 Take your car by train......to Italy or Austria with Auto Express Italia or Austrian motorail ...to Spain with Brittany Ferries.
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Motorail: Trains
that carry cars!
On this page you'll find a beginner's guide to the few remaining European motorail services of interest to UK travellers. First up, here's a reality check...
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Normal passenger trains don't carry cars or motorbikes, just passengers and sometimes bicycles. Only special Motorail trains carry cars & motorbikes, on car transporters attached to the train.
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Motorail trains are an endangered species. They run on a dwindling handful of holiday routes, often summer-only and usually only once or twice a week, see the motorail route map below. All French Motorail trains from Calais were discontinued in 2010, Dutch Auto Slaap Trein from the Netherlands was discontinued in 2014, and German DB Autozug was almost completely discontinued in 2015. There are no motorail trains within the UK either, as these ceased in 1995. The remaining routes of interest to UK users are shown on the motorail route map below.
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You must first take a ferry across the Channel, as motorail trains do not use the Channel Tunnel, they start at either D�sseldorf in Germany or or Paris. Motorail trains carry cars, motorbikes, small trailers & roof boxes, and on some routes you can now take some over-height 4x4 vehicles & people carriers. However, they can't carry big 4X4s, vans, caravans or campers, as these are too high.
Interactive
motorail map:
Click a
route for information...
How do I
get my car from the UK to..?
Click your destination to find out how to get you & your car to these countries by motorail train or ferry:
France Italy Spain & Portugal Switzerland Germany & Austria Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland Eastern Europe, Turkey, Greece North Africa, Cyprus, Malta Motorail trains in the UK
Motorail
routes, timetables, prices & information...
On this page you'll find information on each motorail operator, with a summary of prices, routes, on-board accommodation & how to buy tickets:
French Auto-Train Austrian motorail (�BB) Optima Tours Other motorail trains
Sponsored links...
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How do I get my
car from the UK to...?
Who uses motorail? |
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Families and couples for a start. The door-to-door convenience of taking your own car makes the logistics of a family holiday to the South of France, Italy or Austria easy. |
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 Classic cars: It's not just families. Classic car owners who'd rather drive their vintage Jaguar than a characterless hire car take it with them using motorail. Classic cars are usually allocated a place on the lower deck. |
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 Bikers: Motorail is a bikers' favourite too... |
Here are the options for getting you & your car from the UK to the main holiday areas of Europe:
UK to France...
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Ferry crossings to France: The cheapest short-sea crossing from Dover always seems to be DFDS (formerly Norfolkline) to Calais & Dunkirk, see www.dfds.com, though by all means check other operators such as www.poferries.com. For direct ferries to Normandy & Brittany try the excellent Brittany Ferries (www.brittanyferries.co.uk).
- Auto-Train: SNCF (French Railways) offer an all-year-round Auto-train service from Paris to Nice, Avignon, Biarritz, Marseille, Tarbes, Narbonne, St Raphael, Toulon, Toulouse. Unlike other motorail services, the cars travel on a separate car-carrying train whilst passengers use whatever scheduled TGV or overnight train they wish. See here for details.
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Corsica: Ferries sail from Marseille, Toulon or Nice to Corsica, a fantastic destination with a car. See www.sncm.fr or www.corsicaferries.com or simply see the Seat61 Ferry Shop for easy booking of all operators & routes.
UK to Italy...
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Italy is the most popular motorail destination of all, and no wonder. Until 2014 there were two companies offering Motorail to Italy, but both DB Autozug and Autoslaaptrein (Dutch Motorail) have now been discontinued.
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Treinreiswinkel: The good news is that a Dusseldorf to Verona overnight motorail train has been reinstated by Dutch company Treinreiswinkel, running on Friday nights southbound and Saturdays nights northbound from May until late September, see www.treinreiswinkel.nl/reizen/autotrein (in Dutch, use Google translate or just contact them, they speak good English). D�sseldorf is a 3 hour 45 minute drive from Calais, or just a 2 hours 30 minute drive from Hoek van Holland, Rotterdam or IJmuiden where the ferries from Harwich, Hull & Newcastle arrive. The service is popular, so book early! See the information below.
