Tickets available on Rail Europe

We strive to be open and honest about the European train and bus tickets you can buy on Rail Europe. We pride ourselves on being impartial and so we always offer straightforward info about how to find the best tickets, even if we don't currently sell them on Rail Europe.

Rail Europe has a direct connection to major rail operators in Western Europe, including ATOC in the United Kingdom, SNCF in France, Deutsche Bahn in Germany, Renfe in Spain, ÖBB in Austria and both Italo and Trenitalia in Italy. We've added new connections at a rate of one or more a year since launch, with more in the pipeline. You can read more about how we've got here in the Rail Europe story, or read on for details of cheap ticket coverage for the countries and rail operators listed below.

There are so many places to book tickets that it can be very confusing, so the following list explains how Rail Europe relates to other companies and websites.

	Bahn.com is the website of the German national rail operator, Deutsche Bahn (DB). Rail Europe has a direct connection to Deutsche Bahn so offers all national German tickets and international trains at the same price as booking direct. The main exception is City Night Line sleeper trains which we currently sell via our connection to Voyages SNCF-UK (see below). It may be possible to find a wider range of tickets for night trains from the Austrian rail operator ÖBB. See our guide to trains to Germany for inspiration.
	Cd.cz is the website of České dráhy, the main railway operator in the Czech Republic. Rail Europe does not have a direct connection to the Czech railways so domestic tickets, for journeys wholly within the Czech Republic, are usually cheaper if you book directly with the operator. International trains to/from Germany and the Czech Republic are available via our connection the Deutsche Bahn (DB) and are the same price as booking direct.
	Cp.pt is the website of the Portuguese national rail operator, Comboios de Portugal (CP). It sells domestic train tickets in Portugal and some international services to/from Spain. Rail Europe does not currently sell any domestic Portuguese tickets i.e. those wholly within Portugal, since we aren't able to make seat reservations online. However, we sell international tickets to/from Spain via our connection to the Spanish rail operator, Renfe. These are the same price as buying direct.
	Eurostar.com sells tickets for "inter-capitals" services e.g. London to Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam, direct Eurostar services to the south of France or the French Alps and Eurostar + TGV services, called "French Connection fares". All these tickets are available on Rail Europe at the same price as booking directly with Eurostar. The only fare not available on Rail Europe are through-tickets to the Netherlands which combine the Eurostar & Thalys for a discount.
	Idtgv.com and OuiGo sell tickets for iDTGV and OuiGo trains, two fleets of high-speed trains operated by SNCF on a few specific routes within France. Rail Europe does not currently sell tickets for iDTGV or OuiGo. However, trains on all routes are available on board ordinary TGV and TGV Duplex trains which are available on Rail Europe, at the same price as buying direct.
	Italo.com is the website of Italo that operates high-speed trains between major cities in Italy, in competition with Trenitalia. Rail Europe has a direct connection to Italo so has the same trains, tickets and prices as booking directly. See our guide to trains to Italy for inspiration.
	Nationalrail.co.uk is run by ATOC, which represents all UK rail operators (e.g. Virgin, First Great Western). You can search for trains on the site, but it's not possible to buy tickets - you will be redirected to the relevant train operator to complete your purchase. Rail Europe is connected to the same booking system and can sell all ticket types for all trains, including cheap "Advance" fares. Some operators occasionally discount their own Advance fares for promotions - these fares are not available on Rail Europe or via any other third-party retailers (e.g. Trainline). Rail Europe is not currently able to sell sleeper tickets for night trains in the UK. See our guide to trains to the United Kingdom for inspiration.
	NS.nl is the website of the national operator in the Netherlands, which sells domestic tickets for the Dutch rail network and some international services such as Thalys. Rail Europe sells tickets in the Netherlands via connections to Voyages SNCF-UK, Deutsche Bahn and Thalys which are the same price as booking directly. Dutch InterCity trains are generally the same price bought in advance or on the day, since no prior reservation is necessary on the IC trains, so there's no difference.
	Renfe.com is the website of Spain's national rail operator. Rail Europe has a direct connection to Renfe so the tickets and prices are the same as buying direct from the operator. For technical reasons there are a few fare types that that Rail Europe cannot access. This includes "Mesa" fares (discounts for four people seated around a table); "Multi-ticket" discounts (designed for frequent travellers); and "con enlance" ("with connection") fares that bundle tickets on multi-leg journeys. See our guide to trains to Spain for inspiration.
	Sbb.ch is the website of the Swiss Federal Railways, the national rail company of Switzerland. It is usually referred to by the German acronym SBB, but it sometimes referred to in French (CFF) or Italian (FFS). Rail Europe sells international tickets to/from Switzerland via connections to Voyages SNCF-UK, Deutsche Bahn and Trenitalia but does not have a direct connection to SBB. International train tickets are the same price as booking direct. Swiss InterCity trains are the same price bought in advance or on the day, since no prior reservation is necessary on the IC trains, so there's no difference. You'll likely find more choice on SBB.ch, or at the station on the day.
	B-europe.com is the website of SNCB, the national rail operator of Belgium. Rail Europe sells many international trains to/from Belgium via connections to Voyages SNCF-UK, Eurostar, Deutsche Bahn and Thalys which are the same price as booking directly. Belgian InterCity trains are the same price bought in advance or on the day, since no prior reservation is necessary on the IC trains, so there's no difference. You'll likely find more choice on B-europe, or at the station on the day.
	Thayls.com sells tickets on the high-speed line between Paris, Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam. Rail Europe sells Thalys tickets via our connection to Voyages-SNCF. Tickets are available at the same price as booking with Thalys directly.
	Trainline.com (and Trainline.eu) is a private company owned by US private equity firm, KKR. The former is connected to the same ATOC booking system as Rail Europe for UK train tickets, the latter links to similar European rail operator systems as Rail Europe. Rail Europe has the same trains and tickets in the UK as Trainline.com. Other independent retailers in the UK similar to Trainline include Redspottedhanky, Raileasy and others.
	Trenitalia.com is the website of the Italian national rail operator. Rail Europe has a direct connection to Trenitalia so the tickets and prices are the same as buying direct from the operator. Tickets are available at the same price as booking with Trenitalia directly. See our guide to trains to Italy for inspiration.
	Oui.SNCF Oui SNCF is the main booking site of the French national rail operator, SNCF. Rail Europe is connected to SNCF's booking system so we have the same trains and tickets as they do. Consequently, Rail Europe has excellent coverage of the high-speed network, comprehensive coverage of local trains within France and international TGVs e.g. Paris-Milan or Paris- Zurich. Some tickets (IDTGV and OuiGo) are not currently available on Rail Europe. See our guide to trains to France for inspiration.

Additional discounts may be available for travellers who hold railcards. These are supported on Rail Europe, see Using railcards on Rail Europe.