Unlike Canada and the United States, most countries in Europe, the United Kingdom and Scotland have extensive rail service. The trains are modern and fast.

European Rail Service
Unlike Canada and the United States, most countries in Europe, the United Kingdom and Scotland have extensive rail service. The trains are modern and fast. Europe's trains and shipping lines are relatively expensive for Europeans. However, traveling by train in Europe is a bargain for non-European residents with Eurail passes.

It's possible to travel to 17 countries in Europe from 15 days to 3 months. Country passes are also available. Now Eurail passengers are able to select fewer countries and shorter times than the minimum 15 days.

Leisure travelers can really take advantage of the extensive train system by planning your trips to arrive at your destination early in the morning. You'll need to get a sleeper. You'll have to make reservations to get a sleeper, but they are well worth it.

The advantage to this way of traveling is that you can cover more ground while you get a good nights sleep. In the morning, you'll arrive in the center of your destination city and have all day to explore. If you want to stay longer, you can get a hotel, but if not, you can take another train using the above planning process.

The Eurostar now connects the United Kingdom and France via the Chunnel. The service has:

1. Fast trains that can travel up to 186 mph (300 kph). London to Paris in 2 hours and 35 minutes. That's about the same time it takes to go from New York to Washington DC via train,
2. Frequent service- there are about 24 trains a day between London and Paris,
3. Good connections to the French Alps, Disneyland Paris and Brussels,
4. Good fares- for a round trip ticket between London and Paris, and
5. Senior and special fare.

With so many departures each day, it is possible to leave London in the morning, visit Paris, and return to London in a single day.

The United Kingdom is served by over 20 passenger trains or railroads. From the look of things, the Virgin Trains are works of art, sort of like the Japanese Bullet trains. Virgin Trains operates two rail franchises, West Coast Trains and Cross Country Trains. They can get you to most of the UK mainland.

We highlighted a few more trains below:

• Heathrow Express- servicing London's Heathrow Airport from central London. Train run every 15 minutes and it takes 15 minutes to get there.
• Scotland Railways provides 95% of all train services in Scotland.