Jess visits Europe - including the Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast and Leonardo Express

Staff member: Jess // Trip date: Jul 2010

London - Windsor - London

The first train I took was on the 6th of June, from London to Windsor and return. Before hopping on our first train, we had to get our BritRail passes validated, and we did this very easily at the "travel centre" at Waterloo station. We simply told the man behind the counter we wanted to validate our passes, gave them to him, and he knew what to do. We asked him when the next train was leaving and he told us. We did not require a seat reservation, as it is the UK and it is not compulsory, so we simply got on the next train and sat in 1st class in accordance with our passes. This train only had one carriage for 1st class, and the interesting thing was that it was wedged within 2nd class carriages. Not separated at all. It was a very odd design, but as it was only a 45 minute journey, the 1st class section never got full, as people were constantly hoping off and on. The same was for the return journey.

London - Carlisle

The second train we took was from London to Carlisle, which was a really good Virgin Train. This train was bound for Glasgow, but we got off 2 stops from there. This train was very clean, and included tea, coffee, snacks, cakes, salad and small bottles of alcoholic beverages, all in the price of the ticket, or in our case, our pass. We did not reserve a seat for this train, and there was only myself, my partner and two others in the carriage with us. We placed our luggage at the front of this train. As the carriage was almost empty, there was heaps of space. This would be perfect for people with a lot of luggage, as 2nd class was quite busy.

Carlisle - Edinburgh

This was a Pennine Class 185 train in 1st class. This service included tea, coffee, water, snacks and sandwiches in the price of the ticket/pass. We did not reserve a seat, and there was plenty of space in this carriage. All of our entire luggage was put in the luggage area that is at the front and back of the carriage.

Edinburgh - Glasgow

This was on a ScotRail train, in 1st class. This train was only about 50 minutes, which was quicker than I thought it would be. As the train was quite short, we were only offered tea, coffee, muffins and biscuits; however that was all it really needed. There was one 1st class carriage at the front of this train, and one at the back. As we didn't have seat reservations, we just hopped in the first one we found and sat anywhere. There was only a hand full of people in 1st class. On our return we were got on an Eastcoast service, which offered free tea and coffee, and also free Wi-Fi, but nothing else.

Elipsos; Paris - Madrid

The next service we took was from Paris to Madrid on the Elipsos Hotel train. We were in Gran class, which meant we had our own private toilet and shower. When we got in, we were pleasantly surprised to find we had been given 2 toiletries bags filled with various things we might need for the night, which was great. The private bathroom was behind a door inside of the sleeper, and in there was a shower with a shower curtain, toilet and vanity with mirror. To the side of the mirror there were 2 bottles of complimentary water, which we took advantage of as you cannot drink tap water in Europe. As we had the toiletries bag, this meant we could have a shower, brush our teeth and freshen up without having to reach for our own luggage. Shortly after we settled in, we were asked by the conductor in our area what time we wanted for dinner, the 8pm sitting or the 10pm sitting. We went with the earlier sitting. At 8pm, we went to the dining car and were shown to our table, and given bread rolls and had a look through the menu. Beverages were offered to us, and then we picked our meals. It was 3 courses, so we each had an entrée, main and desert. After dinner we returned to our room to find the seats had folded into an upper and lower berth bunk with fresh pillows, linens and chocolates on the pillow. I did not expect to sleep on this train, but as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out like a light. When we awoke in the morning, we went for breakfast of croissants, jam, team, coffee, chipolata sauces, and scrambled eggs and juice. Our luggage had to be stored above the door and bathroom area, as once the beds were folded down, there was very little room. This was made easier by the step ladder for the top bunk.

