Travel

[bargainsgirl]

Going to Europe in May and will be visiting several countries.  We will be traveling by train (France, Belgium, UK) and wondered if luggage is checked as on a plane.  Any other" train tips" would be apprecitated!

[proudlyfromNJ]

It’s been a long time for me, but I think you take your luggage on the train yourself and stow it.

[gizmogal]

This link is titled Complete Guide to Train Travel in Europe. It will probably provide answers to ones you haven’t thought of yet. 

Short answer to your posted question is that you handle your baggage yourself and you are expected to lift it onto the train. 

Read all about it:

https://thesavvybackpacker.com/complete-guide-to-train-travel-in-europe/

Hope I’ve  helped. Bon voyage!

[kaydee50]

Train travel in Europe is great.  The best way to see the countries.  Don't really have an answer to your question since I don't remember ever checking luggage.  I would suggest traveling light and not taking any luggage you can't handle yourself. 

[Katrin B]

You carry your luggage yourself. Most of the time other passengers might offer to help if they see somebody is struggeling. I suggest you use a small suitcase on wheels you or a compagnion can carry up about 4 steps on and off the train, as well as larger softsided bag that can be attached to the suitcase for easy moving around off the train.

There are services offered to ship your luggage ahead, but that generally is only of help if you stay in one place a long time, as the luggage will be picked up a couple of days before the train travel itself.

Train connections are often tight, and trains are mostly on time. It helps to have your seats reserved in cabins close to the elevators on the tracks. It will save time.

Some trainstations do not have raised platforms, just long "piers" to walk out on to your train cabin. All trainstations have maps that show the location of your cabin in relation to the train track so you can position yourself in the right vicinity.

Traintimes are listed in the 24hrs format.

After 2-3 train rides it will all start to make sense.

Enjoy

[Carmie]

You have to drag your own luggage on the trains and stow it in overhead bins, or beside you at the back of your seat.  

Some trains can accomodate excess luggage on another cargo train if you wish to check it.  It might not arrive at the same time as you do to your destination and maybe not even on the same day.

The train is not responsible for lost luggage or stolen luggage.  Theives will ride the trains all over Europe to pick pocket or steal luggage.  They work in teams are are quite fast.  You have to be especially careful at the stations where they can grab and run.

My son and a friend went to Europe-UK to France, to Germany and took a train between the countries in October.  Both boys are in their 30's and fit.  Even they had to be careful and had to deal with theives.  Young girls would distract them while guys would try to grab their stuff and run and also try to steal from their pockets.

They didn't get anything stolen, but attempts were made.

Take only what you can handle and keep your eye on your belongings.

Don't mean to scare you, just educate you to keep your eyes open and pack light.

[dawg lover]

We took the Eurostar from London's St. Pancras station to Gare du Nord station in Paris two years ago, and it was a wonderful experience.  The train was fast (2 hours), clean, and comfortable.  You could walk around and there was a car where you could buy sandwiches, drinks, and snacks.  There was a designated area for luggage when you climbed on the train.  We sat nearby, so we could keep an eye on our suitcases.  I had read that the Gare du Nord area and train station were a bit sketchy, but we had no problem with it.  Have a great trip! 

[qbetzforreal]

You are responsible for your luggage, which is why it is important to travel light.

[Bhvbum]

yes yes yes, you will be lugging your suitcase. Travel light so that everything goes into one suitcase. It’s so easy to find the laundry and have them wash things for you during the day and you can pick them up in the evening. Or do what my husband and I did and tried to pack as much silk and cashmere. Silk dries fast, and cashmere can be worn by itself or layered. Use hotel shampoo to wash things out every night.

[patbz]

@bargainsgirl :  You are responsible for your own luggage on trains, so pack very light.  In addition to you being able to get aboard and disembark quickly, some of the stations are very large and sometimes have tunnels (with stairs) to access some tracks.  One solution is to take two very small have so you can handle them yourself and keep an eye on them.