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At Omio, our aim is to make booking a trip as simple as possible. How you ask? By allowing you to search, compare and book trains for Great Britain and mainland Europe—all in one place.
We've partnered with major train companies from 15 countries—including Virgin Trains, Eurostar, Trenitalia, Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, Renfe—so you can have a seamless end-to-end experience.
But that's not all. We're constantly improving and innovating how you travel—from super secure payments to mobile tickets to live journey updates. So now, you can always find the best option.
Traveling by train in Great Britain is a great way to see the country. Here are some of our favorite routes from London to help you get inspired.
There are a a lot of different train companies in Great Britain. We have teamed up with all of them, including Virgin Trains, LNER, and even Eurostar. That mean, no matter where you're going—we get you there.
Abellio Greater Anglia: Abellio Greater Anglia Trains succeeded National Express in 2012 as Eastern England's primary train company. Abellio's train network covers Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and parts of Hertfordshire
Arriva Trains Wales: Arriva trains operate on 5 routes: between the Midlands and Northern Wales, between South Wales and Northern Wales/Manchester, along the South Wales Coast Line to Cardiff and Swansea, along the North Wales Coast Line to Crewe and Manchester, while also operating a network of commuter train lines in and around Cardiff.
C2C: c2c is predominantly a London commuter railway, providing services along the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway line, from London Fenchurch Street to East London and along the southern part of Essex. Trains depart along the main route from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness around 8 times each hour during off-peak times
East Midland Trains: East Midlands Trains operates two types of trains: long-distance trains connecting London St Pancras train station with destinations throughout the UK and regional trains. East Midlands's regional trains link towns and cities in the East Midlands as well as Central and Northern England. East Midlands trains run between London and Sheffield, York, Derby, Corby, Nottingham, and Leeds.
Great Western Railway: Great Western Railway is the main train company for the west and south-west counties in the UK including Devon, Somerset, Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Bedfordshire, Wiltshire, and Bristol. Great Western's trains are also available in Wales, focusing specifically on Southern Wales.
First Hull Trains: First Hull Trains operate just one train from Hull to London, which stops at Brough, Howden, Selby, Doncaster, Retford, Grantham, and Stevenage along the way. First Hull's train schedule has grown every year since 2000, with 7 trains currently departing every day.
Gatwick Express Gatwick Express has been running direct train services from London Victoria Station to Gatwick since 1984. It is considered the fastest train service to Gatwick Airport from Central London, and is the only non-stop option available.
First Transpennine Express: First Transpennine Express operates intercity trains on 3 main routes across Northern England. First Transpennine Express trains connect Liverpool and Manchester with Leeds, York, Sheffield and Doncaster with as many as 5 trains departing per hour on some of the popular routes.
Train travel in Europe is fast becoming one of the best ways to discover the continent. It's one of climate change activist Greta Thunberg's favourite ways to travel.
It's a great alternative to flying as trains can emit up to 90 percent less CO2 per journey and with more countries offering high-speed trains, it can often be quicker, too.
Catching the train affords more leisure time than traveling by flight. You can check out the scenery as you work on your laptop and there are no liquid restrictions and fewer stringent security checks.
Next time, skip flying, sit back and relax as you travel by train.
Omio have partnered up with more than 800 providers in Europe and helps you find your best train ticket to get around Europe. We work with european train companies from Sweden in the north to Portugal in the south.
ÖBB: ÖBB or Austrian Federal Railways is Austria's national train company. In addition to numerous cities in Austria, ÖBB also travels to select destinations in Germany, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Westbahn: Westbahn operates one train route between Vienna and Salzburg. Westbahn trains run every hour and stop at Wien Westbahnhof, Wien-Hütteldorf, St. Pölten Hbf, Amstetten, Linz Hbf, Wels Hbf, Attnang-Puchheim and Salzburg Hbf.
SNCB: In addition to servicing domestic destinations, Belgium's national train company also operates 4 high-speed international train routes: from Brussels to Paris Nord or Lille Flandres train stations in cooperation with SNCF; from Leuven to Ans; from Liège to the German border; and from Antwerpen-Centraal to Rotterdam Centraal train stations.
České Dráh: Often abbreviated ČD, České Dráhy is the Czech Republic's main train company. České Dráhy operates both regional and long-distance train routes throughout the Czech Republic
SNCF: SNCF operates all of France's national rail services including the high-speed TGV network. More than 800 high-speed SNCF trains depart every day. SNCF’s TGV trains carry over 100 million passengers every year.
