J'ai la chance de partir au Japon dans un cadre professionnel au mois de juin, et je compte y rester une semaine de plus pour voir autre chose que Tokyo. Comme beaucoup, j'ai donc essayé de tracer un itinéraire, et j'aurais aimé avoir l'avis de quelques habitués : avez-vous de meilleures solutions pour joindre un point à l'autre par exemple?
Je tiens à préciser que je n'ai pas le permis, et que je ne peux donc pas louer de voiture : c'est bien dommage, car Google map me nargue en me faisant observer que cela m'aurait bien facilité la vie, et fait gagner plusieurs heures de voyages. Tant pis. Je dois dire avant toute chose que je suis un peu têtue, et que je tiens à mes destinations, même si elles sont un peu reculées. Mais il paraît que les voyages en train et en bus sont agréables, et qu'on voit de jolis paysages!
Bref, voici :
9-14 juin : Tokyo où j'aurai mes déjeuners, soirées et le samedi de libre.
15 juin : Tokyo-Shirahone onsen (je pars le matin, et j'ai des correspondances à Matsumoto et Shinshimama. J'arrive en milieu d'après-midi).
16 juin : Shirahone onsen-Matsumoto : selon le temps et mon ressenti, matinée et début d'après-midi à Shirahone Onsen, puis départ pour Matsumoto. Ou départ pour Matsumoto le matin, ce qui laisse la journée pour visiter la ville.
17 juin : Matsumoto-Tsumago. (départ tôt le matin, arrivée en milieu de matinée. correspondance à Nagiso)
18 juin : Tsumago-Ainokura. (départ tôt le matin, arrivée vers 16h. correspondances à Nagiso, Nagoya, Takayama, Shirakawago)
19 juin : Ainokura-Kyoto (départ l'après-midi pour profiter quand même un peu d'Ainokura. correspondance à Takaoka)
20-22 juin : Kyoto
Je sais malheureusement que je tombe en pleine saison des pluies, mais j'espère profiter malgré tout de quelques éclaircies. Certains ont-ils été dans la vallée de Kiso et dans les Alpes japonaises à cette période? Je me demandais si, particulièrement en montagne, on ne profitait pas d'un temps un peu plus clément. Pareillement, savez-vous si les rotenburo sont d'ordinaire fermés en cas de pluie, ou si l'on peut tout de même y accéder (cela déterminera sûrement le programme de ma journée du 16).
Concernant le fameux JR Pass. J'ai effectué des calculs savants par le biais d'Hyperdia, et je suis arrivée à la conclusion qu'il ne me faisait ni perdre ni gagner d'argent. A moins de ne prendre que des sièges non réservés, le montant total de mes trajets bus/train serait sensiblement le même.
J'ai d'ailleurs à ce sujet quelques questions :
- Juin étant, je crois, considéré comme la basse saison au Japon, pensez-vous qu'il faille réserver ses places lorsque cela est possible? (dans le asuza Tokyo-Matsumoto, le thunderbird Takaoke-Tokyo, le shinano Nagiso-Nagoya et le hida Nagoya-Takayama) Manquer un train parce qu'il est complet serait dommage.
- Je suppose que posséder le JR Pass est plus pratique, dans la mesure où il n'y a pas toujours besoin de prendre de billet avec celui-ci. Mais je ne suis pas sûre d'avoir compris entièrement la règle : j'ai cru lire que parfois, même sans sièges réservés, il fallait prendre son billet. Faut-il donc demander à chaque fois si l'on peut juste passer avec le JR Pass ou s'il faut prendre un billet?
- Peut-on prendre plusieurs billets en avance (pas forcément réservés)? Disons par exemple que j'arrive à Tokyo avec mon itinéraire tout prêt, est-ce que je peux demander des billets pour l'ensemble de mes trajets, histoire de ne pas rater certaines correspondances un peu minces?
- Un peu plus annexe, j'ai trouvé les horaires du bus Shirakawago-Ainokura sur un site, mais certains horaires nécessitent une réservation. Quelqu'un saurait-il si on peut faire cela sur Internet, ou s'il faut téléphoner et combien de temps en avance?
Merci d'avance pour vos conseils, avis et réponses à mes nombreuses questions!
