DIY: How to plan a train route through Europe

To plan your train route for an overland itinerary, start by selecting one or two main places. Rather than scattering your stops, you can map a logical path using interactive tools like Byway Maps. Keep your daily travel times under eight hours, look for natural midway stopovers to break the journey, and check whether a flexible Interrail pass or advance point-to-point tickets offer the best value for your specific legs. For checking tickets, use aggregators like Rail Europe to compare timetables, and build in 30 to 45-minute transfer buffers between trains.

If you book with Byway, you can opt to design your route on Byway maps, browse pre-designed itineraries or speak to our expert team to create your perfect route. But if you're planning your own DIY adventure, our guide will help you plot your overland route yourself.

Interrail

How to map a logical rail route

Byway’s Maps tool allows you to select your chosen places, and will link up these places with journeys and stop-offs along the way. Elsewhere, Chronotrains is a great map resource for visualising how far you can travel by rail within different time periods.

Mark Smith's Seat61 is also an encyclopedia of rail travel, offering hundreds of pages of information on how to reach different destinations by train. For offline reading, Europe by Rail is one of the original slow travel resources, packed full with routes designed for scenery over speed.

As you begin sketching out your route, look for natural places to break the journey: a stop halfway can end up being a surprising highlight, somewhere you would never have thought to visit otherwise. Try to keep travel times at a maximum of eight hours per day for optimum enjoyment.

Lawrence Krowdeed

Navigating rail logistics 

Aggregators like Rail Europe and AllAboard are useful for piecing together a full set of timetables in one place. 

Build in a buffer of 30 to 45 minutes for any transfer, and for any unexpected delays. A number of European operators have a Hop On The Next Available Train (HOTNAT) policy, which generally entitles you to board the next service to your destination at no extra cost in the event of delays and cancellations, even on a non-refundable ticket. You’ll need to add more transfer time for Eurostar check-in, security at Spanish stations, or crossing between stations in cities like Paris or Milan. You can check transfer times between major stations (for example Paris’ Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon) on Google Maps. 

If you've got accessibility requirements, it's worth thinking through how a longer journey might affect things, like keeping medication cool without a fridge on board, and checking ahead, since not every station in Europe is step-free. Most major stations, and a good number of smaller ones, can arrange assistance in advance by phone or email.

At Byway, we handle all accessibility needs and special requirements through our expert concierge service so you can leave the logistics to us.

Interrail pass vs. point-to-point tickets

Deciding between a flexible multi-country rail pass and standalone, point-to-point tickets depends on the length and complexity of your journey. Standalone tickets often prove cheaper for short trips, whereas an Interrail pass unlocks superior cost-efficiency and spontaneity for longer, multi-leg itineraries. To help work out which is more cost-effective for your trip, read more here.

At Byway, we will always plan your journey optimised for the best-value combination of standard train tickets and an Interrail pass with all required seat reservations. Most Byway trips will use an Interrail pass, and our team provides expert support and workshops on setting up your pass. 

Imren Tutuncu

Planning hotel stopovers

Three nights per stop is the sweet spot for stays. It gives you enough time to settle in, unpack and see the sights, without feeling rushed. If you have a ‘main’ destination that you’re getting to, then a one-night stay on the way can work if you’re not arriving too late after a long travel day.

Also, think about where you’re staying. A hotel close to the station is perfect for an early departure or late arrival, or if you’re just using it as a stop on the way to your highlight place. But if you want to see as much as possible, a spot in the old town is best for exploring on foot. Booking.com covers a wide range, Fairbnb (or Airbnb) can do well for self-catering, and Sawdays is the one for something with a bit more character. For more tips on selecting your accommodation, read our guide to picking hotels for a trip by train.

If you book with Byway, we’ll book all your accommodation for you, always prioritising locally-owned stays in good proximity to train stations or ferry terminals. 

Top tips for planning a slow travel trip

• Luggage: Pack lighter than feels comfortable, since you'll be carrying your own bags up steps and over cobbles for the whole trip.

• A travel day kit: A power bank, something to read, and a few snacks make a longer leg far more pleasant. Read more about packing for train travel.

• Visas and insurance: Check requirements for every country on your route well ahead of time, and make sure your cover spans the whole trip.

• Staying connected: An eSIM or local roaming plan keeps maps and platform information accessible on the move.

Read the DIY slow travel blog series

This guide covers one part of planning a flight-free trip. Here's the rest of the series:

• Six steps to DIY slow travel

• Plan your tickets

• Book your Interrail pass

• Book your tickets

• Book your accommodation

• Set up your Interrail pass

Or, if you'd rather leave the logistics to the experts, book with Byway and we’ll handle everything for you. Each booking includes all transport, hotels and personal trip guide, all wrapped up with ABTA-protection, free disruption replanning and in-trip support from our experts while you’re away. 

You can watch the video tutorial 'How to plan a train route through Europe' here, or sign up below for our full DIY video course delivered straight into your inbox.