Hi, my wife and i are planning our first trip to Europe in September. I will be landing in Munich with the plan to spend 3 weeks traveling down to Barcelona. I'm looking at stops in Zurich, Milan, Lyon, Barcelona, or something like that.
My biggest question at this point is concerning trains. Is Eurail the best option? I do not see options for high speed trains when putting together an itinerary with Eurail. For instance, If I am traveling between Lyon and Barcelona How do I find the fastest train? These and many other questions haunt me at the moment. Haha! Good haunts though right?
Posted by
Irving
2963 posts
Germany’s national rail site is: https://int.bahn.de/en.
Switzerland’s national rail site is: https://www.sbb.ch/de.
Italy’s national rail site is: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html.
France’s national rail site is: https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/.
Spain’s national rail site is: https://www.renfe.com/es/en.
Posted by
Freedonia
15061 posts
Eurail is not a good site to use.
Use Deutsche Bahn to see schedules and then go to the train operator to buy tickets.
Posted by
NorthCarolina
936 posts
check out the website seat61.com === lots of great train info. You can also email the owner of the site and he is great at answering questions and giving suggestions.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4879 posts
The best resource to learn the ins and outs of train travel in Europe is the Man in Seat 61 website. With some rail companies requiring separate seat reservations for Eurail passholders, and some even having quotas, Eurail passes aren't the bargain they once were. And the Eurail site is certainly not the best at complete listings for all rail companies.
To get a general idea of trains and routes, look at the Deutsche Bahn website. But to book tickets for any trains not originating or ending in Germany, book with the actual train company running that train.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8154 posts
Sorry but your itinerary is a little difficult to follow. I prefer to go in straight lines to cities not so far apart. Zurich might be a disappointment as it's pretty dull and it's not in the Alps.
There are cities closer to Munich that you might thoroughly enjoy. I'm a believer in taking trains city to city that are not that far apart. Get over 4 hours and I'm flying one of the budget European airlines. And it's a long, long way to Barcelona.
Posted by
Green Bay
20142 posts
Hopefully the rail link between Italy and France is back and running in September. It was wiped out in a landslide last August and they think they will have it done sometime around September 9. Nonetheless, i would skip Milan as it is an outlier. Instead of Zurich, go to Luzern, so much nicer and scenic. Then to Lauterbrunnen for the real Alps, then on to Lyon and Barcelona.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thanks everyone!
Great info.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
I will give a bit more info.
After landing in Frankfurt I’m renting a car. I will use this car for about a week visiting some childhood homes in the Wiesbaden area. I will then drive to Munich where I will drop off the car and begin traveling by train. I will be visiting my 98 year old uncle in Munich and visiting the city.
Zurich is added to the trip because we have friends there.
After Zurich my plan is to visit northern Italy and southern France. I am not stuck on any specific cities except Barcelona. I know Barcelona is a far distance. My plan is to not be to long on any given train. Maybe max 3-4 hours.