AVE; Madrid - Barcelona

Before getting onto this train, we got our passes validated in the information/ticket area; we also purchased the seat reservation for this train. As we arrived at the station well before our train was due to leave and we had seat reservations and passes for 1st class, we thought we would take advantage of the free access to the AVE lounge which is called the Sala Club. On entry, we simply showed our seat reservations and were let in. The lounge was very spacious and offered free beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, juices, tea as well as there being coffee machines to make whatever you liked. There were snacks, nuts, pastries and muffins all available for free also, as well as there being a quiet room to unwind, or the main room where there were plasma screens set up with news. There were newspapers; however I could not find any that were English. The couches were very comfortable, and the atmosphere in the Sala Club was very relaxed and made for a great start to the day. When it was close to our time to board, we left the lounge and wandered to our check in counter, which was set up much like an airline. We got our ticket stubs ripped and took the escalators down to our waiting trains. This was by far the best train I took on my trip. This train was super modern, totally spotless and extremely comfortable. Shortly after the train left the station we were offered tea, coffee and various other beverages. When the food came around, we were surprised to find it included a choice of two main meals. We had a chicken stir fry and veggies, cous cous, a small salad, sliced fruit and a Lindt chocolate square. On top of this great meal, we were constantly being offered beverages, and the service on this train was outstanding. We loved this train. We kept our luggage in the spacious luggage rack towards to front of this carriage. There was ample space for it.

Talgo Day; Barcelona - Montpellier

The next train we took was the Talgo Day train from Barcelona to Montpellier. This train only carried two carriages of 1st class, and the train seemed much older compared to the state of the art AVE we had just been on. There were no meals included with this train; however there was a reasonably priced bar/café in the middle of the train which you could buy pizzas, paninies, drinks and various other snacks from. The luggage space in this train was pretty small in proportion to the passengers in the carriage; however the larger things had a space just as you walk into the train, and everything else could be stowed in the overhead luggage rack.

Nice - Riomaggiore via Monaco and Ventimiglia

Due to track works on the direct line to Ventimiglia, we had to stop in Monaco and take another train the rest of the way. Both services were on regional trains. It was the same platform, so we did not need to go far. Once in Ventimiglia, there was a mass exit of the train and you literally could not move for about 10 minutes, but we finally made our way to the train which was stationary opposite ours, and picked a seat anywhere as it was a regional train which does not carry 1st class. Although this was an incredibly scenic way to see the North-west coast of Italy by train, the journey from Ventimiglia to Riomaggiore took us approx. 5hrs and 20 minutes. As the train is constantly stopping and starting, and we forgot to bring lunch or any type of beverage on board with us, this was not one of our favourite trains. As these were all regional trains, we had to keep our luggage in the overhead areas, which was a little difficult sometimes as our luggage kept getting heavier, but there was not really an alternative for these trains unless you wanted to leave it unattended in the doorway.

Eurostar Italia; Rome - Naples

We got to the station and headed for the nearest fast ticket machine and purchased seat reservations for the next train to Naples, and hopped on this train very easily. We had 1st class reservations, so we enjoyed the spaciousness of the seats, even though the journey only took an hour and 20 minutes. There was a bar on board, but we did not check it out as we had already eaten. Our baggage was kept at the end of the carriage near the doors and we had no problems finding room to store it.

Private line 'Circumvesuviana'; Naples - Sorrento

We cannot sell this train internationally, and so it was very hard to give advice without knowing anything about it. Firstly, when I got off my train in Naples, I was expecting to see the signs to easily guide me to where I could find it, but there wasn't one, so I wasted a bit of time looking for a sign, until I finally found a tiny arrow and the word 'circumvesuviana' which was about as small as my hand, and we followed the arrow until it came to a T section, and then we took a gamble, which ended up being the right way. We had to go down a set of escalators, and then down another long corridor, and the whole maze ended us at what is called Napoli Garibaldi, which took about 10 minutes all up. If I didn't know the name of the train/service I don't think I could have ever found it. We bought two tickets, and it only cost 3 Euro 40 cents, which we thought was cheap, until we got on the train. This was on par with our most dilapidated metro train, with graffiti and chewing gum, and the works. Furthermore, there was nowhere to put your luggage, which forced both me and my partner to sit on ours out in the door section. It seemed like such a waste, as it is one of the only ways to get to the Amalfi coast, and as it was a private train, I just assumed it would be a little nicer than the government owned trains. This train was the worst we took for our trip and I cannot honestly recommend it as there is nowhere for luggage, and it is quite filthy. Also, if you have higher end clients, they will not like you much if you suggest this train.

