European transportation/trains vs. air

Thanks you guys. You're putting my mind to ease with making all these decisions. Just booked our flight from Pisa back up to London.

Easyjet had a reasonable flight price from Paris to Milan. What is this airline like? Do you just find an available seat once you get on the plane or are the seats assigned.

Will most likely get the Eurostar tickets for London to Paris tomorrow after talking with my travel partner.

if you take the train BE READY TO GET OFF THE TRAIN WELL BEFORE THE TRAIN PULLS INTO THE STATION!!!

we took the train from berlin to lugano and on to frankfurt(for the return trip) about three years ago - wonderful in first class - but pricey .
two businessmen were sitting across the aisle deep in discussion - the train pulled into a station and left about two minutes later - they were quite startled that they missed the station - to make things worse , they were charged the extra fare to the next staion and had to retrace .

in canada , the conductor puts a little "marker" above your seat telling him were you'll get off . so about ten minutes before the train pulls into the station , he'll come around to remind you - not in europe - you are on your own !
we also found that luggage storage was a problem - no large rack for suitcases as we have in canada .
still we did enjoy the train - lots to see !
hbg

Someone comes down to tell you that you'll be having to get off?? Wow. Only place Ive ever had that was in Russia.

(Perhaps thats why - I suppose Russia and Canada both have trains that cover long expanses with only a stop every hour.. i'd think it'd be undoable with a stop every fifteen minutes!)

Anyway, on the Eurostar London-Paris this wont be a problem for Marty - Paris is the end station.. ;-)

In Canada they start by sorting the passengers into cars depending on the destination (unless you're in First Class, when they just pamperpamperpamper you) - that way the notices to the passengers are really easy for them to deal with - regardless of whether the stops are 20 minutes apart or 2.5 hours apart.

My one somewhat recent Amtrak experience was the same.

I'd definitely be surprised if the conductor didn't let me know my station was approaching.

Good heads-up for the autumn.

nimh :
we have had plenty of experience with german train travel - even if it was 50 years ago - so we were always at the door before the train stopped .
those two german businessmen didn't seem to be very pleased to have to pay an extra fare .
we were rather surprised that the frankfurt - stuttgart train was late about 90 minutes ! the announcemaent said "streckenarbeiten !" - work on the tracks ! we were given a 10 mark(euro ?) coupon "good for the next trip within 10 days" but couldn't apply it to the ticket already purchased - so it became a souvenir !
we just made it to the italian stuttgart - milano train (we only went to lugano ) . the website advertised it as a LUXURY TRAIN ! but even first class was dirty and the food in the diningcar was spagetti in a bag heated in a microwave ! YUCK !
still , we liked the trainride .
hbg

Wow, a German train? Late? But, but but.. thats not possible!

Musta been some furrinner driving it


Yikes, that sounds bad.

In Holland we dont have dining cars anymore - not worth it for the short rides, too small a country. They used to have them up till, I dunno, the mid-80s?, tho - but those were truly bare-bones affairs. White plastic tables for four-seaters, you could get plastic-wrapped and plastic-tasting cheese sandwiches and tea in a paper cup, and on the windows - I remember this clearly - it had warning stickers saying it was forbidden to drink or play cards.

My, how Holland has changed. <sighs> Now, they'd have to serve mozzarella-tomato sandwiches or something.

German dining cars tend to be one of either, contrasting kind. I always look forward to riding in an ICE, because those are the ones, I think, that have the fancy dining car. Well, nothing luxurious I s'pose, but they've got good tea and even a proper cheese plate, with rather fine and obscure cheeses, Morbier, Comte - none of that standard Gouda, Brie, Camembert stuff.

But thats the ICE (I think). The EC's or IC's or whatever the other ones are, they only have a small sort of bar, only a few tables, and food thats like you're eating in an outdoors imbiss.

Never tried a Hungarian dining car.. also feel little inclination to give it a go ;-)

I guess perhaps the difference is that in Europe, train travel is really still just a form of mass transit - its how people get around, lots and lots of people, simply on their day-to-day business, going to work and back home. I know nothing about Canada, but from my one roundtrip in the States, when we travelled mostly by train and bus, Amtrak seems to mostly focus on, you know, people on journeys, people travelling, being on holidays, or going on that annual cross-country visit.

At least, I cant imagine how they could arrange this refined system of sorting passengers by destination you describe in Holland without losing the ability to function as a mass commuter transit system in the density it covers now - an extra minute or two at each stop would already transform the system.


There are also crucial differences in how they announce the stops. In Germany, I'm always amazed at the thoroughness of the announcements - they'll not just say what station is up next, but will list all possible connections from there ("at 2:46, to Saarbrucken, at 2:49, to Wiesbaden, Mainz and Frankfurt, at" etc etc etc). In Holland, they might just indicate the general directions you could go from there ("people travelling in the direction of Groningen, Leeuwarden or Barneveld can change trains here").

In fact, that reminds me of a What Made You Smile Today post of mine... here it is

When I reserved my Amtrak tickets, I was more than astonished that I could only .... reserve those tickets.

Not the coach, seat number .... and it was even business class!

on canada's VIA RAIL service for both the eastern and western service you even get a choice of menus :

...VIA RAIL MENU...

here is the dinner menu for day three of the toronto to vancouver service - sure hope you'll find something to your liking :wink: :

Atlantic Fish Chowder
or
Soup of the Day
and
Tossed Garden Salad with Maple-Mayonnaise Dressing

Alberta Bison Rib Roast
Succulent slow roasted prime Alberta bison served to your preference,
topped with a Rosemary scented jus.
Pan-fried Red Snapper
This lean mild flavored rockfish is crusted in a citrus-Cornflake
crumb mixture. Served with a roasted red pepper remoulade.
Chicken Camembert
Lightly breaded, baked breast of chicken encasing a delightful marriage
of cranberries, walnuts and Camembert cheese complimented with an
orange-tarragon velouté.


To Accompany Your Meal
Baked Potato with House Topping
or
Wehani Rice Pilaf
and
Seasonal Garden Vegetables

Penne Pasta
Durham semolina pasta tossed with artichoke, black olives, tomato, mushroom
and fresh basil tossed in a garlic scented virgin olive oil with Asiago cheese.

Regional Cheese Plate
An assortment of Canadian cheeses accompanied by fresh fruit and crackers.

Chef's Dessert Selection <<<especially for walter

Coffee - Milk - Selection of Teas

Children's Menu Available
For your dining pleasure our Chefs have added spices and sauces to the menu selections. Should you wish to have a SPICE FREE meal or sauce on the side, please mention this to your server. For special dietary needs, please arrange to meet with our Chef and discuss your needs. All items on this menu can be ordered as a light portion, consisting of mixed field greens and the dinner entrée.

This is today on the BBC:
10 legit ways to get cheaper rail fares

quote from walter's BBC article :



from VIA RAIL website :



we have travelled on the "polar bear express" between cochrane and moosene (hudson bay) and plenty of travellers are being let of at a stop of their choosing to get to their cabin in the woods or to meet friends at a hunting camp in the forest .
hbg

Oh crap! I booked Ryanair from Paris to Milan....

So, are you staying in Milano? or what? a hundred miles east could be interesting, if not right around the airport...


My hub and I spent something like six hours in the old Malpensa airport, having the whole airport almost to ourselves - 1998. Maybe the airport was closed and we didn't know it.

I'm not kidding that 100 miles east of Milan could be interesting, but perhaps not if you are exhausted and your hotel is in Milan.

We are heading straight to Bellagio after Paris so we were going to train or bus up to Lake Como