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	Take your car by train... ...to the South of France, Italy, Austria, Bavaria with German Motorail or Dutch Motorail, ...to Spain with Brittany Ferries. ...to Scandinavia with DFDS Seaways French Motorail from Calais has been discontinued.

Special trains that carry cars = Motorail

On this page you'll find a complete guide to European motorail services of interest to UK travellers.

What is Motorail?

First, a reality check.  Normal passenger trains don't carry cars or motorbikes, just passengers and sometimes bicycles.  However, there are special Motorail trains which carry cars & motorbikes using car transporters attached to the train.  These run on a handful of holiday routes, see the motorail route map below.  They're usually summer-only and usually only once or twice a week.  They are run by several operators.  You must first take a ferry or Eurotunnel shuttle across the Channel, as motorail trains cannot use the Channel Tunnel, they start at either Düsseldorf (Germany) or 's Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) or Paris, but no longer (as of 2010) from Calais.  Motorail trains carry cars, motorbikes, small trailers & roof boxes, and on many routes you can now take some over-height 4x4 vehicles & people carriers.  However, they can't carry big 4X4s, vans, caravans or campers, as these are too high.  There are no motorail trains within the UK, these ceased in 1995.

Why use Motorail?

First there's the relaxed holiday atmosphere of the motorail experience, avoiding the stress & hassle of airports & flights.  Second, it offers door-to-door convenience, taking your own car to the South of France, Italy or Austria carrying as much luggage and toys for the kids as you like, with the freedom to bring back as much wine or beer as you can pack in.  No baggage fees or weight limits, no crowded airports, no expensive airport parking, no car hire bureaucracy.  The journey is part of the holiday.  It needn't take much longer than flying, because motorail trains run overnight, so you leave the UK on day 1 and arrive in Italy or the South of France for breakfast on day 2.  It may save a hotel bill or two as well.  However, don't expect Motorail to be a 'budget' option, except perhaps with one of DB AutoZug's Spezial fares.

How do I get my car from the UK to..? 

Click your destination to find out how to get you & your car to these countries by motorail train or ferry:

France     Italy     Spain & Portugal     Switzerland     Germany & Austria   Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg   Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland     Eastern Europe, Turkey, Greece   North Africa, Cyprus, Malta    Motorail trains in the UK

Motorail routes, timetables, prices & information...

On this page you'll find information on each motorail operator, with a summary of prices, routes, on-board accommodation & how to buy tickets:

French Motorail   French Auto-Train     Dutch motorail (Auto Slaap Trein)   

German Motorail (DB Autozug)      Optima Tours      Other motorail trains

Sponsored links...

How do I get my car from the UK to...?

	Who uses motorail?
	Well, families and couples for a start.  The door-to-door convenience of taking your own car makes the logistics of a family holiday to the South of France, Italy or Austria easy.
	Classic cars:  It's not just families.  Classic car owners who'd rather drive their vintage Jaguar than a characterless hire car take it with them using motorail. Classic cars are usually allocated a place on the lower deck.
	Bikers:  Motorail is a bikers' favourite too...

Here are the options for getting you & your car from the UK to the main holiday areas of Europe:

UK to France...

• French Motorail used to link Calais with southern France once a week from mid-May to mid-September.  However, Rail Europe announced the closure of all French Motorail trains from Calais as from 2010 onwards.  Due to rising costs & poor exchange rates, French Motorail will not be running in 2010 or 2011.  But don't despair, alternative high-quality motorail services are available using German Motorail from Düsseldorf to Narbonne, Dutch Motorail from 's Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands to Avignon or Fréjus, or Auto Train from Paris.

• German Motorail (DB Autozug) links Düsseldorf in Germany with Narbonne all year round, once a week in summer, every fortnight in winter, check the online booking system for dates.  Düsseldorf is only 3 hours 45 minutes drive from Calais, and it's worth considering because of DB Autozug's cheap Spezial fares, easy online booking, and all-year-round operation.  There are direct ferries from Scotland, Newcastle, Hull & Harwich to Dutch or Belgian ports just 2½ hours from Düsseldorf.  The train has both couchettes and proper sleepers, including some deluxe sleepers with toilet & shower.  Pets can be taken.  See here for details.

