How quickly can you transfer trains?

Gary, Happy Easter. Yes that is very reasonable. I don't know if you have been there before?? In depends how big or small the station is. Antwerp is smaller than Brugge. When you are in Amsterdam get to know the way to read the train schedules. It takes some time to get used to them. The will be grouped in two's. One color ( I think, white) is arriving. Yellow is departing. You need to jump off your train in Antwerp and look at the schedule find out what track , the train to Brugge is leaving on. You will have to run. We do it with back packs. If you have luggage it will be an issue in Antwerp, but 18 minutes is more than enough time to do it in Brugge. Unless you are in a super hurry, I would suggest spending 4 hours or so in Brussels, it is beautiful. Remember its not the destination, its the Journey. Get off the train and someplace that looks cool, and just go check it out. Some of the best things are found by accidents. We have had some crazy adventures, and greatest memories by mistake. Two of our best are on night trains. Wow. We are leaving for month in June, it will be our third trip. We love it. When you buy your Eurail tickets, it will come with a book and map of all the times. But you can get everything you need on your iphone app.
We are going from Amsterdam, through Germany, to Switzerland, through Italy to Rome. Taking the Ferry across the Adriatic to Croatia and seeing, Budapest, Poland, Slovakia and Prague, then going back and flying out of Stutgart. Have a great trip, let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks for the advice Karen, Yes, this is my first trip to Europe. I am starting off with a one month solo trip. I am following Rick's advice and I am packing light, so running for a train will not be an issue :) Your trip sounds great. Since this is my first trip, I thought I would concentrate on the 'major' stuff first. Amsterdam (2 nights), Brugge (2 nights), Paris (4 nights), fly to Venice for 3 nights. Milan for a night, Cinque Terre for 3 nights (I am a hiker, so doing the cinque terre hike is high on my list). Florence for 4 nights and Rome for 5 nights. For some of these, I plan to make some day trips. I was going to go to Sienna from Florence and Naples/Pompeii from Rome. I am still debating on Normandy or Versailles from Paris. I am hoping to do a northern european trip next (Sweden, Norway, Germany, Prague, etc). I am still debating whether I will buy Eurail tickets or just pay as I go. I need to do more research before I get Eurail tickets. I want to ensure I can take the high speed trains. I would rather 2 hours on a train and 2 hours exploring a new city than 4 hours on a train.

"depends how big or small the station is. Antwerp is smaller than Brugge." I think you're confusing the two. Antwerpen Centraal is huge. The train platforms are located on several levels. 4 minutes is tight for Antwerp if your trains aren't on the same level. But if you miss your connection, don't worry. Trains depart between Antwperp and Brugge frequently, and your ticket does not obligate you to riding at a particular time. An 18 minute transfer time is more than adequate in Brussels. And the same thing applies- if you miss one train, you can take the next.

Gary, If you don't want to commit to day and specific time, want flexiblity as to which type of train and which departure to hop on, are going to do some rides in Sweden and Norway as well as Germany, will ride mostly the fast trains, then I suggest the Pass, which is also very handy for spur of the moment day trips r/t using an IC or ICE train with a 2 hrs radius. I avoid the regional trains, one resaon is I don't want to put up with more than one transfer.

Gary, As this is your first trip to Europe, I would highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip. It includes a LOT of good information on "how" to travel in Europe, including Rail Skills. Use the country-specific Guidebooks to plan sightseeing, transportation, hotels, etc. You may also find it helpful to have a look at THIS short video on "riding the rails" or THIS short Video on transfers. The transfer times allowed will be adequate, and I'm sure you'll learn the procedure very quickly. When you arrive at an intermediate station, check the electronic board for the number of your departure platform and also use the paper charts if necessary. If you need to change platforms, that often involves a trip down to a tunnel via stairs and then back up to the next platform. There are few important points to mention regarding trains in Italy. If using Regionale trains, you MUST validate your tickets prior to boarding the trains on the day of travel or face hefty fines which will be collected on the spot! If using Freccia or other premium trains, these have compulsory reservations, which are specific to each train and departure time. Those without valid reservations for the train they're riding on will again face hefty fines. The same fines apply to those riding Buses with unvalidated tickets. I'm not sure you'll be using "Eurail tickets", but rather tickets from the rail networks of each country (ie: SNCF in France, FS in Italy, etc.). Were you referring to a Railpass or P-P tickets? Are you planning to buy tickets in Europe, or pre-purchase where possible? Happy travels!

My guess is that the Antwerp transfer is between two trains that are sitting next to each other on parallel platforms. That is, you would get off your train, walk a few steps and get on the other one. There's probably a way to figure out for sure. Check out www.seat61.com and see if he has any insight.

Antwerpen Centraal is huge. That, dear readers, is the understatement of the week. Ever since the additional levels were added to allow the fast trains to go right through what used to be a very large terminus station it has become seriously big. One of the most frustrating things is that the different types of trains come in at different levels, and that the escalators are slow and not especially convenient to rapidly move between levels. Don't rely on yellow boards - things sometimes change. Check the display screens. They will tell you if there is any delay, too. I take the trains all the time but would be nervous with only 4 minutes at Antwerpen Centraal.

Thanks for the info everyone. Ken, I have read the Europe through the Back Door(last years and this years edition). I also have more guide books than I can shake a stick at (Ricks and some Frommers)...plus a couple of specialized books for hiking. So, I have that covered :) I was planning on buying P-P tickets when I was there. All the rides I am planning are 4 hours or less, so I am not considering any night trains at this point. The big leg of Paris to Venice will be done in the air via easyjet. I assume most of the high speed trains will be reservations only. As for buying the tickets ahead of time, that is some advice I could use. I am travelling in September, which I hear is peak season in Italy. Though, I do get mixed signals on how busy it will be. I was planning on getting to a town and then buy the tickets for the next leg while am I at the train station (i.e. a couple days in advance). Is that a good idea? Do the high speed trains sell out that far in advance? Also, the specific time is not that important to me, as long as it "is in the ballpark". I don't want to be in a position of getting to a train station and finding out all the trains going to X are full and I am stuck in the train station overnight. As far as deciding whether a eurail pass is worth it for me, I will start a new thread for that discussion. A detailed look at my itinerary would be needed to get some good advice

Gary, A few further comments..... Regarding your EasyJet flight, note that they only allow ONE carry-on item per passenger, of the approved size (and they do check). Although it's a bit more expensive, I usually just buy P-P tickets when in Europe, usually a few days before I'll be travelling or when I arrive since I'm at the station anyway (which is the method you mentioned). That method works for me, so IMO that's a "good idea". September is fall shoulder season in Italy, but I would consider August more of a "peak time". It will still be busy, but not as bad as in July and August. It's highly unlikely that all the trains on a particular run will be sold out (especially if you're buying tickets a few days in advance). Therefore it's unlikely that you'll have to spend the night in the station. If you're travelling on Regionale trains, no reservations are possible. They may be crowded and you may have to stand for part of the trip, but you will be able to travel. The only "complication" will be a Sciopero (strike), but hopefully you won't encounter that. A Railpass is rarely a cost effective method, especially in Italy where tickets are so cheap. You'd have to do some "number crunching" to compare the cost of a Pass with P-P tickets. Railpasses are best for very long and expensive trips, as the Passholder only has to pay the reservation fee. You may find it helpful to download Rick's PDF Railpass Guide (click the "Railpasses" tab at the top and then look in the lower right corner for the link). Cheers!