Vous n'êtes pas du même avis que VF qui vous a inscrit en 2011.
Mettez-vous d'accord... 😇
Pour calculer le prix des trajets, il ne faut pas oublier de prendre en compte les non-réservations (qui sont payantes, mais un peu moins cher que les réservations). Et si le calcul donne un résultat voisin avec le JRP que sans, il vaut bien mieux le prendre. Il permet en effet de ne pas prendre de tickets sur les lignes JR (majoritaires) et d'enchaîner les trajets sans être obligé de faire la queue aux bureaux JR.
En cas de réservations, il est tout à fait possible de les prendre (gratuitement) toutes d'un coup, quitte à les modifier par la suite. Et si on n'a pas de JR pass, il est aussi possible de faire pareil avec des billets (pour les modifs en revanche, je ne sasi pas trop comment ça se passe dans ce cas).
Les réservations sont préférables avec le JRP, vu qu'elles sont gratuites, mais on peut toujours monter dans les voitures non-réservées si on n'a qu'un billet. Le seul risque est de faire le voyage debout, ce qui semble toléré.
Deux petites remarques :
Le japon est un pays si extraordinaire que même la pluie ne parvient pas à gâcher le voyage. Mais bon, c'est quand même mieux quand il ne pleut pas.
Enfin, ce n'est pas un itinéraire, c'est un marathon...
Vous n'êtes pas du même avis que VF qui vous a inscrit en 2011.
Mettez-vous d'accord... 😇
Bon, j'avoue utiliser le compte qu'avait créé mon ami il y a un certain temps (mais qui se contente de lire sans poster), d'où le passage masculin-féminin 🙂
Pour le prix des trajets, j'ai tout calculé au maximum, avec les réservations de siège. Sans réservation, je pense que j'arrive à un total un peu moins élevé qu'avec le JRP, mais je me dis dans le même temps que je serai peut-être rassurée en réservant mes places lorsque c'est possible. Je me tâte encore.
Pour le marathon, personnellement, je trouve que le seul passage vraiment problématique, c'est Tsumago-Ainokura. Dans l'idéal, j'aurais bien passé 2 nuits dans l'un et l'autre, mais il y a toujours cette question épineuse du budget ainsi que la date de retour que je ne peux pas repousser à outrance.
Concernant Matsumoto, il s'agit plus d'une étape pour se rapprocher de Tsumago > a priori, je préférerais rester à Shirahone onsen plutôt que d'enchaîner avec la visite de la ville.
Pour le prix des trajets, j'ai tout calculé au maximum, avec les réservations de siège. Sans réservation, je pense que j'arrive à un total un peu moins élevé qu'avec le JRP, mais je me dis dans le même temps que je serai peut-être rassurée en réservant mes places lorsque c'est possible. Je me tâte encore.
Je vous conseille vivement de prendre le JRP, car il vous garantit la souplesse de vos déplacements au cas où vous voulez/devez changer de plan. Pour les trains que vous envisagez de prendre, il n'est pas nécessaire de réserver un siège, les seules sections pouvant être pleines étant au départ de Shinjuku ou de Matsumoto aux heures de pointe (pendulaires venant travailler à Tokyo). Avec un JRP, si vous occupez un siège réservé, le contrôleur vous en proposera une autre dans le train, sans frais ni pénalité.
Réservez par contre systématiquement un siège dans les Shinkansen entre Tokyo et Kyoto.
Je projette de visiter le Japon en mai 2020 et voci plus ou moins l'ébauche d'itinéraire que je dois encore peaufiner. J'aimerais connaître vos avis sur la…
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I’m planning a trip around Italy using only trains or public transport in October (hoping the weather stays nice!).
I’d obviously like to see some tourist destinations, but I also want to get off the beaten path a bit, and I’m hoping to find some help here? I don’t plan to linger too long in the cities.
Starting in the north, I’d like to visit Lake Como or Lake Orta, pass through the Cinque Terre for some hiking, spend a few days in Naples and Rome, then head down to Sicily.
