Hi everyone,

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.

Thanks to anyone who wants to chime in! :o)

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 Given the current situation in Russia, everything is pretty complicated to research, and most of the information is outdated.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 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

hi, we’re planning to take the fast train from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. Is it true that aerosol sprays like Insect-Ecran are confiscated before boarding the train? Do we need Malarone for the area around Luang Prabang? We’re really looking forward to discovering this beautiful country. We’ll also take the chance to visit an elephant protection center. Thanks for any tips! Best, Monique

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!

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!!

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

Hi everyone,

I’m so happy to be posting on this forum again. I’m planning my trip and I’m trying to figure out the train route from Osaka to Odawara. I’ve found direct trains, but I can’t find a direct site for the specific train line (not sure if I’m making sense?!)

Because what I’ve found seems to be a “third-party” site. I can’t seem to find the official site for the specific line. If anyone can shed some light on this, I’d really appreciate it—thanks in advance!

Best,

Hi there, Does anyone know more about the train from Vientiane to Bangkok? Are there any night trains, and can you leave from Luang Prabang? Do you know the schedules? Thanks

Hi there, It's really tough to book seats for early February. After trying multiple times on the official online sites, everything seems to be fully booked already. Hiring a taxi is an option, but even then, there aren’t many choices—agencies prioritize tour packages. Do you have any tips for making the trip from Kandy to Ella? Thanks! Have a great day.

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!

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

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

Hi! I arrive in Vancouver on August 24, 2025, and I’m staying until Friday, August 29, 2025—the day I take *The Canadian* train to Toronto.

I’m exploring several things in Vancouver, including whale watching—if you’ve got any great tips, don’t hesitate! Thanks!

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

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,

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,

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, I’m planning a ski trip to Zermatt in February. I’ve heard there’s a Milan–Zermatt train that crosses the mountains in about 2h30. Is that right, and is it a scenic route?

Hi there, I’m heading to Laos at the end of the year. We’ll be landing in Bangkok, and from there, we’d like to hop straight on a train to Vientiane. I think the line exists now. I’m guessing it’s from the new station, which I don’t know yet. Can anyone tell me about it, as well as the visa for Laos if I take this mode of transport? Thanks

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

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

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 Have any of you booked tickets through rail.ninja?

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’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!

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, We're taking the train between Brussels - Rotterdam - Amsterdam, likely an Eurocity. I'm wondering if there's a limit on luggage (number of suitcases and size). Another question: on the Rotterdam -> Brussels route, it seems there aren't any trains on Saturday afternoons. Do trains run frequently on Saturdays and maybe Sundays in the Netherlands? Thanks in advance for your replies! :)

Hi there,

I’m looking for an economical way to travel by train in Italy (subscriptions, discount cards, etc.) for June 2025. There will be two of us—ages 7 and 74.

Thanks for your help!