So, you bought a train ticket to Florence.
But the train station board only lists Firenze, Foggia, Ferrara, and Forlì.
You didn’t think you’d have to guess on a multiple-choice test to get to Italy’s Renaissance epicenter, but there you are, reading the Italian train departures board without a clue to which destination is truly yours.
Don’t worry, we’ve been there, too (in Italy, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, no less).
Reading a train station board is difficult alone without having to overcome a language barrier. If no one told you ahead of time, then why in the world would you know that Florence in Italian is actually Firenze?
Or that Prague is Praha?
And that Munich is sometimes in Italian referred to as Monaco — which is even more confusing for a tourist in Milan who needs to get to the German city, not the micronation on the French Riviera.
That’s why our team at Trainline is here to help you make sense of Europe’s train boards.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Elena Noviello
How to read a train station board in the UK and Europe
How do you read a European train schedule?
Unless you took a cruise ship (or a cargo ship; we see you, you intrepid sustainable travelers), you’ve taken at least one flight over from the United States to Europe.
Believe it or not, you’re already on a great start to reading a European train board even if it was your first time on an airplane.
Train station boards are formatted in a way very similar to airport boards. You’ll read them from left to right and each individual incoming (inbound) train or outgoing (outbound) train will be listed from top to bottom beginning from the upcoming train and moving into the future.
The information could be listed in a different order from left to right, but nearly every train board in Europe will list these important things:
- Train carrier code, symbol, or name
- Train number
- Destination (on a departure board) or departure city (on an arrival board)
- Time of departure/arrival
- Delays
- Platform
- Information about the train, such as which other cities this route serves
When is a Wien a Vídeň? City names on European train boards
City name translations are one of the biggest points of confusion for travelers taking the train for the first time in Europe. Austria’s capital city, Vienna, is spelt “Wien” in German, “Vídeň” in Czech, “Wiedeń” in Polish, and “Bécs” in Hungarian.
First, always ask for help from a train station employee if you need it. If you want to decipher the seemingly cryptic board yourself, look for other information that you can cross-reference to verify your train. Times are written using the 24-hour clock, so if your train is at 1 p.m., look for all trains leaving at 13:00 then cross-reference platform numbers and carrier names.
Or, just download the Trainline app and we’ll do the translating for you so you know exactly which platform is yours.
Image Credit: Getty Images, MStudioImages
How do I make sure I get on the right train?
The best way to confirm that you’re getting on the right train is to ask the nearest train station employee. You can find them at customer service desks or throughout the station. Many speak English, and if they don’t, they’ll be able to read the ticket in the local language and physically point you in the right direction. If you have the Trainline app on your phone, we clearly communicate what and where your train is in plain English.
How do I know which train to get on in the UK?
Finding the correct train in a UK train station is admittedly easier than in other countries thanks to England being the hometown of the English language. But navigating the train station can still get hairy if you’re not familiar with how to read the departure boards.
No matter if you’re journeying from London to Edinburgh or practicing your Romance languages traveling between Madrid and Marseille, the best way to help understand how to read European train station boards is to download the Trainline app.
Our app:
- Lets you purchase etickets in your currency
- Stores etickets without a gram of paper wasted
- Tells you everything you need to know about your train journey in English, including which platform you need to go to
With everything you need in the palm of your hand, you’ll skip the stress of reading the boards and settle into your seat with ease.
Header Image Credit: Getty Images, COROIMAGE