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Austrian Railways (�BB) will run a 3 per week all-year motorail from Dusseldorf to Innsbruck as from 11 December 2016. You can drive into Italy from Innsbruck via the Brenner Pass, see the information below. D�sseldorf is a 3 hour 45 minute drive from Calais, or a 2 hours 30 minute drive from Hoek van Holland, Rotterdam or IJmuiden where the ferries from Harwich, Hull & Newcastle arrive.
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Sardinia, Sicily: For onward travel from Livorno or Civitavecchia (just north of Rome) to Sardinia or from Naples to Palermo in Sicily, see the Seat61 Ferry Shop.
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Car-carrying trains within Italy: Trenitalia's domestic Italian motorail trains were all discontinued in 2011.
UK to Spain & Portugal...
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There are no direct motorail trains to Spain from Calais, Paris or anywhere else, or any to Portugal. But there are several good alternatives:
- Auto-Train: SNCF (French Railways) offer an all-year-round Auto-train service from Paris to Biarritz, Tarbes, Narbonne, Toulouse, all of which are relatively close to the Spanish border. Unlike other motorail services, the cars travel on a separate car-carrying train whilst passengers use whatever scheduled TGV or overnight train they wish. See here for details.
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www.brittanyferries.co.uk sail up to five times a week from Plymouth or Portsmouth to Santander or Bilbao, taking just 24 hours. Brittany Ferries' ships 'Pont Aven' and 'Cap Finist�re' are truly excellent, a wonderful way to reach Spain with more in common with cruise liners than Channel ferries of old. There are also kennel facilities on board for dogs. Crossing the Bay of Biscay whilst whale-watching on deck is highly recommended! You'll find advice on ships & routes plus some photos here.
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Ibiza, Minorca or Majorca: For onward travel to Ibiza, Minorca or Majorca, see ferry operator www.trasmediterranea.es or see the Seat61 Ferry Shop for easy booking for all operators
UK to Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg...
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There are no motorail services from the UK to Belgium, the Netherlands or Luxembourg, but there are ferries to several ports.
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Ferries include www.poferries.com (Hull-Rotterdam), www.stenaline.co.uk (Harwich-Hoek van Holland) & www.dfds.co.uk (Newcastle-IJmuiden overnight cruise ferry).
UK to Switzerland...
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There are no motorail trains to Switzerland, the only option is to drive from the channel ports all the way. The 3-times-a-week Auto-Train service from Paris to Geneva was withdrawn in summer 2010.
UK to Germany & Austria...
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Austrian Railways (�BB) operate a D�sseldorf to Vienna overnight motorail train every day, see the www.oebb.at Austrian Railways, see the information below.
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From December 2016 �BB also operate a similar motorail service from Dusseldorf to Innsbruck, 3 times per week.
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There are no more German (DB) motorail services from Dusseldorf, just the Austrian one to Vienna or Innsbruck.
UK to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland...
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There are no motorail services from the UK to any of these countries.
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There are now no ferries from the UK to anywhere in Scandinavia either. The last ferry to Norway ended in 2008, and the ferry to Esbjerg in Denmark ended in September 2014 after almost 140 years of operation - although new operate Regina Line hopes to resume a Harwich-Esbjerg (Denmark) ferry service from Spring 2016, see www.reginaline.dk.
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So you may need to take a ferry from Dover to Calais or Dunkirk (www.dfds.co.uk) or Harwich to Hoek van Holland (www.stenaline.co.uk) and drive. Once in Germany, www.finnlines.com operate a ferry several times a week from Travem�nde & Kiel in Germany to Helsinki in Finland. And once in Denmark, www.dfds.co.uk operate an overnight cruise ferry to Oslo in Norway.
