Italian trains: Intercity

• Q. Do I need to make a reservation if I’m traveling with a rail pass on an overnight train?

  A. Yes. Even with your rail pass, you will need to make a reservation on any overnight train. Reservations are required for sleeping compartments, couchettes, and seats. Depending on where you’re traveling, the guidelines of the specific train and/or the type of rail pass you have, you may be entitled to purchase a reservation in place of a full price ticket.
  You can search for overnight reservations directly on our website - just be sure to select the "I have a rail pass" option.

• Q. I’m leaving for Europe within 3 days and need to buy train tickets or rail passes. What are my options?

  A. Some European train operators now offer electronic ticketing. If the train you’re interested in offers this, you can buy a train ticket up until its day of travel and retrieve it locally at the station using your unique e-ticket confirmation code or by printing it at home before you leave.

  Currently, e-tickets are only offered on Eurostar, Thalys, Renfe, Talgo, Italo & Trenitalia along with select German, French (including international TGVs), and British trains. This type of ticketing will be available on other routes in the near future. At this time, the only rail passes available as e-passes are the Renfe Spain Pass and Swiss Travel Pass.

  All other trains, certain activity vouchers, and rail passes must be issued as a paper document and mailed to you prior to your departure. If you’re leaving within three days, you should contact us via our Contact Us page and we’ll be able to advise whether there’s enough time for you to get your train ticket or rail pass prior to your leaving for Europe.

• Q. Do you offer student, family and/or senior discounts?

  A. Yes. Rail Europe offers a wide range of train tickets and rail passes that provide discounts to children, youths, seniors or groups of people that travel together.

  Discounted rates vary depending on the type of train ticket or rail pass you are purchasing, and are not always offered.

  We do our best to provide you with the cheapest fares for your traveling party and get you the discounts you’re eligible for. This is why it’s important to accurately indicate the composition of your traveling party when requesting fares and schedules or rail pass prices from our website. You may also have to enter the age of certain travellers, so we can determine whether they’re eligible for certain age-related discounts.

• Q. What information do I need to provide when booking a rail pass? Do the names on the rail pass and the passports have to match?

  A. When you book your rail pass, you will need to provide us with your first and last name, exactly as they appear on your passport. The name you enter will appear on your rail pass and will be verified by a railway official when you activate the rail pass. In addition, some rail passes are pre-activated and require you to enter the first date of travel.

• Q. Do you offer e-tickets?

  A. Yes, on certain rail lines. There are two types of e-tickets:
  Print at home and Print at the Station

  Let’s begin with Print at Home e-tickets, of which there are 3 different types.

  The first type of e-tickets are those issued as a PDF’s which will be emailed to you and can be downloaded via a link contained in your Rail Europe email confirmation. You must print the PDF (using a printer) and bring your ticket with you to board the train.

  The second type of e-tickets are those that are individually emailed to you. You must print the email (using a printer) and bring it with you to board the train – this is your train ticket. Each ticket will be in a separate email, so if you booked more than one ticket, please be sure you print all tickets that were emailed to you.

  The last type of e-tickets are those which have a unique e-ticket confirmation code that is printed on your Rail Europe confirmation email. You must provide the e-ticket confirmation code along with your id to the conductor on board the train.

  Next, Print at the station e-tickets!
  You will receive a 6 or 8 alpha-numeric e-ticket confirmation code (also known as a PNR or Passenger Name Record) in your Rail Europe confirmation email, which you then enter into a self-service kiosk at the train station in Europe to print out your actual train ticket.

  Use this e-ticket confirmation code at a self-service kiosk at the train station to retrieve your ticket. Not all rail lines offer these e-ticket options. Once you have selected a ticket on our website, you’ll be able to choose from its available methods of issuance at checkout.

• Q. I just landed in Europe. How do I get to the train station from the airport?

