The sheer romance of travelling in Europe by train is well documented. Speeding through historic landscapes; enjoying a meal in the food cart; and even catching some shut-eye on a sleeper train before you arrive at your destination: there are few things as quintessentially European as exploring the Continent this way. Not to mention: there’s a good deal of practicality to travelling by rail as well.
Opting for train travel is often much more efficient than flying from country to country – a boon when it comes to saving both time and money. And given that making time work in your favour is the ultimate travel flex, you should consider established train routes like London to Paris, and Vienna to Budapest, as tools to make your trip less stressful and more exciting.
This summer, before you embark on your big Euro adventure, consider doing a little advance planning – after all, a little diligence goes a long way. So long as you’ve mapped out your schedule and, more importantly, purchased all your point-to-point train tickets on Klook, you’re likely to have cleared the biggest hurdle to regional European travel – even before you’ve set foot on the Continent.
Why Point-to-Point?
As you can probably guess, ‘point-to-point’ means you’re leaving from A and arriving at B – simple as that. Getting to where you need to go is simply a matter of picking the most efficient (and scenic) option.
Alternatively, consider a rail pass. Less directness, more flexibility. It’s for curious travellers who aren’t afraid of a bit of last-minute spontaneity – and require travel options to match. That said, it’s often an inefficient option – particularly next to point-to-point ticketing.
Even having a rudimentary travel timetable in mind can save you agony in the long run. When it comes to transiting, be decisive and straightforward: the hours saved will be better put towards exploring cities, the country and historic cultural institutions. Hence, the beauty of point-to-point.
Popular Point-to-Point Routes
Given how popular high-speed trains are across Europe, it should come as no surprise that seasoned rail travellers have favourite routes they stand by. No matter whether you’re zipping by deep ravines or bucolic church towns, there’s a surprising amount of sightseeing to do en route from ‘Point A’ to ‘Point B’ – allowing you to take in a vast trove of Europe’s sights and sounds, all while staying on schedule.
What are some of the best routes for helping you do this? As it turns out, the obvious ones: between London-Paris, London-Amsterdam, Zurich-Paris and Paris-Basel, there isn’t much ground you’ll leave uncovered.
Take London-Paris for instance. That’s 140 picturesque minutes peering out the window as idyllic Continental landscapes go rushing by – starting in the British capital and gradually giving way to the crests and arc of the River Seine, signalling your approach into Paris. An experience that’s impossible to come by at 36,000 ft.
How To Buy Point-to-Point Tickets
Pivotally, when purchasing your point-to-point fares, the only real question that needs answering is where your final destination will be and when you’d like to arrive. Say you’re in Paris for the best part of a week and wanted to head down to Barcelona for the weekend: rather than wasting time cross-checking different train services (all operated by different rail providers) just hop onto Klook to purchase your point-to-point ticket.
You’ll get an E-ticket or QR code sent to your Klook app and all you’ll need to do is show it – along with your passport – to the conductor once onboard. Handily, that purchase will also net you credits; which you can put towards your next point-to-point purchase.
Stack these up and you’ll be making free tapas money in no time flat.
Why Train Beats Plane…All Day Long
Let’s say you wanted to travel from London to Paris – your choices are between flying (in all likelihood, on a low-cost carrier) or travelling by train.
Flight duration between London and Paris is, on average, 80 minutes. That’s fast – in theory. But you also need to factor in all those hidden costs: getting to and from the airport; getting there early to deal with security; and, of course, impromptu ‘excess baggage’ charges. Additionally, Charles de Gaulle is around 35km from Paris’ city centre. All that hassle equates to hours of transit, shaving off precious time you could use to explore the French capital.
I’ve opted for a point-to-point train ticket from London to Paris instead, which is available on Klook from AU$363.43. That’s a direct journey of 2 hours and 19 minutes, leaving from London St Pancras International in Kings Cross and arriving at Paris-Nord station – just under a 10-minute drive from the 1st arrondissement.
So while the train trip itself clearly takes longer, I’m saving time by avoiding the need to be at London St Pancras International hours before my ride leaves. That, and I’ll arrive in the heart of Paris – ready to explore.
Here’s the pivotal thing to remember: while flying might get you from A to B faster, it’d be a mistake to start the proverbial timer the moment your aircraft leaves and touches back down on the runway. It starts the moment you wake up groggy to your phone alarm; as you furiously pack your luggage and attempt to anticipate all of the potential delays you’ll be confronted with between the cab rank, check-in desk, customs and so on…
Point being: if you’ve already settled on where you need to be in Europe – and you’ve only got a few pitstops to take – there’s no smarter way to travel than point-to-point.
Hop onto Klook now to start planning.
This article is sponsored by Klook. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Boss Hunting.
