Europe? Feel free to share in the comment section below and be sure to pin this post to remember for future travel adventures! 

Happy traveling!

Chloe

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