Hi there,
I’ll be traveling to Japan this coming August. We’ve finalized our itinerary and booked our flight tickets. Now I’m at the stage of buying train tickets for the few segments we’ll need to cover:
Tokyo - Hakone
Hakone - Kyoto
Kyoto - Osaka
Osaka - Tokyo
Here are my questions:
a) Is it possible to buy train tickets for these segments from Canada?
b) If so, which website should I use to do this?
c) And if it is possible, will we be able to print our tickets from Canada?
d) If it’s not possible, where in Tokyo should I go to buy these tickets when I arrive?
Hi everyone, I wanted to take the Paris-Berlin overnight train with a sleeper berth, the new service operated by European Sleepers.
24/05/2026 17:45 Paris-Nord (actually 16:00 from Paris Bercy Seine) -> 25/05/2026 9:59 (actually 7:30 in Berlin)
05/06/2026 18:31 Berlin (actually 20:00) -> 06/06/2026 10:00 Paris Nord (actually 12:30)
Part of the journey was operated by bus instead of the promised overnight train.
For 2 people: 340 € round trip
A total disaster. Never again. I was really looking forward to taking the overnight train, but we faced last-minute changes and truly unpleasant travel conditions. Here are the details:
1) 2 days before departure: email announcing a change of departure station for the outbound trip—Bercy Seine bus station instead of Gare du Nord.
2) Change of schedule: 4:00 PM from Bercy instead of 5:45 PM from Gare du Nord.
3) Change of transport mode!! A bus from Paris to Brussels, then an overnight train from Brussels to Berlin. No functional toilets on the bus. No children under 4 allowed on the bus.
4) On the sleeper train at 9:30 PM: no functional toilets in our carriage, so we had to go to other carriages, even in the middle of the night, to find working ones.
5) The onboard staff, though very friendly, were as lost as we were. In particular, they didn’t know how to handle the lower berths, so people using them had less space (armrests and backrests). Berth numbers weren’t respected, so some passengers had to move. The staff also didn’t know who was supposed to join the compartment during the journey.
6) Arrival at 7:30 AM in Berlin instead of 10:00 AM. No arrival announcement. Passengers had to search for staff to get breakfast and ended up with just a coffee (breakfast = 15 €, not bad for just a coffee).
7) Return trip: drastic schedule change announced by email on 26/05/2026—departure at 7:30 PM instead of 6:30 PM, with arrival between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM in Paris instead of 10:00 AM. No change in transport mode announced.
8) Change in transport mode announced by email on the same day (05/06/2026)!! Overnight train from Brussels to Berlin, then a bus from Paris to Brussels. No functional toilets on the bus. Children under 4 banned from the bus, and families in this situation were asked to find another way—after being notified the same day.
9) The overnight train arrived at Berlin station with a 30-minute delay on top of its initial delay (scheduled for 6:31 PM, then 7:30 PM, finally arriving at 8:00 PM). The heating was blasting in the compartment with no way to turn it off. No functional toilets in the carriage. From that point on, customer service stopped responding to my messages.
10) Woken up at 5:00 AM with an announcement in all carriages about arrival in Liège.
11) Woken up again at 6:00 AM to be told we’d arrive in Brussels at 7:00 AM.
12) Arrival in Brussels at 7:00 AM and a one-hour wait for the bus to Paris. No functional toilets on the bus.
13) Arrival at Paris Nord at 12:30 PM, so 2.5 hours late compared to the originally scheduled time.
14) The overnight trains used are very old—I recognized the carriages from 20 years ago!! No functional power outlets, no Wi-Fi, no air conditioning. Five people per compartment is a bit cramped, but I consider these conditions expected (especially the air conditioning), so I’m not complaining about that. There’s already plenty to gripe about with the travel conditions.
I have little hope of getting even a partial refund. Customer service emails acknowledge the discomfort but only offer to reimburse the cost of a coffee on board if we send them the receipt... a bit weak.
I’m sharing this experience in the hope it might help others.
Hi there,
I’d like to take the Train of the Clouds from Lima to Huancayo.
I’ve heard it only runs during certain periods.
Does anyone have info on this?
Thanks!
HuancayoHuancayo
As part of my professional thesis, I’m conducting a study on the evolution of long-distance rail transport in France, particularly since it opened up to competition.
I’ve put together a very quick (about 5-minute) and completely anonymous questionnaire. Your answers will help me better understand users' expectations regarding pricing, frequency, and environmental impact.
