What are the train ticket delivery options?

There are four different ticket delivery methods on Rail Europe:

Your booking confirmation email will contain instructions for printing your tickets on plain paper so they are valid for travel. Showing the PDF on a tablet or mobile is not always permitted, so choose mobile tickets if available.

We currently offer print-at-home tickets for the following operators:

  • Eurostar
  • SNCF (France)
  • Renfe (Spain)
  • Renfe-SNCF (France-Spain)
  • Deutsche Bahn (Germany)
  • NS (Netherlands) - regional trains wholly within the Netherlands
  • SNCB (Belgium) - regional trains wholly within Belgium 
  • TGV Lyria (France-Switzerland)
  • TGV (France-Italy)
  • Trenitalia (Italy) regional trains
  • ÖBB (Austria)
  • Most bus operators
If your journey involves more than one rail operator, the delivery options may change. If you want to book a specific ticket type, please try splitting your search.

Mobile tickets can be saved directly to a mobile device and presented to the ticket inspector on board.

Mobile tickets are currently available for the following rail operators:

  • Most UK rail operators
  • Eurostar
  • SNCF (France)
  • SNCB (Belgium)
  • NS (Netherlands)
  • Trenitalia/Italo (Italy) "paperless" tickets - Though not strictly mobile tickets, "paperless" tickets for Italian trains can be presented on your phone in much the same way.
  • Trenitalia (Italy) - Print-at-home tickets for regional trains can be presented on a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) that is capable of displaying the PDF clearly.
  • Renfe (Spain) - Print-at-home tickets for domestic trains can also be presented on a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) that is capable of displaying the PDF clearly.
For more information about mobile tickets, including suitable devices and sample tickets, see our help article: Using Mobile Tickets.

Paperless tickets are sometimes referred to as "Ticketless" by other ticket retailers. To travel with a paperless (or "ticketless") ticket, you need simply to carry the confirmation code shown on your booking confirmation email.

Paperless tickets are currently available for travel within Italy:

  • Trenitalia (Italy) - excluding regional trains
  • Eurocity (Switzerland-Italy)
  • Italo (Italy)
For advice about travelling with "paperless" tickets, see our help article: Paperless train travel in Italy.

Your confirmation email will contain a collection reference code and instructions for collecting the tickets from your departure train station. We currently offer collect-at-station tickets for the following routes:

We have Help articles with detailed advice for collecting tickets for the following: Collecting French train tickets | Collecting Eurostar tickets | Collecting UK train tickets