Eurail Blog – Travel Europe by train

I’m journeying into Bohemia to research my family history, but I could just as well be researching train culture.

Leaving the cities (or the CITY, in the case of Czech), train culture changes dramatically. It feels a bit like journeying into Frontierland.
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The former Communist countries love their public swimming complexes.
Each major city has at least one, if not several, of these complexes. Often open year- round, housing popular saunas and steam rooms during winter weather, the complexes open their outdoor lawns at the first rays of summer.

In Prague, I visited the Plavecky complex, on the outskirts of the city, and reachable by tram. One common feature of these former Communist complexes is the water slide. And another common feature: these water slides scrape people’s backs, as the connecting parts of the slides are not entirely smooth. It’s explained to me that in years past, it was meant to slide down on a mat. But the mats were abandoned (damaged or stolen more likely), a long time ago. So while I would usually enjoy an afternoon on the water slides, the skin on my back asks me to enjoy it only once.

I hear music coming from the earphone of a passenger next to me as the train departs Budapest.

He gladly shares. It’s his Austrian brass band, and they had performed last week in Budapest.
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The train ride from Zurich to Munich is amazing not only for its views, but also for its smell.

The train meanders up close to farmlands and cows, proving a great trip for at least two senses (sight and smell), and sometimes for a third (hearing), as an occasional ‘MOO’ can be heard.

I hadn’t realized how beautiful Zurich is along the lake. Even in the overcast weather of the weekend, people spent the daylight hours outside along the water.

Both the lakefront and Hauptbahnhof are the nerve center of Zurich, revealing two things: the people of Zurich appreciate nature, and appreciate their rail system.
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The fun thing about night trains is that since you will be sleeping, you can be flexible and consider different routes: I board the night train from Budapest to Munich, on the way to Zurich. There’s a direct night train that departs Budapest each day at 18:05, arriving in Zurich at 6:05. But I am running late, and take instead the other western-bound night train that leaves Budapest each night at 21:05, on its way to Munich. I will connect in Munich in the morning on my way to Zurich.

Train Tip: Consider NOT buying a bed reservation in advance. In the summer season, on weekends, and holidays, it’s a MUST if you want to be sure to get a bed. But one of the joys of traveling off-season, during the week, is that you can hop on and off trains, including night trains, more freely. During these non-peak times, I have found it’s more comfortable to walk on and buy the bed reservation on the train, because the conductor will often put you into an un-occupied sleeping cabin, whereas the computers at the train station will often automatically place you into free beds without consideration of how many people may already be in the sleeping cabin.

On the Eurostar from Florence to Venice, the conductor stops to chat with us as he collects tickets. “I live up in those mountains,” he says, pointing out the train windows, 15 minutes outside of Florence.
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Walking around Florence’s inner city feels like walking around an outdoor art museum. Every corner, every alley, seems envisioned by some artist, the perfect setting for the birthplace of the Renaissance.

The train station lets you off in the center of the city, within walking distance of many of the attractions. You don’t need, nor want, a car (plus, it makes it easier to get your hands on the sweets that fill the bakery windows).
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