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You can book many ferries using the Seat61 Ferry Shop.
UK to Eastern Europe, including Turkey & Greece...
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Austrian Railways motorail operates from Dusseldorf to Vienna, see details here.
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Optima Tours run motorail trains from Villach in southern Austria to Edirne in Turkey (near the Bulgarian border), with departures on various dates from May to October. See www.optimatours.de for dates, times & booking information (only available in German). You can use OBB's D�sseldorf-Vienna motorail to connect with it.
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Greece by ferry: Alternatively, take the weekly summer Motorail from Dusseldorf to Verona, then drive to Venice, Trieste or Ancona and take a direct cruise ferry from Venice to Igoumenitsa or Patras in Greece, see www.minoan.gr, www.anek.gr or www.bluestarferries.com or simply consult the Seat61 Ferry Shop. The Ferry Shop can also book onward ferries from Piraeus (the port of Athens) to Crete and many other Greek islands.
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There are also ferries from other Italian ports to Greece, Croatia, Montenegro & Albania. See the Seat61 Ferry Shop for routes and booking.
UK to North Africa, Cyprus, Malta, Egypt, Israel...
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Malta is linked to Sicily by car-carrying catamarans of Virtu ferries, www.virtuferries.com. www.grimaldi-lines.com also operates a weekly cruise ferry from Genoa, Civitavecchia (near Rome) and Catania to Valetta, Malta.
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Tunisia, Morocco: There are regular ferries from Marseille & Genoa to Tunisia, and from southern Spain & S�te in the South of France to Morocco, see the Seat61 Ferry Shop. A good site to consult for such ferry routes and operators is UK ferry agent www.viamare.com.
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Cyprus, Egypt, Israel: There are now no car ferries to these destinations, but contact UK ferry specialists www.viamare.com for details of any available services.
Within the UK, to Scotland & Cornwall...
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Unfortunately, there are now no motorail trains at all within the UK. Motorail trains between London & Scotland ceased in 1995.
AutoSlaapTrein Italia
D�sseldorf (Germany) to Verona & Livorno (Italy)
The old Autoslaaptrein company threw in the towel in April 2015, but another Dutch company, Treinreiswinkel, started its own Motorail train, originally branded Auto Express Italia, now rebranded Autoslaaptrein. It's a good service!
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Website: |
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Online booking: |
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Phone: |
See website. |
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Terminal: |
Trains depart from D�sseldorf, a 3 hour 45 minute (245 mile) drive from Calais, 3 hours 20 minutes from Dunquerque, or 2 hour 30 minutes from Hook of Holland (157 miles), Rotterdam or IJmuiden (Amsterdam). The motorail terminal is next to D�sseldorf Hauptbahnhof. |
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Routes: |
D�sseldorf to Verona in Italy, also in high summer Dusseldorf to Livorno. |
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Dates & times: |
To check times & dates, see their website . But here's a summary to give you a rough idea: The D�sseldorf-Verona motorail service will run once a week from 20 May to 24 September 2016 and from 19 May to 30 September 2017. The D�sseldorf-Livorno motorail service will run once a week from 7 July May to 26 August 2017 It will run southbound on Friday nights leaving Dusseldorf around 20:05 (check-in 17:30-19:30), arriving Verona at 09:02. The Verona-Dusseldorf service runs on Saturday nights leaving Verona at 20:10 (check-in 17:00 to 19:15) and arriving Dusseldorf at 09:07. |
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How much does it cost? |
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Vehicles carried: |
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Accommodation on board: |
5-berth couchettes. Sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 berth compartments with washbasin. |
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Pets: |
Yes, dogs and other pets can be carried. |
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Suggested ferry connections: |
The cheapest option is to use the short sea routes, Dover-Calais or Dover-Dunkirk, see www.poferries.com & www.dfds.com. Top tip: www.dfds.com Dover-Dunkirk (formerly Norfolkline) always seem by far the cheapest operator, typically charging �45-�70 return for a car and occupants when Dover-Calais operators persist in charging over �100 return. The more direct option from East Anglia or the North of England is to use www.stenaline.co.uk (Harwich-Hoek van Holland), www.dfds.co.uk (Newcastle-IJmuiden overnight cruise ferry), or www.poferries.com (Hull-Rotterdam overnight cruise ferry). |
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Restaurant car on the Autoslaaptrein Italia... |
1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper... |
OBB
Austrian Railways motorail
D�sseldorf (Germany) to Vienna & Innsbruck (Austria)
Austrian Railways (�BB) offer a car transport service attached to their daily Dusseldorf-Vienna EuroNight sleeper train.
