By Cynthia Washam

Relaxing is not the first word that comes to mind when I think about the seven weeks I spent traveling by train through Eastern Europe. Then again, I wasn’t the one who drove on earlier treks through the continent. To my husband the driver, relaxation was the train’s greatest reward.
“It was nice not to worry about traffic,” Bob said, “or people walking in the road.”
Not to mention narrow streets, signs we can’t read, and in Ireland and the UK, driving on the left side of the road.
You don’t have to be an anxious driver, of course, to appreciate Europe’s trains. They’re comfortable, reliable and travel up to 200 miles per hour. Train passengers on trips of five or fewer hours might even beat air fliers, given the airport commute and need to arrive early.
Eurail’s vast rail network made planning our journey easy. The network serves more than 40,000 destinations across 33 countries. We took trains to every major city on our list, including Vienna, Krakow, and Budapest, and every minor one such as Romania’s Sibiu and Sighisoara.
As we wound our way through rural Austria our second day on the trains, I remember staring out the window at seemingly endless snow-capped mountains and quaint villages, houses in each one dwarfed by the steeple atop a timeworn church. When I think about that day, and others we spent traveling by rail, the first word that will always pop into my head is “scenic.”
Tips for Europe rail trips

  • Start by estimating the number of days you’ll spend traveling by train. For just one or two, buy individual point-to-point tickets. You can do so at the station shortly before departure or cut costs by buying them online in advance.
    Travelers planning three or more days of train travel, especially over long distances, can save money with multi-day Eurail passes. Eurail offers passes for three days to three months. Single-country passes are the most economical choice while Global passes enable passengers to visit two or more countries. Bob and I chose a Global pass that gave us 15 days of train travel within a two-month period.
  • Reserve in advance to guarantee a seat. Most passes do not include a seat reservation. Bob and I paid $11.50 to $25 to reserve seats on long-distance trains. Travelers without reservations could luck into an empty seat. They also could spend their trip standing between luggage racks. Reservations are less important on local, commuter trains.
  • Think comfort for long hauls. Bob and I broke up long journeys with midway stops of one or two nights. Those break cities – Ceska Trebova in Czechia, and Graz, Austria – were two of our favorites.
    For the long ride from Sighisoara to Vienna, we instead traveled overnight in a couchette. Although the compartment accommodated up to four, we were relieved nobody else shared our space. We’d opt for more room next time with a pricier sleeper cabin with mattresses, toilet, and sink.
  • Consider lodging reservations in advance. Bob and I avoided the stress of wandering unfamiliar streets in search of a place to stay by reserving our rooms in advance. Most lodgings we picked were an easy walk from the train station. The times they were farther away, we traveled to and from the station by city buses.

For more information and reservations, Rick Steves’ Buying European Train Tickets is packed with information. Check it out at www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/buying-tickets.
Eurail’s official site, including route maps, information about passes, and links to secure passes and seat reservations, is at Eurail.com/en.