Hi there,

I’m thinking of (re)visiting Thailand in a few months, and my planned itinerary includes an overnight train ride.

My goal is to book a first-class compartment, so I should reserve it as soon as possible...

Which website (reliable, please!) can I use to make this reservation, and are e-tickets available?

Thanks!😊

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

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?

Hi there,

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

we’ve got a 1.5-hour layover in Paris—we’re arriving by TGV and then catching an Air France flight to MONTREAL

Hi there,

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?

Thanks for your help!

Nicole

The enr.gov.eg site says train reservations are only for Egyptians. What should I do if I want to book a first-class air-conditioned ticket (not a sleeper berth)? Thanks!

Hi there,

Do you know if it’s possible to book train tickets from France on the IRCTC website with a non-Indian phone number? https://www.irctc.co.in/nget/train-search

12GoAsia lets you do it but adds extra fees we’d rather avoid—like an extra 9 € in taxes for two Ahmedabad–Mumbai tickets that cost 38 €. https://12go.asia/fr The same tickets are 3360 rupees on IRCTC.

Thanks in advance for your tips! Alod

Hi there,

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.)

Thanks!

Hello,

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.

Thanks for your tips!

Fred

Hi,

I'm looking for a train to get to Orly Terminal 4—I'm leaving from Charleroi in Belgium.

Does it seem complicated?

Hi there

I’m traveling from Geneva to Marseille in May and only have 18 minutes to change trains in Lyon. Do you think that’s doable?

Thanks and have a great day

Hi,

I’m supposed to be going on a university exchange in Shanghai from February to June 2025, and I’d love to return to Europe afterward via the Trans-Mongolian Railway. My plan was to fly from China to Mongolia’s capital and maybe spend 3-4 days exploring the country. Then, I could take the train, with a stop in Irkutsk before heading to Moscow for a two-day visit, followed by two days in Saint Petersburg. After that, I’d take a bus to Tallinn and possibly fly home from there due to time constraints. I was thinking this whole trip would take about two weeks. This site: Russian Train Tickets - Online Booking for Russian Train Tickets seems useful for buying tickets (though the ones that go through Mongolia need to be booked via a form or on tutu.travel), and this one for the bus from Russia to Estonia: St. Petersburg - Tallinn buses and tickets.

From what I’ve gathered, Russia now offers an e-visa, and Mongolia has suspended visas for Europeans until the end of next year.

Would anyone have any info or advice? Given the current situation in Russia, everything is pretty complicated to research, and most of the information is outdated.

Thanks in advance, Alicia

Hi there, For our upcoming trip to China, we're planning to get around by bus and train. For trains, we found a few sites, including: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqfiOqfmBSYlDwjPCXo4nkF7uF3ILYs_o3wlLu9uBy7gC7iN-2C, and for buses: https://www.chinabusguide.com/ but the latter site isn’t very complete. Have any of you tried other sites? Thanks for your help! Alod

hi everyone I’m just starting to plan a trip to Kazakhstan—I’m thinking 4 weeks in summer ’26—and I’m totally in the dark! What route should I take? First off, for my flight ticket, where should I fly into and out of if I want to book soon?

Is it possible to rent a vehicle with a roof rack? Is that generally tolerated? (Maybe around Almaty?)

I love trains, so I’d prefer that mode of transport.

Anyway, I’m counting on your experiences since it’s tough to find practical info about this country. Thanks in advance for your tips

Hi

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.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!

Mounette74

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?

Thanks a bunch,

Mario Séguin Québec, Canada

Hi everyone, my husband and I are planning a night-train trip in September: first to Vienna (3 nights), then Budapest (2 nights), Bratislava (1 night or skip it?), Salzburg (1 night), Munich (1 night), and maybe Stuttgart (1 night) before heading back to Paris. The whole trip will be by train.

Is it worth getting the Interrail Global Pass for this? Thanks for your feedback!

Hi there, I’m planning to spend two months in Mongolia, and I’d love to be welcomed by a nomadic or semi-nomadic family in the Altai Mountains. I can work and, of course, contribute money for my stay! Has anyone already had this experience? Also, is it still possible today to take the Trans-Siberian to Novosibirsk and then cross the Russia-Mongolia border at Tashanta? Looking forward to your replies! Thanks

Hi Have any of you booked tickets through rail.ninja?

Hi there,

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.

Thanks

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 there,

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?

Thanks a bunch!

Philippe

Hi everyone,

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.

What do you think?

Thanks for your help! 🙂

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

Hi there, We’re two young engaged folks trying to plan a trip to Romania by train since we can’t drive. We’d love to visit Viscri and Biertan, but we’re not sure how to get there... Any ideas? Same question for the painted monasteries of Bucovina. We might also take a taxi from Rupea, but we’re not sure how to arrange a ride back... Thanks so much for your help

Hi there,

I need help creating my IRCTC account. I tried to create an account via the website (not the app), but I’m not receiving any OTP at my email address. It asks me to verify my OTP to confirm registration, but I’ve tried multiple emails and checked spam, trash, etc.—nothing. I’m not getting any OTP at all.

What should I do now?

I want to take the train from Delhi to Agra Cantt. What are my options without an IRCTC account? I have a trip from New Delhi to Agra and another from Agra to Jaipur.

FYI: I’d prefer to avoid the bus since it doesn’t seem to stop, and I don’t feel comfortable jumping off a moving bus. Too risky for my taste.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi everyone,

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?

Thanks so much,

Karine

Hi everyone, I’m planning a trip to Thailand. Since we’ll only be there for two and a half weeks, we want to visit the Krabi area and then Chiang Mai. So we won’t take the train—it’s too long in terms of travel time. We’re wondering if it’s more worthwhile to buy the flight tickets on the spot? If so, is the price difference really significant? From what I see on online booking sites, you’re looking at between 35 and 60 € per person for a Krabi/Chiang Mai route.

Hi there! 😊 I’d love to take my two kids (12 and 14) away in July. We’ve never traveled all three of us together before. My son would like to go to Italy, but nothing’s set in stone… We’d like to go abroad, but I have two tricky conditions: - Budget max 1000 € all-in, I’ve tried but I can’t save any more than that 😅 - I have some health issues, so… I can’t drive for more than 2-3 hours. No way we can go by car. Also, once we’re there, I can’t do long hikes or sports (short walks and swimming are fine).

Any ideas, please?

I’ve started looking at Airbnbs and the prices are reasonable, but as soon as I check flight tickets 😵💸🔥

Maybe it’s better to go for an all-inclusive place like Booking.com?

Thanks so much to anyone who can help! 😊