Five reasons why you should shun flying for travelling by train in Europe
It's about that time again - when your whole social media is adorned with photos of Aussies enjoying the Euro summer.
I was lucky enough to visit in September a couple of years ago (my credit card has just about recovered, thanks for asking).
While I would never travel in the high summer, because of the tourists and the heat, one of my most enduring memories is how easy it was to get around - on the trains.
READ MORE: Experts warn not to leave your luggage on the hotel room floor - and where to put it instead
Manarola, Cinque Terre - train station in small village with colorful houses on cliff overlooking sea. Cinque Terre National Park with rugged coastline is famous tourist destination in Liguria, Italy Getty Images/iStockphoto
And you don't have to be a backpacking gap year interrailer either.
We started in London and ended in Venice, taking in Paris, Nice, Cinque Terre, and Florence, all by rail.
READ MORE: 10 amazing Aussie places you've - probably - never heard of
It's no surprise that, according to Euromonitor, train travel was the fastest-growing travel category worldwide last year.
Here are five reasons you should hop aboard two rails in Europe.
Get to Nice in the south of France by train. Getty Images/iStockphoto
1. It's relatively affordable
You might see Aussies expats boasting about twenty quid flights from London to Europe.
But the only options I've seen depart at 6am from Luton (it's awful, trust me) to land at some obscure place nowhere near your destination and charge you $69 to take a bum bag.
Examples of what we paid in Europe for two tickets on the train include Nice to Cinque Terre in Italy for $126 for two people, and Florence to Venice for $105.
(I don't include the UK in "Europe" as I have just booked an ticket from London to Bath which cost a gobsmacking $75 for a 90-minute journey.)
Gare du Nord train station in Paris France. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Rail Europe also offers new 'cancel for any reason' protection.
The Eurostar is also a must do. I can't believe it took me until age 40 to get aboard this iconic train which speeds under the Channel.
The most famous trip is London to Paris, which takes two hours and 16 minutes.
I paid almost $100 each one way, but you can sometimes find cheaper options.
READ MORE: You don't have to be flying business or first class to live it up in an airport lounge
Standard Class on the Eurostar train Supplied
2. You can see the sights
I have not even travelled through the Alps or anywhere like that (it's on the bucket list), but chugging through the French and Italian countryside was pretty pleasurable.
Most trains also have cafes.
Or you can also use Google maps to find the closest pastry shop to your station and jog to get some cannoli while waiting for your connection, as we did in Ventimiglia.
READ MORE: The Port Stephens beachside suburb that's perfect for a family getaway
Cannoli pastries at a station in Italy. Supplied
3. It's easy to book
As well as booking our tickets on the Euro Rail and Trainline sites, we found the website The Man in Seat 61 website helpful.
It advises on things like ensuring you validate your paper tickets in Italy, and when to allow more time between connections.
All of the tickets then appeared either the company's app or in my Apple Wallet.
READ MORE: The cheapest and safest places to travel with kids in 2025
Getting around Europe to sip Arerol Spritz is easy on the train, Sarah says. Supplied
READ MORE: 'The inbuilt phone feature that gives me peace of mind while travelling solo'
4. It's convenient
Train stations are generally in the city centre, unlike airports which are usually further out, which adds to the travel time, cost and hassle.
Often trains can get you to smaller towns too, off the tourist trail.
Once we got to Nice on the high speed train, we stayed outside the city in a cute town called Cagnes-Sur-Mer. It was much cheaper - and on the local train line.
We went places like Monaco and Ville France Sur Mer, as well as into the city on the local train.
READ MORE: Everything a couple spent on a Euro summer
A high speed French TGV train. Getty
5. It's more environmentally friendly
Forget Jeff Bezos and his private jets, head to Venice on the train.
Research from Our World in Data showed the train has 14 per cent of the emissions of a plane.
The Eurostar in particular is much better, at just four per cent of harmful pollution compared with flying.