We’re planning a 15-day trip to Uzbekistan in March—classic independent itinerary: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva. We’d like to take the train between each city, but I don’t want to lock down the whole trip before we leave.
So, my question is: is it absolutely necessary to book train tickets before departure, whether for the high-speed trains or the regional ones? Is booking really essential for the regional trains?
Hello,
We’re traveling as a family with two boys aged 10 and 12 to Cairo in February. During our trip, we’re planning to take an overnight train (with or without a sleeper) for the Cairo-Aswan route.
Do you know how I can book this remotely?
Also, I’m looking for:
- A local contact to sail the Nile by felucca for 3 days from Aswan
- A contact to guide us in Cairo
Looking forward to your tips, and thanks in advance!
Marie
Hi everyone,
I first traveled solo to Japan in 2019, exploring the Kyushu region (28 days), and I’m planning to return with my daughter (she’s an adult and it’ll be her first time in Asia) from April 25 to May 9.
I’m reaching out on this forum to ask for route ideas—this time north of Tokyo, but without heading to the Sapporo island (I’m saving that for a future trip).
I’d love to take advantage of the cherry blossom season and its festivities.
I’m looking to create a route that’s a little off the beaten path while staying within 5-6 hours by train from Tokyo to avoid spending too much time on transfers.
Thanks in advance for sharing your suggestions and experiences!
Michael
I'm heading to MEXICO IN NOVEMBER 2025. Since private guides and drivers are really expensive—over 300 € per day—I'm thinking of exploring the Yucatán by train. CAN YOU SHARE ANY INFO ON THIS? Thanks
Hi there!
We’re planning to visit Serbia (1 week) and then Montenegro (2nd week) with our kids from April 18 to May 4. We’d prefer to travel by train (overnight if possible), but we’re not sure which platform to book on or when to do it (is it too early?). If anyone has any tips, I’m all ears!!
I wanted to know if it’s possible to go from Tashkent to Almaty by train without passing through Kyrgyzstan. I’ve heard the border is often closed 😕 between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Thanks in advance!
Olivier
Hi there!
We’re planning to head back to Istanbul next year—obviously by plane—and then take the train from Istanbul to Antalya. Has anyone here already made this trip by train with TCDD?
I’d love any tips or info that could be useful for us!
I'd like to go to Montserrat on my own from Barcelona. Share your suggestions with me.
Which train should I take, where to get off, what to see once I arrive, etc.
I need to take a sleeper train from Bangkok to Vientiane in January.
I found some ticket options on 12Go Asia, but booking doesn’t seem possible at the moment. I’ve tried simulations for several dates, but no luck.
I’m wondering if it’s already fully booked, if they’ve stopped selling tickets… yet 12Go still features it every day 😕
Has anyone else run into this issue?
Can I find tickets on another site? (I tried Baolau, but no sleepers left for January 8th.)
Hi there,
I’m a bit late to be worrying about this, but hopefully someone can help me before I leave.
Tomorrow afternoon, I arrive at Lyon Part-Dieu on the TGV at 5:50 PM and take the TER to Mâcon at 6:16 PM. Is a 26-minute transfer doable? Are the TGV and TER on the same departure board? And are they on the same platforms too?
I’ve been to Lyon before but never had to make a connection after arriving.
Thanks
I can’t seem to complete the payment for my trip on the IRCTC (Indian Railways) site. No matter which payment method I choose, my Visa card isn’t accepted.
Has anyone here managed to do it, and if so, could you share the method you used?
Thanks in advance!
Charlie
Starting November 15th, I’ll be arriving in Thailand, and during my stay, I plan to visit the north, around the Chiang Mai area, then head south to the Krabi region.
After Krabi, I’m planning to take an overnight train to Bangkok. I was wondering if there’s a train that leaves from Krabi or Trang, or if I absolutely have to go to Surat Thani?
Also, which official website can I use to book my ticket?
Next, since I’ll be arriving at dawn in Bangkok, I’ve planned to spend 2 days in Kanchanaburi. What’s the most convenient way to get there—bus or train? And if you know any companies or websites, that’d be great.
Hi there,
Does anyone know if there’s a bus from Luang Namtha to Boten to catch the train coming from China to Vientiane? If so, what’s the name of the company? Also, how long does the bus take to cover that distance? What’s the condition of the road like?
