international train travel in Europe for European citizens

To find information about international train travel in Europe, including planning a train trip from Rome to Lisbon with the flexibility to visit sights along the way, you can explore the following sources:

Official Railway Websites: Check the official websites of national railway companies in the countries you plan to visit. For example, Trenitalia is the official railway company in Italy (www.trenitalia.com), while Comboios de Portugal operates trains in Portugal (www.cp.pt). These websites provide details on schedules, routes, fares, and booking options.

Rail Passes: Consider using a rail pass like the Eurail Pass or Interrail Pass. These passes offer flexible travel options across multiple European countries and can be cost-effective for extended journeys. Visit the official websites (www.eurail.com and www.interrail.eu) to explore pass options, coverage, and benefits.

Remember to check visa requirements, COVID-19 travel restrictions, and any necessary documentation for crossing international borders. It's also advisable to book tickets in advance, especially during peak travel periods, to secure preferred schedules and accommodations.

As well as Seat61, you might also find it useful to check out the products of European Rail Timetable, who produce monthly PDF (and twice-yearly printed) timetables covering all of Europe. They also sell a lovely map, which makes for a nice poster.

_{no affiliation, just a satisfied customer}

My starting point for such information is Seat61, a human-written website with recommendations on train travels throughout Europe and in the entire world.

In Europe, it has tailored connections for many European city pairs.

For example, for Rome to Lisbon, it suggests, as of July 2023:

Option 1, Rome to Lisbon via Madrid...

• Day 1, travel from Rome to Marseille, stay overnight, then take the morning AVE high-speed train from Marseille to Madrid on day 2 as shown in the Rome to Madrid section above.

• Stay overnight in Madrid. The classic Hotel Mediodia is across the road from Atocha with good reviews, or try the NH Hotel Madrid Atocha or Only YOU Hotel Atocha, also across the road from the station.

• Day 3, travel from Madrid to Lisbon by daytime trains as shown on the Madrid to Lisbon page.

Option 2, Rome to Faro & the Algarve using a bus from Seville...

• Day 1, travel from Rome to Barcelona as shown above.

• Stay overnight in Barcelona... The Hotel Barcelo Sants is the top choice here, it's part of Barcelona Sants station so easy to use when arriving & departing by train, with great reviews & good feedback from Seat61 users. See other suggested hotels near the station.

• Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Seville by AVE-S112 high-speed train leaving Barcelona Sants at 07:32 and arriving Seville Santa Justa at 13:54.
  Fares start at around €45.
  Book this at www.raileurope.com (easiest, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.renfe.com (much more fiddly, only in €, may reject some overseas credit cards). Booking for Spanish trains normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies. You print your own ticket.

• Day 2, travel from Seville to Faro by bus. Buses run from Seville Plaza de Armas to Faro several times daily, journey time around 3h40, fare around €16-€20.
  Buses are run by Damas, Eva-Bus & Alsa amongst others, you can check times & buy tickets for various bus companies all in one place at Omio.com. You print your own ticket.

Source: Seat61, trains from Rome. Last updated: July 2023.

Train connections between Spain and Portugal have become quite poor since the night trains were cancelled indefinitely in 2020.

Travel planners such as the one from Deutsche Bahn are useful, but for multi-day journeys they rarely result in the journey that is the most comfortable (who wants to change trains in the middle of the night?), unless you do a lot of tweaking (for example, try "via Barcelona" with a 10-hour change, and you might just get a comfortable 2-day option). It's also incomplete when you get far from Germany, which might mean that the best alternative might not be shown. And for some connections a section by bus can save a lot of time compared to going all the way by train — usually bahn.de is not aware of those buses.