Eurostar Italia; Salerno - Villa San Giovanni

We were headed for Sicily today, so we found the quickest way would be to take two trains and a boat. We purchased our seat reservations from the ticket counter after showing our pass to the staff member and boarded the train soon after. Nothing was offered on this service, although the seats were very comfortable, as we were in 1st class. These trains are very modern and the design was almost identical to the AVE's in Spain, but we were not offered tea or coffee, and the staff seemed quite relaxed on this trip. There was plenty of room at either ends of the carriage for luggage, and there was enough room under your table to store handbags, or smaller bags. This trains also had power outlets in 1st class which we found handy.

Ferry crossing included with my Eurail Pass from Villa San Giovanni to Messina

We got off the train in Villa San Giovanni as the Eurostar Italia trains do not go on board the ferries that cross over, only the IC trains. We had to take our luggage up escalators when the large ferry pulled in, as all foot passengers' board from the top. After waiting for the previous passengers to disembark, we just showed our passes to the man waiting at the entrance at the side of the ferry and he let us pass. The ferry was quite large, and it could hold both cars and trains. There was a train on this ferry that was being unloaded, and I believe a new one was being placed on. It was quite fascinating to watch. This ferry ride took about 35 minutes to arrive into Messina, where we all walked off from the same side we came on from. After walking down the ramp, we simply followed the other passengers into the Messina Central building and waiting for the next train to Syracuse.

Palermo - Agrigento

The nicest and newest regional train I had the pleasure of being able to take on my trip. This train did not require a seat reservation, however because of its cleanliness and the fact it looked brand new, and it felt like it wasn't a regional train. There was plenty of space for baggage and the seats were a comfortable distance apart. This regional train only carried 2nd class, but it was still on par with most 1st class trains I have taken in regards to comfort and features. Not only was the train great, but the Sicilian country side on this train is amazing and highly recommended.

Leonard Express; Rome Termini - Rome Airport

I already knew to go to platform 27 and 28, which made this a whole lot easier, so we just followed the signs that said "to platforms 27, 28, 29" until we found it and waited for the next one to arrive, which only took 5 minutes. My tip is to start walking down the platform to where the end of the train will be to where it pulls in. This means you will be one of the first passengers off the train when it arrives into the airport, and also, there will not be very many people in your carriage. We got on and had plenty of space to put luggage as the carriage was mostly empty. The journey only took 35 minutes, and the conductor came around, saw we had a pass and said thank you and left. It is only included if you have a valid 1st class pass though, and it will take a day off your pass. In my opinion, it was well worth it.

Bottom Line.

Overall, I only have 1 real issue with the trains on my entire trip, and it was caused by flash floods in France, so it is not a reflection of the train system at all.

Myself and my partner really enjoyed the trains and we believe our holiday was only improved by adding so many of them into our itinerary. From the outstanding, to the average, the train system in Europe is still light years ahead of anything we have currently in Australia, and so the process is quite easy and at some stages it was effortless to find the train we wanted and just hop on. The main thing for us is that the trains gave us an opportunity to sit back and really relax on our holiday, which for the most part was spent just travelling from place to place, so it was a pleasure to get to sit somewhere comfortable for a few hours and just stare out the window, listen to some music or drift off with the rhythm of the train. On a previous trip overseas I'd done only 2nd class trains, but now I know what I was missing out on, and the fact the price difference in passes is so small, I will never go 2nd class out of choice again on European trains. I am converted.

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