Train Travel

Planning that leg and seeing about a €30 to €40 difference between AVE and the bus. For those who’ve done both, is the train really that much better? I know it’s faster, but is the overall experience worth the extra money if you’re trying to keep costs down? Also, is Renfe still...

I’m planning an Interrail trip through Spain this summer. Current route is: Girona Barcelona Murcia Cartagena Almería Granada Córdoba Madrid Zaragoza Mostly doing trains, except Cartagena to Almería which looks easier by bus. Two things I can’t figure out: First, I’m trying to...

I wouldn’t risk that. Even if it’s just one more stop, Route 128 is technically a different city and usually a higher fare than Providence. Conductors scan tickets and it’ll show your destination. If you’re still on after Providence, they’ll notice. Best case they charge you the...

My kids really want to try a train trip, so we’re thinking about doing DC to NYC on Amtrak. It would be two parents and three kids (ages 6–10). None of us have taken the train before, so I’m a little unsure how seating works. Coach tickets are a lot cheaper, but since seats...

Had a Roomette booked on the Silver Meteor (98) from FL to NY for me and my 6 year old. Booked it about 7 months ago. Woke up at 7am the morning of departure and saw we’d been moved to coach. No heads up, no explanation. Just… gone. Trying to figure out if this is usually an...

Planning to take the Alvia train from Segovia to Salamanca in June. We know the date but can’t commit to a specific departure time yet. I’m not too worried if prices go up a bit, but I would be concerned if trains actually sell out. For people who’ve taken Alvia before, how...

First trip to Italy, first week of June, 11 days total. Plan right now is Rome, Florence, and Venice. Main question: should I rent a car or just take the train between cities? Which is better in terms of experience and cost? Also wondering if I can squeeze in Milan while I’m in...

Usually fly from Birmingham, Alabama to Washington DC every March for a conference. For the past few years it was always Southwest, but after the recent changes decided to try Amtrak instead. The trip actually went really well. Left on time, arrived on time, and the crew was...

Always been curious about this. BWI Rail Station consistently shows up as one of the busiest stations for Amtrak in the country. My guess is that it’s less about the airport itself and more about the location along the Northeast Corridor. It sits right between Baltimore and...

I had a train scheduled for 4:46pm and kept getting emails, texts, and app notifications saying it was delayed until after 5:35pm. I stayed at the station and kept refreshing the app to check the updated time. Then around 5:30pm I refreshed again and suddenly it showed that the...

Planning my first solo trip and ran into a problem getting from Copenhagen to Oslo. Flying from Ireland to Copenhagen on March 31 and staying there for three days. The plan was to take the train to Oslo on April 3 before flying home. Flights and hotel in Copenhagen are already...

First Europe trip and we’re doing it all by train. Family of 4 traveling late May/early June. I’ve gone down the Man in Seat 61 and Rome2Rio rabbit hole and now I’m a bit overwhelmed. Main travel legs: Munich to Chur Chur to Tirano (Bernina) to Como Como to Menton Menton to...

Had to book last minute PAR to LDN and the only thing left was Premier, so I paid up. At Gare du Nord my ticket wouldn’t scan. Agent said there was an issue with Coach 1 and my choices were wait 3 hours to stay in Premier or downgrade to Plus and leave 30 minutes later. I took...

I’m cruising out of Miami soon and trying to decide if taking Brightline the morning of the cruise is a bad idea. Normally I drive down from the Tampa area the day before and stay in a hotel, but it ends up being a long travel day and another hotel expense. The train honestly...

A friend of mine is traveling to China next week with his fiancée. I helped him plan the trip and suggested using Trip.com to pre-book train tickets so they’d automatically secure them once sales opened. They had four train rides planned and pre-booked all of them as soon as...

Random little thing I noticed while comparing my Amtrak tickets. My reservation code looked something like C35266 (not the real one). On the QR code it showed up as something like C35266-08MAR26, which seemed normal. But the PDF417 barcode on the physical ticket had a long...

Had one of those classic Indian train moments recently. I specifically booked a side lower berth (you know, the small luxury everyone hopes to get). When I reached my seat, a woman and her husband were already settled there like it was their permanent residence. She told me she...

Just finished a long Amtrak trip from NYC back to Florida and something always fascinates me on these long rides. The person sitting next to me for the entire trip barely moved the whole time. Didn’t eat anything, didn’t get up for the restroom once, nothing. And this was a 21...

Planning a spring Europe trip and debating whether to fly or just take the Eurostar from London to Paris. I like that the train drops you right in the city center instead of dealing with airports outside town, but tickets seem pricier than some budget airlines. For anyone who’s...