Tag: train travel

Bernina Express-Swiss Alps by Train

On By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Bernina Express, Switzerland, train travel, Travel, travel tips, travelling, Uncategorized, vacation, Zurich2 Comments

When we decided to splurge and go to the Bruce Springsteen concert in Zurich, I knew I wanted to schedule time to check out the rest of Switzerland while we were there, one of the countries I had always wanted to go to. Growing up in flat Indiana, mountains have always fascinated me. After spending a fantastic evening with Bruce in Zurich in June, we set out on the train for a quick one-hour ride to Chur, Switzerland to spend the night and then pick up the Bernina Express the next day. We were off to cross the Alps!

Setting off in the early afternoon from Chur, we were fortunate to have a clear day for our journey. The highest railway across the Alps, the train climbs higher and higher with spectacular views on both sides. There are large panoramic windows for unobstructed viewing and picture taking. In our car, people were jumping up and running from side to side to take pictures and everyone was very friendly. We met lovely folks from Australia and Canada. I always enjoy hearing about other people’s travels all over the world! Every time I thought I couldn’t possibly take another picture, there was something else so impressive I had to whip out my phone. Along the way, the train goes through 55 tunnels, over 196 bridges and takes inclines of up to 70 per mile with ease. I’ll let my pictures take you on this journey so you can also experience the beauty of the Alps.

Not surprisingly, this amazing railway line has UNESCO World Heritage status so it will be preserved and cherished. As we passed by the many glaciers, one does wonder what impact climate change will have on this area of the world. It is a continuous journey, but passengers were able to hop off the train for all of two minutes to take pictures at one stunning stop where there was a restaurant. Our first-class tickets were $250 USD each and well worth it. Of course, when I booked our tickets online, I thought I was getting a real deal because they were only $26 euros each. Turns out, in the fine print was a vaguely worded statement that this charge was for “reserving” the seats and that I should have then gone on to pay (somewhere?) an additional $110 euros for the actual train tickets. Luckily, they didn’t throw us off the train on a mountainside and we were able to straighten this out on the train with the attendant who swung through to scan everyone’s tickets and she just took our credit card there and charged us. Next time, I will make sure to dig deeper and read all the details. No other train travel had a separate charge to reserve seats so live and learn!

We had waiter service to order snacks and beverages. They also passed out lovely souvenir Bernina Express chocolate tins. My grandkids will love them! I would recommend going online and securing your tickets as soon as you know your travel dates. Our train was sold out. In talking to fellow travelers, they had all dreamed of this trip and had planned their vacations around taking it.

Eventually, the train came down from the Alps and ended in Tirano, Italy. There we picked up another train immediately to take us to Milan where we would be flying home the following day. This train segment was very scenic as it wound around the many lakes in Northern Italy. What an adventure! I really feel like I saw the best of Switzerland after our stays in Basel, Zurich, Chur and our final scenic Alps trip on the Bernina Express. Enjoy the journey!

Swiss Train Travel

On By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Europe, Switzerland, train travel, Travel, travel apps, travel hacks, travel tips, travelling, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Enjoy beautiful views of scenic lakes and mountains in Switzerland while sipping your coffee and relaxing in your comfy seat on Swiss Railways aka SBB. Sound perfect? Train travel is THE way to explore Switzerland. On our trip that we took in June, we completed several trips on SBB so let me share our train adventures!

We travelled first from Milan, Italy to Basel, Switzerland on a four-hour journey. We decided to splurge on first class seats because of the length of the journey. First class will get you larger seats and less crowded cars. The result is a cleaner bathroom used by less travelers, which is important to me. They don’t have waiter beverage service in first class (which would have been nice!), but you can go to the restaurant car that everyone can access and get a variety of snacks and beverages including alcohol. We enjoyed the journey even with a slight delay due to a train blocking our quickest route to Basel, so we had to detour through Germany to get to Switzerland.

On a day trip from Basel to Lucerne, which is under two hours, we got second class seats and it was just fine for this shorter trip. You can purchase your tickets easily online on their SBB app on your mobile device. Not sure when you want to travel? No problem. You can buy a ticket that can be used any time for the point-to-point journey that you book. We looked at the schedule and noticed that trains to Lucerne were running every 15 minutes. Some trains take longer because they are “locals” which make more stops vs. a direct route, so make sure you know which type of train you are taking. We didn’t buy our return tickets until we were done sightseeing in Lucerne and then just jumped on the app, purchased them and got onboard at the station. Love this way of travelling!

