When is it better to book by phone? See the phone numbers to call here. If there's a persistent glitch with the online systems, pick up the phone! People forget you can still do this! Or if you have some specific requirements, such as wanting a specific seat or a seat in a specific carriage, you may need to book by phone. Then there are journeys that simply can't be booked online at all, for example many eastern European journeys such as Warsaw-Kiev, Budapest-Bucharest or Bucharest-Istanbul to name just a few. In fact, there's a
few trains which can't be booked at all outside the country in question, for example trains within Bulgaria or Greece. Finally, if you're booking a more complex journey, you may prefer to book all your tickets together by phone, even though you pay a booking fee, rather than have to make multiple bookings on several websites making sure that each of these connects. If you want to buy European train tickets in person,
see here.
Train journeys wholly within Italy... City to city from €9!
You can book Italian train tickets online at
www.trenitalia.com, but first
see this advice on using it. Booking for inter-city trains opens 90 days ahead, although you'll only see prices for local regional trains (or journeys involving a local train) if you pick a date within the next 7 days. Seat reservation is now required on almost all long-distance trains (and included in tickets bought online), although outside busy holiday periods it's easy to buy tickets at the station on the day of travel if you want. However, cheap 'Super-Economy' fares are now available if you pre-book, and booking online offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option on most fast trains, where you book and pay online and simply quote your booking reference to the conductor on board the train. It's painless and works a treat, with no need to queue at the ticket office.
See this advice on using the Trenitalia website, and if you have any problems, buy your Italian train tickets from either
www.raileurope.co.uk (if you're in the UK, but not all Italian trains featured),
www.italiarail.com (if you're in the USA or Canada),
www.internationalrail.co.nz (in New Zealand) or
www.internationalrail.com.au (in Australia, Africa, Asia or South America).
Pompeii & Sorrento: These are not on the main Trenitalia train network, but on the privately-run Circumvesuviana local railway from Naples,
www.vesuviana.it. Take a Trenitalia train to Naples Centrale, and follow the signs to the 'Circumvesuviana'. Local trains run from Naples Centrale to Pompeii Scavi Villa dei Misteri (across the road from the entrance to Pompeii) and Sorrento every 30 minutes all day, fare just €3-€4. Naples to Pompeii takes 40 minutes, Naples to Sorrento 55 minutes.
Amalfi and
Positano can be reached by taking a Trenitalia mainline train to Salerno then a bus, or by going to Sorrento then taking a bus, see
www.sitabus.it for buses.
Capri can be reached by ferry from either Naples Berevello ferry terminal or from Sorrento (a longish walk down a steep hill from the Circumvesuviana station).
Italy to London from €70...
Italy to Paris from €25...
By daytime TGV from Milan or Turin to Paris: Three daily French railways TGVs link Milan (Porto Garibaldi station) and Turin with Paris. You must now book these in either direction at
www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) or
www.tgv-europe.com, with self-print tickets. You can no longer buy tickets at the Italian railways website or at Italian stations as from December 2011 they are operated entirely by French railways with no Trenitalia involvement. Connections from other Italians cities to Milan or Turin should be booked at
www.trenitalia.com.
By Thello sleeper train from Venice, Verona or Milan to Paris: There is a direct 'Thello' sleeper train with couchettes (6 & 4 bunk) and sleepers (1, 2 & 3 bed) from Venice, Verona & Milan to
Paris, also 3 daytime TGV trains from Milan & Turin to
Paris (7 hours). Leave Venice 19:57, arrive Paris around 09.30 next morning! See the
Thello sleeper train page for more information about times, fares and on board accommodation. You should book this sleeper train at either the Italian railways website,
www.trenitalia.com (
read this advice on using it) or you can book it at
www.thello.com. Look for 'smart', 'Go' or 'Depart' fares as these are the advance-purchase cheap deals. It's 'ticketless', you simply quote your booking reference on board. If you live in Australia, NZ or Asia, it's easier to book the Thello train at
www.internationalrail.com.au (Aus) or
www.internationalrail.co.nz (NZ), with prices virtually the same as Trenitalia. Note that there won't be any Rome-Florence-Paris sleeper train from 11 December 2011 until mid-July 2012,
see here for the reasons.
...or Italy to Nice & Monte Carlo.
