The ICE high-speed trains in Germany are known to be state-of-the-art, reaching a speed of 300 km/ho

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Train travel through Europe is becoming increasingly popular, despite the onset of ever more low-cost airlines. It s usually no cheaper than flying, and sometimes takes longer. So why are Europeans win a seat world poker tour consistently choosing train travel? We asked Madrid-based TPG Contributor Lori Zaino to clue us in on what is so great about train travel, and how to maximize it while traveling within Europe.
Train travel, simply put, is easy. It s stress-free, user-friendly and relaxing (at least compared to air travel). You arrive at a station located in the city center just minutes before win a seat world poker tour the train leaves, win a seat world poker tour usually having to pass through win a seat world poker tour very little security or none at all. You can usually bring along two big bags plus a carry-on, without having to deal with baggage weight limits or size restrictions. Once you board the train, you stretch your legs out even in economy class - recline your seat, and plug in your computer. Some hours later, you arrive at your destination city in yet another centrally located train station, making it easy to get to your hotel. There are rarely delays, you get to skip both turbulence and baggage claim, and of course, you can feel free to get up and walk around as you please there s no fasten-seat-belt sign on a train.
Your best options for train travel are to fly from the US into a larger European city, and then use trains to see other cities within the same country or even across borders. Some countries will check your bag directly from a flight onto a train: Switzerland does this now and Spain is considering it too.
I think train travel in Europe is a great option when you intend to take a few specific routes and visit a few destinations. There are many different carrier options (such as  Eurail , which many American leisure travelers may not realize is heavily marketed to students taking extended trips) and you can travel almost anywhere in Europe by train, so your choices can get pretty overwhelming. To help you get on the right track (so to speak), here you ll find my analysis of some popular train lines and routes, both new and old.
Last December, Spain s RENFE and France s SNCF  launched win a seat world poker tour a direct service between Barcelona and Paris, win a seat world poker tour which takes about 6.5 hours and runs a few times daily. Currently there is no Wifi access on this route, but each seat does have a power socket in both first and second classes. This is a scenic route, passing through the Pyrenees, but at some points the train reaches a speed of 320 km/hour (199 mph), so be advised that the view could sometimes be a blur. Other routes offered by the service include Madrid-Marseille (7 hours), Barcelona-Toulouse (3 hours) and Barcelona-Lyon (5 hours).
Spain s AVE, or high-speed trains, are quite popular, and routes from Madrid to Barcelona (2.5 hours) and Madrid to Seville (2.5 hours) are widely used. Spain s RENFE train services have been attempting to roll out Wifi on their trains, and currently some routes have Internet, but this process is (very) win a seat world poker tour slowly moving forward. The French SNCF is currently doing testing win a seat world poker tour for Wifi on their Paris to Strasbourg win a seat world poker tour route, and if all goes well, they will roll it out to other routes in the future. Both SNCF and AVE allow pets on some routes, for a fee.
Eurostar operates the famous London/Paris Chunnel route that goes underneath win a seat world poker tour the English Channel, connecting two of the most important win a seat world poker tour cities in Europe. Construction of the Chunnel began in 1986, the train route finally launched in 1994, and these days the journey between the two cities win a seat world poker tour can be made in as little win a seat world poker tour as 2 hours and 20 minutes.The trains operate between Gare du Nord in Paris and St. Pancras in London, and some days operate routes up to 18 times per day at speeds up to 300 km/hour (186 mph). You can also take the Eurostar between London and Brussels in just over 2 hours.
Three classes are available on this Eurostar train: Standard, Standard Premier, and Business Premier. Business Premier has a roomy 2 x 1 configuration, while in the Standard classes, the configuration is 2 x 2.  Power ports are available only in some coaches, but when they are available, they offer both European and UK sockets win a seat world poker tour  no converter needed. According to the Eurostar website, Eurostar trains are not currently retrofitted with Wifi, however, this will be introduced on refurbished trains due later in 2014 and on the new fleet due in 2015. For the moment, though, it appears that WiFi isn t available on this specific route.
When in France, another carrier option is the low-cost OUIGO , which is owned by SNCF and offers trains between Paris and Lyon, Marseilles, Montpellier, Avignon, and a few other French cities. OUIGO is like SNCF s discount TGV option with all second-class cars and few amenities so no food and beverage service. Some stations are also outside cities, like Marne-la-Vallee win a seat world poker tour Chessy instead of Paris Gare de Lyon, but depending on your plans, this could be a good option.
