8 ms·

I've ridden trains in all the Western European countries listed, and taken a lot of the listed routes at least partially. If you actually want to do this, you c

I've ridden trains in all the Western European countries listed, and taken a lot of the listed routes at least partially. If you actually want to do this, you can make that confusing list much simpler: Lisbon-Hendaye with an overnight sleeper, then TGV Hendaye-Paris (a beautiful route), then the sleeper train Paris-Moscow, then Moscow-Beijing sleeper, Beijing-Hanoi sleeper, Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh. Also, you definitely don't want to get a Eurail pass for this trip. In general a Eurail pass isn't a good deal at all, with a few narrow exceptions. The specific country level passes, as well as buying discounted tickets, will nearly always be cheaper. This case is even worse, because even with an unlimited Eurail pass, you pay additional fees for almost every train on that list - Thalys, high speed, sleeper...

icebergwarrior 6y ago
France doesn't even honor / agree with the Eurail pass. So then you have to pay twice.
bogomipz 6y ago
>"Lisbon-Hendaye with an overnight sleeper .." Is this the coastal route once it crosses into Spain? I've heard the coastal route is my slower which is fine by me as I would imagine its quite scenic. If not could you recommend which one that would be? >"The specific country level passes, as well as buying discounted tickets, will nearly always be cheaper." Whats the discount are you referring to here? Is this just the booking far in advance discounted rate or something else?
- owenversteeg 6y ago
  There's only one sleeper train between Hendaye and Lisbon, and it's this one [0]. It stays pretty close to the coast for the short distance from Hendaye to San Sebastián, and then turns inland. Due to the mountain Jaizkibel (which is beautiful up closer, but less impressive from a distance), you won't be seeing the Atlantic for long at all, unfortunately. You do get a view of the Tagus (river, and then it turns into a bay) for a little while as you come into Lisbon. If you're looking for spectacular views, I'd probably recommend another sleeper train, to be honest. Booking a good bit in advance is usually one good strategy for a lot of European trains if you want to save money. But there are plenty of other options. Slower trains, off peak times, budget brands like Ouigo etc. can make train travel very cheap. If you want the flexibility afforded by a Eurail pass, there are country-specific options that not only give more flexibility than Eurail, but are also cheaper and don't require a supplemental charge for most trains. Discount cards are another big one: you can easily get 20-50% off the "normal" price with some sort of discount card, like the Carte Jeune in France. Good luck with whatever your train travels might be, and feel free to ask me whatever! [0] https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/sud-express-from-irun-and-san-sebastian-to-lisbon.htm https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/sud-express-from-ir...
- gpvos 6y ago
  You can go from Porto to Vigo and then with a slow intercity through northern Spain to Irun/Hendaye, very scenic and recommended. Probably need to stay the night in Vigo as those trains go only once or twice per day. I'm not sure why the article says you can take a normal train from Coimbra to Hendaye, there is only a night train, though it does have seats (not recommended, take at least a couchette or bed). Currently suspended due to corona afaik.
  - bogomipz 6y ago
    Thanks both of you for the tips. Looking forward to train travel again sometime in the future. I've gone as far as Porto by train and looking forward to a Porto to San Sebastian rail journey(with many stops in between) as it becomes possible. Cheers.
usr1106 6y ago
> Also, you definitely don't want to get a Eurail pass for this trip. Eurail passes are sold only to persons with a residence outside of Europe. For Europeans there are Interrail passes. I believe prices and conditions were similar many years ago, but I'm not sure and certainly not nowadays after Interrail has seen several changes. For Interrail you almost never need the pass if you want to go from A to B and can book somewhat in advance. The pass can be good if you have no fixed plans and just like to travel a lot, deciding more or less spontaneously where you go next. Although in some countries like France this doesn't work well anymore because you need reservations and there are no (reasonably priced) seats for pass holders during peak travel times. I travelled like this between Scandinavia and Portugal just 2 weeks before Covid-19 was a thing in Europe. Certainly off-season, so it was OK.
- globular-toast 6y ago
  Also Interail is way cheaper if you are under 26. Don't think it's worth at all if you aren't.
  - pjc50 6y ago
    Yes, I did it 20 years ago in the pre-smartphone era and it was fantastic. The big advantage for that case was not having to plan, at all; you could simply wake up and decide where you want to go that day.
    - arethuza 6y ago
      Amusingly when interrailing many years ago we managed to get on the wrong train at Ljubljana - we intended to go to Vienna but ended up on the overnight train to Belgrade. The nice thing about an Interrail ticket being that even when you do make such a mistake your ticket is generally still valid!
  - detaro 6y ago
    The over-26 ones are still worth comparing, but it really depends on your trip then. (i.e. if you plan on using a bunch of not-highspeed trains, but want to be flexible and thus not book fixed low-price tickets early)

icebergwarrior 6y ago

France doesn't even honor / agree with the Eurail pass. So then you have to pay twice.

