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Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

chronotrains.com

11–20 of 428 posts

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#11
post #5

If you now could just book a train between these cities on a common european platform (or local transportation provider...)... one could dream... just booking a train and getting a quote crossing multiple borders (without interrail) is just a nightmare :(

Doesn't trainline support some of Europe now?

Trainline support most of the Europe. Used it from Poland to Portugal, not much of a hassle.

It does miss some regional train tickets which could be found on local platforms but major lines are covered fine.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#12
I don't understand how it works. First time clicking on Poland, it showed a kind of a heat map around some city. Then I click on another location and nothing happens. OK, there's a "back" button, I go back, click on the map again in a different place and... nothing happens. No heat map. At some point in frustration I accidentally move the mouse while clicking and the map rotates upside down. Don't know, is it me, my browser, or there's something about the UI.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#14

If you now could just book a train between these cities on a common european platform (or local transportation provider...)... one could dream... just booking a train and getting a quote crossing multiple borders (without interrail) is just a nightmare :(

Trainline works well enough including refunds, seat selection, etc.

It can't book the Eurostar as part of a larger trip and there might be similar limitations.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#15
post #3

Title shared on HN left me somewhat disappointed. The actual time appears to be "Where can you go by train in 8h?", though that's somewhat less clear. It only seems to include central stations of larger cities, though I was hoping for a list of shortest travel times between stations in Europe, as more of a thought/data experiment. Or put another way; which two train stations in Europe have the least distance between…

My one and only sleeper train experience involved being woken up at 3am by police with guns to check passports. Never again.

My one and only 6 hour sleeper train was in Russia. It was cozy, amazing views at night, and they wake you when your destination is coming up.

I think when you share anecdotes like yours, its good to share anecdotes like mine, to balance it out :)

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#16

If you now could just book a train between these cities on a common european platform (or local transportation provider...)... one could dream... just booking a train and getting a quote crossing multiple borders (without interrail) is just a nightmare :(

I had a good experience earlier this year on a Paris/Berlin/Vienna/Venice/Stuttgart/Paris loop using raileurope.com and nightjet.com

I guess it may be more expensive but I don't mind, I find the booking experience very clear cut as to what is refundable, what is nonrefundable etc, easy to pick which class for each segment and so on. no complaints.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#17
post #12

I don't understand how it works. First time clicking on Poland, it showed a kind of a heat map around some city. Then I click on another location and nothing happens. OK, there's a "back" button, I go back, click on the map again in a different place and... nothing happens. No heat map. At some point in frustration I accidentally move the mouse while clicking and the map rotates upside down. Don't know, is it me, my…

Site is probably just overloaded and it's not responding properly because of it.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#18
post #6

If you now could just book a train between these cities on a common european platform (or local transportation provider...)... one could dream... just booking a train and getting a quote crossing multiple borders (without interrail) is just a nightmare :(

As someone who often crosses the borders between Germany, Austria and Italy it is basically: 1. Enter my route at ÖBB (Austrians), DB (Germans) and Trenitalia (Italians) and see who is cheapest 2. Book one ticket for the whole trip

Whenever I checked, trains from north Germany to Austria and back were always significantly cheaper on the ÖBB site. It was bizarre.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#19
Since train fans always like to point this out when it comes to flying: this is how far you can get in 8 hours on the train. It doesn’t include the time to get to the station, the buffer time you need (if your train leaves at 0700 you can’t plan to get there at 06:59), and the time to travel from the destination station to your actual destination. Actual travel time for an 8 hour train ride is probably at least closer to 10 hours if not more.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#20
Another interactive map called chronotrains was discussed here in 2022, the original site is no longer available so I'm not sure if it is the same project just monetized.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32276017 (439 comments)

In my view the previous version easier to use and more fun. Some similar projects:

https://www.mapnificent.net/

https://app.traveltime.com/

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