The trick here is to split the journey, as the InterCity trains from Milan, Genoa, Pisa and Rome now terminate at Ventimiglia on the French border, they no longer go through to Nice. So for a journey from Rome, Florence, Venice or anywhere in Italy to
Nice or
Monte Carlo, simply book from your Italian starting station to
Ventimiglia using the Italian Railways website
www.trenitalia.com,
read this advice on using it first, looking for a cheap 'Super-Economy' fare, or to stay flexible, a 'Base' fare. Don't worry about booking the Ventimiglia to Nice or Monte Carlo bit, simply wait until you reach Ventimiglia and buy a ticket for the local train to Nice at the station, no reservation necessary, it costs about €7 and you just hop on the next train, no reservation required. Ventimiglia to Nice takes about 48 minutes and trains run every 30 minutes.
Italy to Brussels from €60...
By overnight sleeper: First, book the Thello sleeper train from Venice, Verona or Milan to Paris Gare de Lyon at
www.trenitalia.com or
www.thello.com, looking for a 'Smart' or 'Go' fare from just €35 including a couchette - see the
Thello sleeper train page for fares, timetable and types of couchette and sleeper on board. Allow at least 90 minutes to
change trains and stations in Paris, preferably a bit more. Then book an onward train from Paris Gare du Nord to Brussels at
www.thalys.com, this journey takes just 1 hour 20 minutes. Connections from other Italian cities should be booked as a separate transaction again at
www.trenitalia.com looking for a cheap 'Super-Economy' fare.
By daytime TGV: An Italy to Brussels daytime journey can easily be booked using
www.tgv-europe.com to book a morning TGV from Milan or Turin to Paris Gare de Lyon from just €25 then
www.thalys.com to book a Thalys high-speed train from Paris Gare du Nord to Brussels from just €35, allowing at least 60 minutes or more to
change trains and stations in Paris.
Italy to Amsterdam from €70...
Option 1, via Paris: First, book the Thello sleeper train from Venice, Verona or Milan to Paris Gare de Lyon at
www.trenitalia.com or
www.thello.com, looking for a 'Smart' or 'Go' fare from just €35 with a couchette - see the
Thello sleeper train page for fares, timetable and types of couchette and sleeper on board. Allow at least 90 minutes to
change trains and stations in Paris, preferably a bit more. Then book an onward high-speed Thalys train from Paris Gare du Nord to Amsterdam at
www.thalys.com, this journey takes just 3 hours 10 minutes. Connections from other Italian cities should be booked as a separate transaction again at
www.trenitalia.com looking for a cheap 'Super-Economy' fare.
Option 2, via Switzerland & Germany: First book the excellent direct
City Night Line sleeper train from Zurich to Amsterdam at
www.bahn.de. It leaves Zurich at 20:54, arriving Amsterdam at 08:56 next morning, with sleepers & couchettes. Fares from €59 with couchette, €99 in a 2-bed sleeper, or €129 in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet. Now use
www.trenitalia.com to book a connecting train from Milan to Basel or Zurich, looking for a 'smart 1' or 'smart 2' fare from €19 and making sure you allow at least 1 hour to 90 minutes to change in Basel or Zurich in case of any delay. Connections from other Italian cities should be booked as a separate transaction again at
www.trenitalia.com looking for a cheap 'Super-Economy' fare and allowing at least 45 minutes or more to change in Milan in case of any delay.
Italy to Switzerland from €19...
Direct trains from Milan to Brig, Geneva, Bern, Basel, Zurich: There are regular direct trains from Milan to Geneva, Brig & Zurich plus one or two daily direct trains from Milan to Bern, Lucerne and Basel. You can book these direct trains from just €19 at
www.trenitalia.com -
see this advice on using the Trenitalia website. Look for 'smart 1' or 'smart 2' price as these are the advance-purchase cheap deals. Tickets can be picked up at any main station in Italy (if you live outside Italy) or posted to any Italian address. I recommend then using
www.trenitalia.com again to buy a separate ticket from anywhere in Italy to Milan, looking for a cheap 'Super-Economy' fare from just €9 and allowing at least 45 minutes to change in Milan in case of any delay. Why don't we book from Florence or Rome to Zurich or Geneva all in one go? Well, the system cannot mix and match a cheap 'Super-Economy' fare from Rome to Milan with a cheap 'Smart' fare from Milan to Zurich, so it would only show expensive full price fares. So we split the journey! Look out for great scenery on the routes from Italy into Switzerland, past lakes and mountains.
