The new age of the train
Most people know that trains are better for the environment than cars and planes. It’s also an accessible, relaxing and enjoyable way to see more of the scenery and immerse yourself in the culture. Read more about travelling by train here. Have you taken an epic train journey? Maybe you've given up flying altogether? Or do you think train travel's too expensive? Let us know by leaving a comment below...Labels: carbon footprint, train travel, trains
posted by Justin at
10:46
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4 Comments:
I would love to tavel by train, especially to Europe but a) It's so expensive and b) It's difficult to find information. Enquiries to Railbookers never bring results. I hope the ''Man in seat 61'' book will be of help.
My favourite holiday, by far, was travelling around europe by train last year. Myself and my partner got the ferry to calais, then train to switzerland - slovenia - croatia - bosnia - romania - hungary - czech republic - home. As we are both under 26, an interrail pass for 10 days travel in 28 days cost just £185 (although with seat reservations and overnight cabins we probably spent another £75). For information about train routes and times, www.bahn.de is fantastic (select English in the scroll bar!). I can't wait for the next holiday - filling in the gaps of countries we missed last time!
Travelling by train across Europe is actually very straightforward. Unlike flying (which is ethically a bit grey) the adventure starts with the first train. You get to travel through landscapes, through cultures, different foods and languages. We've been taking long international train trips since the children were 2 years old (10+ years now) and each one is a fabulous memory of night trains, castles, new food and learning new words. Look at an atlas, visit www.seat61.com and use the Deutsche Bahn website (http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?getstop=1&Z=&time=19%3A57&date=11.01.07&S=&searchMode=ADVANCED×el=depart&) to plan your trip (doesn't work in Spain (www.renfe.es). You will discover the delights of station buffets, on train breakfasts and restaurant cars. Forget wheelie luggage, pack a small backpack and travel far; the adventure begins at St Pancras....
Arranging travel by train to Germany became much easier recently. German railways (www.bahn.de with English version) have opened an office in London which can book the whole trip and issue the tickets (Tel 08718 80 8066 8p per min, Mon-Fri 9-5). It is actually possible to travel from St. Pancras on a train around 8am and arrive in our village in South East Germany, directly on the border with Czech Republic just after 9pm on the same day, so most of Germany has to be within reach for same day travel. The cost per person of just over £200 return may sound a bit expensive compared with cheap airlines but is not so bad when you work out the cost of getting to and from airports at each end.
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