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Website: |
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Online booking: |
At www.oebb.at, click 'English top right. Then click Planning your trip and select Car, moto- & bicycle and click Motorail. On the motorail booking page, select English and book your car onto the train. You need to book the car first, then use the normal www.oebb.at passenger booking system to book passengers onto the same train. Clearly, do a dry run on both systems first! Or call them to book it all. |
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Phone: |
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Terminal: |
Trains depart from D�sseldorf, a 3 hour 45 minute (245 mile) drive from Calais, 3 hours 20 minutes from Dunquerque, or 2 hour 30 minutes from Hook of Holland (157 miles), Rotterdam or IJmuiden (Amsterdam). The DB Autozug motorail terminal is next to D�sseldorf Hauptbahnhof. |
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Routes: |
Trains run from D�sseldorf to Vienna in Austria overnight, every day. |
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Dates & times: |
Dusseldorf to Vienna runs daily all year, leaving Dusseldorf around 21:00 and arriving Vienna around 08:30. Run by partner �BB (Austrian Railways) it's a Nightjet sleeper train which has car transporters attached. Dusseldorf to Innsbruck is also offered all year 3 days per week from 11 December 2016 onwards. It's also a Nightjet sleeper train with car transporters attached on certain days. |
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How much does it cost? |
Check online. |
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Vehicles carried: |
Cars & motorbikes are carried. |
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Accommodation on board: |
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Pets: |
Yes, dogs and other pets can be carried. |
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Suggested ferry connections: |
The cheapest option is to use the short sea routes, Dover-Calais or Dover-Dunkirk, see www.poferries.com & www.dfds.com. Top tip: www.dfds.com Dover-Dunkirk (formerly Norfolkline) always seem by far the cheapest operator, typically charging �45-�70 return for a car and occupants when Dover-Calais operators persist in charging over �100 return. The more direct option from East Anglia or the North of England is to use www.stenaline.co.uk (Harwich-Hoek van Holland), www.dfds.co.uk (Newcastle-IJmuiden overnight cruise ferry), or www.poferries.com (Hull-Rotterdam overnight cruise ferry). |
How to reach D�sseldorf Autozug terminal: Leave the autobahn and follow the signs for D�sseldorf city centre, then follow the signs for 'Hauptbahnhof' ('main station'). Near the Hauptbahnhof, you'll pick up signs saying 'DB Autozug'. If you have a Tom-Tom satnav, the DB Autozug terminal is listed as a 'point of interest' in D�sseldorf. It's not difficult to reach, it's down a side road at the north east side of the Hauptbahnhof, the address is DB Autozug Terminal, Schl�gelstrasse, 40210 D�sseldorf.
Auto-Train
in France
Paris to Nice, Geneva, Avignon, Biarritz, Marseille, Tarbes, Narbonne, St Raphael, Toulon, Toulouse
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The French Railways operate their own domestic car-carrying trains, called Auto-Train, some of which run all year round at least a few times a week. Auto-Train is different from all the other motorail services in that cars & passengers travel separately: You check your car in during day 1, the cars are transported overnight, and you pick your car up on day 2. Passengers travel on any regular passenger train they like, either a daytime TGV or overnight train with couchettes. You can find more information (in French) at www.voyages-sncf.com/services-train/auto-train.
