Train Travel in Europe - Treinreizen in Europa

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Train Travel in Europe

This article is a topic.

Europe has a close-knit rail network with numerous companies, each with their own tariff structure. This page brings some order to the chaos so that you get the best for your money.

Belgium

The National Company of the Belgian Railways (NMBS)[1] regulates passenger train traffic Belgium. They are the only one for the whole country.

You can get the tickets online buy, in the station at a vending machine or at the ticket booth and in the train (on the train itself you pay a manufacturing wage of €7.00 if you could have bought a ticket at your departure station).

Free ticket for children: children under 6 years old travel for free if they no take a seat (when busy, priority is given to paying customers), they do this well then they pay 50% of the normal price, both 1st and 2nd class. Children between 6 and 12 years old can also travel for free under these conditions: They can only travel for free on weekdays if the train after 9:01 a.m. leaves. This rule does not apply on weekends and public holidays. For children member of the family union this limitation never applies. These tickets are valid on all national trains (IC, IR, L, CR, P and ICT) between 2 Belgian stations. NOT valid on trains where reservation is required (Thalys, Eurostar) and INT and EC trains. Up to 4 children travel for free if they accompanied be from a paying traveler aged 12 years or older.

Discount tickets

Weekend ticket: If you leave on Friday after 19h01, on Saturday or Sunday and if you come back on Friday after 19h01, on Saturday or Sunday in the same At the weekend you can get a 50% discount on a return ticket in 1st or 2nd class. Plus, you don't have to return from same station, as long as you notify us in advance when purchasing. This need not be reported for coastal stations. At a extended weekend it is possible that the validity will be extended. You can no travel by way of travel.

seniors ticket: Are you older than 65 years, buy a round trip in 2nd class, for € 6.00. You can travel from Monday to Friday from 9h01. In the low season this hour restriction does not apply on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. In the peak season this ticket may not be used on weekends. The Senior Ticket is valid on the trains of the domestic service, recognizable by the conventional characters IC, IR, L, P, CR and ICT and in the classic international trains recognizable by EC.

Zone ticket: A zone ticket can be requested for the tariff zones Aalst, Antwerp, mountains, Bruges, Charleroi, Denderleeuw, Dendermonde, Ghent, halle, Hasselt, Huy, Knokke, La Louviere, Leuven, shutter, Marche, Mechelen, Mouscron, Namur, Verviers, with the exception of the zone Brussels and is valid for two hours from the time of issue. However, it is not allowed to travel between two stations of the same zone via a station outside the zone.

jump ticket: With the Jumpticket you travel within the zone Brussels by train (2nd class only), metro, tram or bus with a single ticket. You can buy a Jump ticket for 1, 5 or 10 one-way journeys at the ticket office of the stations that are part of the zone Brussels and validates this for the first time in the station for the route you wish to travel. The validation devices can be found in the vicinity of the platforms. You can then continue your journey with a vehicle from another transport company (NMBS, STIB, TEC, DE LIJN). With every transfer, you register your ticket in a validation device. The last transfer must be made at the latest 60 minutes after the first validation. Jump Tickets awarded by The line, the STIB or TEC, are recognized both by the validation devices that you will find in the stations of the Brussels zone and by the devices installed in the vehicles of De Lijn, STIB or TEC. Jump Tickets for one day, awarded by The line or TEC, are only accepted for the first validation by De Lijn or TEC validation devices, and can be used for the transfer at NMBS, De Lijn and TEC. Jump Tickets for one day, issued by the STIB, are only accepted for the first validation by the validation devices of the NMBS and the STIB, and can be used for the transfer at the NMBS, STIB, De Lijn and TEC.

Ticket combined with a city area: You can buy a ticket, combined with the urban area of the TEC or STIB. With such a combined ticket you can travel to one of the aforementioned stations or stops, and also travel the entire day by bus and/or tram in the urban zone of the regional transport company of the city in question. A STIB city area ticket is available for the stations belonging to the zone Brussels. A city area TEC ticket is available for one of the following destinations: Arlon, Charleroi, Dinant, La Louviere, shutter, mountains, Mouscron, Namur, Tournai and Verviers.