Other smaller destinations in Switzerland:
www.trenitalia.com can only book the
direct trains from Italy to Switzerland. If your journey involves a change of train within Switzerland, for example Milan to Zermatt where you have to change trains at Brig, or Milan to Interlaken where you change trains at either Brig or Spiez, or Milan to Lucerne where one or two trains per day are direct but others require a change at Arth Goldau, you should book the
direct train at
www.trenitalia.com (in other words, book only from Milan to Brig, or Milan to Spiez, or Milan to Arth Goldau, from €19, looking for a 'smart 1' or 'smart 2' fare), then simply buy an onward Swiss ticket for the last bit when you get to the interchange station, or if you like, buy it online with self-print tickets at the Swiss railways website
www.sbb.ch which will save going to the ticket office if you've a tight connection.
Italy to Spain from €74 including sleeper...
Direct sleeper train Milan to Barcelona: There's an excellent Elipsos 'trainhotel' from Milan & Turin to Barcelona in Spain, with cosy sleepers, restaurant & bar. It runs 3 times a week all year round, on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays from Milan. Change in Barcelona for Madrid, Valencia, Alicante. The Gran Clase sleepers even have en suite shower & toilet, and the Gran Clase fare includes dinner and breakfast. Anyone from any country can book this train at
www.renfe.com, and you print out your own ticket. UK residents can also book this train at
www.raileurope.co.uk. If you have any problems using Renfe (some people report credit card rejection), anyone from any country can book this train online at
www.petrabax.com/renfe in plain English, no payment problems and print-at-home tickets. Petrabax are a US-based Spanish holiday specialist who has linked to the Renfe ticketing system. They charge the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up.
Rome to Barcelona by luxury cruise ferry: Another excellent option is the Grimaldi Lines cruise ferry from Civitavecchia (an hour by regional train north of Rome) and Barcelona. The ferry sails daily at 22:15 and arrives at 18:15 next day. To check times, fares, accommodation and to book online see the
Seat61 ferry shop or go to
www.grimaldi-lines.com. Grimaldi Lines also run a ferry several times a week between Barcelona and Livorno, and between Salerno (near Naples) and Valencia.
Italy to Germany from €39...
The German Railways website
www.bahn.de (English button top right) can book the sleeper trains from Rome (depart 19:05), Florence (21:37) or Venice (22:51) to Munich (arrive 06:30). Fares from €59 in 6-berth couchettes, €69 in 4-berth couchettes, €99 in a 2-bed sleeper or €129 per person in a deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet.
www.bahn.de can also book the daytime trains Verona-Munich, one of which per day starts back in Venice (at 13:31). You print out your own ticket.
www.trenitalia.com can also book the sleeper trains from Rome, Florence or Venice to Munich (as it runs these jointly with the Germans, look for 'smart price' in the 'More fares' drop down box), but it
cannot now book the Verona-Innsbruck-Munich EuroCity trains (or journeys from other Italian cities to Germany via these trains) as these trains are now operated by the Germans and Austrians in open competition with Trenitalia, and Trenitalia no longer recognises their existence (congratulations to the EU, by the way, whose 'competition' policy has brought this fragmentation about!). So a daytime journey from Venice, Milan, Rome or Florence to Munich now needs to be booked in two stages, first using
www.trenitalia.com to book the Venice, Florence, Rome or Milan to Verona train, allowing at least 40 minutes to change in Verona, then use
www.bahn.de to book Verona-Munich. There is in fact one daily through train from Venice to Munich, around 13:34 and a good one to take, which can be booked in one go at
www.bahn.de.
Journeys from Italy via Switzerland to Frankfurt & Cologne can be booked using
www.trenitalia.com for Milan-Basel, then
www.bahn.de for Basel SBB to Frankfurt or Cologne.
Italy to Austria from €39: Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck & Austria...
Direct sleeper trains Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice to Vienna: There are direct sleeper trains from Rome (19:05), Florence (21:37) & Milan (21:05) to Vienna Meidling arriving 08:34, and from Venice (depart 21:05) to Salzburg & Vienna Westbahnhof arriving 08:22. These can be booked online at
www.trenitalia.com, look for the direct train with 0 changes in the search results. Select the train you want, and on the next page change the drop-down box marked 'More fares' to 'smart price', a cheap advance-purchase fare. Remember to select the type of couchette or sleeper you want, selecting '1st class' if you want a 2-bed or 1-bed sleeper. Oh, and 'Double seat compartment' actually means 2-bed sleeper! You collect tickets at any Italian station.