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How much does it cost? The price for transporting your car varies, with cheaper advance-purchase prems or eco fares and more expensive loisir or pro fares depending on how far ahead you book and how popular they expect that date to be. For example, it could cost as little as �119 (�89) or as much as �289 (�211) each way. Passengers pay normal rail fares, which start at �25 each way if you book far enough ahead, see www.loco2.com or www.trainline.eu.
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How it works: You drive your car to Paris Bercy Station. After a vehicle inspection, you hand over your keys and leave the rest to the very proficient SNCF staff. You are now free to take any regular passenger train you like, either a daytime TGV or overnight Intercit�s de Nuit couchette train. Next day you make your way to the motorail terminal at your destination, present your travel papers and collect the keys to your vehicle.
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Traveller John Rayner reports: "In May 2010 for the Journey from Paris to Toulon we booked a single on the Auto Train for �49 and two single adult tickets on the TGV for �44. We stayed in a hotel not far from Toulon station for �40. A considerable saving on tolls, fuel and fatigue! An hours drive from Toulon got us to our destination just outside St Tropez refreshed and ready to enjoy our holiday!
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How to book...
First book your car online at http://autotrain.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/autotrain-webapp/homeControl.action. This is in French only, but easy enough to use - use Google translate where necessary, or the automatic translation in Google's Chrome browser.
Then book you and you passengers as regular passengers on any scheduled passenger train you want using www.loco2.com or www.trainline.eu.
You can book your car up to 6 months in advance, and you'll get the best prices if you book as soon as booking opens.
In the UK, you can in theory book by phone with UK Voyages-sncf line on 0844 848 4050 - lines open 0900-1700 Monday-Friday - but since they closed their West Malling office and moved their call centre to Barcelona, reports suggest staff there can't so anything but regular tickets, so can't do Auto Train any more. But by all means try if for some reason you can't book online.
Optima Express
Villach (Austria) to Turkey (Edirne): www.optimatours.de...
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Optima Tours run their Optima Express motorail train at least weekly to Turkey on various departure dates between April & November, see www.optimatours.de for dates, times & online booking - you can select English top right. Villach is in southeast Austria and Edirne is in Turkey near the Bulgarian border, so is also good for Bulgaria. They carry motorbikes and cars up to 198cm high.
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Times vary, so you'll have to check their site, but the journey from Austria to Turkey takes either 2 days & 1 night or 2 nights & 1 day. The train has covered car-carrying wagons and Bulgarian couchette cars, with compartments that can be used for sole occupancy for 1-6 people, or you can book one berth in a shared 6-berth compartment.
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They take cars up to 152cm high, or for a slightly higher price, vehicles up to 198cm high.
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The cost is around �259 one-way for a car plus �149 for one person in a shared 6-berth couchette compartment or �299 per person in a couchette compartment allocated for the exclusive private use of two people.
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Austrian Railways OBB's daily overnight Dusseldorf-Vienna motorail can be used to connect with it.
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Loading the Optima Tours motorail train to Turkey... |
Couchette compartment on the Optima Tours train set up for 2-person occupancy. |
Other
motorail services
Austria: Vienna to/from Innsbruck, Feldkirch, Villach (Austrian domestic), Vienna-Hamburg (Germany), Vienna-Florence (Italy), Vienna-D�sseldorf (Germany)
See http://www.oebb.at/de/Reiseplanung/PKW_Motor-_und_Fahrrad/Autoreisezug/index.jsp.
Czech Republic: Prague-Poprad Tatry, Prague-Kosice
See www.cd.cz/scripts/detail.php?pgid=628. Cheap overnight Motorail services.
Croatia: Zagreb-Split
The daily summer-only Zagreb-Split overnight sleeper train also has a car-carrying wagon. Information about this isn't readily available online, ask at the station when you get there.
Finland: Various domestic routes...
See www.vr.fi.