Getting There

If you plan to travel a lot on the European or British railroads on your way to or from Vienna, you'd do well to secure the latest copy of the Thomas Cook European Timetable of Railroads. It's available exclusively online at www.thomascooktimetables.com.

Vienna has rail links to all the major cities of Europe. From Paris, a daily train leaves the Gare de l'Est at 7:49am, arriving in Vienna at 9:18pm. From Munich, a train leaves daily at 9:24am, arriving in Vienna at 2:18pm, and at 11:19pm, arriving in Vienna at 6:47am. From Zurich, a 9:33pm train arrives in Vienna at 6:45am.

Rail travel in Austria is superb, with fast, clean trains taking you just about anywhere in the country and through some incredibly scenic regions.

Train passengers using the Chunnel under the English Channel can go from London to Paris in just 3 hours and then on to Vienna . Le Shuttle covers the 31-mile journey in just 35 minutes. The train also accommodates passenger cars, charter buses, taxis, and motorcycles through a tunnel from Folkestone, England, to Calais, France. Service is year-round, 24 hours a day.

Rail Passes for North American Travelers

Eurailpass -- If you plan to travel extensively in Europe, the Eurailpass might be a good bet. It's valid for first-class rail travel in 18 European countries. With one ticket, you travel whenever and wherever you please; more than 100,000 rail miles are at your disposal. The pass is sold only in North America. A Eurailpass good for 15 days costs $605, a pass for 21 days is $785, a 1-month pass costs $975, a 2-month pass is $1,378, and a 3-month pass goes for $1,703. Children under 4 travel free if they don't occupy a seat; all children under 12 who take up a seat are charged half-price. If you're under 26, you can buy a Eurail Youthpass, which entitles you to unlimited second-class travel for 15 days ($394), 21 days ($510), 1 month ($634), 2 months ($1,018), or 3 months ($1,160). In particular, travelers considering buying a 15-day or 1-month pass should estimate how much rail travel they'll do in that amount of time. In order to reap the most cost benefit from the pass, you'd have to spend a great deal of time on the train. Eurailpass holders are entitled to substantial discounts on certain buses and ferries as well. Travel agents in all towns and railway agents in such major cities as New York, Montréal, and Los Angeles sell all of these tickets. For information on Eurailpasses and other European train data, contact RailEurope (tel. 800/438-7245; www.raileurope.com).

Eurail Saverpass offers 15% discounts to groups of three or more people traveling together between April and September, or two people traveling together between October and March. The price of a Saverpass, valid all over Europe for first class only, is $513 for 15 days, $668 for 21 days, $828 for 1 month, $1,173 for 2 months, and $1,450 for 3 months. The Saver Flexipass offers even more freedom; it's similar to the Eurail Saverpass, except that you are not confined to consecutive-day travel. For travel on any 10 days within 2 months, the fare is $608; any 15 days over 2 months, the fare is $800.

Eurail Flexipass allows even greater flexibility. It's valid in first class and offers the same privileges as the Eurailpass. However, it provides a number of individual travel days over a much longer period of consecutive days. Using this pass makes it possible to stay longer in one city and not lose a single day of travel. There are two Flexipasses: 10 days of travel within 2 months for $715, and 15 days of travel within 2 months for $940.

With many of the same restrictions as the Eurail Flexipass, the Eurail Youth Flexipass is sold only to travelers under age 25. It allows 10 days of travel within 2 months for $465 and 15 days of travel within 2 months for $611.

Rail Passes for British Travelers

If you plan to do a lot of exploring, you might prefer one of the three rail passes designed for unlimited train travel within a designated region during a predetermined number of days. These passes are sold in Britain and several other European countries.

An InterRail Pass (www.interrail.com) is available to passengers of any nationality, with some restrictions -- they must be able to prove residency in a European or North African country (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia) for at least 6 months before buying the pass. The pass allows unlimited travel through Europe, except Albania and the republics of the former Soviet Union. Prices are complicated and vary depending on the countries you want to include. For pricing purposes, Europe is divided into eight zones; the cost depends on the number of zones you include. For ages 25 and under, the most expensive option of £277 ($499) allows 1 month of unlimited travel in eight zones and is known to the staff as a "global." The least expensive option £140 ($252) allows 16 days of travel within only one zone.

Passengers aged 25 and older can buy an InterRail 26-Plus Pass, which, unfortunately, is severely limited geographically. Many countries -- including France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and Italy -- do not honor this pass. It is, however, accepted for travel throughout Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Second-class travel with the pass costs £206 ($371) for 16 days or £393 ($707) for 1 month. Passengers must meet the same residency requirements that apply to the InterRail Pass (described above).

For information on buying individual rail tickets or any of the just-mentioned passes, contact National Rail Inquiries, Victoria Station, London (tel. 08705/848-848). Tickets and passes are also available at any of the larger railway stations as well as selected travel agencies throughout Britain and the rest of Europe.