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Trains to Europe

Take the Eurostar to your holiday starting point

 

Take the train to Europe with Inntravel

The essence of Inntravel holidays – and travel arrangements – is flexibility. Many of our holidays to France, Switzerland, Spain, and Italy can be reached comfortably in a day’s travel from London, but we are happy to tailor-make a longer rail journey for you, if you’re looking to travel further afield and would prefer to travel by train than by plane.
 

Why travel by train?

A relaxed start to your holiday
Travelling by rail from the UK is a very relaxing (not to mention environmentally friendly!) way to reach your holiday – no traffic jams, no rush for an unassigned seat, and a generous luggage allowance means you can pack as much as you can comfortably carry. Watching the gradual changes in the landscape, you gain a real sense of journey, too, that is impossible from the air, the anticipation mounting as you draw nearer to your destination.
We'll take care of the arrangements for you...
What’s more, the organisation need be no more complicated than booking a flight. We have many years’ experience of arranging Eurostar and connecting services, making us the leading specialists in rail travel among activity-holiday companies.

Tell us whether you’d like to travel in second or first class, and we’ll work out the best route and timings, book the trains, reserve your seats, and provide full details of your journey, including any changes, in a personalised itinerary.
...wherever you'd like to travel
With most regions within a day’s travel from London, France is the obvious choice. In fact, a third of our customers holidaying in L’Hexagone travel there by rail, but an ever-increasing number of customers holidaying further afield are choosing this option too. North-east Spain and many parts of Germany and Switzerland can be reached in a day, while Italy, southern Spain and Austria are feasible with a sleeper train and/or an overnight stay in a city en route. There are few places in Europe we can’t get you to!
City culture en route
Why not make more of your journey by including a night or two in a city along the way? We can arrange stopovers in Paris, Lyon, Montpellier, Barcelona, Girona, Madrid, Turin, Zürich and Munich, to name but a few.
 

Where we can take you by train

 
Top tips for making the switch from plane to train
Inntravel have been championing rail-inclusive holidays for over two decades, but we’ve redoubled our efforts in recent years and were delighted to take 5.7% of all customers at least one way to/from their holiday by rail in 2024. Not least because rail is such a rewarding way to travel – it’s comfortable, convenient, and often highly scenic.

If you’ve been considering making the jump from plane to train, here are our top tips on how to make rail travel work for you.

Get the best deal: Look out for any special offers, and book early for the lowest prices: most high-speed trains go on sale at least three months before departure, but peak season tickets can be made available up to 11 months in advance. Sleeper trains offer an economical option for longer distances, given they cover both your travel and overnight stay.

Save time: Short of time? Why not travel just one way by rail? It’s a great way to dip your toe in the water and compare experiences. 

Plan carefully: Keep travel days to 10 hours or under and limit the number of changes. It’s also a good idea to think about the times of day you are travelling – if you arrive in the dark you might miss some of the best views.

Add a city stay: When you need to break your journey, choose to overnight in fascinating cities such as Paris or Zürich. 

Pack lightly: Squeezing bulky cases down train aisles won’t make for a relaxing journey. We recommend a cabin case (one that would fit in the overhead compartment of an airplane), plus a small backpack with trolley strap, and a little day pack for train snacks. 

Book with an expert: As specialists in international rail travel, there are many ways Inntravel can aid and enhance your journey – including devising the best routes and timings and guiding you between connections.
 

Rail travel FAQs

  • There can be few more splendid places to begin a journey than at elegant London St Pancras station, whose grandeur and bustle rekindles the excitement of travel. Having left London, the Eurostar speeds across Kent in just 35 minutes before whisking you through the Channel Tunnel and across northern France to Paris, Lille or Brussels to link with other rail services.

    Transferring from Eurostar onto the European rail network is easy: at Brussels Midi and Lille Europe stations, you simply change platforms. In Paris, you take direct Métro or RER services (tickets and directions included) from the Eurostar Terminal to other mainline stations, with the option of breaking your journey in the French capital for up to 24 hours without increasing the fare. (We will be happy to book the intimate, centrally located Hotel St Paul Rive Gauche for you.)

    Read our fuller description of the Eurostar experience >
  • The ‘by rail’ prices all include:

    • return Eurostar from London St Pancras in second class to Lille, Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam, as described on the holiday page.

    • for journeys via Paris, we provide Métro/RER tickets between Paris’ mainline stations.

    • return onward rail in second class to the station closest to your holiday. Often this will be by high-speed or long-distance train with connecting regional rail.

    • where necessary, connecting taxi transfer, scheduled bus and/or car hire from the local station to your accommodation. We do not include transfers to city hotels.
     

    The tickets which we provide can only be used on the dates and times specified and cannot be changed or refunded.

    Our ‘by rail’ prices are based on tariffs negotiated with the rail companies and are subject to availability. Seats for Eurostar become available to book 10 months before travel. If you make your booking with Inntravel more than 10 months before your holiday, we guarantee the rail price quoted in the brochure. For later bookings, there may be no seats available at the guaranteed prices, but we may be able to offer you seats on the same services at a supplement.

    For holidays with ‘by rail’ prices, we show a brief synopsis of the normal route and an overall approximate journey duration. These are intended as a guide only, based on the previous season’s timetable with departures from St Pancras. Various route options may be possible, and journey durations will vary according to the route taken and the day of travel. We will discuss options with you when you book.
  • On most local and regional commuter trains, seat reservations are neither necessary nor possible, but we reserve seats on long-distance and high-speed services. We endeavour to book the best available seats for you wherever possible, but we are unable to guarantee specific seat requirements. On some trains, seat assignments are beyond our control and train companies also reserve the right to make last-minute changes to rolling stock which may affect your seating arrangements. If you have specific requirements for medical reasons, please discuss these with us when making your initial holiday booking.
  • The main advantage of upgrading to first class on European high-speed trains is the added space with wider reclining seats. Meals are not included in first class on most TGV and European high-speed trains.

    One exception is Eurostar’s Standard Premier class, which offers generous reclining seating, with a continental breakfast of pastries, fruit and yoghurt served at your seat with a cup of tea or Lavazza coffee. For departures after 11am, a light cold meal is served.
  • If you have a long journey between home and St Pancras, we would be pleased to adapt our routes to dovetail with your UK rail journey, perhaps adding an overnight stay in Paris or another city along the way. In terms of connection times, we recommend allowing at least 90 minutes at St Pancras (which is a short stroll from Kings Cross) before departure for check-in and security.
  • The UK government requires carriers (including airlines and rail and ferry operators) to collect API for passengers on routes to and from the UK, and governments of some other countries require similar information. API is sometimes collected as you check in and is normally restricted to the standard information contained in machine-readable passports, such as full given names, date of birth, nationality, gender, passport number, date of issue and expiry. However, some countries require the information to be submitted in advance of departure and some governments collect additional information such as your destination address. Where we have made travel arrangements on your behalf and your carrier requires the information in advance, we will collect the information from you and submit it to your travel provider. Please be assured that we have measures in place to protect the personal information you provide to us, as explained in our privacy policy.
 

More ways to travel by rail

If you're looking for more ways to include travelling by train as part of your holiday - whether as part of your itinerary or getting to and from your holiday - here's some inspiration on the Eurostar experience, our most easily accessible holidays by rail, and rail holidays in Europe.
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