Deutsche Bahn: Germany's national train company is the largest in Europe, transporting approximately 2 billion passengers per year. Deutsche Bahn's high-speed Intercity-Express (ICE) trains connect major cities in Germany as well as some select international destinations in Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, France, Denmark and the Netherlands
Italo: Italo is a privately-owned high-speed train company that connects 16 train stations in 13 Italian cities. Italo operates 3 high-speed train lines through Italy: from Verona to Naples (via Bologna, Florence, and Rome); from Venice to Salerno (via Padua, Bologna, Florence, Rome, and Naples); and from Turin to Salerno (via Milan, Reggio Emilia, Bologna, Florence, Rome, and Naples).
Renfe: Renfe Operadora is Spain's national train company. Renfe's high-speed AVE trains travel up to 350 km/h and connect Madrid with other major cities in Spain including Seville, Barcelona, Valencia, Toledo, Cordoba, and Malaga.
How do I buy train tickets in Spain? Almost all types of trains in Spain require passengers to prebook their tickets as most have compulsory seat reservations. Reservation booking usually opens between 60 and 90 days ahead of the departure date, although this can sometimes vary.
Are there different train fares? Yes - Flexible fares are refundable and changeable and you can book this ticket type on the day of travel, seat availability permitting.
Promo fares do not allow for refunds or changes and you cannot chose your own seat.
Promo+ fares allow you to pick your own seat and have a more flexible refund and changes policy than the basic Promo fare, but is still limited.
Is it easy to book tickets if you don't speak the language? Yes, it's simple to book Spanish train tickets online. If you use Omio there is also an English speaking customer service.
For more in-depth information about trains in Spain, click here.
How do I buy train tickets in Italy? Buying train tickets in Italy is easy. For regional trains you don't have to prebook, just show up at the station and use one of the ticket machines and off you go. Long distance train tickets need to be booked in advance although seats rarely sell out, so buying a day or two before is usually fine, but much more expensive than booking in advance.
Is it easy to book tickets if you don't speak the language? Yes, just go to the station and use the fast ticket machines in English.
For more in-depth information about trains in Italy, click here.
How do I buy train tickets in Germany? To book train tickets in Germany you should buy in advance for the best deals, but this isn't compulsory for most trains. If passengers are traveling long distance then you'll need to book a seat in advance, booking for these trains opens about 90 days in advance. If you're booking a regional train you can add a seat to your reservation as an optional extra for about 5 Euros.
Are there different fare types? Yes - Flexpreis fares can be bought in advance or on the day of travel and are refundable and changeable.
Saver fares save customers money but can only be used on specific trains at a certain time and date. These tickets are refundable and changeable before departure for a fee. Saver tickets usually sell out fairly quickly.
Children under the age of 6 travel for free on German trains.
For more in-depth information about trains in Germany, click here.
How do I buy train tickets in France? Travelers will only need to book their train tickets in advance for long distance journeys as these all have compulsory seat reservations. The price of these tickets is not fixed and fluctuate similar to air fares, so to get the cheapest tickets it's wise to book as far in advance as possible. Customers can usually book a ticket from around 92 days ahead of the departure date.
Are there different train fares? Yes - Pro fares are flexible, refundable and changeable but only valid at a specific time and date.
Loisir fares are a little less flexible with more limited refunds and changes available, these are also only valid on the specific train booked.
Prems fares are the cheaper tickets but are not valid for any changes or refunds. They are also only available for the specific train booked. These are best booked as far as 3 months in advance if possible.
There are also group tickets for up to seven people, so if traveling with friends it can work out significantly cheaper to buy a group ticket.
Is it easy to book tickets if you don't speak the language? Yes, if you're booking a long distance train then everything can be done online, if you're booking a regional train and are booking at the station you can use the ticket machines and change the language to English.
For more in-depth information about trains in France, click here.
Europe is blessed with an extremely comprehensive rail network, meaning exploring the continent by train is as simple as it gets. Whats more is given the history of these train tracks, they often pass through extremely beautiful landscapes in the Alps or directly through forests. Why not kill two birds with one stone and witness the beautiful European scenery without having to step off the train? Below are just some of the highlights.
Not sure where to begin your Northern Rail adventure? Check out these popular Northern Rail destinations for travel details and nearby attractions: