Traveling within Europe: Fly or Train?

This seems to be one of the biggest questions for European travel: fly or train between major destinations? On my trip I did both. Here's what I learned and my opinions on the matter.

Of course, the quintessential backpacker method would be the night train - you save time for sight-seeing and $$$ on a night's accommodation. This didn't work for me for several reasons: I'm a bad sleeper. Not sleeping at all on a night train would make me exhausted, grouchy, grumpy, and it'd mess me up for probably 2 days after. So for me, it wouldn't be convenient. Also for some of my longer trips I was traveling alone and thus safety was a concern.

I had a rule: If a train was over 6 hours or so, I flew. For example, a train from Lisbon to Barcelona would've required at least one night train and at least one change. You're talking a whole day, if not more............... or a two-hour flight. NO BRAINER. Another one is Amsterdam to Copenhagen. They look close on a map but when you look at the train schedules you have to make at least one change and it takes a lot longer than it looks like......... or an hour flight. NO BRAINER. And flying is not always "ugly" - check out the picture below of our approach into Lisbon (click for full-size)


The thing is, flying within Europe is so easy. There are so many discount airlines offering deals and specials. Our Lisbon to Barcelona flight was only 30 euros, including taxes and fees. Some were more expensive but still cheaper than trains. You do have to be careful. Some of the low-cost airlines use outlying airports (we got lucky and every low-cost flight we took went through the main airports in each city), which can result in added costs and time getting to and from the city from these small outlying airports. Some have very strict baggage limits and even charge you to check bags or reserve a seat. But I think if you know all this stuff in advance and prepare and pack accordingly you won't have a problem - I didn't, and I took 5 of these low-cost carriers within a few weeks.

Of course, sometimes trains are beautiful rides or are more convenient. I trained from Vienna to Venice - got a fantastic 29 euro deal from the Austrian railways and it was a 7-hour direct train arriving right at the Venice station. It went through the foggy Alps and the beautiful countryside (see the picture at right, click for full-size). Aside from the fact that there wasn't really anywhere for luggage (and I had a carry-on sized suitcase that was still too big for the overhead racks) so I had to sit for 7 hours all contorted and uncomfortably with my luggage, it was a beautiful and convenient ride.

There are other conveniences to training it. The high-speed trains have power outlets. There is no security - thus no lines and no limit on FOOD. Trains are how the locals travel so you can meet interesting people. And it's the only way to see the countryside, which can be part of the adventure.

One of the biggest conundrums seems to be Rome to Venice or vice versa. The flight is about an hour, the train is about 4 and a half hours. Seems obvious, right? fly! But this isn't the whole story. It takes a half hour (and costs 11 euros) to get from Rome's train station to/from the airport. I didn't do it, but I know it takes longer than that and probably costs more to get to/from Venice's airport. You have to get to the airport 2 hours early and go through security and wait for your luggage at the other end (and hope it made it at all!). In the end, the timing is probably about the same. But 1) the train costs less and you have no added expenses like getting to/from the airport, 2) you get to see Italy's countryside, 3) you have the chance to meet locals, 4) no security line, 5) no checked baggage, 6) more flexibility because you don't have to book so far in advance. The choice still seems obvious - but obvious the other way. Train train train.

The moral of the story is that sometimes flying is better and sometimes the train is better, and what "better" means is different for each and every single one of us. So, the only way to really decide what's best is to research. Check the times, check the flight options, check the prices, consider your schedule, and decide. Here are some useful sites for doing all that research:

• Belgian Railways site - has an easy-to-use schedule finder (for any country!) - tells you times and connections and various options for trains throughout Europe
• Bahn.de - same as the previous link, but from the German Railways (check this helpful 'tutorial' of sorts on the Rick Steves site for using Bahn to do your train research)
  
• Kayak - finds all the low-cost airlines and the regular service ones, too.
• SkyScanner - similar to Kayak but more focused on the low-cost carriers
  
• Here's a great list of many, if not all, of the low-cost carriers