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Introducing a new way to connect with Rail Europe. For our friends in Canada and Mexico, you can now purchase tickets on your country’s dedicated website and www.raileurope.mx and www.raileurope.com/fr/, plus read in your choice of English, Spanish or French.

Featuring the same state-of-the-art online functionality as our American-version — www.raileurope.com (which is also available in Spanish and French), these sites let you plan a rail-cation even before packing your bags. You’ll still find the most extensive information available on European destinations and rail products. Plus, you’ll become fully immersed in the European experience via our interactive tools.

Want to talk to someone over the phone? We continue to offer toll-free numbers that allow you to speak to someone directly in French or Spanish.

Join us on the journey, le voyage, el viaje, and see why more travelers choosing rail.

Book between February 16 – March 31, 2010* and enjoy this special 20% discount in Leisure Select class (which is just fancy wording for “first class”) on any Eurostar route. Tickets start at just $146**. This offer is subject to availability so don’t wait too long to book. Springtime in Paris is right around the corner.

·    Valid for travel from March 16 – August 31, 2010.   Leisure Select Class only.
·    ** Per person, one way. Tickets are non refundable.  Book your Eurostar trip Now!

Maybe it’s because I was raised in the burbs, but I’ve always known there was much more to my country than the ever-popular, culturally liberal city of Amsterdam. City dwellers who want to unwind know that just 30 minutes away by train there’s a place to relax that’s “shaped” by history. And it’s much more than tulips and windmills.

The northern fisher towns of Hoorn, Enkhuizen and Medemblik, also know as the “Historic Triangle”, blossomed during the time of the Dutch East India Company. A journey through these towns by steam train and boat make for a unique and unforgettable experience. At least, this is what my out-of-town guests claimed after a post-wedding trip I had arranged for them on this route.

We began our adventure in Hoorn. Trains run from Amsterdam Centraal Station to Hoorn every 30 minutes. Out the window, especially in April, the landscape is an explosion of color – blooming flowers in North Holland. In fact, it’s the most important flower producing area in all of The Netherlands.

The town’s picturesque historic center is paved with cobblestone streets, antique houses and a beautiful port. What I wanted most to do was take our guests to Hoofdtoren, a cozy restaurant in a 500-year-old defense tower. Popular with the locals and tourists alike, you can sample specialties like mussels and ale, plus herring either raw or pickled. To my surprise – our guests went for the raw herring. It went down pretty easily with a pint of local beer.

From Hoorn we traveled 20 minutes by conventional Dutch rolling stock to Enkhuizen. The town is home to the open-air Zuiderzee Museum. This recreation of an actual fishing village in the 19th century gives visitors a unique opportunity to live the life of a sailor over 100 years ago. I think the kids in our group liked this best!

Our last stop on the “triangle” was to Medemblik – and we arrived by boat. On this journey, we crossed part of the IJsselmeer, a modern marvel. This expanse of water turns from salty to fresh thanks to a manmade dike that connects North Holland with the province Groningen.

A must see in Medemblik is the 13th century Radboud Castle, situated next to the IJsselmeer. In fact, I felt it was so beautiful, we had our wedding there. On site, there’s a museum with exhibitions, which our guests loved exploring. Our wedding toast was held in the Knight’s Hall – perfect for my groom in shining armor. From Medemblik, our wedding party returned to Hoorn in style – aboard an early 1900’s vintage steam train. On board, we were served a local treat called poffertjes, which is like a small pancake with butter and powdered sugar. Our guests are still talking about them! Everyone got off the steam train, and boarded a conventional train back to Amsterdam, taking with them memories of their Dutch getaway off the beaten path and into history – The Netherlands’, and ours.

We want to express our thanks to everyone who participated in our Twitter Your Way to France with TGV, the High-Speed Train contest. This exciting contest began on December 14th and ran each weekday until December 24th. We tested the knowledge of our followers on the TGV. Each day, a TGV trivia question was tweeted at 3pm Eastern Time. One hour was given for entrants to submit their answer. At 4pm, the daily contest closed and the day’s winners were announced.

Each day, after the race against the clock to submit the right answer, the first five people to tweet the correct answer were deemed the winners for that day. These winners were awarded with a $200 credit to be used toward the purchase of a TGV train ticket, allowing them to experience the excitement of the TGV for themselves. All correct tweets submitted during the span of the contest were entered into the Grand Prize drawing. Meaning, even if a follower was not one of the first five to answer correctly, they still had a shot at the Grand Prize–a trip to France for two!

Congratulations to all of our winners and thanks for making our TGV contest such a great success! We hope that everyone gained not only some TGV knowledge, but the desire to travel by TGV on your next visit to France! Be sure to follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date with all European rail travel, and future contests and promotions!

November 9, 1989. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I was studying for my High School finals and had the TV on as background noise. All of  sudden, the movie was interrupted for the breaking news that changed the history of Germany and entire Europe.

