Rail holidays accross Europe

My sister in law is interested in taking her  honeymoon in Europe. Shes American and so is her husband. Are there any rail companies they could use to see a lot of Europe? Would they have to get a visa for each country?

Thanks!

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They shouldn't need visas - US citizens can usually visit the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within a 180-day period without a visa - and if all the countries they are going to are in the Schengen Zone, they won't go through any immigration controls between countries.

See here:
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html

I know there are rail companies you can use to travel across Europe, but not sure of details regarding booking tickets for them.

Maybe see here:
https://www.raileurope.com/index.html?country_origin=GI
https://www.eurail.com/

Some recommendations for train journeys from National Geographic:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/europe/european-train-trips/

I travelled for two years in Europe before meeting DH and I always bought train tickets on the day or a few days before. I never had a Eurail pass or anything, I just bought point to point tickets and it was great. Visa-wise, it's exactly as Ksand said. Since my trip was longer than usual, I balanced my Schengen zone time with time out of the zone so I was never in the zone more than 90 days in a 180 day period.

Unless their honeymoon will be longer than 90 days, they should be fine.

It's a different story if they plan on going to Turkey:
http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/turkey-us-visa-services-suspension-citizens-travel-ban-embassy-row-latest-a7996541.html

Regarding trains, each country has their own rail company (Deutsche Bahn in Germany, SNCF in France) so it's best to look directly on their website to see what routes are possible and what prices are like.

If they really want to buy tickets beforehand, there are companies that will do it, but I think it's usually not necessary. My parents used Loco2 (I think) and while they did save on one journey, we could have just as easily bought them at the station on the day since most trains were regional trains and the prices didn't increase.

Where are they going? Long journeys might be better to book ahead, but can sometimes be done on that country's rail website so there's be no need to go through another company.

Here's a short FAQ on train travel in Europe:
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-help/rail-faq

From that page:

Do I need a rail pass in the first place?
As a rule of thumb, a pass is worth considering if you're traveling by train on at least three separate days. It all comes down to whether the pass would save you money over simply buying point-to-point tickets.

Are they looking for a challenging adventure for their honeymoon?  If so, that's fine but most people want a bit of relaxation and pampering.  Perhaps an organised tour might be more romantic.  I frequently see river cruises that take in Budapest, Prague and Vienna.  Having a cabin on a boat would sure be nicer than sleeping in a train station. 

Are they keen on ticking off as much of Europe as possible?  If not, they could just stay mostly in one nice place and enjoy getting to know life there.  What about staying in London for a bit, then taking the Eurostar to Paris and Amsterdam?  That's a no fuss trip from London.

Thanks for all that info everyone! Had no idea about that agreement!

So i think Ireland is the main place on their list but if they can do other countries they will. They love country, costal and nature. They both work in conservtion. Im sure they would love to see cities to but not run of the mill ones. Any recommendations greatly received.

So Ireland do they need a visa?

I will send on the info you have sent me. Extremely useful thank!



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So Ireland do they need a visa?

Nope, no visa needed for Ireland.

They can enter Ireland as visitors for up to 3 months. As there are no immigration controls between Ireland and the UK, they can also visit the UK during those 3 months on the Irish visitor stamp without going through UK immigration.

Edited to add:
This Wikipedia article details all the countries that US citizens can visit without a visa (and all the countries they do need a visa for):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_United_States_citizens

Thanks for all that info everyone! Had no idea about that agreement!

So i think Ireland is the main place on their list but if they can do other countries they will. They love country, costal and nature. They both work in conservtion. Im sure they would love to see cities to but not run of the mill ones. Any recommendations greatly received.

So Ireland do they need a visa?

I will send on the info you have sent me. Extremely useful thank!



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Seems to me that you need to nail down what kind of honey moon they want.  For coastal, country and nature, maybe they shouldn’t even leave Ireland.  Rent a nice log cabin on the coast with a rental car and explore the area, coming back most nights to cook local seafood and relax.  Try to find one close to a market town and most importantly a traditional pub.  Ireland is enough for a fine honeymoon.

If they really want to do some tourism in England, they can easily take a ferry to Liverpool which is a fine city to explore, especially if they are Beatles fans. 

Another option would be Scotland, which ticks all the boxes, including conservation.  I’d recommend renting a car and driving to Oban, then taking the ferry to Barra in the Hebrides.  The ferry ride will be fantastic, we saw dolphins and basking sharks.   The island is like something from a movie and they will feel like locals after a week.   For more tourism, there’s Edinburgh and more stunning coastal beauty almost anywhere you go.