 |
| Europe is continually speeding up service with its newest generation of trains. |
Riding the rails through Europe can be less stressful than driving a rental car. It's also environmentally friendlier — and just plain friendly, offering a relaxed way to connect with traveling Europeans. Our online Guide to Eurail Passes will help you sort through the dozens of rail pass choices out there, to help you tailor the rail pass that best fits your travel plans. All Europe rail passes are delivered FREE in the USA when you order online — no minimum purchase required. Plus, we'll throw in a 20%-off shopping spree in our Travel Store.
What's happening in Europe? Check Rick Steves' European Headlines for Travelers every weekday for links to news of special interest to travelers.
Paris-Italy Artesia Night services have been replaced. The new Paris-Milan-Venice night train is operated by the private company Thello (say "Tell O") and runs to/from Paris Gare de Lyon (not Paris Bercy). Rail passes are not accepted on this train! There will be no direct overnight trains between Paris-Bologna-Florence-Rome until mid-2012, but travelers can connect at Milan, Brescia, or Verona.
Paris-Torino-Milan day trains have been re-branded as TGV International, are operated solely by the French, and run between Paris Gare de Lyon and Milano Porta Garibaldi stations. Connecting trains between Milano Centrale and Porta Garibaldi depart every 30 minutes to cover this 2 km distance, taking about 10 minutes, or you can connect the stations by metro line M2, departing every eight minutes. You can also connect to other Italian destinations at Torino Porta Susa station instead of in Milan. Travelers with a France Rail Pass qualify for a "Passholder 1" seat reservation fee ($22 in 2nd class or $37 in 1st). Travelers with any Eurail-brand pass that includes France qualify for a "Passholder 2" rate ($80 in 2nd class or $109 in 1st) which is about half of full fare and is not available to book online (see Reservations for contact info). Both rates have limited seats available and are likely to sell out weeks before departure, making it hard to use your rail pass on this train. For travelers who plan ahead, other, advance-purchase discount tickets are cheaper than the Passholder 2 rate! Any rail pass that does not cover France (such as an Italy Eurail Pass) is not accepted on this train.
"Italo" fast trains (run by private operator Nuovo Transporto Viaggiatori) will soon compete with the Italian State Railways' "Le Frecce" fast trains on the domestic main line. Rail passes will not be accepted (we're pretty sure). Trains will run at 300 km/hour; depart frequently; offer "Club," "Prima," and "Smart" classes of service; and offer Wi-Fi and mobile connectivity throughout. Stations served: Venezia S. Lucia, Venezia Mestre, Torino Porta Susa, Milano Porta Garibaldi, Milano Rogoredo, Bologna Centrale, Firenze SMN, Roma Ostiense, Roma Tiburtina, Napoli Centrale, and Salerno Centrale. Torino Porta Susa and Milano Porta Garibaldi are connection stations for the TGV to Paris. Exact prices, train schedules, and service start date to be announced, but service should be running by March. Tickets go on sale in February at www.italotreno.it. Separate "Casa Italo" areas will open through the spring in the train stations served, with dedicated service counters, ticket machines, and waiting areas.
Rail timetables were revised across most of Europe on December 11. You can find the best train schedules online, plus our tips for using them. All train stations post schedules and information agents in the station can help you confirm your plans as you go.
Rail pass orders shipped through February will include timetables, pass covers, and other materials dated 2011. Eurail rules do not allow us to send new timetables when we receive them in late February or March.
Paris-Dijon-Mulhouse, France is connected by a new TGV route, departing from Paris Gare de Lyon and also serving new stations at Besançon Franche-Comté TGV and Belfort Montbéliard TGV. Local rail shuttles run to/from the older Besançon Viotte station in 15 minutes. TGV service between Paris and Basel or Zurich use the new route, no longer traveling via Paris Est station and Strasbourg. North-south service is also faster along the eastern corridor, with six daily Strasbourg-Lyon TGVs, most continuing to either Marseille or Montpellier in the south and from March 23 to Frankfurt, Germany in the north.
Paris-Clermont Ferrand trains depart from Paris Bercy instead of Paris Gare de Lyon.
Paris-Hendaye TGV and night trains are re-timed, requiring longer connection times at the Spanish border for travel into Spain. The overnight is reduced from daily service to running only 3 days/week.
Annecy or Chamonix, France - Geneva, Switzerland public transport is likely to require an additional connection by bus from La Roche Sur Foron to Genève Aux Vives station. Some trains terminate at Genève Chêne Bourg station, which is near city tram route number 12.
Madrid Barajas airport (Terminal 4) is now connected to city train stations by a direct Cercanias train, taking 25 minutes to Atocha station (versus 40 minutes by the express bus) or only 11 minutes to Chamartin station. The bus is still a convenient choice for arriving or departing from other airport terminals.
Copenhagen-Prague is now served by a direct City Night Line train in each direction. Since these leave before 19:00, they use two travel days of a flexipass instead of one. Or, you can buy a separate ticket from Copenhagen to Odense for $50 and catch the night train there at 20:00, then use just one day of a flexipass.
Munich-Prague is served by four daily direct buses, in addition to the existing trains. These are covered by rail passes plus a required $12 seat reservation fee (similar to Nürnberg-Prague buses).