Only a few weeks earlier I went to Berlin using an overnight train from Stuttgard to Berlin, now no longer an overnight journey due to the ICE High Speed Train. Nothing fancy, a 2nd class couchette cabin which had to be shared with 5 more travelers.

The train ride was not different to other overnight train rides to Italy or France until we reached Hof, the former border crossing between West and East Germany. There, East German border police boarded the train and after the locomotive had been exchanged to a Deutsche Reichsbahn (the former East German Railroad) locomotive the train continued its long non-stop journey through the rail corridor to West Berlin. In the meantime, the police officers inspected our passports and stamped them with the GDR immigration stamp. After that, one police officer was placed at each of the car ends for the remaining trip until we finally reached the check point between East Germany and West Berlin. After a short stop to drop off the agents the train continued to Berlin Zoo, the former main train station of West Berlin.

I experienced similar border crossings between Hungary and Austria or West Germany and Czechoslovakia before but this time it was a lot more emotional considering that this border crossing took place within the same nation.

The trip became even more emotional while in Berlin. As FRG citizens we had free range, could get on all S-Bahn trains, whether they went into East Berlin or other parts of West Berlin. We were able to cross check-points whenever we wanted but were also confronted more often and had literally “hands-on” experiences with the wall. At that point, nobody imagined what will happen just a few weeks later.

On that November evening I told my parents that I will go to Berlin right after my finals were over and one day later I went to the travel agency to make a reservation for a couchette berth.

The second trip to Berlin, was a historical trip as well, without knowing it. Though there were still two Germanys, there was only one or two border patrol agents on the train who quickly looked at our IDs (no more passports were required) and got off the train a few kilometers later in Plauen. The remaining trip was uneventful until the conductor woke us shortly before we reached Berlin Zoo Train Station.

Like before, I was able to cross check-points without being asked what I want or will do in East Berlin and even was able to chip off a small part of the wall as my own little souvenir.

One morning while I was there, I woke up to the news that as of that day, no IDs or border crossing papers were needed any more to travel between both parts of Berlin or Germany. I changed my plans and the first trip that day was by S-Bahn to Alexanderplatz, a wide open place with the tall TV Tower as landmark and a major border crossing point between East and West Berlin. When I arrived there, there were no passport control lines to queue up at, all gates were open and all booths were unstaffed and for the first time we had the feeling to travel within one and the same country.

For somebody who grew up in a divided country and family in both parts of it, a remarkable day which will be never forgotten.

To celebrate stories like Chris’ Rail Europe is offering 20% off a German Rail Pass with Free Berlin City Sighetseeing Tour purchased between October 20 and November 20, 2009.

We strove to provide you with the highest level of detail and accuracy and we certainly hope you’ll find this tool helpful in planning your next trip to Europe.  We really think this map is one of kind and we spent countless hours aggregating geographical data from multiple sources in order to paint a comprehensive picture of the extent of the European rail network.

This should help you figure out the many destinations that you can reach across 50 countries and inspire you to see more of Europe than you thought was possible.

Here are some sample travel time for some of our flagship routes:

• Paris to London is only 2 hrs 15 minutes
• Paris to Brussels is only 1hr 17 minute
• London to Brussels is only 1 hr 51 minutes

This map is a first iteration and we are looking forward to bringing more enhancements and functionalities in the future. In the meantime, give our map a test run and tell us what you think or what you would like to see from the interactive map of Europe.  Please let us know how you use maps for planning your trip to Europe and give us some feedback!

So, zoom in and zoom out to your heart’s desire and learn about new cities that you had never heard of before and see how many destinations are accessible by train. Follow this link to visit our new interactive rail map.

Yesterday we launched a new version of our Canadian website to match the features of our new and improved website.  Now Canadians will have the same easy navigation and information as our US site.  In partnership with prestigious travel guide publisher, Frommers, the new website contains extensive information on travel destinations throughout the European continent, including suggestions on what to do and what to see in all the countries within Rail Europe’s network.   There is also an improved FAQ with all aspects of rail travel from how to choose the correct rail pass to practical information on European train stations, seating arrangements and details on High Speed trains including photos and videos. Click here to visit our new Canadian website

RailEurope.com’s sophisticated new booking functions allow you to plan either single destination or multi-stop travel itineraries throughout Europe, in all classes of rail service.

In addition, the advanced technology generates tips and recommendations on how you can save money, or when a rail pass might offer you superior value over individual tickets.

In partnership with prestigious travel guide publisher, Frommer’s, the newly enhanced website contains extensive information on travel destinations throughout Europe, including suggestions on what you can do and see in all the countries within Rail Europe’s network. In addition to travel guides, RailEurope.com offers a number of exclusive deals and packages, including special itineraries, wine pairings and tours.

We have added video content and an extensive gallery of photos, allowing you to preview trains, routes and destinations prior to setting off on your European journey. These visual materials showcase on-board amenities including restaurant cars and accommodations, bringing to life an authentic Rail Europe travel experience.

Visit the new RailEurope.com today and see the changes and enhancements for yourself, you won’t be disappointed!