• Auto-Train:  SNCF (French Railways) offer an all-year-round Auto-train service from Paris to Nice, Avignon, Biarritz, Marseille, Tarbes, Narbonne, St Raphael, Toulon, Toulouse.  Unlike other motorail services, the cars travel on a separate car-carrying train whilst passengers use whatever scheduled TGV or overnight train they wish.  See here for details.

• Dutch Motorail (Auto Slaap Trein) used to run from 's Hertogenbosch to Avignon during the summer, but excessive charges imposed by the French for using Avignon terminal resulted in the planned 2011 service being cancelled, and no trains for 2012 or 2013 either.

• Corsica:  Ferries sail from Marseille, Toulon or Nice to Corsica, a fantastic destination with a car.  See www.sncm.fr or www.corsicaferries.com or simply see the Seat61 Ferry Shop for easy booking of all operators & routes.

• Ferry crossings to France:  The cheapest short-sea crossing from Dover always seems to be DFDS (formerly Norfolkline) to Dunkirk (www.dfds.com), though by all means check the other Dover-Calais operators such as www.poferries.com.  For direct ferries to Normandy & Brittany try the excellent Brittany Ferries (www.brittanyferries.co.uk).  Also try www.ldlines.co.uk.

UK to Italy...

• Italy is the most popular motorail destination of all, and no wonder.  Although there are no motorail trains from Calais or Paris, there are excellent motorail trains from 's Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands & Düsseldorf to Livorno & Alessandria in Italy.  's Hertogenbosch & Dusseldorf are just 2½-3½ hours drive from the channel port of Dunkirk.   Here are those options in more detail:

• Dutch Motorail (www.autoslaaptrein.nl, click here for details) runs overnight high-quality motorail trains from 's Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands to Livorno (near Pisa, ideal for Tuscany) and Alessandria (north of Genoa, in Piedmont), once a week on Friday nights between April & October.  's Hertogenbosch is a 3 hour drive from Calais or only a 2½ hour drive from Dunkirk, or there are direct ferries from Newcastle, Hull & Harwich to Holland, making it especially convenient if you live in East Anglia, the North of England or Scotland.  With proper sleepers as well as couchettes, an elegant restaurant car, great staff and (on the Livorno run) a wonderful evening journey along the scenic Rhine Valley past the famous Lorelei Rock, this is a great way to get you and your car to Italy.  See here for details & an illustrated account of the service.

• German Motorail (www.dbautozug.de, click here for details) runs overnight high-quality motorail trains from Düsseldorf to Alessandria once a week April-October.  Düsseldorf is a 3 hour 45 minute drive from Calais, a 3 hour 20 minute drive from Dunkirk or a 2 hours 30 minute drive from Hoek van Holland, Rotterdam or Amsterdam where the ferries from Harwich, Hull & Newcastle arrive.  With online booking, cheap Auto Spezial fares if you pre-book and pick your dates carefully, economical couchettes and modern sleeping-cars, some with private toilet & shower, this is also an excellent way to reach Italy with your car.  See here for details.

• Dutch Motorail (Auto Slaap Trein) are also offering a new route from 's Hertogenbosch to Koper in Slovenia once a week in July & August 2013, which is very near the Italian border, convenient for Trieste and Venice.

• Sardinia, Sicily:  For onward travel from Livorno or Civitavecchia (just north of Rome) to Sardinia or from Naples to Palermo in Sicily, see the Seat61 Ferry Shop.

• Car-carrying trains within Italy:  Trenitalia's domestic Italian motorail trains were all discontinued as from December 2011.  However, new private operator Arenaways (www.arenaways.com) hoped to start new car-carrying sleeper trains 3 times a week between Turin and Bari, and Turin and Reggio Calabria as from late 2012, but services still haven't started, see www.arenaways.com for details and (if & when it starts) online booking.

UK to Spain & Portugal...

• There are no direct motorail trains to Spain from Calais, Paris or anywhere else, or any to Portugal.  But there are several good alternatives:

• www.brittanyferries.co.uk sail up to five times a week from Plymouth or Portsmouth to Santander or Bilbao, taking just 24 hours.  Brittany Ferries' ships 'Pont Aven' and 'Cap Finistère' are truly excellent, a wonderful way to reach Spain with more in common with cruise liners than Channel ferries of old.  There are also kennel facilities on board for dogs.  Crossing the Bay of Biscay whilst whale-watching on deck is highly recommended!  You'll find advice on ships & routes plus some photos here.

