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: thereโs 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 โ 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 โ after all, a little diligence goes a long way. So long as youโve mapped out your schedule and, more importantly, purchased all your point-to-point train tickets on Klook, youโre likely to have cleared the biggest hurdle to regional European travel โ even before youโve set foot on the Continent.
Why Point-to-Point?
As you can probably guess, โpoint-to-pointโ means youโre leaving from A and arriving at B โ 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. Itโs for curious travellers who arenโt afraid of a bit of last-minute spontaneity โ and require travel options to match. That said, itโs often an inefficient option โ 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 youโre zipping by deep ravines or bucolic church towns, thereโs a surprising amount of sightseeing to do en route from โPoint Aโ to โPoint Bโ โ allowing you to take in a vast trove of Europeโs 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 isnโt much ground youโll leave uncovered.
Take London-Paris for instance. Thatโs 140 picturesque minutes peering out the window as idyllic Continental landscapes go rushing by โ 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 thatโs 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 youโd like to arrive. Say youโre 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.
Youโll get an E-ticket or QR code sent to your Klook app and all youโll need to do is show it โ along with your passport โ 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 youโll be making free tapas money in no time flat.
Why Train Beats PlaneโฆAll Day Long
Letโs say you wanted to travel from London to Paris โ 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. Thatโs fast โ 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 โexcess baggageโ charges. Additionally, Charles de Gaulle is around 35km from Parisโ city centre. All that hassle equates to hours of transit, shaving off precious time you could use to explore the French capital.
Iโve opted for a point-to-point train ticket from London to Paris instead, which is available on Klook from AU$363.43. Thatโs a direct journey of 2 hours and 19 minutes, leaving from London St Pancras International in Kings Cross and arriving at Paris-Nord station โ just under a 10-minute drive from the 1st arrondissement.
So while the train trip itself clearly takes longer, Iโm saving time by avoiding the need to be at London St Pancras International hours before my ride leaves. That, and Iโll arrive in the heart of Paris โ ready to explore.
Hereโs the pivotal thing to remember: while flying might get you from A to B faster, itโd 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 youโll be confronted with between the cab rank, check-in desk, customs and so onโฆ
Point being: if youโve already settled on where you need to be in Europe โ and youโve only got a few pitstops to take โ thereโs no smarter way to travel than point-to-point.
Hop onto Klook now to start planning.
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