See this advice on using the Trenitalia website.
A word of warning: The Austrian railways website oebb.at will also book these sleeper trains from Italy to Austria, but even though it offers self-print tickets these must be endorsed by an Austrian conductor on an outward journey from Austria in order to be valid. In other words,
don't use oebb.at to book one way tickets for these sleeper trains
from Italy
to Austria.
The daytime service from Venice to Vienna can be booked at the Austrian railways website
www.oebb.at. However, travelling this route by daytime train now involves taking a bus from Venice to the Austrian border. The reason is that Trenitalia pulled out of this service a few years ago, forcing Austrian railways to lay on a bus between Venice and Villach, in connection with its own domestic trains from Villach to Vienna, even though there's a perfectly serviceable railway all the way from Venice! Personally, I'd avoid the bus and stick with trains all the way going via Verona and Innsbruck, using the excellent German/Austrian EuroCity trains with proper restaurant cars, which travel up the scenic Brenner Pass, see the paragraph below.
Day trains from Venice & Verona to Innsbruck via the scenic Brenner Pass: The daytime EuroCity trains from Venice & Verona to Innsbruck via the scenic Brenner route can be booked at the Austrian railways website
www.oebb.at in either direction. In fact, you can also try the German Railways website,
www.bahn.de. Using the Austrian site, you can book through to Salzburg or Vienna via this route if you put 'Innsbruck' in the 'via' box, to avoid it showing the more direct route which sadly now involves a bus, as explained in the paragraph above. The Verona to Innsbruck trains are now run by the Germans and Austrians in their own right, with no Trenitalia involvement, so they don't show up at all on trenitalia.com and cannot be booked by Trenitalia, even at the station. If you're coming from Venice, there is one direct train a day leaving Venice around 13:34, this can be booked at
www.oebb.at. Other journeys from Venice to Austria involve a change at Verona, and you'll need to book Verona to Innsbruck at
www.oebb.at, then add a connecting Venice to Verona ticket at
www.trenitalia.com, allowing at least 40 minutes to change at Verona.
Italy to Budapest from €58...
The direct Venice to Budapest sleeper was withdrawn in December 2011. However, you can easily take the direct overnight sleeper from Rome (depart 19:05), Florence (21:37) & Milan (21:05) to Vienna arriving 08:34, and from Venice (depart 21:05) to Salzburg & Vienna (arrive 08:22). Change in Vienna for regular direct modern
Railjet trains to Budapest taking just 3 hours more. Italy to Vienna by sleeper train starts at just €39 with couchette or €69 per person with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper, book at
www.trenitalia.com looking for a 'smart' price. Allow at least an hour in Vienna to make the connection in case of any delay, then book Vienna to Budapest from just €19 at the Austrian Railways website
www.oebb.at. Why not stop off in Vienna?
Italy to Prague from €78...
Option 1, via Vienna: Take one of the direct sleeper trains from Rome (depart 19:05), Florence (21:37) & Milan (21:05) to Vienna Meidling arriving 08:34, or from Venice (depart 21:05) to Vienna Westbahnhof (arriving 08:22). Book this at
www.trenitalia.com looking for a 'smart' or 'go' fare, from €39 with couchette or from €69 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper. Allow at least an hour to change trains in Vienna, preferably a bit more. Then book a Vienna Meidling to Prague EuroCity train at
www.oebb.at from €19, this journey takes around 4 hours 45 minutes.
Option 2, via Zurich: You can also use the direct
City Night Line sleeper train from Zurich to Prague. This leaves Zurich around 18:25 every night, arriving Prague around 10:30 next morning. Modern sleepers and couchettes are available, including deluxe sleepers with shower and toilet. It's a scenic run down the Elbe river in the morning, too! Coming from Italy, simply add a Milan to Zurich ticket from €19 booked at
www.trenitalia.com, allowing at least an hour in Zurich to change trains in case of any delay. On Trenitalia.com, look for the 'More fares' box and look for 'smart 1' or 'smart 2', these are the cheap advance purchase fares. Coming from anywhere south of Milan, such as Florence or Rome, add an Italian train ticket to Milan booked as a separate transaction at
www.trenitalia.com, in this case looking for a cheap 'Super-Economy' fare from €9.
