6 Reasons Why You Should Travel By Train In Europe

2.  Being faster means you can do more

European rail travel can be incredibly scenic

Not spending your days sitting on the freeways or in city traffic means that you can do more with your day.  I remember one great example of when travelling in Europe some years ago.  The popular backpacker bus left Paris at 7am and shot down the auto-route arriving in Toulouse that night at 7pm with very little “toilet” stops along the freeway stops during the day.  The bus missed out all the cool villages in the Loire and Centre regions because they were just not on the main route.   A group of us rolled out of Paris at about 11am and caught a train direction Cahor - and awesome little French village.  But we did not go straight there - around lunch we hopped off the train at a some provincial town called Brieve for a lunch of snails, fresh meats and bread and lots of local wine.  It was only a few dollars each compared the excessive prices our fellow travellers were enjoying at the stops on the auto-route.  We had booked our backpacks into the day storage at the train station and this gave us the freedom to wander around town for awhile where we visited the local markets and stocked up on yet more pate, cured meats, olives and wine all of which we proceeded to consume in a festive picnic on the train.  We arrived in Cahor revitalised (and energised from the wine) by 4pm for another visit to the market and yet another picnic down on the rivers edge.

Italian train travelling through mountains

3.  You can see more on a train

Like in any country the motorways in Europe tend to be away from the picturesque villages and built up with trees or shelters to hide their monstrous concrete scar on the landscape from everyday eyes.  This means that you simply see less while travelling by road.  Trains on the other hand following decades long routes winding their way through the countryside the is viewed so leisurely from the massive windows.

4.  Trains get you to the best places - including the centre of town

Like my example above of Cahor travelling by road often means significant detours to get to the best places along route.  Remember that the train networks are designed to link villages and towns where the populations live - that is their sole economic model, go to the places where your customers (the locals) want to go.  Travelling by train will get you into the real heart of a European country.

The indistinguishable art noveau style of the Paris Metro station signs

And in the same way trains will usually travel to the heart of a city.  Road transport in the height of the summer can be an absolute experience than many wish they had never undertaken.  Buses can sit for hours in traffic jams and if you are driving yourself the excitement of the one way systems in places such as Rome of Florence can take away any enjoyment from a days travel.  Many self drivers even choose to park outside the city and bus or train in - simply meaning double costs for parking and travel.

5.  Trains get you closer to the locals

Why did you come to Europe?  Perhaps to surround yourself in a new culture, meet new people and grow your own personal self-belief.  One of the best experiences of travel is meeting locals and sharing stories or experiences.  Travelling in the relative seclusion of a bus or your own car are not good ways to meet the locals.  Travelling on local trains (especially outside of peak hours) provides the opportunity to meet the real Europeans - and who knows you might be invited around for some real home cooked fare or better still a free bed for the night.

6.  Trains are more environmentally friendly

Perhaps it just goes without saying - but did you know that between Paris and London the Eurostar omits 11 kilograms of Co2 while on the same route a plane splutters 122 kilograms per passenger!