9 Lessons We Learned While Taking the Trains in Europe

Were I to do a Christmas markets trip again, the first thing I would do differently would be to limit it to just two cities instead of three. Eight days simply isn’t enough time to take in three cities in three separate countries. The other thing I would do would be to fly into one city and out of another, rather than having to backtrack and fly back out of the same place we first landed. Both of these changes would have saved us a lot of time–we spent as much time on trains as we did being tourists. But lessons learned, y’know? And we got to see a lot of countryside views from the trains.

We learned a lot about taking trains in general, which neither of us had done a lot of before this trip. Here are some of the lessons we learned.

1. Pay attention to spelling.

Strausberg is not simply the German spelling of Strasbourg, which is where we were trying to go. (An assumption that might have led to a beautiful adventure, but would have thrown off our whole vacation if someone hadn’t set us straight!)

2. Ask for help.

This one may seem like common sense. But seriously, if you can’t translate what’s written on your ticket with your paltry understanding of another language, stop at the information booth at the train station. They’re more than happy to help you. That’s what they’re there for. (Another life lesson I learned is that the stereotype of men not wanting to stop and ask for directions is not entirely untrue!)

3. If you’re not near a border, then most likely they’re not going to repeat announcements in multiple languages.

There were numerous times on this trip that a route was being unexpectedly changed, or a train was unexpectedly delayed. As none of this was announced in our native tongue, we were dependent on the people around us to take pity on two Americans and keep us informed. Most of them were perfectly willing to offer assistance–after all, we were all on this journey together. One gentleman who spoke only a bit of English alerted us when we were completely unaware anything had changed, and then even ran to find a staff member to translate for us when it happened.

4. It’s shockingly easy to sneak into First Class.

Most of our train lessons were learned in Germany (which also had the best trains). Perhaps our favorite of these was that if you decline to purchase assigned seats, it’s actually very easy to sneak into First Class, where they bring you cookies and drinks and you can just relax in a quiet, wider space. On the other hand…

5. It’s a lot of up-and-down if you don’t purchase specific seats.

We kept hoping that we’d finally be able to sit and relax. But without purchasing assigned seats, we often found ourselves sitting in someone else’s. And then we’d have to get up and move again.

6. Sometimes the other passengers are really strange.

I know, I know–anywhere you go, people are strange. The Doors were right about this one. But on a train, you’re stuck with them. On one four-hour ride, we sat at one of those arrangements where four seats face a little table. A mousy young woman with wide eyes who appeared to be about our age sat facing us and just stared at us the entire time. Every time we looked up, she was staring. Both of us noted after the fact that on more than one occasion, while staring out the window, we even caught her reflection staring at our reflections. In all likelihood, she was just shy and unsure how or whether to start a conversation, but it was awkward.

7. You’ve really got to stay on top of things.

We missed one train and it added eight hours onto our day. Know exactly where you’ve got to head next when you reach your destination. If you have a full day of traveling ahead of you, be sure you know how much time you have between stops so you can plan when you’ll eat. And if you’re purchasing tickets and there’s a train leaving in three minutes, you’re highly unlikely to make it to the platform in time. Just wait for the next one if you can.

8. Trains don’t just run from here to there all throughout the day.

We mistakenly believed before this trip that we could just go to the station and find regular trains anywhere around the country all throughout the day. But this was not the case. A few times, the train we caught was one of only two or three going that way for the whole day.

9. Train stations are terrifying places in the middle of the night.

I can’t stress this enough. On the day we missed a train and got to Prague Central Station eight hours later than expected at midnight, we were basically in danger. Think about it–train stations are open 24/7. People live in there. Even the staff is scary late at night. I greeted an employee in Czech and tried to ask for assistance, but I only got as far as “Ahoj”. From his body language and tone of voice, I’m pretty sure he said something incredibly rude and probably sexist in Czech. We ran into him just strutting about the place again later and he didn’t even look at us.

But there we were, stuck in this train station after midnight. While my boyfriend was following a sign that he’d thought led to taxis, I was watching the luggage. An elderly man walked past me with a cane, and I heard it start to rain. When I searched around me for the source of the water, I spotted the man, four feet away, facing a wall and zipping up and realized it wasn’t raining at all.

We tried to look for taxis outside. But a lone individual hovering near the building starting walking steadily our way, and we practically ran back inside. At last, a couple of police officers with huge, intimidating dogs took pity on us and pointed us to where the taxis should be. After another short wait, an old, unmarked car with no meter pulled up and we decided to chance it. We’d been stuck inside the station for nearly half an hour by then.

If this happened again, I would have probably paid to access a stall in the restroom and locked us in overnight. Do not, under any circumstances, arrange to arrive at a train station in the middle of the night. Not if you can help it.