Whether going on a small group tour with The Traveling Professor or traveling on your own, always consider taking the train from one destination to another in Europe. They are fast, comfortable and in many cases, can be very inexpensive.  In this blog post, The Traveling Professor gives his tips on European train travel.

Buy Tickets in Advance:  This gives the best deals in price.  For instance, on the high-speed train from Rome to Florence departing at 6:50 pm (18:50) costs $59.57 on the day of departure.   Buy the ticket 2 months in advance for the same train the price goes down to $29.67.  That's about a 50% savings.

Look at First/Business Class Seats: If booking in advance, sometimes First/Business class seats are just a few dollars more than coach and in some cases, First/Business class seats can be less expensive than coach seats.

Use Trainline.com to Book Trains:  The booking interface is easy and clear.  Customer service is terrific.  For instance, we had a train cancelled once, and Trainline was right on top of it to issue a refund. We've used Trainline for tickets in Great Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Austria, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, and for the Eurostar (chunnel train between Pairs, London, Brussels).  Unfortunately, we have not been able to use Trainline to book tickets in Norway.

Check Out the Man in Seat 61:  This popular website will tell you everything you need to know about train travel in Europe and beyond.

Know the Difference Between Different Types of Trains:  In other words, know the difference between the high-speed and local trains.  When traveling short distances, local trains can be fine.  However when traveling long distances, you probably want the speed and comfort of the Frecciarossa in Italy, the TGV in France, Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) in Spain, or the InterCity Express (ICE) in Germany.