• French Motorail used to offer a weekly Calais-Narbonne motorail train every Friday night from mid-May to mid-September.     However, Rail Europe sadly closed down the French Motorail service due to rising costs & poor exchange rates.  It didn't run summer 2010 and hasn't run since.  Alternative services are available to Narbonne using German Motorail.

• German Motorail (DB Autozug) links Düsseldorf in Germany with Narbonne in southwest France all year round, and Narbonne is only 77 miles from the Spanish frontier, or 157 miles from Barcelona.  I'd suggest stopping at Figueres on the way, for the remarkable Salvador Dali museum.  The train runs once a week in summer and every fortnight in winter, check the online booking system for dates.  At first glance, going via Düsseldorf may seem a long way round, but Düsseldorf is only 3 hours 45 minutes drive from Calais or a 2½ hour drive from the Dutch or Belgian ports where the direct ferries from Scotland, Newcastle, Hull & Harwich arrive.  DB Autozug is worth considering because of it's cheap 'spezial' fares (from 149 euro for car+driver), easy online booking, high-quality modern couchettes & sleepers, and all-year-round operation.  There are direct ferries from Scotland, Newcastle, Hull & Harwich to Dutch or Belgian ports just  from Düsseldorf.  The train has both couchettes and proper sleepers, including some sleepers with private toilet & shower.  Pets can be taken.  See here for details.

• Ibiza, Minorca or Majorca:  For onward travel to Ibiza, Minorca or Majorca, see ferry operator www.trasmediterranea.es or see the Seat61 Ferry Shop for easy booking for all operators

• Car-carrying trains within Spain:  There used to be car-carrying trains within Spain, but these were suspended in 2006 and show no sign of resuming.

UK to Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg...

• There are no motorail services from the UK to Belgium, the Netherlands or Luxembourg, but there are ferries to several ports.

• Ferries include www.poferries.com (Hull-Rotterdam), www.stenaline.co.uk (Harwich-Hoek van Holland) & www.dfds.co.uk (Newcastle-IJmuiden overnight cruise ferry).

UK to Switzerland...

• There are no motorail trains to Switzerland, the only option is to drive from the channel ports all the way.  The 3-times-a-week Auto-Train service from Paris to Geneva was withdrawn in summer 2010.

UK to Germany & Austria...

• German Motorail (DB AutoZug) run once or twice weekly motorail trains from Düsseldorf to Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck & Villach, between April and October.  Düsseldorf is a 3 hour 45 minute drive from Calais, or just a 2 hours 30 minute drive from Hoek van Holland, Rotterdam or IJmuiden where the ferries from Harwich, Hull & Newcastle arrive.  With online booking, cheap Auto Spezial fares if you pre-book and pick your dates carefully, economical couchettes and modern sleeping-cars, some with private toilet & shower, this is also an excellent way to reach Bavaria or Austria with your car.  See here for details.

• Austrian Railways (ÖBB) used to run a Düsseldorf-Vienna overnight motorail train for most of the year, daily at peak times, twice weekly off-peak However, it ceased running in 2009.

UK to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland...

• There are no motorail services from the UK to any of these countries, but there are ferries to several ports.

• www.dfds.co.uk operate an excellent 3-times-weekly cruise ferry from Harwich in Essex to Esbjerg in Denmark.  They can also book an equally excellent onward overnight cruise ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo in Norway, and the overnight cruise ferry from Stockholm or Turku to Helsinki in Finland.  Sadly, there are now no direct ferries from the UK to anywhere in Norway or Sweden.

• www.tallink.ee operate a 4-times-a-week cruise ferry from Rostock in Germany to Helsinki in Finland.

• All these ferries can also be booked using the Seat61 Ferry Shop.

UK to Eastern Europe, including Turkey & Greece...

• DB AutoZug's Düsseldorf - Villach motorail train will get you from Düsseldorf (a 3 hour 45 minute drive from Calais or a 2 hour 30 minute drive from Hook of Holland or Rotterdam) to Villach in southern Austria, a stone's throw from the Slovenian border, from where you can easily drive to Ljubljana, Zagreb, Split or Rijeka.  They used to run a direct motorail train to Rijeka in Croatia, but this was withdrawn in 2008.  There are no direct motorail trains serving eastern Europe, at least none of any use to travellers from the UK, with the exception of Optima Tours and EuroTurk Express, see below.

