Where to order railwaytickets for eastern Europe?

I am doing some travelling in late april in Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. I
have found the trains I would like to take, but nowhere to order them.

Does anyone know if this is possible somewhere on the internet? (Not
raillwaypasses, but single tickets).

Georg

I have not seen any such website, but on the other hand I have not look
to closely as I never have had any problems with just going to the
station or cntral ticket office and book the tickets that I need.

Jan

I have not seen any such website, but on the other hand I have not look
to closely as I never have had any problems with just going to the
station or cntral ticket office and book the tickets that I need.

Jan

"Georg K" writes:

I am doing some travelling in late april in Hungary, Slovakia and
Poland. I have found the trains I would like to take, but nowhere to
order them.

Buy them as you get there.

MJ

"Georg K" writes:

I am doing some travelling in late april in Hungary, Slovakia and
Poland. I have found the trains I would like to take, but nowhere to
order them.

Buy them as you get there.

MJ

"Michal Jankowski" wrote in message
...
"Georg K" writes:

I am doing some travelling in late april in Hungary, Slovakia and
Poland. I have found the trains I would like to take, but nowhere to
order them.
Buy them as you get there
MJ

Is that ok, also for overnight trains? The won't get sol dout?

Georg

"Michal Jankowski" wrote in message
...
"Georg K" writes:

I am doing some travelling in late april in Hungary, Slovakia and
Poland. I have found the trains I would like to take, but nowhere to
order them.
Buy them as you get there
MJ

Is that ok, also for overnight trains? The won't get sol dout?

Georg

If so, travel in a normal seat, upgrade to first class or take the next
train available.

Jan

If so, travel in a normal seat, upgrade to first class or take the next
train available.

Jan

How to book


It's easy to book European rail travel from the UK, once you know who
to call..! Different agencies use different reservation systems so
some are better for some journeys than others. Remember that you
can't normally buy tickets or make reservations for European trains
more than two months in advance. Here's a quick list of the main UK
agencies:

By telephone and online:


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Rail Europe

0870 5 848 848
Recommended for booking journeys from the UK to major cities in
France, Switzerland, Italy & Spain.

Rail Europe is the UK's biggest European rail agency, now owned
by the French Railways (SNCF). Their phone lines are open 08:00 -
21:00 on Mondays to Fridays, 09:00 - 18:00 on Saturdays and 10:00 -
17:00 on Sundays. Website www.raileurope.co.uk, e-mail
.

Rail Europe use the French Railways reservation system, so they
are a good agency to call for journeys to France and to major cities
in Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Austria via France. A big plus point
is that their phone lines are open in the evenings and at weekends.
Unlike smaller agencies, Rail Europe staff are online to the
reservation computer during your call, and can quote you train times,
fares and availability there and then. A small booking fee is charged
(about £6).

On the down side, their advanced SNCF reservations system can
have problems booking certain trains outside France that the older
system used by smaller agencies can do easily - for example, it booked
Paris to Rome without a problem, but then failed to book a connecting
train from Rome to Sicily which Ffestiniog Travel did easily. I have
also come across staff who are reluctant to sell tickets to more
exotic destinations such as Moscow, Istanbul, and Bucharest. Deutsche
Bahn has a better reservation system and may have cheaper fares for
journeys to Germany, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. If you have any
problems booking through Rail Europe, simply try Deutsche Bahn or one
of the smaller agencies such as TrainsEurope or Ffestiniog Travel.

Rail Europe do not sell rail+sea tickets to Paris or Brussels,
only Eurostar. Unlike smaller agencies, they won't be willing to
obtain reservations for you by fax/e-mail if the reservations you want
are not held on the European computerised reservation system (but this
normally only applies to more exotic journeys such as Athens to
Sofia - see 'Can I book any European train from the UK?').


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Deutsche Bahn UK

0870 243 5363
Recommended for booking journeys from the UK to Germany,
Scandinavia, central & eastern Europe.

German Railways have an excellent telesales office in the UK.
This is a good agency to call for tickets from the UK to Germany as
they use the German Railways reservation computer and have access to
all German Railways' special offers, including the excellent London to
Berlin/Hamburg Eurostar + night train fares. They are also good for
Scandanavia, Austria (via Brussels/Germany) and eastern Europe,
including trains to Russia and the Ukraine. Phone lines are open
Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00, or you can e-mail booking enquiries to
. There is no booking fee, but a £3 fee is
charged for credit cards, so use a debit card if you can. For further
details, visit www.deutschebahn.sagenet.co.uk.


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Ffestiniog Travel

01766 512400
Recommended for booking journeys from the UK to most European
destinations.

