Senior citizen railway concessions & railcards

Senior citizen railcard discounts are available through Rail Europe for many rail operators. However, you don't always need a railcard to search for and purchase a senior citizen concession ticket, though you may need to prove your age when travelling. Discounts vary between countries; we've added details below. 

Some concessions and senior discounts may only apply to certain routes/times, and so you may find that the price of a senior ticket is the same as an adult fare, or that the ticket type defaults to adult. We automatically show the cheapest ticket available, which sometimes is an adult ticket rather than a senior fare.

When buying train tickets with a senior railcard, simply click "add railcard" in the Rail Europe search menu and select your railcard from the drop-down menu. Once you click "add railcard", a box will open. Click the drop-down menu to select your specific railcard


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  • “French flagFR
  • ES
  • “German flagDE
  • “Swiss flagCH
  • “Dutch flaggNL
  • “Eurostar logoEurostar
For UK journeys you'll need a UK Senior Railcard to receive any senior discounts. There are no discounts on standard fares for senior travellers. If you have a Senior Railcard, add it to your search to find and book discounted fares.
You don't always need to enter a railcard to find discount senior fares in France; just run a search for senior passengers. Additional senior discounts are available for holders of the Pass Loisir Senior, but we currently aren't able to offer any French railcard discounts on Rail Europe. This should change in late 2019, so please check back.

In Spain, holders of the Tarjeta Dorada railcard can obtain senior discounts for fully-flexible tickets (note if booking in advance it is often cheaper to book non-flexible or semi-flexible tickets). Tarjeta Dorada railcard holders can add the railcard to their search on Rail Europe to find and book discounted fares. You can't buy the card online, only in person in Spain, at station ticket offices, Ceuta Sales Office and some Spanish travel agencies. You will also need photo ID in the form of a passport or National ID card. The Tarjeta Dorada lasts for one year and enables discounts of between 25-50% depending on the time of day and day of the week.

There are no senior discounts on regular fares; you'll need a railcard in Spain.

For German journeys, you'll ned a BahnCard (suitable for frequent travellers) to receive a 25 or 50% discount on non-saver fares, depending on your BahnCard. The purchase price of a BahnCard 50 is 50% reduced for people over 60 years old. If you have a BahnCard, add it to your search to find and book discounted fares. You can buy the railcard online, and get a digital version to use before your hard copy arrives in the post from Germany. It applies a discount to both domestic and international Deutsche Bahn trains.
For Swiss journeys, Halbtax holders (suitable for frequent travellers) receive a 50% discount. The Halbtax holders can add the railcard to their search on Rail Europe to find and book discounted fares. Buy it online, and get a digital version.
In the Netherlands you'll find senior discounts (no railcard needed) on many domestic trains.
There are no senior discounts on Eurostar trains.

Other European countries offer senior discount cards beyond the standard senior fares you will find when searching on Rail Europe, but we don't currently accept these railcards. We will update this page as our coverage improves.

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