• Q. How can I find the cheapest train tickets?

  A. There are two ways you can ensure you get the best price. The most effective way is to book your train ticket(s) in advance. Many rail carriers operating high speed trains or night trains make a limited number of cheaper seats available for advance purchase. Once those seats have been sold or the purchase window has passed, prices go up. That’s why we recommend booking 60 to 90 days prior to the train departure, especially if you plan on traveling during peak season (summer and holidays).

  The other way to ensure you get the best rate is to correctly indicate the composition and number of your traveling party when requesting your fares and schedules. This will allow us to determine eligibility for some reduced fares such as child, youth or senior fares when offered by the rail carrier.

• Q. When I board the train, can I sit anywhere I want?

  A. If you booked a reservation for a specific train, you’ll have a designated car and seat number. This information will be located on your ticket.

  If you don’t have a reservation and the train you’re traveling on either doesn’t accept reservations or reservations are not mandatory, then you’ll be able to get on board and look for an available seat in the class of service you booked. Keep in mind that during the train journey, if another traveller gets on board and has reserved the seat you’re occupying, you will need to move.

  Keep in mind that local commuter trains generally do not accept reservations. During peak hours (typically before 9am and in the evening between 5-7pm) the trains are used by locals going to work and tend to be a bit more crowded. This may make it more difficult to find an available seat.

• Q. Who is eligible to buy a rail pass?

  A. Rail passes are available to anyone except residents of Europe, the United Kingdom, Morocco, Turkey or any of the countries of the former Soviet Union. If you’re a resident of these countries we can’t sell you our rail passes, but there are other similar options available to you such as the InterRail pass.

• Q. How do I have my train ticket endorsed to indicate it was not used?

  A. If you will not be taking the train and have a train ticket that includes a reservation, contact us by phone or go to the ticket window before the train departure and have your reserved seat released, as a courtesy to other travellers. Request that the cancelled train ticket also be stamped “Not Used".

  If a train is canceled by the railroads due to a strike, weather, or other issues, and alternate transportation has not been offered or if you decline the alternate transportation, then a railway official at the origin station must cancel your seat and they must stamp the back of your ticket/reservation “Not Used” before the original train departure time.

  Our partners at the European Railroads will not allow us to process a refund unless this step has been taken.

• Q. What if my shipment gets lost?

  A. If you believe that your shipment is lost, please contact us as soon as possible using our Contact Us page.

  If you’re departing soon and your booking is lost, we will work with you for the best possible solution to deliver your travel documents before you leave.

• Q. I just landed in Europe. How do I get to the train station from the airport?

  A. Whether you’re going straight to a train or to your hotel, you’ll generally find public transportation options from the airport to the center of town, where most train stations are located. Below is a list of airports that have rail connections (train or local subway/metro) to the main rail station:

  Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
  15 minute train trip to Amsterdam Central Station
  Stockholm Arlanda Airport
  20 minute train trip to Stockholm Central Station
  Barcelona Airport
  30 minute train to Barcelona Sants Station
  Berlin Schoenefeld Airport
  Birmingham International Airport
  12-15 minute train trip to Birmingham New Street Station
  Brussels Airport
  28 minute train trip to Brussels Zuid/Midi Station
  Cologne Airport
  15 minute train trip to Cologne Central Station
  Copenhagen Kastrup Airport
  14 minute train trip from Copenhagen Airport to Copenhagen Central Station
  Geneva Cointrin International Airport
  7 minute train trip to the Geneva City Central Station
  Glasgow Prestwick Airport
  1 mile bus or taxi trip to Paisley Gilmour Station and then a 12-15 minute train trip to Glasgow
  London Gatwick Airport
  30 minute train trip to London Victoria Station
  London Heathrow Airport
  15 - 27 minute train trip to London Paddington Station
  Luton Airport
  45 minute train trip to London St. Pancras Station
  Madrid-Barajas Airport
  12 minute metro trip to Madrid Nuesvos Ministerios Metro Station
  Malaga Airport
  10 minute train trip to Malaga Torremolinos Station
  Munich International Airport
  41 - 46 minute train trip to Munich Main Train Station
  Oslo Gardermoen Airport
  19 - 22 minutes train trip to Oslo S Station
  Paris Orly Airport
  24 minutes train trip to Paris Austerlitz Station
  Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport
  30 minute train trip to Paris Gare du Nord Station
  Porto – Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport
  7-10 minute metro trip to Porto City Center Station
  Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport
  30 minute train trip to Rome Termini Station
  Stansted Airport
  47 minute train trip to London Liverpool Station
  Stuttgart Echterdingen Airport
  30 minute train trip to Stuttgart Central
  Zurich Airport
  10 - 14 minute train trip to Zurich Central Station

  Many other European airports have buses to the central or main rail stations. There are typically a minimum of two departures per hour, and travel times can vary from 15 minutes – 55 minutes depending on the city (and of course traffic en-route to the city center).

  You can always check directly with your arrival airport for specific information regarding transfers to the city center. Most airports have websites with information on where to go to find a train or bus connection to the downtown area.

  In addition, we encourage you to visit our Train Station pages to view information about services at the station and what airport links are available, if any, for a particular city.

• Q. Is there onboard medical help in case of emergency?

  A. Currently most trains do not carry emergency medical equipment. In case of a medical emergency, conductors on board will radio ahead to the next stop so that help will be ready and waiting.

• Q. I understand that some of the train platforms in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy now have gates. How do I get to my train?

  A. Many train stations in the Netherlands and the Brussels Airport Station in Belgium now have platforms with entry/exit gates. To enter or exit from the train’s platform, you will need to pass through these gates that are controlled with a bar code reader.

  Most paper tickets and e-tickets and all Eurail Pass covers have a square barcode which can be scanned at the entry/exit point of the platform. Just hold the bar code on your travel document to the scanner on the illuminated area on the gate and pass through the gate.

  Some of the high traffic train stations in Italy, such as Milan Centrale, Roma Termini and Firenze Santa Maria Novella stations now have entry/exit gates. Access through these gates are exclusively reserved for traveller’s holding a ticket. It is suggested that you have your paper or electronic tickets ready to present upon arriving at these security gates.

• Q. Can I share my rail pass with others (family, friends, or charity)?

  A. No. Rail passes are strictly personal and non-transferable. A rail pass is valid only upon presentation of a passport. Therefore the name(s) printed on the rail pass must match the traveller’s identification.

• Q. What should I do if a strike has been announced in the country I’m traveling to?

  A. Typically, a strike only affects a few trains along certain routes. If a strike is called within a country, you may continue your travels if there are train services operating. If your train is affected by a strike, railway officials typically provide accommodations for either alternate train, or in some cases, bus transportation.

  If a train is canceled by the railroads due to a strike, and alternate transportation has not been offered or if you decline the alternate transportation, then a railway official at the origin station must cancel your seat and they must stamp the back of your ticket/reservation “Not Used Due to strike” before the original train departure time. Our partners at the European Railroads will not allow us to process a refund unless this step has been taken.

  This process will allow you to submit that train ticket/reservation for a refund. Please be sure that all refund requests are received by our Customer Relations department within 30-days of the train departure date.

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