• Dutch Motorail (Auto Slaap Trein) will run from 's Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands to Koper in Slovenia once a week in July & August, a new route for 2013.  Koper is convenient for driving into Croatia.

• Optima Tours run motorail trains from Villach in southern Austria to Edirne in Turkey (near the Bulgarian border), with departures on various dates from May to October.  See www.optimatours.de for dates, times & booking information (only available in German).  You can use DB AutoZug's Düsseldorf-Villach motorail to connect with it.

• EuroTurk Express operate a train twice a month from Bonn to Turkey, with couchette cars and restaurant car, if they haven't closed down by now, see here for details.

• Greece by ferry:  Alternatively, take Dutch Motorail from 's Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) to Bologna or German Motorail from Düsseldorf (northern Germany) to Verona, then drive to Venice or Ancona and take a direct cruise ferry from Venice to Igoumenitsa or Patras in Greece, see www.minoan.gr, www.anek.gr or www.bluestarferries.com or simply consult the Seat61 Ferry Shop.  The Ferry Shop can also book onward ferries from Piraeus (the port of Athens) to Crete and many other Greek islands.

• There are also ferries from other Italian ports to Greece, Croatia, Montenegro & Albania.  See the Seat61 Ferry Shop for routes and booking.

UK to North Africa, Cyprus, Malta, Egypt, Israel...

• Malta is linked to Sicily by car-carrying catamarans of Virtu ferries, www.virtuferries.com.  www.grimaldi-lines.com also operates a weekly cruise ferry from Genoa, Civitavecchia (near Rome) and Catania to Valetta, Malta.

• Tunisia, Morocco:  There are regular ferries from Marseille & Genoa to Tunisia, and from southern Spain & Sète in the South of France to Morocco, see the Seat61 Ferry Shop.  A good site to consult for such ferry routes and operators is UK ferry agent www.viamare.com. 

• Cyprus, Egypt, Israel:  There are few if any car ferries to these destinations, but contact UK ferry specialists www.viamare.com for details of any available services.

Within the UK, to Scotland & Cornwall...

• Unfortunately, there are now no motorail trains at all within the UK.  Motorail trains between London & Scotland ceased in 1995.

French Motorail...

All French Motorail trains from Calais were discontinued in 2010...

French Motorail from Calais to Southern France was operated by Rail Europe through their parent company SNCF (French Railways).  In early 2010, Rail Europe announced the complete closure of the French Motorail service from Calais, due to rising costs and poor exchange rates.  It may never run again.  A great shame, it had run for many years and had many loyal customers.

... but Düsseldorf & 's Hertogenbosch are the new Calais!

But all is not lost.  High-quality German Motorail services run from Düsseldorf to Narbonne, Alessandria & Verona in Italy.  Düsseldorf is 3 hours 45 minutes drive from Calais, 3 hours 20 minutes drive from Dunquerque, or just 2 hours 30 from Hook of Holland or Rotterdam.  Fares start at just €149 for car & driver.  Dutch Motorail runs from 's Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands (3 hours from Calais, 2 hours 30 from Dunquerque, 1 hour 15 minutes from Hoek van Holland) to Avignon & Fréjus in the south of France and to Alessandria & Livorno in Italy.  Both German & Dutch motorail trains have proper sleeping-cars as well as couchettes, and in many cases there's a proper restaurant car too.  German motorail trains even have some deluxe sleepers with toilet & shower.  Regular users of French Motorail might be pleasantly surprised by these alternative services!

Auto Slaap Trein

	Click to book online

's Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) to Livorno & Alessandria (Italy)...

Auto Slaap Trein is a operated by Euro Express Trein Charter, a private company which took over the Dutch Railways' motorail services when they were privatised in 1996.  They run excellent motorail trains from the Netherlands to Italy and Slovenia.

The Man in Seat 61 says:  Auto Slaap Trein is the 'real deal' for getting your car to Italy, a wonderful overnight experience with friendly English-speaking staff, proper sleeping-cars as well as more economical couchettes, and an elegant restaurant car serving a 3-course dinner with great wine too.  The terminal at 's Hertogenbosch is ideal for anyone living in East Anglia, the North of England or Scotland because of the direct ferries to Holland from Newcastle, Hull & Harwich, but it's not too far from Calais or Dunquerque either.  It's very popular with both the Dutch and many Brits, with families, classic car owners and bikers, and you can even take your dog along.  Auto Slaap Trein gets a lot of repeat business, and having used it myself, I'm not surprised!