Italy to Warsaw & Krakow...
The easiest and cheapest option is to take a direct EuroNight trains from Rome, Florence, Milan or Venice to Vienna from €39 with couchette, €69 with bed in a 2-bed sleeper, as shown in the Italy to Austria section above. Spend the day in Vienna. Then take the Vienna to Krakow & Warsaw overnight sleeper train as shown in the
Austria to Poland section below.
Italy to Ljubljana in Slovenia...
There's now only one train a day across the frontier from Venice to Ljubljana, a sleeper train passing through Ljubljana at 2am. However, there's a clever way to travel between Venice or Trieste and Ljubljana that's cheap, relatively frequent (every hour or two), interesting & scenic.
See here for details.
Train journeys wholly within Spain...
You can book almost any long distance train in Spain online at
www.renfe.com, with cheap 'Web' and 'Estrella' fares shown and no booking or postage fees, you simply print out your own ticket. However,
see this step-by-step guide to using renfe.com first. It can't handle journeys involving a change of train, so for example Bilbao to Seville changing in Madrid will need to be booked as Bilbao-Madrid then Madrid-Seville.
If you have any difficulty using renfe.com, there are two alternatives. US-based Spanish holiday specialist
www.petrabax.com/renfe sells Spanish train tickets online in US$ with a neat system linked directly to Renfe's own system. Alternatively, the Rail Europe 'world' website
www.raileurope-world.com (but not yet their UK one) has also been linked directly to the Renfe ticketing system so it can sell Spanish train tickets with just a €4 booking fee. Anyone from any country worldwide, including the UK, most of Europe, United States, Canada, Australia, Asia and Africa can use either of these systems, as both issue print-at-home tickets.
Booking tips: I recommend comparing prices on both sites. The Petrabax site stays with the official Renfe class names and ticket types, which is good. However, unfortunately the Rail Europe World site has decided to create its own class and ticket terminology, 'Second class' means 'Turista', 'First class' means 'Preferente', it cannot book Club class. If you live in the UK, you'll find the UK is listed as 'England', 'Scotland' & 'Wales'!
Feedback if you use either of these sites would be appreciated.
Spain to London from €119...
Spain to Paris from €74 including sleeper...
There are excellent 'Elipsos trainhotels' from Barcelona (depart 20:43) to Paris (arrive 08:37) and from Madrid (depart 18:12) to Paris (arrive around 09:03). They have cosy sleepers, an elegant restaurant and a cafe-bar. The Gran Clase sleepers even have a private shower & toilet and the gran clase fare includes a 3 course dinner with wine, coffee and liqueurs plus breakfast.
UK residents to buy tickets from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris is using
www.raileurope.co.uk, and after booking this you can add it to your basket, click 'continue shopping' and add a Eurostar ticket from Paris to London as part of the same transaction. Allow at least 90 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris.
Residents of any country can use the Spanish Railways website
www.renfe.com to buy tickets for the Madrid or Barcelona to Paris trainhotels, and you simply print out your own ticket, with no postage or booking fee, and all the cheap fares shown if available. It has some quirks, so
see this step-by-step guide to using renfe.com first. If you have any problems using Renfe (some people report credit card rejection), you can book online at
www.petrabax.com/renfe in plain English, no payment problems and print-at-home tickets. They are a US-based Spanish holiday specialist who has linked to the Renfe ticketing system. They charge the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up.
You can book any connecting trains within Spain (for example, Malaga to Madrid, or Alicante to Barcelona) at
www.renfe.com. Again, If you have any problems using Renfe you can buy Spanish rail tickets online at
www.petrabax.com/renfe in plain English, no payment problems and print-at-home tickets, at the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up.
Madrid to Bordeaux...
The Madrid to Paris trainhotel sleeper train calls at Poitiers. I'd actually book this train from Madrid to Poitiers at
www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) or
www.renfe.com (anyone) then book a ticket back to Bordeaux at
www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) or
www.tgv-europe.com (anyone). This is simpler and more time-effective than trying to book a relay race of daytime trains. However, if you want to use day trains, first identify a journey option with as few changes as possible using the German Railways website,
www.bahn.de. We use this, even though it won't give fares or sell tickets, because it's fast, flexible, and handles multi-leg international journeys far better than the French or Spanish systems. Then book in stages, booking trains starting in Spain at the Spanish website
www.renfe.com (
there's advice on using it here) then trains starting at Hendaye or in France at the French Railways website
www.tgv-europe.com.
