Dissecting the pros and cons of train travel: efficiency, cost, ease-of-mind and more.
In case my oversharing on Instagram didn't make it clear, I recently returned from traveling around Europe. After a two-month stint of ALMOST only taking trains to get around the continent, I feel like I've got a pretty good gauge of the pros and cons of train travel.
Two years ago when I was studying in Spain, I traveled almost every weekend by airplane. So, I am basing my pro/con list on my comparisons between a couple of months dedicated to plane travel and a trip dedicated to train travel. Of course, these points are based on my personal experience and opinions, so do with this information as you will.
Pro: There are train passes for everyone.
Whether you are headed to Europe for one week and are planning to see a different city every day or you're planning to hop around the continent for several months, there is a pass for you. Purchasing a Eurail Pass can save you significant amounts of money when you're buying tickets.
The pass I bought gave me ten travel days in two months. I visited 30 cities, so obviously, I didn't use my pass for all those trains; instead, I saved it for my more expensive routes and just paid outright for the relatively inexpensive train tickets (more on this later.)
A Eurail Pass might make sense for some travelers but not others. I recommend mapping out a rough idea of cities you want to visit and adding up the total by purchasing tickets with and without a Eurail Pass to see what option would be most beneficial for you.
Con: NEVER trust the initial ETA.
Timing was the biggest thing I struggled with regarding train travel. Of the dozens of trains I took, I would say 25% arrived on time... and that's being generous. Sometimes, delays would only be a few minutes, but other times, arrival would be pushed back by hours.
Luckily, I never booked activities or made reservations on travel days, so it was just more of an inconvenience than anything. But, when you only have so much time to explore new places, it does put a bit of a damper on things. Plus, who wants to be stuck on a train longer than they have to?
While other perks of train travel might make up for its fashionably late tendencies, airplanes take the cake in this category.
Pro: Train tickets can be very affordable.
Of course, it depends on where you try to get to, but some train tickets could be in the single digits. Another perk of train travel is they won't charge you outrageous add-on fees for luggage or overweight bags like some of those budget airlines will.
Con: Train strikes are always a possibility.
This sounds worse than it is, I promise. When you hear the word "strike," the first thing that pops into your mind is probably one of the strikes the United States experienced in 2023 that lasted months. This is not going to be the case for train strikes.
In most cases, train strikes in Europe will be announced in advance. When they occur, they usually last a day or even a couple of hours. Either way, these can be anticipated and avoided if you do your research ahead of time.
Pro: The "show up two hours early" rule doesn't apply here.
The time it takes from stepping foot into the train station to taking a seat on the train is one of the greatest and most convenient aspects of train travel. Forget about waiting forever to get checked in or the dreadful line for security.
The hassle you go through in an airport is virtually nonexistent at the train station. Depending on your trip, you could arrive ten minutes before departure and be good to go. If your trip is longer, boarding the train 30 minutes in advance might be required... but even then, it doesn't compare to showing up two hours early.
Con: You might have to be strategic about your route.
When flying, whether it takes a layover or two, you can get from point A to point B in less than a day. Trains are not very convenient in this sense. You can go from England to France easily by train, but it would take days and a lot of wasted time to get from England to Greece, for example, by train.
This is when you might need to get tactical about your route and which countries and cities you want to prioritize. If your top countries are as far apart as England and Greece are, you'll want to opt for flying unless you have the time and desire to stop in cities along the route.
Pro: You can rest assured your luggage ends up where you do.
If it hasn't been you, you probably know someone who's had their luggage lost at the hands of the airline. Traveling by train means your luggage is with you at all times. You are the one who gets it on and off the train. If possible, I always liked to request or snag a seat by the luggage rack to keep an eye on my suitcase just to be extra cautious.
The bottom line: Are trains or planes better?
There is no right or wrong answer... I think it's quite situational. When I called Sevilla, Spain, home for three months, flying was more realistic because there were only so many places I could get to in a timely manner from where I lived. I also had class Monday through Thursday, so time was of the essence.
This past trip around Europe was one without a home base, so I was constantly on the go. I was traveling with a large suitcase, which would have made checking luggage onto flights very expensive. This time, it was more logical and financially smart to train everywhere.
So, if you happen to be headed across the pond for an extended amount of time (which I really hope you are:)), consider this pro and con list to determine if train travel suits you.
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