Vienna-Linz-Salzburg service operated by the new Westbahn private rail company is not covered by rail passes or Austrian Railways (ÖBB) tickets. Austrian Railways continue to run many other, covered departures on the same route.
Vienna-Graz-Maribor service has been reduced; see new train schedules online.
Berlin-Malmo, Sweden night train (which travels onboard the Sassnitz-Trelleborg ferry) resumes service in late March with shared couchette compartments only, no private double sleepers.
Relatively few changes have been implemented for 2012:
Eurail Global Pass: All Eurail Global Passes now cover 23 countries including Slovakia, even if you bought the pass before the new year. Slovakia is not an option on the Selectpass.
Slovakia Eurail Pass: This new single-country rail pass is available. Buying tickets as you go is also very cheap.
Portugal Eurail Pass: A second-class option has been added.
Balkan Flexipass: Also covers Bosnia and Herzegovina when purchased in 2012. Offers 20% discount on buses between Sofia or Plovdiv, Bulgaria and Thessaloniki, Greece.
Rail N Drive: The 3-Country version of the Select Pass N Drive is be the only multi-country Rail & Drive product. Both the Eurail (Global) Drive and Ireland Eurail N Drive passes have been discontinued.
Venice-Villach-Klagenfurt InterCity bus service now uses Venezia Tronchetto station instead of Venezia Piazzale Roma. The bus is operated by Austrian rail, is covered by rail passes that cover Italy, and requires seat reservations. It's part of most daytime "train" connections between Venice and Vienna or Ljubljana (connecting to trains at Villach). Travelers connecting to/from Venice airport or other parts of Italy can board the bus at Venezia Mestre station on the mainland.
Thalys high-speed trains now serve Düsseldorf, Duisburg, and Essen, Germany with one direct, daily roundtrip from Brussels or Paris. There is also one direct Thalys departure roundtrip between Paris and Bruges (continuing to Oostende). Connecting trains continue to provide most service to these destinations.
Zurich-Milan EuroCity trains that previously departed Zurich at 9:09 and departed Milan at 17:10 (as shown in the printed Eurail Timetable) have now had timing adjusted by about 40 minutes. Check the latest timetables online or in stations.
Spain-International Elipsos night trains have cancelled service on selected dates (2 - 3 departures per month) through February.
In January, 2011, Greece stopped all international rail services, including those between Thessaloniki and Sofia, Belgrade, Bucharest, and Istanbul. In 2012, bus service between Thessaloniki and Sofia (co-operated by OSE Greek railways) is discounted for rail pass travelers when you buy tickets in either city. If you plan to take a train or bus to, from, or within Greece, confirm schedules at stations as you travel. Border towns don't have car rentals and the major agencies in larger cities won't allow their cars to cross the Greek border for any reasonable price. Flying is the best way to reach Athens or Thessaloniki from any major city in Europe; see Flying Within Europe.
Within Greece, rail service runs on the Thessaloniki–Larissa–Athens main line and branch lines to Volos and Kalambaka (Meteora). Many other local rail connections are not operating, including around the Peloponnese. Local buses or rental car are the best choice for most land travel within Greece.
Ferries still connect Greece to Italy and Turkey. Eurailpasses cover overnight ferries operated by SuperFast and Minoan Lines between Venice, Ancona, or Bari (Italy) and Patras, Corfu, or Igoumenitsa (Greece). Ferries to Turkey are not covered by rail passes. There are no ferries between Greece and Croatia (except via Italy).
Personal identification (such as a passport) is required when using sleepers and couchettes on night trains within Italy.
Two daily direct high speed (Alta Velocità) trains now link Milan's Malpensa Airport railway station to Bologna and Florence, with one of those also serving Rome and Naples. These are operated by the national railway and covered by rail passes.
Approximate schedules:
AV 9517 Departs Malpensa 12:21, stops at Milano Centrale, Bologna Centrale, Firenze SMN, Roma Termini, ends at Napoli Centrale 18:10.
AV 9539 Departs Malpensa 19:21, stops at Milano Centrale and Bologna Centrale, ends at Firenze SMN 22:00.
AV 9502 Departs Firenze SMN 7:00, stops at Bologna Centrale and Milano Centrale, ends at Malpensa 9:39.
AV 9520 Departs Napoli Centrale 10:50, stops at Roma Termini, Firenze SMN, Bologna Centrale, Milano Centrale, ends at Malpensa 16:39.
Also, since December 13, 2010, a second Malpensa Express line serves Milano Centrale Station (where you can connect to trains throughout Italy operated by the national railways), in addition to the current line running to Milano Cadorna Station (where you can connect to local service on the Ferrovie Nord private railways). The new service to Centrale station departs once or twice per hour between about 5:30 a.m. and 11 p.m., also stopping at Milan Porta Garibaldi and Milano Bovisa stations, with a total travel time of 48 minutes. Centrale and Cadorna stations are both handy for travelers visiting Milan and are connected by subway. The Malpensa Express does not accept railpasses.
Rail News is compiled from sources including the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable, Rail Europe, Eurail, Deutsche Bahn, and other European national railways.
