How early should I arrive for a train in Europe?

When travelling on our trains (except to and from London), just look for your train on the departure board and head straight to the platform. For stress-free boarding, we recommend that you arrive in the station 20 minutes before the scheduled departure time of your train.



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Please ensure that you have enough time to go through all the extra passport and security checks before your train departs. We recommend arriving around 30 minutes before your train leaves. Don't cut it too fine, as it is no longer possible to board the train within five minutes of departure.

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With Eurail With trains, there's no checking in or waiting around – just turn up 15 minutes or so before your departure time, find your platform and jump on board (unless you're travelling to or from London with Eurostar, who ask you to arrive just 30 minutes before departure).

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Here's how the 7pm rule works If your overnight train is leaving after 7pm then you can put in the following day's date on your rail pass and use one rather than two days of travel for the overnight trip.

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We ask for your passport or ID number for safety and verification that the Pass you are travelling with is actually yours. You may be asked to show your passport or ID card when your Pass is being checked by ticket inspectors, so the number on your Pass should match the number on the passport or ID you are carrying.

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It has so many tracks that we recommend arriving at least half an hour prior to your scheduled departure as not to get lost and miss your train. Keep in mind that in Italy you have to validate your ticket before getting on the train.

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Plan to arrive at the station at least 30 minutes before your train is scheduled to depart (Auto Train passengers should arrive at the station at least two hours prior to departure).

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There are no lengthy check-in procedures or security screening for most train travel. You simply show up a few minutes before the train leaves, buy a ticket if you don't have one (often from a ticket machine with English instructions), and hop on the train.

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Though some train rides should be booked in advance, it's generally easiest to buy tickets right at the station. Advance tickets sold through national-railway websites are often easily redeemable at the station.

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Advance purchase (a week to several months in advance) can save you significant money in many countries (most notably Austria, Britain, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden), especially for faster or longer rides.

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Take a walk to the Venice Centre Venice is a great place to explore on foot, so if you have no reasons to rush and you have no issues if you get lost a little, then this may be the best option. You should not spend more than 40 minutes if you walk from Santa Lucia Venice train station to Venice Centre.

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There are many reasons to love the Transcantabrico, one of Spain's top train journeys. With its elegant cars and luxurious amenities, the Transcantabrico, a popular tourist train in northern Spain, is like a 5-star hotel on wheels. For many, it's the perfect way to see some of Spain's most beautiful and varied scenery.

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On all trains covered by Interrail/Eurail: No, just as long as you can carry it. Be aware stowing away large suitcases on busy trains can be a bit difficult, but there often are luggage racks. There are some exceptions on “low-cost” trains, that I know: Ouigo (France & Spain) and Avlo (Spain).

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The email says this: “Remember, you'll need physical copies of your reservations to show the conductor on board the train, along with your eurail Pass. Showing this email won't be enough, so make sure you keep your print-outs somewhere safe.”

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Eurail passes do not cover local transport like trams or metros, only intercity trains. Rail Europe is another company that offers similar European train passes. But Eurail is the most popular and for the sake of this article, we'll just be focusing on Eurail Passes.

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