Booking tips:  The popular June & September departures sell out fast, so book these well before Christmas if you can.  Also book early for high vehicles, as there are only 7 places per train for vehicles over 1.55 metres high.

What's a journey on the Auto Slaap Trein like?

1. Check-in:  It's easy to find the Auto Slaap Trein (motorail) terminal, right next to 's Hertogenbosch station, using the directions you're given when you book.  It's well signposted.  You're met at the entrance, your ticket is checked and everything is explained...		2. Drop off:  You drive round the corner and park up to drop off your passengers & overnight bags.  There's a holiday atmosphere, easy and relaxed, no rush!  The motorail terminal has toilets, and there's a waiting room with an urn for complimentary tea, coffee & squash.  There's an outdoor seating area with tables & chairs.		3. Loading the car:  When you're ready, follow the directions of the loading staff and drive your car up the ramp and onto the double-deck car transporter wagons.  Tall vehicles go on the top deck, motorbikes and classic cars get the lower deck.

Drive on until told to stop.  Handbrake on, leave it in 1st gear, and remember to disable the alarm when you lock your car.  Staff secure the vehicle with metal bars against the wheels.  Walk back along the wagons and down the ramp to the terminal.		4.  Boarding the passenger coaches:  The passenger coaches arrive at platform 1, right next to the terminal, about 40-60 minutes before departure.  Soap, towels & mineral water are provided, and in the 2-3 bed sleepers you're welcomed with a small complimentary bottle of fizzy that really gets the journey off to a good start...  Couchette passengers are welcomed aboard with a white wine or fruit juice...		Sleepers:  Sleepers are ideal for couples or small families.  This is a 2 or 3 bed sleeper in its daytime mode with beds folded away & sofa folded out.  There are toilets at the end of the corridor.		The same sleeper, in night mode with the beds folded out, each with crisp clean sheets & cosy duvets.  The sleepers are carpeted, air-conditioned and have a washbasin in each room.

Couchettes, 4-berth: Couchettes are more basic than sleepers, but are ideal for families.  This is a 4-berth air-conditioned couchette is in daytime mode with the bunks folded away.  At night, an upper & lower bunk folds out from the wall on each side of the compartment.  In couchette cars there are toilets & washrooms at the end of the corridor.		Couchettes, 6-berth:  This is a 6-berth couchette compartment, in daytime mode.  At night, upper, middle & lower bunks fold out from the wall on each side of the compartment.  Sheets, pillow & blanket are provided for each berth.  The 6-berth couchettes are not air-conditioned, but the windows open for ventilation.		Look daddy, there's our car!  Suddenly, the car transporter wagons are shunted past our sleeper window, as they are taken to the back of the train...

All set to go: The car transporters have been loaded and attached to the back of the passenger coaches.  The Auto Slaap Trein now awaits its departure time for Italy...		5. Dinner in the diner:  The fare includes a basic evening tray meal served in your compartment by the sleeper attendant, but for £35 per person you can upgrade to a proper 3-course meal in the restaurant car, pre-booked & pre-paid when you buy your motorail ticket.  Travel tip:  Booking the meal is well worth it, as dinner is a highlight of the trip, especially along the Rhine Valley on the Livorno run.

When you reach the restaurant car, you'll find a reserved table marked with your name on a card.  Highchairs for infants are available if you need one.  The pre-paid meal doesn't include drinks, but wine, beer or spirits are available, 75cl of wine costs around €18-€22.  Travel tip:  The 'wine arrangement' (€15 euro) is a great idea, it lets you sample a different wine with each course, from fizzy prosecco to a crisp dessert wine.		Along the Rhine Valley:  The Livorno train heads down the Rhine Valley in the early evening, past castles, Rhine river barges & vineyards.  Pictured, above right:  As the waiter brings dessert, the evening sun catches the famous Lorelei Rock, the stuff of German legend, on the far bank of the Rhine...  Travel tip:  This is one reason for picking the afternoon Livorno train over the evening Bologna one.  Pre-book dinner in the restaurant car and request the first sitting.  The Bologna train travels via the Rhine Valley too, but you'll have to watch it in the moonlight late at night!  The trains to Italy then pass through Switzerland, via the Gotthard route.

