bonjour,
quelqu'un à déjà fait ce trajet en train? combien de temps faut il prévoir pour se rendre à varanasi? je n'arrive pas à savoir... je pense qu'il y aura des changements de train, ou un direct existe?
et où peut-on trouver un adaptateur pour prise indienne, pour recharger ls batteries de l'appareil photo, plus facile de trouver là-bas? ou prévoir avant de partir?
tu peux trouver des trains directs entre Ajmer et Varanasi.
le souci étant qu'ils ne circulent que le lundi, jeudi & samedi, à des horaires pas forcément pratiques (et une vingtaine d'heures de trajet, au moins...)
sinon, tu as la possibilité d'aller d'Ajmer à Jaipur. là, ça peut se faire en à peine 2 heures. et tu auras beaucoup plus de choix dans les trains entre Jaipur et Varanasi...
sinon, pour les prises, pas besoin d'adaptateurs, ça marche généralement très bien. par contre, faire bien gaffe aux coupures de courant, y'a du matos qui aime pas bien ce genre de traitement (genre surtension...). on en a parlé ICI...
oui merci,
j'ai trouvé infos concernant les prises 2 min après avoir envoyé mon message... méa culpa,
à voir donc pour le choix des trains, en gros si j'prends direct sans changement de trains c'est plus long... ou en p'tite étape ça peut être plus rapide, mais je me rappelle que chercher les trains là bas c'était toujours un peu...stress, la peur de pas trouver le bon.
me rabattrez sur le direct donc.
merci encore, et c'est promis j'irais dans rechercher la prochaine fois.😉
je compte vraiment les jours là...
parles-tu de trouver le train sur place ou à la réservation?
non personnellement j'ai pas eu de problèmes.
* sur place
mon premier trajet ce fut un Mumbai victoria station à Hospet via Guntakal, pfff, il y a plus de 10 ans.
premier trajet en sleeper, second en second unreserved.
On peut se sentir un peu 'perdu' au début dans les grandes gares.
si tu as du mal à trouver ton quai, demande à un coolie.
dans les grandes gares, les annonces sont faites aussi en anglais bien que parfois on ait du mal à s'en rendre compte.
* réservation :
quand je voyage seule, je finis toujours par trouver un train
quand nous sommes 5 ou 6 je réserve à l'avance et parfois pour certains trajets, 2 mois à l'avance
Je savais pas que tu étais 'elle' 🙂
C'est fou les idées qu'on peut se faire sur un forum.
Je parlais du train sur place. J'avais lu pour le coolie, bien pratique. Tu lui donnes combien ?
Nous serons 5. Quels trajets tu réserves 2 mois à l'avance ? Tu regards les places et restantes et tu vois si il faut réserver ou tu sais que certains trajets sont plus fréquentés que d'autres. Dans ce cas, tu pourrais faire un petit topo récapitulatif des lignes les plus bookées ?
Et enfin, tu finis par trouver un train. Tu as quelques astuces ? J'ai lu de réserver une gare avant par exemple…
Je savais pas que tu étais 'elle' : pas grave!
C'est fou les idées qu'on peut se faire sur un forum.
Je parlais du train sur place. J'avais lu pour le coolie, bien pratique. Tu lui donnes combien ?
voilà bien longtemps que je n'ai plus fait appel à un coolie pour porter mon sac. Ils te renseignent bien volontiers gratos pour te dire sur quel quai tu dois aller. si tu fais porter ton sac, là tu paies et il y a même un tarif officiel . Stalingrad a écrit dans un des ses messages combien il donne. Evidemment ils essayent d'avoir plus, il y a longtemps on m'a demandé 300 roupies, no comment. les coolies sont repérables facilement: ils ont une chemise rouge et un badge au bras (http://www.feer.com/...s/2008/03/coolie.jpg)
Nous serons 5. Quels trajets tu réserves 2 mois à l'avance ? Tu regards les places et restantes et tu vois si il faut réserver ou tu sais que certains trajets sont plus fréquentés que d'autres. Dans ce cas, tu pourrais faire un petit topo récapitulatif des lignes les plus bookées ? les fêtes de Noël, Nouvel An et autres, les congés scolaires, les festivals religieux. il suffit souvent de regarder ce que ça donne les premiers jours quand la période de réservation est ouverte pour voir si les billets filent vite ou non. exemple : mumbai- goa en décembre et jusque mi- janvier, les trains vers varanasi etc.
Et enfin, tu finis par trouver un train. Tu as quelques astuces ? J'ai lu de réserver une gare avant par exemple… ton exemple c'est pour éventuellement avoir des places libres puisque les quotas sont faits par 'entités de gares' donc c'est vrai que parfois ton exemple fonctionne mais alors il faut bien indiquer à la réservation 'boarding at' sinon le contrôleur pourrait donner la place à quelqu'un d'autre. cette option est prévue sur les formulaires de réservation
je prends un billet second unreserved et je vois sur le train ce que je peux faire avec le contrôleur. je ne fais ça que si je suis seule. pas à 5 et pas quand je suis avec des enfants.
possibilité aussi de prendre un billet pour une gare plus loin que ta destination. c'est le même topo que l'exemple ci-dessus en notant sur ton formulaire 'reservation upto'.
exemple: une fois je voulais faire un pathankot - gaya et j'ai pris un pathankot - kulti
C'est étrange ça : Qu'il puisse y avoir de la place pour une gare plus loin. Pourtant la place est prise au départ. Je comprends pas trop comment ils font là…
Tu parles de Goa, réputé… comme on le sait. Tu as des endroits sympas à m'indiquer ? Je me peserai bien quelques jours avec les enfants sur le chemin du Gujurat…
En MP si tu veux 😉
Et puis, quelle différence il y a entre le Nord de Goa et le sud du Maharashtra… si il y en a une ?
Ca y est mon itinéraire est maintenant bouclé grâce à tous les conseils que j'ai glané sur ce site extaordinaire!!!!! Merci J'ai encore une question qui me…
J'aimerais avoir un information s.v.p. à partir de Calcutta si on prends le train jusqu'à Puri ou Bubaneswar qqu'un peut me dire quelle est la durée du voyage.…
Partons en inde dans 3 semaines, pour rejoindre Bénarès de Delhi nous hésitons entre le train et l'avion, je voulais savoir, si quant on nous annonce Delhi…
J'envisage de partir en Inde du 16 juillet au 04 Août 2008. Nous arrivons à Bombay. Est ce que l'un d'entre vous à déjà fait le voyage en train Bombay-New…
Quelqu'un peut -il me dire combien de temps on met pour aller de Allepey (quilon) dans le Kérala au rajastahn? En train de préférence. Pour agra /benares:…
Je prévois un voyage uniquement en train ou transports en commun sur toute l'Italie au mois d'octobre (en espérant qu'il fasse encore beau !).
J'aimerai voir évidemment certaines destinations touristiques, mais aussi sortir un peu des sentiers battus, et j'espère trouver de l'aide ici ? Je ne compte pas m'éterniser dans les villes.
En partant du Nord, j'aimerai faire le lac de Côme ou d'Orta ; passer par les Cinq Terres pour un peu de randonnée, quelques jours à Naples, à Rome, puis descendre en Sicile.
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!!
Je voulais savoir si il etait possible d'aller de Tashkent à Almaty en train sans passer par le Kirkistan. On m'a dit que la frontière etait souvent fermee 😕 entre ces l'ouzbekistan et le kazakhstan
merci d'avance
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 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.