Ticket to or from the airport:
- For your move to Brussels Airport you must buy a Standard ticket, increased by the diabolo-surcharge of €5.09. This surcharge will be charged automatically. You will have to pay this separately if you are traveling with a Go Pass, Key Card or Rail Pass. You need the ticket to get in and out of the airport train station through the gates.
- For Brussels South Charleroi airport, the price of this 2nd class ticket is limited to €19.40 (each way). When purchasing, you state from which station and on which day you are departing. You can enter the date of the return trip yourself afterwards. Your ticket remains valid for 1 year after the outward journey. This Open type of ticket is only on the ticket booth for sale, not via the site nor on the train. At the airport of Charleroi you can buy this ticket at the machine outside next door 2. This ticket combines the journey by bus from TEC and the journey by train.

Shopping ticket: With the Shopping Ticket you can travel for €7.00 in 2nd class and €10.00 in 1st class and back to your favorite shopping address in Belgium (excluding border points). The preferential rate is valid during all weekends of December and January and all days of the Christmas holidays.

Go Pass 1: this ticket for young people less than 26 years is valid for 1 single journey in second class between two Belgian stations of your choice (border points excluded) and can only be purchased online for €6.00.

Discount cards

Go-Pass: With a Go Pass, as a young person, you can less than 26 years Make 10 one-way journeys in 2nd class between two Belgian stations of your choice (excluding border points) for €51.00. A Go Pass is 1 year valid from the date of purchase and is not registered.

Rail Pass: With a Rail Pass you can make 10 one-way journeys between two Belgian stations of your choice (border points excluded) for €77.00 in 2nd class and €117.00 in 1st class. A Rail Pass is 1 year valid from the date of purchase and is not registered.

Key Card: The map for 10 short distances from a particular station. The Key Card costs €20.00 in 2nd class and €30.00 in 1st class and is six months valid from the date of purchase.

10 ride ticket: The 10-way ticket is sold at the normal ticket price. This means that the discount, for example for large families, is also applied when purchasing. This card is valid in 1st or 2nd class and may also be used as an increase in class.

Netherlands

Passenger traffic via rail in the Netherlands is largely in the hands of the Dutch railways. In the north, east and south of the country some lines are operated by other carriers: Arriva (North Netherlands and the Dordrecht - Geldermalsen line); Syntus (Achterhoek and local lines in Twente); Connexion (Amersfoort - Ede Wageningen) and Veolia (South Limburg).

A uniform rate applies to the Dutch railway network, regardless of which company operates the line.

Advantage hours

On Monday to Friday after 9 a.m. and on Saturday and Sunday all day, as well as all days in July and August, the discounted hours arrangement applies. Travelers in possession of an NS Discount Card, NS Annual Route subscription and seniors travel with a 40% discount on the normal fare.

International

Many international train tickets are cheaper if you for a while in advance books.
- For TGV, Thalys and Eurostar you can book a maximum of 3 months in advance via the internet. The ticket is then the cheapest, after that it quickly becomes more expensive. Since the return ticket is not cheaper than the two separate tickets, you can already buy the outward ticket at the cheaper price, even if the return ticket is not yet for sale. There is a handy one for Eurostar and Thalys prize calendar to compare the price per day.
- For ICE the price is lower if you book more than 2 weeks in advance via the internet (Sparpreis).

To reserve
- For most international trains you do not automatically have a seat when you buy a ticket. Reservations are often a small additional cost. Reservations are required for TGV, Thalys and Eurostar.

Transfer
- If you're in London If you travel further by train, you usually have to change stations. You arrive at London St. Pancras by Eurostar, but the other trains depart from London Kings Cross or London Paddington Station. Also in Paris if this occurs, you arrive in Paris Nord, and depart again in Paris Lyon or Paris Montparnasse. It is sometimes a long queue to take the metro. Then the transfer time is usually quite tight if you buy a standard ticket via the internet. Sometimes it is better to buy 2 separate tickets and allow some time for the transfer, and even to eat something. Sometimes you can already buy the metro ticket on the train.