5. Breakfast in your compartment:  Next morning, a light breakfast is served in your compartment, included in the fare.		6. Buongiorno Italia!  Here, the Auto Slaap Trein has arrived right on time at Livorno.  Passengers leave the train and walk via the subway to the unloading dock near platform 1.  Over the next half hour, the car transporters are detached and shunted into the loading dock.		6. Unloading:  After a short wait, names are called out, and you walk up the ramp and along the transporter wagons to drive your car off.  Within an hour of arriving, you're in your car driving through the uncrowded back roads of Tuscany & Umbria, or heading down the Autostrada to the Bay of Naples.

DB AutoZug

Düsseldorf (Germany) to Verona, Alessandria, Trieste, Bolzano (Italy), Munich (Germany), Villach, Salzburg, Innsbruck (Austria)...        

DB AutoZug is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, German Railways.  Their Autozug Spezial fares from just 149 euro (£129) for car+driver from Düsseldorf to Italy or Austria make them the most affordable motorail operator, and they have easy online booking.  Düsseldorf is 3 hours 45 minutes drive from Calais, 3 hours 20 minutes from Dunquerque.  Some services run all year round, not just in summer.  What's a journey on DB Autozug like?

Comment:  DB AutoZug offers overnight motorail trains from Düsseldorf to Italy, Southwest France, Southern Germany & Austria, a good quality service with modern sleepers, some with private shower & toilet as well as more economical couchettes.  They are the only motorail operator to offer easy online booking, an they have cheap 'AutoZug Spezial' fares if you pre-book and pick your dates carefully making them perhaps the cheapest and easiest motorail service to book.  Highly recommended!

What's a journey on DB Autozug like?

How to reach Düsseldorf Autozug terminal:  Leave the autobahn and follow the signs for Düsseldorf city centre, then follow the signs for 'Hauptbahnhof' ('main station').  Near the Hauptbahnhof, you'll pick up signs saying 'DB Autozug'.  If you have a Tom-Tom satnav, the DB Autozug terminal is listed as a 'point of interest' in Düsseldorf.  It's not difficult to reach, it's down a side road at the north east side of the Hauptbahnhof, the address is DB Autozug Terminal, Schlägelstrasse, 40210 Düsseldorf.

Check-in:  You show your ticket at the check-in kiosk at the entrance to the terminal.  You're given an A4 sheet with your destination printed on it to put in your windscreen.  It's all very relaxed, no rush, no hassle.		Waiting for loading:  You're told to park up in one of five numbered lanes that sweep round the terminal building to the foot of the loading ramps.  A sign shows the destination for each lane.  Drop off your passengers and overnight bags.		Inside the terminal building:  You can wait in the terminal building, with tables, chairs, drinks and coffee machines and toilets.  Or you can walk onto the station (follow the 'bahnsteig' signs) and use the station facilities.

Loading the car:  When the train is ready for loading staff open the gates at the foot of the loading ramp & you'll be asked to drive onto the motorail wagons.  Drive on along the wagons until told to stop.  Park with handbrake on, in 1st gear, alarm disabled.  In this picture you can see Düsseldorf station platforms 19 & 20 to the right of the train, where you board the passenger cars.		Walk back to the terminal...  Climb off the car wagons onto the platform using the steps provided and walk back to the terminal to collect your passengers and bags.  Either wait in the terminal or walk back onto the station and use the station facilities, including various shops, Starbucks & MacDonald's.		Boarding the train:  Motorail trains leave from platforms 19 & 20 at Düsseldorf station, the platforms closest to the motorail terminal.  The platforms are accessed from the motorail terminal via a short subway, just follow the signs marked 'bahnsteig' (German for 'platform').  The passenger coaches are shunted into the platform & attached to the motorail wagons about 30-40 minutes before departure.  You can then board the train.

Breakfast:  The DB Autozug fare includes a simple box breakfast with tea or coffee served by the attendant in your sleeper or couchette compartment.  Deluxe sleeper passengers get a slightly more extensive breakfast.  Some trains have a restaurant or bistro car.		Offloading:  You leave the passenger coaches at the platform and walk to the unloading dock.  Drivers go to their cars when told to do so and you drive off into the terminal parking area.  You pick up your passengers and overnight bags and off you go.  You can be on the road within 30 minutes of arriving!  It really is that simple, a totally painless way to go...  This photo shows cars from Düsseldorf unloading at Salzburg in Austria.

