SEE THE REAL EUROPE. WITH RAIL EUROPE
We may be biased, but the train really is the best way to travel through Europe.
Whether this is your first Eurail journey or your tenth (or more), Rail Europe can take you where you want to be. Travel to capital cities and charming, forgotten towns where time has stood still for centuries. You can save by going second-class (it's hardly roughing it) or travel first class all the way - with gourmet meals and private sleepers.
Eurail travel is for everyone: young and old, the frugal or the spend-happy. Because the goal of any real traveler is to experience that sense of place. Beauty is found not just in a museum or monument. It's also right outside your train window.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
While the train does get you from Point A to Point B, it will also enrich your
travel experience. Learn from locals (who really aren't much different than
you). Hear about restaurants you wont find in a guidebook. Discover an off-the-beaten
path attraction. Don't worry about not speaking their language (although
many people speak some English). A smile is the universal hello.
Think about the many places you can discover rather than how you're going to get there. That's our job.
TRAIN TRAVEL. IT'S ABOUT TIME
Time to reflect. Time to mingle with new friends. Time to travel not like a
tourist, but like a local.
Rail travel is a cultural experience. When you travel by air it's almost like a suspension of life. You're just anxiously waiting to get to your destination. But this is valuable vacation time - to be savored and enjoyed like a mouthful of foie gras or a Van Gogh painting. Breathing in recycled air while munching on shrink-wrapped food is not what Europe is about.
GET THERE FASTER
Many travelers think to themselves, "It's got to be faster to fly." In reality,
it's not. Have you factored in non-flying time? You need to get to the airport
an hour or more before your flight, stand on the check-in line, get through
security and then hope weather or other factors don't delay your flight. Now
you're traveling for hours - possibly the same amount of time -- or even more
-- than the time a train would have gotten you there.
Those low cost carriers tout themselves as quick and cheap. But in reality, you still need time to get to the airport (no easy feat if there's traffic). And inexpensive fares really don't apply unless you book them last minute, and even then those gimmicky prices disappear in a flash. With a rail ticket, you can book Eurail and other trains a couple of months in advance for a price you can live with.
When was the last time you saw a runway in the middle of a grand boulevard? Airports are not in the city-center. After maneuvering through the terminal, you have to find a taxi (read: expensive) or take a long bus ride to your hotel. The train stops right in the city, giving you time to see more. Now isn't that why you're traveling to begin with?
