Bus travel vs train travel

Most cities in Europe don’t have a dedicated coach station. That means the facilities for waiting passengers are limited and delays to your service due to traffic often can’t be communicated.

It can be difficult to find where your bus departs from, especially as many cities have multiple pick-up points in different parts of town. If you have a question, you’ll probably have to call customer service.

At train stations, you can wait for your train in comfort and safety, with plenty of places to sit down, eat and drink or buy supplies for your journey.

Departure boards and announcements will provide detailed up-to-date information on your train, from when it leaves to where it stops and which platform it departs from. If you have any questions, station staff will be able to help.

A bus ticket will take you from A to B, but if you want to go any further you’ll have to book each leg of your journey separately. This can be risky, as unpredictable delays caused by traffic on the roads can mean missing your connection, costing you a lot more.

If you want to visit smaller towns on your trip as well as the big cities, you’ll find yourself having to make long stopovers due to limited services or figure out the rest of the journey yourself.

Whether you’re travelling to big cities or small villages, with an Interrail Pass you just book one ticket to cover all your travel, plus a few seat reservations depending on where you want to travel.

What’s more, your Pass gives you total flexibility; just turn up and jump on whichever trains suit your plans. It doesn’t matter if you miss your train – you can just hop on the next one!

On board a coach, you share a smaller space (and a smaller toilet!) with other passengers. You won’t be able to get up and stretch your legs or move to a quieter carriage, and there may not be any food or drink available.

You’re likely to encounter restrictions on how much luggage you can take, and you’ll be asked to hand over big bags or suitcases to be put in the hold.

If your bus is an overnight service, you’ll have to sleep in your seat. So much for sweet dreams!

With much more space on board the train, you’ll have room to sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery and the freedom to get up and stretch your legs.

You can choose to travel in 1^st or 2^nd class, and things like reclining seats, power sockets, wifi and refreshment services are fairly standard features on board high-speed trains and many regional trains too.

There are generally no luggage restrictions, and there are plenty of places to store your bags safely with you on board. On night trains, you can reserve a bed for a good night’s sleep.

Discounts on bus travel vary depending on the operator, but on many lines there are no discounts for youths or seniors.

If you’re travelling with a small child, some bus operators won’t let them travel unless you bring your own child seat – that’s another thing to add to your packing list.

Point-to-point bus tickets are valid for one journey and that’s it – no additional perks or discounts are included.

With Interrail if you’re 27 or younger, you can save up to 25% on standard adult prices with a Youth Pass. And if you’re young at heart, adults aged 60 and over can save 10% with a Senior Pass.

Bringing the kids along too? Children up to 11 can Interrail for free, making a rail pass perfect for family holidays.

And that’s not all – with over 100 benefit partners, your Pass gets you plenty of freebies and discounts across Europe.