Prague to Bolton in a day by train

Travelling from Prague back to the UK in a day by train is a relatively easy journey - especially if London or the South East is you final destination. Travelling further afield is achievable but does make it a long day.

On Wednesday 22nd January 2020 I travelled from Prague to Bolton in a day, The Man in Seat61 joined me for the Prague to Brussels journey.

The route: Prague - Cheb - Nuremburg - Frankfurt - Brussels - London - Manchester - Bolton using a total of 7 trains operated by Cesky Drahy, Deutsche Bahn, Eurostar, Avanti West Coast and finally Northern Rail.

My travel was covered by a First Class InterRail ticket. No supplements or reservations were not required on any on the trains except for Eurostar which requires a supplement to travel with an InterRail, click here for Eurostar Passholder Fares.

My travelling companion used a Prague to Brussels through fare plus a Eurostar ticket.

The Timetable Prague to Bolton

The first train of the day was the 06.43 Prague to Cheb which runs via Plzen and is the best train to take if you are planning to get to the UK the same day.

Prague depart  06.43

Cheb arrive        09.26

First Class on this train is an ex Austrian Railways compartment carriage with 4 and 6 seat compartments:

The train has a mobile mini bar:

As it was an early start sunrise was enroute and with the weather being chilly there was a deep frost. Train travel in the Czech Republic is a delight with fabulous scenery throughout the country:

Czech Railways are on the whole quite reliable with trains running on time and connections made. We arrived on-time at Cheb, which was good as we were connecting onto the Nuremberg train, if the train from Prague is running late the connection to Nuremberg is held.

The connection in Cheb is usually across the platform.

The Cheb to Nuremberg trains runs every two hours, so if the connection is not held there is an issue hence why it is pretty much a guaranteed connection.

Cheb depart             09.36

Nuremburg arrive  11.22

Cheb is an important city in the world of discounted train fares due to the fact that if you specify travel via Cheb on the Czech Railways website the very good value international fares are offered!

This route is operated by Deutsche Bahn with a 2 car tilting diesel unit providing the service with a small First Class compartment available.

From Nuremberg to Frankfurt there is a roughly hourly ICE service taking just over 2 hours.

Nuremburg depart   12.00

Frankfurt Hbf  arrive 14.04

The ICE has both First and Second Class plus a dining car, in First Class food can be ordered at and delivered to your seat. On this train I chose a pasta dish for lunch.

Frankfurt Hauptbanhof has a plethora of food and drink outlets to pass the time between trains and to perhaps buy a picnic for the onward train.

The Frankfurt to Brussels trains are operated by Deutsche Bahn ICE3 trains and operate every 2 hours with a journey time of just over 3 hours. The train runs via Cologne and crosses the River Rhine with some good views of the river and cathedral.

Frankfurt Hbf  depart  14.29

Brussels Midi arrive      17.35

For this ride we decided to sit in the dining car and avail of the Deutsche Bahn hospitality..... note that the dining car seats are configured as First Class with 2 + 1 seating, so you could consider it an upgrade as you do not need a First Class ticket!

The next leg of the journey is where the trip could fall down if trains are late running. Eurostar are supposed to rebook you if your connecting train is late but this can be very hit and miss as you will be on 2 separate tickets. The key to making the trip run smoothly is to book a later Eurostar train.

For this trip as I needed to get back to Bolton I booked an earlier Eurostar than my travel buddy who was just travelling to London who booked on the 19.56 Eurostar.

Brussels Midi depart          18.56

London St Pancras arrive 19.57

Travelling with an InterRail ticket I needed a reservation (plus paying a supplement) €38 for Standard Premier, click here for Eurostar Passholder Fares.

At Brussels Midi I used the Eurostar Business Lounge, I have access via a credit card, to pass my time waiting for the train. Mr Seat61 went off to get a beer in Brussels as you are unable to access the terminal before the previous train has departed.

As I was travelling in Standard Premier I was offered a light meal and drinks, included in the ticket price.

After quick 10 minute walk along Euston Rd from St Pancras to Euston I boarded the Avanti West Coast train to Manchester Piccadilly.

London Euston depart            20.40

Manchester Piccadilly arrive 22.46

The train was very quiet and after a cup of tea served at my First Class seat, included in the fare, and then promptly fell to sleep!

Arrived into Manchester Piccadilly a couple of minutes early so a leisurely across to the platform for the Bolton train and reflecting on how everything had gone to plan and all on time - fantastic! BUT....... the train to Bolton was cancelled. The planned train:

Manchester Piccadilly depart  22.54

Bolton arrive                                   23.18

But ended up on the 23.31 departure arriving into Bolton at 23.49 - so still the same day to enable me to claim "Prague to Bolton in a day by train"!