Take the train from London to Bologna

Good to know when traveling from London to Bologna

Do I have to book seat reservations?

Regular train tickets

Some trains require that you have a seat reservation. Seat reservations are included when mandatory with all regular tickets purchases made on All Aboard. If you wish to reserve seats when they are not included you can do so either at the train station or on the operator website.

Seat reservation for Interrail

Seat reservations are usually not required for local and regional trains. However, it is needed for most high-speed, international, and night trains. But make sure to book seats if you need to be somewhere at a certain time, traveling with kids or if it's high season. Unsure if you need a seat reservation? Check your route here.

Reservations for travelers with Interrail pass can be purchased at the train station, on the rail operator website, and on Interrail.eu.

Some rail operators will ask for your "pass cover number". This is a code which used to come with the old paper passes. You can generate such a code using your Interrail mobile pass here.

Travel insurance

International train journeys in Europe are covered by the CIV protection rules, a set of rules to make it easier to travel cross-boarder with train. Primarily providing compensation for lost baggage and a guarantee of onward transport.

You can find out if your journey is covered by CIV by checking the tickets. "CIV" should then be printed in a corner.

But...

...there are many cases when these rules does not apply. Therefore All Aboard advise you to have a valid travel insurance before going on your trip. It's never a fun thing either to miss a connection or to loose your luggage, we know, therefore it's very useful to have an insurance where you're fully covered.

Is there wifi on the train?

There are few things as nice as watching a movie, listening to a good podcast or getting some work done on the train. And fortunately most long-distance trains in Europe today offer free wifi onboard.

Eurostar, Renfe, SNCF and Deutsche Bahn let you get access to wifi on the majority of their trains. If having wifi is very important to you, the best way to really know if wifi is available is to google the train number (that can be found on your ticket) and you'll find out.

For EU residents

Should the wifi connection let you down, as an EU resident, you still have the luxury to take advantage of free roaming in all EU countries, just remember to turn on roaming in your phone's settings. If you are an EU resident traveling through a non-EU country such as Switzerland, the UK, or Norway, it could be a good idea to bring a 4G dongle in your bag, and switch off roaming to avoid hefty bills.