The best city pairs by train
For anyone planning two cities in one trip and wondering which pairs are an easy train rather than a flight. These are the cities whose itinerary joins another by a rail ride of about four hours or less, ordered by how good the ride is and how well the two plans fit end to end. Times and fares were checked in October 2026; the cheap advance fares sell out, so the price given is what you see six weeks out, not on the day.
Book the high-speed seats in Italy, Spain and France four to eight weeks ahead for the cheap fares; Eurostar opens about six months out and the £39 seats go first. Japan needs no booking beyond the day before, and the Kyoto to Osaka special rapid has no reservation at all.
Checked October 10, 2026. Every city links to a day-by-day itinerary with the hours and prices looked up.
- Kyoto · Japan · 3 days
Kyoto
The JR special rapid reaches Osaka in about 30 minutes for ¥580 with no reservation, so the Osaka itinerary can start the same morning; the Nozomi shinkansen does Kyoto to Tokyo in 2 hours 15 for about ¥14,170 with a reserved seat. Day 3 ends downtown near the station, and Osaka's day 1 starts at the castle, one JR Loop ride from Osaka station. The seven-day JR Pass does not pay for this triangle; the rail-passes guide has the sums.
See the itinerary: 3 days in Kyoto
- Paris · France · 4 days
Paris
Eurostar runs Gare du Nord to London St Pancras in 2 hours 16, up to 18 times a day, from £39 in Standard booked about 90 days out and more like £100 to £150 in the last week. Check-in and the passport line need 45 to 60 minutes, so Paris's day 4 Seine walk is the right last afternoon and London's day 1 at Westminster starts after lunch. The Marais is a short metro ride from Gare du Nord and Bloomsbury is a walk from St Pancras, so both itineraries already sleep near the right station.
See the itinerary: 4 days in Paris
- Rome · Italy · 3 days
Rome
Frecciarossa and Italo run Termini to Florence Santa Maria Novella in about 1 hour 30, every half hour or so through the day, from about €19 to €29 booked six weeks ahead and €80 or more on the day; Venice Santa Lucia is 3 hours 45 direct. Rome's day 3 ends in Testaccio, 10 minutes from Termini on the metro, and Florence's day 1 starts at the Duomo, a 10-minute walk from the platforms. Reservations are compulsory on both operators, so buy the ticket for a named train rather than turn up.
See the itinerary: 3 days in Rome
- Milan · Italy · 2 days
Milan
Milano Centrale to Florence is about 1 hour 45 on the Frecciarossa or Italo, around 15 direct trains a day, from about €18 to €22 booked ahead. Milan's two days end with risotto on the Navigli, so take a morning train and be at Brunelleschi's dome by midday; Florence's day 1 is on foot from Santa Maria Novella. Use Centrale, not Porta Garibaldi, for the Florence trains, and note that Italo does not accept Eurail.
See the itinerary: 2 days in Milan
- Madrid · Spain · 3 days
Madrid
The AVE from Atocha reaches Seville Santa Justa in about 2 hours 30, with Iryo and Ouigo on the same line; Renfe's advance fares start around €25, the newcomers from about €9 to €15, and the Friday afternoon and Sunday evening trains sell out first. Madrid's day 3 ends in Chueca and Seville's day 1 starts at the Alcázar, a bus or a 25-minute walk from Santa Justa. Spanish stations scan bags before the platform, so be there 15 minutes early.
See the itinerary: 3 days in Madrid
- Vienna · Austria · 3 days
Vienna
ÖBB's railjet from Hauptbahnhof reaches Budapest Keleti in about 2 hours 20 to 2 hours 40, roughly hourly, with Sparschiene fares from about €20 on ÖBB and often less for the same train bought from MÁV. Prague is the other direction, about four hours direct, from about €15 booked early. Vienna's day 3 ends at the Danube canal, and Budapest's day 1 starts on Castle Hill, a metro and a bus from Keleti.
See the itinerary: 3 days in Vienna
- Barcelona · Spain · 3 days
Barcelona
The Euromed from Sants reaches Valencia in about 2 hours 45, with Iryo and Ouigo also on the route, from about €13 booked ahead and €30 or more close to the day; around eight fast trains run daily. The long-distance trains arrive at Joaquín Sorolla, a 10-minute walk from the old town where Valencia's day 1 starts at the Mercado Central. Barcelona's day 3 ends in the Eixample, one metro ride from Sants.
See the itinerary: 3 days in Barcelona
- Lyon · France · 3 days
Lyon
The TGV from Part-Dieu reaches Marseille Saint-Charles in about 1 hour 40, around 20 trains a day, from €10 on Ouigo and from about €20 to €30 on TGV inOui booked ahead. Lyon's day 3 ends in Brotteaux, a 10-minute walk from Part-Dieu, and Marseille's day 1 starts at the Vieux-Port fish market, two metro stops downhill from Saint-Charles. Nice is a further two and a half hours or so along the coast, so Lyon, Marseille and Nice run in one direction without doubling back.
See the itinerary: 3 days in Lyon
- Venice · Italy · 2 days
Venice
Santa Lucia to Florence Santa Maria Novella is about 2 hours 05 on the Frecciarossa, roughly 25 trains a day, from €18.90 booked 60 to 90 days out and €60 to €85 on the day. Board at Santa Lucia, not Mestre, so day 2's last stop on the Fondamenta della Misericordia in Cannaregio is a 10-minute walk from the platform. From Florence the same line continues to Rome in 1 hour 30, which is why Rome, Florence and Venice is a ready-made chain in the trip builder.
See the itinerary: 2 days in Venice
Questions
Which city pairs are too far for a short train?
Amsterdam to Berlin is about 5 hours 45 on the ICE, Copenhagen to Stockholm about 5 hours 15 on the X2000, and Lyon to Nice about 4 hours 40 on the TGV. All three are direct and the fares start around €25 to €40 booked ahead, but each takes the middle of a day, so plan it as the travel day between two itineraries rather than a hop.
Do I need a rail pass for two cities?
Almost never. One high-speed ticket bought four to eight weeks ahead costs €10 to €30 in Spain, Italy and France, less than a day of a Eurail pass, and the pass still needs a paid seat reservation on every one of these trains. Japan's JR Pass does not pay for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka either.
Which station do I need?
Rome Termini, Florence Santa Maria Novella, Venice Santa Lucia (not Mestre), Milano Centrale, Madrid Atocha, Seville Santa Justa, Barcelona Sants, Valencia Joaquín Sorolla, Lyon Part-Dieu, Marseille Saint-Charles, Vienna Hauptbahnhof, Budapest Keleti, Paris Gare du Nord, London St Pancras, and Kyoto Station for both the shinkansen and the special rapid.
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