Omio ↗
A site and app that compares trains, buses and flights in many countries and sells tickets in one place.
When is it useful? Handy when you want to buy trains from different companies in different countries in one app.
Travel tips
Train travel in Europe: where we bought our tickets
From Belgium to Spain, we always travelled between cities by train. Here are the sites we bought tickets on, the train connections on our routes and what helped us on trains with a stroller.
Sites we bought tickets on
We used all of the sites below on our trips. Which one is better depends on the line and the date, so it pays to check a few before buying.
Trainline ↗
A site and app that sells tickets from many European rail companies and compares prices.
When is it useful? Useful for comparing times and prices side by side on lines with several operators, as in Italy and Spain.
SNCB / NMBS ↗
Belgium’s national railway. The trains between Bruges, Ghent, Brussels and Antwerp are theirs.
When is it useful? For trips within Belgium, buying straight from the official site or app is easiest.
Renfe ↗
Spain’s national railway, including the AVE high-speed trains.
When is it useful? One of the options on high-speed lines such as Madrid–Valencia and Madrid–Barcelona.
Iryo ↗
A private operator on Spain’s high-speed lines.
When is it useful? An alternative to Renfe on high-speed trains between Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.
Train connections on our routes
Belgium
- Brussels Airport → Bruges
- Bruges → Ghent (day trip, about half an hour)
- Bruges → Brussels
- Brussels → Antwerp (day trip)
Netherlands
- Brussels → Amsterdam
Italy
- Rome → Florence
- Florence → Venice
Spain
- Madrid → Valencia (day trip)
- Madrid → Barcelona
What helped us on trains with a child
- Buy early: High-speed tickets can get more expensive as the date approaches; buying once your dates are fixed usually pays off.
- Child tickets: Depending on the country, children under a certain age travel free or at a discount; enter the passengers’ ages correctly.
- Stroller: Our stroller came on every journey. Luggage areas near the carriage doors and a folding stroller make things much easier.
- Suitcase size: Medium suitcases fit on racks and between carriages far more easily than large ones.
- Tickets on your phone: Save QR tickets offline or take a screenshot; stations don’t always have signal.
- Platform: At big stations the platform number appears on the screens shortly before departure; arrive early and watch the boards.
For city-by-city routes see our guides, and before you go, our travel tips.