Language travel by train

For travel within most Schengen countries, a valid ID card is usually sufficient. For countries outside the Schengen Area, such as the United Kingdom with London, you generally need a passport. Make sure your travel document is valid for the entire duration of your trip.

For many language stays outside the Schengen Area, an additional entry authorization is required. This depends on the country and is usually applied for online or before entry, often including basic information about your trip, accommodation, and purpose of stay. You can usually find the relevant entry requirements with a quick online search. For the United Kingdom, this is the ETA: UK ETA. It is important to check all requirements well in advance.

On most train journeys, there are no strict luggage restrictions. As long as you can carry your luggage yourself and it is not excessively bulky (over 2 metres in length), it is usually not a problem. However, you should pay attention to the import regulations of certain countries, for example regarding large quantities of meat or dairy products when travelling to the United Kingdom.

Bicycles can also often be taken along. You can find information about travelling with bikes here:

It is best to book around six months in advance. If you are even earlier than that, it is not a problem. We will contact you as soon as the trip becomes bookable.

Last-minute bookings are often still possible as well. Especially if night trains or bike spaces are not required, we frequently accept travel requests up to 5 days before departure.

The last part of the journey to the language school can usually be easily done using public transport, especially in larger cities. The easiest way is to buy your ticket directly via the local app, at a ticket machine, or on board the transport service. If you are unsure, you can always ask. If a transfer bus is required, which can be booked by us, we will gladly arrange it for you.

Yes, we are happy to book night trains for you as well. These operate directly from Switzerland to many European cities such as Amsterdam, Hamburg, Berlin, Brussels, or Vienna. Also particularly interesting are night trains that start in other countries, for example in Italy, or the Caledonian Sleeper, which takes you from London to Scotland.

You can find more information about night trains at SimpleTrain Night Trains.

If you miss a connecting train, you usually do not need to buy a new ticket. Thanks to the AJC agreement, you can continue your journey on other trains at no extra cost. However, a new seat reservation may be required, which you can often obtain free of charge at the station counter or by asking the train staff directly. On-site staff are usually the best point of contact.

In the event of a delay of more than 60 minutes, you are generally entitled to compensation of 25% of the ticket price. The exact refund amount depends on the respective railway company.