TRANSPORTATION - Europe On a Budget - page 89

The train is fun. I always found riding the train to be fun. Maybe it is because there are no
trains where I live, or maybe it conjures up nostalgic images of riding the train through the
Wild West. Whatever the reason, I always found train travel special.
DISADVANTAGES OF RAIL TRAVEL
he costs. Train travel can be expensive. Although there are often discounts for people un-
der twenty-six or if you purchase your tickets well in advance. If you do book in advance, the
cheapest tickets are often nonrefundable, so missing your train means you'll need to buy an-
other ticket.
Slow for long distance travel. If you're traveling long distances, it might be smarter to fly.
For example, taking the train from Paris straight to Budapest would take around eighteen
hours. Therefore, unless you stop and spend a few days in cities on the way, it would make
more sense to fly—especially if you're short on time.
Confusion. The train schedules can be a little confusing, especially for beginners, but it is
easy to learn. Also, a lot of large cities, and a few small towns, have more than one train station
(Paris has six). It's not uncommon to arrive in one station and leave from another. I've shown
up at the wrong station a few times, so be sure you read your tickets carefully.
It is also possible to change stations during a single journey. For example, traveling from
London to Lyon, France, via the Eurostar. The Eurostar stops at the Paris North station but
then you have to travel to the Paris East station to catch the train from Paris to Lyon, because
there are no direct trains from London to Lyon. This transfer would require a cheap metro
ride.
Rail strikes. Striking is a national pastime in Europe. It happens a few times a year (or more
if the people aren't happy), but they plan them in advance so you'll have some time to work
out other plans.
How to Plan Your Rail Journey
There are two websites that every train rider needs to know. The first is the German Railway
website Bahn.com . On this site, you will find every scheduled train route across all of Europe.
All you need to do is plug in your cities and it will tell you all the possible route options and
train times—it's pretty amazing. However, you won't be able to purchase any tickets from the
site unless the route includes Germany. So once you know the best journey for you, you can
purchase tickets from each country's rail network website.
The second site you need to know is Seat61.com . This site has the most in-depth informa-
tion about traveling Europe via train.