Thanks for your help!
Tom
I just realized there’s only one payment method accepted for booking the Mombasa-Nairobi express train ticket online: M-Pesa, a mobile money transfer service used in Africa. Would it be impossible to book as a European?
I’d love to know if any of you have recently eaten on the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
We’ve always ordered food on the train, and it was really good (and super convenient).
But in 2022, we ended up feeling like total idiots (with our 4-year-old daughter...) when we boarded the train only to find out that this service was no longer available... (It was the first time we’d traveled right after COVID.)
That’s also when we saw once again how kind Thai people are—they all offered to share their food with us, even though we were mortified. In the end, we managed to buy some instant noodles, which was better than nothing. Anyway, that’s the little story behind it.
In the following years, we’ve always brought our own meals.
I’ve read online that meal trays are back in service (could you confirm this, please?), but that the quality is really poor. I’ve also seen multiple reports that, even though you can eat well everywhere in Thailand, the train meal was the worst food travelers had during their trip...
Could you give me a recent opinion on this?
We’ll be departing from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station—do you know if there’s anywhere to buy a meal there before boarding the train?
Thanks so much for your help,
and have a great Sunday!
We’re heading to Thailand in February 2026 and we’d like to take the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Can we book two first-class tickets? I’m only seeing second-class options.
Hi everyone,
For traveling in Rajasthan by train and bus, could you give me some info: where to buy tickets, cost, purchase locations, websites, etc.?
Any tips you have would be super helpful.
Thanks
We’re traveling to Java on October 23, just the two of us.
I’ve read that it’s best to book train tickets in advance on tiket.com.
Is that true, and how far ahead do you recommend?
Are the tickets changeable?
Hi everyone,
I’m planning to travel from Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk by train this summer but I’m a bit worried about crossing the borders. How does it work? Could anyone share their experience? (I’ve found quite a few accounts of people going *from* Russia *to* Mongolia, but entering a country is never the same as leaving it—especially in this context!)
Can anyone tell me how to book train tickets online? We're planning to travel from HANOI to HO CHI MINH CITY by train, making several stops along the way. I'd also like to find the schedules and the stations where the trains stop.
There are four of us, and we've already planned stops in HANOI / DONG HOI / HUE.
I’m heading to Japan for the second time with my 20-year-old son. During our first trip, we spent two weeks in Tokyo and Kyoto (plus the surrounding areas).
This time, we’re planning to stay in Tokyo for at least 4-5 days and then head to the island of Naoshima.
I’m looking for suggestions and advice:
Is getting to Naoshima from Tokyo complicated? If so, do you have any recommendations for a stopover somewhere? Given that we’d prefer not to move every day, we’d rather settle in one place and then explore on day trips...
Do you think it’s possible to do something like this:
5 nights in Tokyo (Shinjuku)
3 nights in Kyoto
2 nights in Naoshima (or is one night enough??) and if one night is enough, where could I spend a second night on the way back to Tokyo?
2 nights in Tokyo (I’d love your advice on staying in a different neighborhood—last time we stayed near Ueno Park)—keeping in mind we’re flying out of Narita.
I’m considering maybe skipping Kyoto, which I love but has apparently become *very* touristy...
Not really keen on Osaka... since we’ll already have done Tokyo as our "big city." I’d prefer towns where nature is present... (a bit like Kyoto, which offers all that...)
For info, we’ll be traveling by train.
Thanks in advance for all your suggestions and help!
I have one last little question:
Is cash still widely used in Japan, or not at all anymore?
We’re planning this *very* last-minute—I know! But we’d love to spend 4 days soon (within the next 10–12 days) on a city getaway with our young adult kids. Ideally by train, and for this short trip, we’d prefer not to spend more than 4–6 hours in transit, leaving from Lausanne (Switzerland). We’ve been considering Milan, Strasbourg, or Freiburg im Breisgau, but I’ll admit I’m feeling a bit lost...
Venice was our original plan, but the connection changes in Domodossola or Milan are making the travel time longer this year.
It’s peak summer, so there’ll be tourists and it’ll likely be hot, but oh well...
Any suggestions? We love wandering around, taking photos, exploring cities on foot, trying out restaurants, and keeping things low-key.