To get to Zurich from Basel, we took a quick and scenic one-hour train ride. Why drive when you can jump on the train, grab a beverage and sit back and relax and enjoy the view? The cost of renting a car is also much more expensive than train travel. After our stay in Zurich to see the Bruce Springsteen concert (awesome!), it was back on the train to Chur in order to start our Bernina Express journey through the Alps-a special experience that I will cover in a separate blog post.

When we are travelling with luggage, we generally will find the taxi line and use taxis to get to our hotel vs. taking public transportation just so we don’t have to haul the bags. Public transportation is clean, cheap and plentiful in Europe. For our days trips and once we get the lay of the land, we will use public transportation, which is even free in some places. In Basel, the hotels give tourists a “Basel Card” which enables free public transportation and discounts on museums, cruises, etc. Be sure to find out if the hotel where you are going can assist you with this type of discount card.

When you purchase your train ticket at The SBB online portal for trains and public transport | SBB , you will get a QR code which you will show to the train agent on the train after your journey has started. No need to have printed tickets if you have the QR code on your phone. I usually take a screenshot of it so I can access it quickly.  They come through with their scanners and eventually get to everyone before the train ride is over. If you are not a Swiss citizen, you may be asked for your passport for them to review.

Sound like fun? Train travel is inexpensive and easy to use in order to enjoy experiences all over Switzerland. All aboard! Enjoy the journey.

Europe Train Travel-UK, Eurostar, Italy

On By Travels with MelindaIn Edinburgh, France, Glasgow, Italy, Liverpool, London, Travel, UK, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Travelling by train all over the UK was on my husband’s bucket list so off we went in September 2022 after several years of Covid lockdown, his open-heart surgery and resulting lengthy recovery. It was great to get on the road again or should I say “rails”! We flew into London and then we were off to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Bath and then the Eurostar from London to Paris and finally several trips in Italy-all by train. Hopefully, I can help prepare you for your train travels. Remember, enjoy the journey!

UK TRAIN TRAVEL

We love travelling slow and looking out at bucolic grassy slopes of cow and sheep grazing on the green grass without the worry of driving in a foreign country. With good wifi, you can also get some work done (me) and catch on social media (my husband) along with the perks of a convenient café car and bathrooms. We sometimes bring along our own food and beverages and grab a table seat on the trains. In the UK, Pret and M & S Food are our go-to spots for readymade sandwiches, pastries, fruit and salads that make up an excellent train picnic! You’ll find these chain shops either in the train stations or nearby.

After a few days to enjoy London, we boarded our train to Edinburgh, a city I had been longing to see for awhile. I recommend you sit on the righthand side of the train for this trip to enjoy some coastal views along the way. Edinburgh was magical-see my blog on our visit there: Edinburgh – Travels with Melinda

As with any kind of travel, it’s best to be prepared for anything to happen. On our one hour scheduled trip from Edinburgh to Glasgow, we experienced having to exit two trains due to flooding on the tracks ahead on a very rainy (even for the UK) day. Finally, with no alternative, we quickly downloaded a local taxi app, booked a car and had them drive us the final 20 miles to Glasgow for $25GP rather than be stranded at the local train outpost standing outside during a thunderstorm. We were fortunate to be able to afford to do that but many of the fellow passengers were going to be forced to wait for another train or for the train company to get them a bus to transport them to their final destination, turning a one-hour ride into an all-day nightmare. So, while there are great pluses to train travel, stuff can happen. Be prepared. Technology is your friend. Use it.

Glasgow to Liverpool was a four-hour train trip. We saw mile after mile of sheep laying in the fields! Wind turbines are everywhere. With an energy crisis due to the Russian dependency, the UK will have to put up even more turbines to support their needs. At one stop, our driver must have exceeded his work shift, so we had to wait for his replacement to show up-about a 20-minute delay. Unlike airplanes, trains cannot make up time if they get delayed. You will just show up past the arrival time scheduled. Build in some time on your agenda for possible delays if you are making any connections.

