Travelling Europe

by Chris Pollock

Travelling Europe by train has been made so much easier these days by the infrastructure that is in place all around the continent. Travelling by rail can do either in done style and comfort or by affordability; whichever you choose, the rail network spans across the whole of Europe almost getting you to every accessible point. There are various options you can explore if you decide to travel by train.
So if you ever plan to travel all over Europe, first of all the InterRail with its Global Pass is one of the most affordable ways to do this. With this pass you can travel within 30 European countries in and out through as many of the 30 and as often as you wish. The pass can be purchased being valid for the duration of 5 days up to a month. Or if you plan just to explore one individual country you can purchase passes for single countries. With the single country tickets your ticket will be valid for a certain amount of days within the month, whether that is 3, 4, 6 or 8 for example. However you must be aware that the pass is not valid in your country of residence.
With the Global Train Pass you can travel consecutive periods, or choose your own 'flexi' travel days which ever you think will suit you the best. However the InterRail Global Pass can only be used by European residents, so if you are planning to come from a different continent to explore the beautiful Swiss Alps or French vineyards I am afraid you won’t be able to explore this avenue. Also for all European residents the rail pass is not valid in your own country, though you can get discounts travelling to the border and if you are in a country which the Eurostar runs you can often get Eurostar vouchers that will save you money when travelling to and from the boarder.
If you want to travel across Europe in more style then look no further than the Orient Express  with its four routes; Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, British Pullman, Northern Belle and The Royal Scotsman. The original Orient Express ran from Paris through to Istanbul, which the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express does today and only runs once a year. There are now so many other destinations and journeys you can include or travel on whether it is Verona, London, Venice, Rome, Prague and Krakow etc.
Then of course there are all the regular rail networks and companies which you can use to travel across the whole of Europe to see the Matterhorn in Zermatt or the Eiffel Tower in Paris. You can do it in a lavish style or travel a cheaper way, the choice is yours and the options and destinations are endless.