bogomipz 6y ago

>"Lisbon-Hendaye with an overnight sleeper .." Is this the coastal route once it crosses into Spain? I've heard the coastal route is my slower which is fine by me as I would imagine its quite scenic. If not could you recommend which one that would be? >"The specific country level passes, as well as buying discounted tickets, will nearly always be cheaper." Whats the discount are you referring to here? Is this just the booking far in advance discounted rate or something else?

owenversteeg 6y ago
There's only one sleeper train between Hendaye and Lisbon, and it's this one [0]. It stays pretty close to the coast for the short distance from Hendaye to San Sebastián, and then turns inland. Due to the mountain Jaizkibel (which is beautiful up closer, but less impressive from a distance), you won't be seeing the Atlantic for long at all, unfortunately. You do get a view of the Tagus (river, and then it turns into a bay) for a little while as you come into Lisbon. If you're looking for spectacular views, I'd probably recommend another sleeper train, to be honest. Booking a good bit in advance is usually one good strategy for a lot of European trains if you want to save money. But there are plenty of other options. Slower trains, off peak times, budget brands like Ouigo etc. can make train travel very cheap. If you want the flexibility afforded by a Eurail pass, there are country-specific options that not only give more flexibility than Eurail, but are also cheaper and don't require a supplemental charge for most trains. Discount cards are another big one: you can easily get 20-50% off the "normal" price with some sort of discount card, like the Carte Jeune in France. Good luck with whatever your train travels might be, and feel free to ask me whatever! [0] https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/sud-express-from-irun-and-san-sebastian-to-lisbon.htm https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/sud-express-from-ir...
gpvos 6y ago
You can go from Porto to Vigo and then with a slow intercity through northern Spain to Irun/Hendaye, very scenic and recommended. Probably need to stay the night in Vigo as those trains go only once or twice per day. I'm not sure why the article says you can take a normal train from Coimbra to Hendaye, there is only a night train, though it does have seats (not recommended, take at least a couchette or bed). Currently suspended due to corona afaik.
- bogomipz 6y ago
  Thanks both of you for the tips. Looking forward to train travel again sometime in the future. I've gone as far as Porto by train and looking forward to a Porto to San Sebastian rail journey(with many stops in between) as it becomes possible. Cheers.

usr1106 6y ago

> Also, you definitely don't want to get a Eurail pass for this trip. Eurail passes are sold only to persons with a residence outside of Europe. For Europeans there are Interrail passes. I believe prices and conditions were similar many years ago, but I'm not sure and certainly not nowadays after Interrail has seen several changes. For Interrail you almost never need the pass if you want to go from A to B and can book somewhat in advance. The pass can be good if you have no fixed plans and just like to travel a lot, deciding more or less spontaneously where you go next. Although in some countries like France this doesn't work well anymore because you need reservations and there are no (reasonably priced) seats for pass holders during peak travel times. I travelled like this between Scandinavia and Portugal just 2 weeks before Covid-19 was a thing in Europe. Certainly off-season, so it was OK.

globular-toast 6y ago
Also Interail is way cheaper if you are under 26. Don't think it's worth at all if you aren't.
- pjc50 6y ago
  Yes, I did it 20 years ago in the pre-smartphone era and it was fantastic. The big advantage for that case was not having to plan, at all; you could simply wake up and decide where you want to go that day.
  - arethuza 6y ago
    Amusingly when interrailing many years ago we managed to get on the wrong train at Ljubljana - we intended to go to Vienna but ended up on the overnight train to Belgrade. The nice thing about an Interrail ticket being that even when you do make such a mistake your ticket is generally still valid!
- detaro 6y ago
  The over-26 ones are still worth comparing, but it really depends on your trip then. (i.e. if you plan on using a bunch of not-highspeed trains, but want to be flexible and thus not book fixed low-price tickets early)