  A. Whether you’re going straight to a train or to your hotel, you’ll generally find public transportation options from the airport to the center of town, where most train stations are located. Below is a list of airports that have rail connections (train or local subway/metro) to the main rail station:

  Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
  15 minute train trip to Amsterdam Central Station
  Stockholm Arlanda Airport
  20 minute train trip to Stockholm Central Station
  Barcelona Airport
  30 minute train to Barcelona Sants Station
  Berlin Schoenefeld Airport
  Birmingham International Airport
  12-15 minute train trip to Birmingham New Street Station
  Brussels Airport
  28 minute train trip to Brussels Zuid/Midi Station
  Cologne Airport
  15 minute train trip to Cologne Central Station
  Copenhagen Kastrup Airport
  14 minute train trip from Copenhagen Airport to Copenhagen Central Station
  Geneva Cointrin International Airport
  7 minute train trip to the Geneva City Central Station
  Glasgow Prestwick Airport
  1 mile bus or taxi trip to Paisley Gilmour Station and then a 12-15 minute train trip to Glasgow
  London Gatwick Airport
  30 minute train trip to London Victoria Station
  London Heathrow Airport
  15 - 27 minute train trip to London Paddington Station
  Luton Airport
  45 minute train trip to London St. Pancras Station
  Madrid-Barajas Airport
  12 minute metro trip to Madrid Nuesvos Ministerios Metro Station
  Malaga Airport
  10 minute train trip to Malaga Torremolinos Station
  Munich International Airport
  41 - 46 minute train trip to Munich Main Train Station
  Oslo Gardermoen Airport
  19 - 22 minutes train trip to Oslo S Station
  Paris Orly Airport
  24 minutes train trip to Paris Austerlitz Station
  Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport
  30 minute train trip to Paris Gare du Nord Station
  Porto – Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport
  7-10 minute metro trip to Porto City Center Station
  Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport
  30 minute train trip to Rome Termini Station
  Stansted Airport
  47 minute train trip to London Liverpool Station
  Stuttgart Echterdingen Airport
  30 minute train trip to Stuttgart Central
  Zurich Airport
  10 - 14 minute train trip to Zurich Central Station

  Many other European airports have buses to the central or main rail stations. There are typically a minimum of two departures per hour, and travel times can vary from 15 minutes – 55 minutes depending on the city (and of course traffic en-route to the city center).

  You can always check directly with your arrival airport for specific information regarding transfers to the city center. Most airports have websites with information on where to go to find a train or bus connection to the downtown area.

  In addition, we encourage you to visit our Train Station pages to view information about services at the station and what airport links are available, if any, for a particular city.

• Q. How do I change my login or password?

  A. If you want or need to change your login information for your Rail Europe account, log in with your current login information. Once logged in, please visit your dashboard where you will be able to edit your profile information.

• Q. Are European trains "child friendly"?

  A. Many European trains have baby changing facilities and/or family friendly play areas.

  Intercités trains in France, some InterCity Swiss trains, InterCity Finnish trains and ICE trains in Germany offer play areas or dedicated compartments for families with children. The Austrian RailJet is even equipped with a movie theater especially for children.

  Please note: If traveling on Eurostar, you should not travel in Premier class with children. This area is dedicated to and caters primarily to business travellers.

• Q. If my train crosses a border, will I need to show my passport to the conductor?

  A. If you’re traveling between countries participating in the Schengen Agreement, you will not need to show your passport at the border crossings. If you are traveling between countries not part of the Schengen Agreement, you will have to show your passport at border crossings. Please note that not all countries of the EU participate in the Schengen Agreement (e.g. Great Britain, Ireland). On the other side, there are countries which are not part of the EU but which participate in the Schengen Agreement (e.g. Switzerland, Norway).

• Q. Does taking an overnight train mean using 2 travel days on my rail pass?

  A. If you travel on a direct overnight train departing after 7:00pm and arriving after 4:00am, it’s only necessary to enter the date of arrival in the travel calendar, thereby using only one travel day. If you travel on an overnight train that departs after 7:00pm but has a change of trains or arrives before 4:00am, you will be required to enter both the date of departure and arrival in the travel calendar, using two travel days of your rail pass.

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