Barcelona to Montpelier, Marseille, Cannes, Nice...
First, look for a convenient schedule for your whole journey using the journey planner at the German Railways website,
www.bahn.de. We use this, even though it won't give fares or sell tickets, because it's fast, flexible, and handles multi-leg international journeys far better than the French or Spanish systems. There's often a train leaving Barcelona Sants at 08:16, change at Figueres onto a double-deck TGV Duplex to Valence, then onto another TGV arriving Avignon 14:38, Marseille 15:16, St Raphael (for St Tropez) at 17:09, Cannes 17:33 and Nice 18:05. It's a scenic run along the coast, too! Then book this in stages, first book Barcelona-Figueres at the Spanish website
www.renfe.com (
there's advice on using it here) then book Figueres to Nice at the French Railways website
www.tgv-europe.com.
Spain to Brussels from €109 with sleeper...
Take the excellent Elipsos trainhotel from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris, fares from €74 including a bed in a 4-bed Tourist sleeper, see the Spain to Paris section above. Onward tickets from Paris to Brussels can be bought at
www.thalys.com from just €35. Allow at least 90 minutes to
change trains & stations in Paris. For example, you can leave central Barcelona at 20:43, be in Paris at 08:37 next morning, leave Paris Nord 10:25 and arrive Brussels 11:45.
Spain to Amsterdam from €109 with sleeper...
Take the excellent Elipsos trainhotel from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris, fares from €74 including a bed in a 4-bed Tourist sleeper, see the Spain to Paris section above. Onward tickets from Paris to Amsterdam can be bought at
www.thalys.com from just €35. Allow at least 90 minutes to
change trains & stations in Paris. For example, you can leave central Barcelona at 20:43, be in Paris at 08:37 next morning, leave Paris Nord 10:25 and arrive Amsterdam Centraal 13:44.
Spain to Switzerland by direct sleeper train, from €74...
There's an excellent Elipsos 'trainhotel' from Barcelona to Bern & Zurich in Switzerland (change in Zurich for Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna). It runs 3 times a week all year round, leaving Barcelona at 19:25 on Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday evenings, arriving in Switzerland next morning. It has reclining seats, sleepers (including some 'gran clase' with private shower), restaurant and bar. The Gran Clase fare includes a 3-course dinner with wine and breakfast. Several websites will book these trains: Anyone from any country can book this train at
www.renfe.com, with cheap fares usually available from €74 including a bed in a 4-berth sleeper, and you print out your own ticket. UK residents can also book this train at
www.raileurope.co.uk. If you have any problems using Renfe (some people report credit card rejection), anyone from any country can book this train at
www.petrabax.com/renfe in plain English, no payment problems and print-at-home tickets. Petrabax are a US-based Spanish holiday specialist whose site is linked to the Renfe ticketing system. They charge the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up.
Spain to Italy by direct sleeper train, from €74...
Barcelona to Milan by sleeper train, with connections to Florence, Rome & Venice: There's an excellent Elipsos 'trainhotel' from Barcelona to to Turin & Milan (change in Milan for Rome, Florence, Venice). It runs 3 times a week all year round, leaving Barcelona at 19:25 on Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday evenings, arriving in Milan Centrale at 09:59 next morning. It has reclining seats, sleepers (including some 'gran clase' with private shower), restaurant and cafe-bar. The Gran Clase fare includes a 3-course dinner with wine and breakfast. Several websites will book these trains: Anyone from any country can book this train at
www.renfe.com, with cheap fares usually available from €74 in a 4-berth sleeper, and you print out your own ticket. UK residents can also book this train at
www.raileurope.co.uk. If you have any problems using Renfe (some people report credit card rejection), anyone from any country can book it at
www.petrabax.com/renfe in plain English, no payment problems and print-at-home tickets. Petrabax are a US-based Spanish holiday specialist who has linked to the Renfe ticketing system. They charge the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up. You should book onward connections from Milan to other Italian cities separately at
www.trenitalia.com.
