We will be going from Amsterdam to Freiburg by train. Can anybody provide suggestions on (1) whether it's better to buy tickets online beforehand (2) which train sites are best (3) any other suggestions. Also, we are both seniors. Should we get a senior discount ticket? Is it worth it? The only other train ride we'll be taking is from Freiburg to Strasbourg and then Strasbourg to Paris. Thanks so much :)
Posted by
Green Bay
20081 posts
- Yes, because you will be able to get advance purchase discounts. Pretty much exactly the same strategy if you were flying.
- www.bahn.com. Deutsche Bahn runs the trains, so start there.
- Assuming this is in one shot. You might add in a stopover with no time in Koblenz. That will pick trains that run through the scenic Rhine Gorge. It is slower than using the high-speed line between Cologne and Frankfurt. That is up to you.
For Strasbourg to Paris, https://en.oui.sncf/en/tgv, Same reason as number 2. SNCF runs the trains.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area
5697 posts
Date for Strasbourg to Paris ? Don't forget about the French train strikes which may be going on through June. (Our Paris to Strasbourg train got cancelled, changed to another on the same route an hour later.)
Note that SNCF (French train site) asks your age and gives an automatic senior discount.
Posted by
NL
143 posts
Saver fare tickets on bahn.com go on sale 180 days before the travel date.
Posted by
Las Vegas
99 posts
I use two web sites for EU train travel planning:
www.seat61.com for anything you may need to know about EU (or anywhere else) train travel
www.Loco.com for tickets
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
The second site Jim is referring to is: https://loco2.com/ (typo I guess)
That site is good and charges the same price as the railway companies. As does the other good site: https://www.trainline.eu/
But both only cover some countries (part of western Europe only) and not some local railway companies. Scroll down the Loco2 page and their is a map of what they cover.
Sometimes you have to use the railway company sites.
The source of all info about the trains, and where and when to buy, is the https://www.seat61.com/ website.