I will be travelling to Europe this Sept/Oct with my sister and our elderly parents (73 and 76). We will be taking several trains (London to Paris / Venice to Florence / Florence to Rome) and I would appreciate any tips/suggestions anyone might have for travelling by train. Our trips are very short averaging about 2 hours so really what I'm hoping to get from those on this forum are things to consider when getting to the train station, any luggage considerations, where does luggage typically get stored, is it safe where it is stored, etc. Or any other bits of information that you would have found helpful when you traveled? I searched this site for "train travel" but mostly what I found were specific itinerary questions so I figured I would go ahead and post an inquiry myself. Thanks in advance for any responses!
Posted by
Paradise
7070 posts
This page has some practical tips for finding your train, stowing luggage, etc. Maybe read and return here with questions?
Posted by
OP
Chandler, AZ, USA
10 posts
Perfect - thank you Russ!
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
My biggest bit of advice. Don't overthink it and relax. Train travel is pretty user friendly. Unlike flying (at least in the US), which seems to get more complicated and more painful every month, rail travel hasn't changed too much in the past century. You arrive at the station a few minutes before your train leaves (exception, Eurostar), board your train, find your seat if you have a reservation, find an open seat if you don't (usually not a problem), store your luggage either on the rack above your head or on the rack in the middle of the carriage. Grab your luggage shortly before your arrival station, leave the train when it stops. Yes, luggage theft does get reported rarely, but it isn't typical. Stealing in full sight of dozens of people, from an enclosed vehicle that makes limited stops and charges a not-insignificant price to ride... probably isn't a high-yield economic prospect for potential theives. Rail travel only gets difficult when you add a 3rd pary rail pass to the picture. Now, you're trying to figure out which trains you can simply hop-on, and for which you need to purchase a supplement, reservation, or both... and if you can't ride the train without an expensive supplement, what other rail options do you have? Just a few of the reasons why most of us recommend against rail passes.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33842 posts
As Tom alluded, you do need to check in at Eurostar a minimum of 30 minutes ahead or you won't go. That's not in the queue to check in, that's actually checked in. Given that you have a group, including elderly, I strongly suggest that you get to St Pancras an hour ahead. There is a reasonably pleasant waiting area after you check in and go through airport type security. There is food available at a Cafe Nero after check in, and you can't take coffees through security. There's free wifi and a charging area after check in, too.