Barcelona to Rome by luxury cruise ferry: How about a cruise by ferry? Another excellent option is the Grimaldi Lines cruise ferry from Barcelona to Civitavecchia (an hour by regional train north of Rome). The ferry sails daily at 22:15 and arrives at 18:45 next day. To check times, fares, accommodation and to book online see the
Seat61 ferry shop or go to
www.grimaldi-lines.com. Grimaldi Lines also run a ferry several times a week between Livorno and Barcelona, and between Valencia and Salerno, near Naples.
Spain to Portugal: Madrid to Lisbon from €49.95...
There's an excellent 'trainhotel' sleeper train from Madrid to Lisbon, with sleepers, reclining seats, restaurant & bar. Residents of any country can book this train at
www.renfe.com (
see advice on using renfe.com), with no booking fees or postage fees, you simply print out your own ticket. Alternatively, UK residents can book this train online at
www.raileurope.co.uk, which can be easier to use, just select Madrid to Lisbon with an evening departure. If you have any problems using Renfe (some people report credit card rejection), anyone from any country can book this train online at
www.petrabax.com/renfe in plain English, no payment problems and print-at-home tickets. Petrabax are a US-based Spanish holiday specialist who has linked to the Renfe ticketing system. They charge the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up. There's no rail link from southern Spain into the Algarve, but there are Seville-Faro buses several times daily, see
www.alsa.es.
Spain to Germany...
For
Cologne, take the excellent Elipsos trainhotel from Madrid or Barcelona to Paris. You can book this at
www.renfe.com, or if you have any problems with Renfe (some people report credit card rejection),
www.petrabax.com/renfe. Allow at least 90 minutes to
change trains & stations by metro or taxi from Paris Austerlitz to Paris Nord. Now take a high-speed Thalys train from Paris to Cologne in just 3 hours 30 minutes from €35 if you pre-book at
www.thalys.com.
For
Munich, take the excellent three-times-a-week Elipsos trainhotel leaving Barcelona at 19:25 on Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday evenings, arriving in Zurich at 10:09 next morning. It has reclining seats, sleepers (including some 'gran clase' with private shower), restaurant and bar. The Gran Clase fare includes a 3-course dinner with wine and breakfast. Then take a Zurich to Munich EuroCity train, there's one at 13:16 a 17:28. You can book the Zurich-Munich train at
www.bahn.de from €39. You can book the Barcelona to Zurich sleeper train at at
www.renfe.com, with cheap fares usually available from €74 including a bed in a 4-berth sleeper, and you print out your own ticket. UK residents can also book this train at
www.raileurope.co.uk. Residents of the USA & Canada can book this train online using
www.raileurope.com, and Australians can book at
www.raileurope.com.au, but check prices aren't twice the price as renfe.com.
Spain to Austria...
First take the excellent three-times-a-week Elipsos trainhotel leaving Barcelona at 19:25 on Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday evenings, arriving in Zurich at 10:09 next morning. It has reclining seats, sleepers (including some 'gran clase' with private shower), restaurant and bar. The Gran Clase fare includes a 3-course dinner with wine and breakfast. Then take a modern
Railjet train through the scenic Arlberg Pass to Innsbruck, Salzburg & Vienna. I wouldn't risk the 10:40 Railjet from Zurich, just have lunch in Zurich and use the 14:40 Railjet arriving Innsbruck 18:06, Salzburg 19:58, Vienna 2:44. You can book the Zurich-Austria Railjet train at
www.oebb.at from €29. You can book the Barcelona to Zurich sleeper train at at
www.renfe.com, with cheap fares usually available from €74 including a bed in a 4-berth sleeper, and you print out your own ticket. UK residents can also book this train at
www.raileurope.co.uk. If you have any problems using Renfe (some people report credit card rejection), anyone from any country can book this train online at
www.petrabax.com/renfe in plain English, no payment problems and print-at-home tickets. Petrabax are a US-based Spanish holiday specialist who has linked to the Renfe ticketing system. They charge the same prices as Renfe with a small mark-up.
A few important tips for buying European train tickets online...Note that all European timetables change on the 2nd Sunday in June and in December and this can shorten the usual 90 days to just 60 days or less for dates immediately after the change, as they're always late loading the new data. More information about when bookings open.
Note that all European timetables change on the 2nd Sunday in June and in December and this can shorten the usual 90 days to just 60 days or less for dates immediately after the change, as they're always late loading the new data. 
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