---
title: "Trains in Europe"
url: https://perrotta.dev/2024/12/trains-in-europe/
last_updated: 2026-02-16
---


A (small) index on how to travel by train in Europe.

## Search 🔎

How to search for train routes?

### Country & Provider agnostic

- [Trainline](https://www.thetrainline.com/)
- [Omio](https://www.omio.com/)
- [Rome2Rio](https://www.rome2rio.com/)
- [Fahrplan Guru](https://www.fahrplan.guru/)
- [Deutsche Bahn (DB) International search](https://int.bahn.de/) (YMMV)
- [Rail Europe](https://www.raileurope.com/)

These providers also include bus routes (e.g. via [Flixbus](https://www.flixbus.com/)).

Some of them also include ridesharing (e.g. via [BlaBlaCar](https://www.blablacar.com/)).

There's no point in searching in all of them: pick one or two and call it a day.

[Google Flights](https://flights.google.com/) occasionally displays train routes but it's imperfect, as it's focused on flights.

### Country-specific

This list is intentionally non-exhaustive.

<!-- keep-sorted start -->
- [Deutsche Bahn (DB)](https://int.bahn.de/en/) for Germany 🇩🇪
- [MAV](https://www.mavcsoport.hu/en) for Hungary 🇭🇺
- [NS](https://www.ns.nl/en) for the Netherlands 🇳🇱
- [SBB](https://www.sbb.ch/en) for Switzerland 🇨🇭
- [SNCF](https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/) for France 🇫🇷
- [ÖBB](https://www.oebb.at/en/) for Austria 🇦🇹
- [ČD.cz](https://www.cd.cz/en/) for Czech Republic 🇨🇿
<!-- keep-sorted end -->

Sometimes a given train route is cheaper in a different provider.
For example, the _München – Praha_ route is generally cheaper on ČD than on DB.

## Savings opportunities

In Germany 🇩🇪, consider the [Deutschland Ticket](https://int.bahn.de/en/offers/regional/deutschland-ticket) (DL-Ticket).
A single monthly ticket allows you to travel by train throughout the entire country, so long as you don't use express (ICE / EC) trains (i.e. only regional trains).
It also allows you to use unlimited local transit (e.g. U-Bahn = subway / metro, S-Bahn = surface trains, Trams = Straßenbahnen = Street Cars, Buses) a.k.a. ÖPNV.

In Europe, [Interrail](https://www.interrail.eu/en) / [Eurail](https://www.eurail.com/en) provides passes for multi-day journeys at a discount.
There are several kinds of passes, some of them for travel within a single country, others for multiple countries. [Trainline](https://www.thetrainline.com/passes?source=hweb&countryOfResidence=DE&countryToVisit=interrail-one-country-pass-italy) also sells them.

## Timetables and Live Maps

Germany 🇩🇪:

- [S-Bahn München Live](https://s-bahn-muenchen-live.de/): only for S-Bahns in
  Munich
  — ⚠️ [Construction changes](https://www.s-bahn-muenchen.de/fahren/baustellen)
- [Deutsche Bahn (DB)](https://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/bhftafel.exe/en?ld=96252&country=DEU&rt=1&newrequest=yes&&country=GBR)
- [**Bahn App**](https://bahnapp.com/): minimalist, with a superb design, better (easier to use and more reliable) than DB

World 🌎:

- https://bahn.expert/

## In-depth resources

- [The Man in Seat61](https://www.seat61.com/index.html)
  — [The Man in Seat61: trains from Munich](https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Munich.htm)
  — Night / sleeper trains: [A guide to travel by Nightjet](https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/nightjet.htm)
- Shipping with Deutsche Bahn (DB) in Germany: [Gepäckservice für Reisegepäck](https://www.gepaeckservice-bahn.de/buchung.xhtml)

"Where can you go by train in 8h"? [ChronoTrains](https://www.chronotrains.com/) could convince you to ride a train instead of flying:

> This map shows you how far you can travel from each station in Europe in less than 8 hours.