Plug your travel details into online train travel websites to compare ticket prices. While big sites that cover rail lines in different countries throughout Europe can offer deals on cross-continental travel, you'll find more reliable savings on local in-country sites if you are traveling on one specified route.
Search for one-way tickets and tickets that cover individual pieces of your journey if the round-trip fare seems too expensive. Sometimes, booking several direct route pieces of the trip adds up to big savings.
If booking online, look through the list of options for discounts or concessions to see if you apply for any that could entitle you to a lower fare; ask about these discounts if booking at the station. This could include your age in Britain, where persons under the age of 26 and over the age of 60 are entitled to apply for an annual rail card that discounts the price of tickets. In the United States, Amtrak offers discounts for senior citizens and military personnel.
Book your ticket in advance online. While travelers who book journeys well in advance--specifically 12 weeks in advance, according to U.K. financial writer Martin Lewis--are almost always more likely to get cheaper seats on British trains, even booking online the day before your journey, and sometimes the day of, is cheaper than booking at the station. Amtrak, too, has variable ticket prices for the same route, so booking ahead is always encouraged. In other areas of continental Europe, like France, where rail travel is nationalized, in-country trains operate fixed-price journeys, so buying online may not be relevant.
