Rail travel becomes more attractive daily as air travel becomes increasingly tiresome. The obstacle has always been cost, is it really possible to travel as cheaply by train or ferry as by budget airline? Thanks to the man in seat61.com the answer seems to be yes.
First it pays to be realistic about the cost of flying. Advertised prices always look tempting but they’re usually hard to find and the actual fare is often higher. Add airport tax and Air Passenger Duty (APD) transportation at either end, extra fees for children and checked luggage before to get the true picture. Then factor in the indignities suffered at the airport and the discomfort of the journey and suddenly the train is the best way to travel.
Within the UK - visit nationalrail.co.uk or call 08457 48 49 50.
Ireland. See sailrail.co.uk and book by phone on 08450 755 755.Amsterdam. Fares as low as £69 return from London by Eurostar? Alternatively, . book at dutchflyer.co.uk or on 0870 5 455 455.
France. Again your best bet is eurostar.com. Here you can buy through tickets to major French cities by Eurostar and French high-speed TGV, for example London to Bordeaux from £99 return, and London to Marseille, Perpignan or Nice from £109 return. From November 14, Eurostar plans to offer some cheap through tickets to Paris from places such as Manchester, York, Leeds and Leicester, with one simple change at the new St Pancras International station.
For Switzerland, Italy or Spain, check out raileurope.co.uk (or call 0870 8 371 371). Here you can book both your Eurostar ticket from London to Paris and many cheap deals offered by the European railways. Buy a London-Paris ticket from £59 return, then nab a ticket from Paris to Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel or Zurich from as little as £15 each way. You can even treat yourself to first class, from £38 each way.
If travelling to Italy, a couchette on the overnight train from Paris to Florence, Venice or Rome can be yours for as little as £26 each way. If you’re bound for Spain, a bed for the night on the excellent “trainhotels” from Paris to Madrid or Barcelona costs just £52 each way if you book in advance. And frankly, an afternoon Eurostar to Paris then an overnight sleeper to the Mediterranean won’t take much more time out of your schedule than a late afternoon flight plus a room for the night - and isn’t that a hotel bill saved, too?
There are similar deals from the UK to Germany, Austria and even Poland, see seat61.com or call German Railway’s UK office on 0871 8 80 80 66.
You’ll not only find train travel affordable, you might just find it adds a new, more relaxing dimension to your trips away, free from airport queues and flights.
· You’ll find information on all these fares at seat61.com.