Booking tickets can be confusing but take it one step at a time. Research going from Point A to Point B on a travel app like RometoRio, which is my favorite transportation app. There are many different train companies within a country. For our UK train travels, we used Linr (London Northeast Rail), ScotRail and GWR. When you book using their online platforms, the tickets will be accessible in your app and it’s a barcode or QR code. You scan this code on the machine to get into the platform. When you get to the train station (most don’t have a lot of seating so don’t go too early-30 minutes prior to departure is about right), go to the board listing all the train rides and, about 20 minutes prior to departure, your trip details will post with the platform #. As soon as the platform # is assigned, you can go to the entry, scan your ticket and board the train. Most of our rides had assigned seats. In the car, you’ll see red or green lights to indicate whether a seat has been booked in advance. If you want to change your seat, you can go to any seat that is green. Luggage is stored overhead (carry-on) or there are luggage racks in each car. We only travel with carry-on (even for a month-long trip!) so we keep ours in the overhead where we sit. I have heard of luggage being stolen so keep an eye on your possessions! Helpful UK links:

Trainline : Search, Compare & Buy Cheap Train Tickets (thetrainline.com)

LNER | London North Eastern Railway

Train Tickets | Times & Timetables | Fares in Scotland | ScotRail

Buy Cheap Train Tickets | Great Western Railway | First Great Western (gwr.com)

EUROSTAR TRAIN FROM LONDON TO PARIS

I always thought that taking the Eurostar would be totally cool and I was right! It’s fast and much more fun than flying from London to Paris. Hints on taking Eurostar from London to Paris:

You will leave from St. Pancras international terminal in London and travel 150 miles per hour (224km) for 2 hours and 17 minutes arriving at Paris Gare du Nord station. There is free WiFi on the train and outlets by seats (UK or EU adapters) to recharge your devices. There is a club car with food and beverages to purchase. Everyone has assigned seats-book here: Book Europe Train Tickets and Holidays | Eurostar.com

Plan to arrive two hours before your departure. We had standard tickets but, in retrospect, we wish we had paid the extra and booked business class to skip the long lines and wait in the comfort of the business class lounges. Next time! Lots of restaurants and shops to check out at St. Pancras while you wait or buy food there and bring it with you on the train. No restrictions for bringing food and beverages on the train.

Boarding Process:

  1. 90 minutes before your departure time, you are able to queue and start to proceed to scan your ticket to enter the platform. Note: you can scan earlier if you want though the signs say otherwise but there is limited room to sit once you go through so best to just be in queue when they tell you.
  2. After scanning ticket to go through the gate, you then go through security. Everything goes in the trays. No need to take off shoes or separate liquids  Just backpack/purse/anything in your pockets in one tray and luggage in another. You will have to take off coat or jacket and put in try as well. Saw someone put their coffee cup in a tray as well.
  3. After security, then you go through passport control stations. First show passport (no need to show ticket) to UK control and then you have to show passport to EU control. Then, put away your passport. You won’t need to show again when you arrive in Paris.
  4. Try to find a seat to wait. Good luck-seats are limited! Your platform # will be announced 20 minutes prior to departure and the masses will all move to a moving sidewalk that goes up to the platform. Watch for people holding signs for where you go based on your seat.

For really in depth Eurostar details, check out this site: https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/london-to-paris-by-eurostar.htm#check-in-london

ITALY TRAIN TRAVEL

Within Italy, we took the train from Florence to Venice for a weekend and also day trip to Lucca and finally train to Rome to end our trip. Please don’t think about driving in Italy. The roads are as narrow as the drivers are crazy. Just being a passenger in a car in Italy is stressful!

Arriving in Rome, the Roma Termini is a massive transportation hub. From there, you can use the metro system, buses and trams to get around the city or, even better, walk!

Pay a little more and get the Executive Club seats on the train. On our train from Florence to Rome, they even had private salons that had sliding doors to close for privacy. Great for families that need 4 seats. Make sure you know where the bathrooms are and don’t book a seat by them. Trust me. You do not want the toliet traffic or smell.

Also with Executive Club, you get to wait in the lounge. In Florence, this is really important because there is no place to sit for anyone and only pay public toliets. Now in Venice, the station has adequate seating especially in the upper food court  Florence needs to add a second floor! The lounge has a coffee machine and packages snacks and a nice water closet aka WC. Helpful Italy train links:

High speed train (we took from Florence to Rome): Italy high speed train tickets| Italotreno.it – Official website

EN – Trenitalia

Senior Offer – Trenitalia

Can non-Italian residents get the Senior discount?

CartaFRECCIA (senior discount) member-If you do not have a domicile in ITALY you can ask for a CartaFRECCIA by sending an email to the e-mail address cfreccia.application@trenitalia.it indicating name, surname, date of birth, place of birth (in case of birth in a foreign country indicate which) , an e-mail address and a telephone number and attaching a legible PDF copy of your valid passport.

Within 30 days you will receive your personal code, a password to access the dedicated online services and the CartaFRECCIA, immediately active, which will have to print and take you on your journeys when using trains operated by Trenitalia. Shipment of the CartaFRECCIA plastic card is not possible under any circumstances.