Tips for Booking the Lowest Train Fares

Enjoy train travel for less. Photo © Britainonview / Rod EdwardsFor general tips on booking cheap tickets for trains, coaches and ferries see our blog post on green travel on a budget - below are some train-specific tips for getting the lowest fares.

• Check For Advance Tickets Always check if advance tickets are available, even at the last minute, as buying on the train can cost you far more. 
• Split Your Journey And Cut The Cost Splitting a journey or booking into two parts can sometimes produce a saving on the cost of the trip (eg. John once saved on a London – Leeds train ticket by buying separate tickets from London to Peterborough and Peterborough to Leeds on the same train). You can often still book and pay for this all in one transaction. 
• Use A Railcard See if you are eligible for any railcards, as they are usually cheap and can often work out saving you money even on single trips. [This particularly applies to travel within the UK.]
• Look Into Rail Passes Sometimes buying a pass such as an interrail or EuropeRail ticket for long journeys that cross several countries can work out cheaper than buying the tickets for the specific trip.

To book train travel between any destinations within the UK, try thetrainline, or for information on how to travel by train to destinations across mainland Europe and beyond, check out our journey planner.