Thomas Cook Europe by Rail: Your Guide to Exploring Europe on a Budget

I've been a travel agent for over 20-years, and have used this book for years. It has a lot going for it. There are a few things you should know first though. First, the book is published by the Thomas Cook from the United Kingdom. So, it's more geared toward a British audience. Don't let that disturb you. This is still my favorite guide, so far. This book is a great reference tool, but you have to READ it. I've seen people just grab a book. . . hop on a plane. . . and they think they will just "wing-it" after they get there. That's very irresponsible, and you'll waste a TON of time and not get to see an experience as much. Planning is key. Yes, you'll be able to make adjustments along the way as you like, but if you don't have some sort of plan, then you're likely to take a train from Paris to Rome. . . then back to Zurich. . .then back to Milan. . . and so for. . . wasting lots of time. This book is certainly geared more toward young-people who are trying to get by cheap with hostel recommendations and such. That doesn't mean it's exclusively for young-people backpacking through Europe though. There's so much information tucked into this book, that anyone traveling in Europe by train will find it helpful. What's inside? * General information about train travel within Europe * Maps - Country maps, city maps, and more * Essentials for each country such as store opening hours, language, currency, holidays, climate, tipping, etc. * Information about the larger city train stations - hours, what they have to offer, tourist office, hotels, etc. * Ideas for day-trips from larger cities. * Ideas about where to go next from larger cities * Pictures of different sites * Sightseeing information * More. . . More. . More. . . Here's one thing that you won't find a lot of, and that's rail schedules. With some of the larger cities, there will be some information about how far away other cities are located, and the frequency of trains, but not schedules. Train schedules are a little like airline schedules. They change, so book publishers such as this do not wish to include them. Also, Thomas Cook is the premier publisher of of rail time tables in Europe. Do a search for the Thomas Cook Timetable. The come out four-times per year, and they are NOT cheap. The are also NOT easy to read. Once you get the hang of it, it's not difficult, but they are quite daunting, especially at first. You're much better off going online to the Rail Europe website to check rail schedules. . . but. .when you're traveling within Europe. . . and don't have internet access.. . then the Thomas Cook Timetable can be very handy. Finally, this is NOT what I would say is a definitive guide to Europe overall. There are certainly better guides for that, but this IS a great guide for the train part of the trip. I used to live in Zurich and traveled all over. . . and used it a lot. . . and take it with me each time I return. If you're looking for some good