VITAL STATISTICS

Departure station: London St Pancras International Arrival station: Venice Santa Lucia Languages: English is widely understood on this route; French, German, Italian Time: GMT+1 Visas: Not required by UK nationals Money: Euro (€), currently around €1.15 to the UK£, and Swiss franc (CHF), currently around CHF1.35 to the UK£. ATMS available in cities.

When to go:

■ All trains run; it’s recommended to avoid Venice in high summer (July-aug) as it can be very crowded. ■ Winter – Venice Simplon-orientExpress does not run; weather can be cold and wet

Health & safety

Health care is excellent. EU citizens should take a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and have adequate travel insurance. No vaccinations required. Tap water is safe to drink. Take insect repellent – midges and mosquitoes can be a pain in summer.

Further reading & information

Both Rough Guides and Lonely Planet have specific guides to travelling through Europe on a budget/ shoestring, which covers train travel. The Man in Seat 61: A Guide to Taking a Train Through Europe by Mark Smith (Bantam Press, 2010) is worth a look, as is his excellent and informative rail website, seat61.com Also see france/fr; italia.it/en; myswitzerland.com