It can sometimes be better to book through a smaller specialist
agency, especially for more far-flung trips or to less usual
destinations. A recommended agency is Ffestiniog Travel, who offer a
full range of European rail tickets, including Eurostar, rail-sea-rail
tickets, railpasses and seat, couchette and sleeper reservations. It
is part of the Ffestiniog Railway, based at Harbour Station,
Porthmadog, North Wales. Open Monday-Saturday, telephone bookings
taken. Website www.festtravel.co.uk, e-mail
. A small booking fee is charged.


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TrainsEurope

0871 700 7722
Recommended for booking journeys from the UK to most European
destinations - TrainsEurope can sometimes get you reservations that
other agencies can't..!
An experienced and capable European rail agency offering a full
range of European rail tickets, including Eurostar, rail-sea-rail
tickets & railpasses. Trains Europe can make seat, couchette &
sleeper reservation for almost any train in Europe except those
starting in Portugal, Serbia, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova
or the Baltic states. A small booking fee is charged. TrainsEurope
have a contact in Romania, so are a good agency to call for trips
through Romania to Istanbul, for example. Located in March,
Cambridgeshire. www.trainseurope.co.uk, e-mail
. Fax 01354 660444.


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Rail Choice
020 8659 7300
An agency offering a full range of European rail tickets and
rail passes. A small booking fee may be charged. Book by telephone
or e-mail at , or book online at
www.railchoice.co.uk.

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European Rail Ltd

020 7387 0444
A European rail agency in Tavistock Square, London WC1. A small
booking fee may be charged. Website www.europeanrail.com, e-mail


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Railbookers.com
0870 730 0720
A European rail agency based in London. A small booking fee may
be charged. Website www.railbookers.com, e-mail ,
call 0870 730 0720.

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International Rail Ltd
01962 773646
An European rail agency in Gilbert Street, Ropley, Hampshire. A
small booking fee may be charged. Website www.international-rail.com,
e-mail . Open 09:00 - 17:00 Monday -
Friday.

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Freedom Rail
0870 757 98 98
An European rail agency at 4 All Hallows Road, Bispham,
Blackpool FY2 0AS. Website www.freedomrail.co.uk, call 0870 757 98
98.
Rail Canterbury
01227 450088
29-30 Palace Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2DZ. Call 01227
450088, fax 01227 470072, e-mail .

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In person:

Rail Europe has a travel centre in London at 179 Piccadilly, London.
It is open 10:00 - 18:00 on Mondays to Fridays, 10:00 - 17:00 on
Saturdays. Be warned that it gets busy in the Summer..!

You can now buy International tickets to a limited range of key
European cities at the Eurostar travel centre at Waterloo
International station in London.

You used to be able to book European rail travel at major railway
stations, but this is not now possible, except at:

Ashford Kent

Bromley South

Chatham

London Liverpool Street

Norwich


In Europe, you can book at any main railway station.


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How to book European trains if you live in Ireland

If you live in Ireland you can book European rail travel through Irish
Rail by telephone on (01) 703 1885, in person at 35 Lower Abbey
Street, Dublin 1, or by e-mail at .


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How to book European trains if you live outside Europe

There are a number of agencies worldwide that can arrange European
rail tickets, railpasses and reservations. These include:

USA www.RailEurope.com America's biggest European rail agency,
selling railpasses, Eurostar and European train tickets. Now owned by
French Railways.
www.eurorailways.com Fort Lauderdale
www.railpass.com Columbus, Ohio
www.railconnection.com Boston
www.europeonrail.com New Jersey
Canada www.RailEurope.com America's biggest European rail
agency, selling railpasses, Eurostar and European train tickets. Now
owned by French Railways.
www.europrail.net London, Ontario
Australia www.railplus.com.au Melbourne
New Zealand www.railplus.co.nz Auckland
Hong Kong www.train-ticket.net
Singapore www.centurytravel.com.sg
India www.tcindia.com Bombay
South Africa www.world-travel.co.za Cape Town

To locate European rail ticketing agencies in other countries try
www.raileurope.com/us/search/index.htm.

Overseas agencies naturally charge more than you would pay at the
ticket office in Europe, and sometimes quite a lot more..! If all you
want is a ticket for a short daytime journey at an off-peak time of
year, it may be better to book in person at the station when you get
to Europe, or perhaps online direct with the train operator if that
country's national railway website offers online booking - see the
Europe page for information about what can and can't be booked online,
and the links page for a list of railway websites for each country.
However, long distance trips, especially those at peak times of year
and those requiring sleepers or couchettes which could become fully
booked, are best booked in advance.

One alternative is to book through a UK agency - an agency such as
www.trainseurope.co.uk may be willing to book you your tickets and
post them to you overseas for a small fee (posted at your own risk).