If you have never taken an overnight train or any train in Europe for that matter, you’re not alone. This was my first time ever taking a train in Europe.
This past summer (2018) I took an overnight train from Prague, Czech to Krakow, Poland.
If you are planning a European vacation, travel by train is very affordable and convenient.
Here are a few things I learned.
Location of Prague Train Station.
You can find the exact address online, but it is helpful to know that the Prague Train Station is about a 15-minute walk from Wenceslas Square.
Inside the Prague Train Station
The Prague Train Station is a nice, big, modern Station.
As you can see, the boards at the Prague train station are written in both English and Czech.
If you buy your train ticket online as I did at Rail Europe you can print it out and that is all you need.
Click here => BOOK TRAIN TICKETS for tickets to Krakow, Poland.
When I was in Prague I went to the ticketing window with my printed out ticket and they told me that I did not have to do anything else.
I suggest that you arrive at the station one hour ahead of time. You will notice groups of people staring at the board waiting for it to change.
Each time the board changes, you will see a group of people walk down the platform.
About 15 minutes before your specific train is scheduled to leave, the board showing your train number will switch and tell you what “Platform” to go to.
When this happens, just follow the crowd to your platform.
Eg. the yellow arrow below shows the blank where the platform will be placed.
Note: While your ticket will have your individual train car number and all the information you need, ask one of the workers which train car you should go to. I was directed to a car about 50 yards down the train.
Note: This single room ticket cost me $55.00. You can share a room with others and pay only $20.00 maybe even less.
Train travel is interesting. It’s great because it’s pretty cheap, and something you don’t really realize is that the train stations are in the middle of the city. You don’t have to worry about traveling from the airport that is never in the middle of the city.
The problem with train travel is that the train stops a lot at the various stops along the way. (even the overnight train). Also, train travel is a lot longer than flying.
Note: When I got to Krakow, I had to get off the overnight train I was on, and move to another train to take me into town. Apparently, the overnight train does not go all the way to the city.
The train conductor will help you with this, and just follow the crowd.
The main train station in Krakow, Poland is called Krakow Glowney.
Summary:
While I’m not sure I’d do an overnight train again, I do love train travel to and from airports. For example, when I left Poland, I took the train from the City Center of Krakow to the Krakow airport, and it cost me only $3.50. Unbelievable!
Train travel is not popular where I live on the west coast of the United States. So, this was a very new experience for me.
Again, these are just a few of the things I remember. Click the banner below for more information at Rail Europe