Auto-Train

Paris to Nice, Geneva, Avignon, Biarritz, Marseille, Tarbes, Narbonne, St Raphael, Toulon, Toulouse

The French Railways operate their own domestic car-carrying trains, called Auto-Train, some of which run all year round at least a few times a week.  Auto-Train is different from all the other motorail services in that cars & passengers travel separately:  You check your car in during day 1, the cars are transported overnight, and you pick your car up on day 2.  Passengers travel on any regular passenger train they like, either a daytime TGV or overnight train with couchettes.  You can find more information (in French) at www.voyages-sncf.com/services-train/auto-train.

Cost:  Paris-Nice costs around £220 each way for the car, Paris-Narbonne £205, Paris-Brive or Paris-Bordeaux £155.  However, there are some cheap deals if you book well in advance, from 49 euros one-way for the car.  Passengers pay normal rail fares, which start at 22 euros one-way, see www.raileurope.co.uk.

How it works:  You drive your car to Paris Bercy Station.  After a vehicle inspection, you hand over your keys and leave the rest to the very proficient SNCF staff.  You are now free to take any regular passenger train you like, either a daytime TGV or overnight Intercités de Nuit couchette train. Next day you make your way to the motorail terminal at your destination, present your travel papers and collect the keys to your vehicle.

Traveller John Rayner reports:  "In May 2010 for the Journey from Paris to Toulon we booked a single on the Auto Train for €49 and two single adult tickets on the TGV for €44. We stayed in a hotel not far from Toulon station for €40. A considerable saving on tolls, fuel and fatigue! An hours drive from Toulon got us to our destination just outside St Tropez refreshed and ready to enjoy our holiday!

How to book:  You can book up to 3 months in advance, and you'll get the best prices if you book as soon as booking opens.  In the UK, call Rail Europe's Motorail line on 0844 848 4050 (lines open 0900-1700 Monday-Friday).  Alternatively, you can now book your car on Auto-Train online at the SNCF website www.voyages-sncf.com, (click on Vol and then on Voiture Auto Train), this allows you to reserve a place on the Auto Train but you then have 48 hours to telephone SNCF, confirm your vehicle details (including registration number) and pay with a debit or credit card (this is where the French language and particularly alphabet is required).  You then book separate passenger tickets either at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) or www.tgv-europe.com (residents of any country).

Optima Express

Villach (Austria) to Turkey (Edirne)...

Optima Tours run their 'Optima Express' motorail train at least weekly to Turkey on various departure dates between May & October, see www.optimatours.de for dates, times & booking information.  Edirne is near the Bulgarian border, so is also good for Bulgaria.

Times vary, so you'll have to check their site, but the journey from Austria to Turkey takes either 2 days & 1 night or 2 nights & 1 day.  The train has covered car-carrying wagons and Bulgarian couchette cars, with compartments that can be used for sole occupancy for 1-6 people, or you can book one berth in a shared 6-berth compartment.

They take cars up to 152cm high, or for a slightly higher price, vehicles up to 198cm high.

The cost is around 249 euro one-way for a car plus 126 euro for one person in a shared 6-berth couchette compartment or 270 euro per person in a couchette compartment allocated for the exclusive private use of two people.

You can use DB AutoZug's Düsseldorf-Villach motorail on Friday nights to connect with it, as the Optima train usually leaves on a Saturday evening.

Other motorail services

Austria:  Vienna to/from Innsbruck, Feldkirch, Villach (Austrian domestic), Vienna-Hamburg (Germany), Vienna-Florence (Italy)

See http://www.oebb.at/de/Reiseplanung/PKW_Motor-_und_Fahrrad/Autoreisezug/index.jsp.

Czech Republic:  Prague-Poprad Tatry, Prague-Kosice

See www.cd.cz/scripts/detail.php?pgid=628.  Cheap overnight Motorail services.

Croatia:  Zagreb-Split

The daily Zagreb-Split overnight sleeper train also has a car-carrying wagon.  Information about this isn't readily available online, ask at the station when you get there.

Finland:  Various domestic routes...

See www.vr.fi.

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