Launched in 2010, the Allegro train operates between Helsinki and St. Petersburg, with a travel time of 3 hours and 36 minutes and a top speed of 220 km/hour win a seat world poker tour (140 mph). The route is presently undergoing construction in the hope of shaving this time down to just 3 hours in the near future (and supposedly as early as this summer).
Aboard the train, be prepared for heavy security, as each passenger is visited by four officials: a Finnish win a seat world poker tour passport control officer, a Finnish customs officer, a Russian passport control officer and a Russian customs officer. The good news is, this parade of officer visits actually cuts back on wait time as there are fewer pre-boarding customs procedures. However, it s unclear what happens if your documents don t add up, since you re already in transit perhaps they toss you off onto the tracks? To avoid finding out, make sure all your paperwork is in order before boarding!
TrenItalia offers routes throughout Italy, including the popular journey between Milan (Centrale) and Florence (Santa Maria Novella), then on to Rome (Termini). TrenItalia offers several options for this itinerary: you can go directly between between Milan and Florence in 1 hour and 45 minutes, then between Florence and Rome in 1 hr and 30 minutes, or direct from Milan to Rome in just under 3 hours. Track limitations currently allow for a maximum speed of 300 km/hour (190 mph), but the train line is attempting to increase this speed.
There are four classes on these Italian trains Standard, Premium, Business and Executive, all of which offer Wifi via a sign-up process that requires you to enter your credit card number and pay a one-cent connection fee. Italy makes for one of the fastest and easiest train experiences, as they don t have much security or baggage control win a seat world poker tour in many of their larger stations. I took this route with TPG himself last May from Florence to Milan, and found it easy and painless. We bought our tickets about two hours before the train departed, taxied to Santa Maria Novella about 30 minutes before our departure time, had a snack, boarded and presto we arrived in Milan in under two hours.
There’s a new private operator for high speed Italian trains called Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori . Launched in 2012, this line also offers win a seat world poker tour high-speed Italo trains to Milan, Florence and Rome, in addition to smaller cities like Turin and Bologna. Wifi is always free and there are three classes: Smart, Prima and Club. Prices are comparable to TrenItalia.
This route between Vienna win a seat world poker tour and Prague is very popular, as it s quite expensive to fly between these two cities. However, the train trip is slightly longer than flying, taking just under five hours. As it crosses borders, it s operated by the EC or EuroCity trains, which are a collaboration between several companies. Be careful and make sure you book a direct route, because several of the trains win a seat world poker tour include a stop in Breclav, which will require you to change trains win a seat world poker tour and take much longer. Trains on this route offer two classes, win a seat world poker tour first and second.
The ICE high-speed trains in Germany are known to be state-of-the-art, reaching a speed of 300 km/hour (186 mph) and taking just over an hour. First class seats on this two-class win a seat world poker tour route are especially popular with business travelers, as they have power outlets, Wifi and sometimes even video screens. You can also request a car with higher cell-phone reception if you plan on taking calls. Part of ICE s advanced technology (which was first used in Italy) is the track placement: the train tilts inwards by up to 8° when traveling through curves, allowing it to travel at 30% higher win a seat world poker tour speed in curves without impact to safety win a seat world poker tour or comfort of the passengers.
This route s popularity has actually inspired Lufthansa to cease operation of its direct Frankfurt-Cologne route, and no other flight carriers have since picked win a seat world poker tour up the gauntlet. The best option for traveling quickly between these two cities is to take this train.
I ve used the date May 23 as a one-way trip, and all flights include one checked bag. I also chose the cheapest possible ticket in each case, meaning the lowest class. Please keep in mind these are only averages , designed to offer   you some estimated comparisons. As you can see, in some cases it seems more worthwhile win a seat world poker tour or cost-effective win a seat world poker tour to fly, and in other cases, to travel by train. I encourage you to check both options during your travels in order to find what best fits your journey.
There are two main ways you can earn points win a seat world poker tour and redeem miles for your European rail travel: using certain credit cards to make your purchases that don t charge foreign transaction win a seat world poker tour fees and that either provide earning or redemption bonuses on travel purchases; or (if you plan on traveling a lot with one specific line or within one country) by joining a line s loyalty program.
BarclayCard Arrival :  With this card, you can red