http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25362 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25362 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25020 If travelling alone make sure to board a coach with other people already on it, and avoid taking the train when it is dark in the evening.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25020 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24884
The Caledonian Sleeper leaves Inverness every evening. Standard Class passengers travel in a spotless, comfortable berth with bunk beds, a sink, towels, soap, hangers and bottles of Scottish spring water. There's a lounge car on the train which serves food and drinks.

It is a lovely feeling to be lulled to sleep by the movement of the train. You're woken by a member of staff who brings you tea or coffee and a biscuit and get into Euston just before eight o'clock feeling wonderfully rested and ready for a day of metropolitan business or pleasure.

There are a number of "Bargain Berths" each month.I booked online. My ticket cost £39, but some are even cheaper. Lone travellers may be required to share with someone of the same sex. I travelled mid-week and had the berth to myself.

I'll never fly to London again.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24884 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24539
Also Bradford is home of the National Film and Photographic Museum.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24539 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24531
Try the restored 1905 "Railway Childen" station, see where the 1970 film was made. You'll remember it all, from the level crossing to Perks house, to the spot where Jenny Agutter ran to her daddy.

Take this trip back in time and i promise an unforgetable day. It has so much to offer. You can even go off to other RC Locations. A must for any railway or film buff, or just for the child in you.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24531 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24098 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24098 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23969
I used this site for my Trans Siberian tickets. You can book any tickets for travel inside Russia or to neighbouring countries.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23969 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23899
There are four-person couchettes, but there's something really romantic about proper sleepers, and a two person compartment (single bunks with proper sheets, plus complementary toiletries, mineral water, coffee...) - costs just €75 pp. If you want something more luxurious you can have a double bed compartment with ensuite shower etc for €140 pp.

The air conditioned train then follows the coast, through Taormina, and arrives in Siracusa at about 10 am. We love going to bed and waking up 500 miles away, right where we want to be - it's a great way to unwind at the start of a holiday.

Italian night trains are all good value, but the crossing - and the destination - makes this one the best.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23899 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23864 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23864 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23686 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23686 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23148 If you're 65 or older, show your driver's license, ID or passport as proof of age and buy a Muni monthly Senior Pass ($15).
Muni's visitor passport and Senior Pass can be purchased at their kiosk (looks like a cable car) at the Powell-Market cable car turntable. You can also buy a Muni 2-for-1 street and transit map for $3 there.
Muni is the nickname of the San Francisco Municipal Railway, America's oldest public-owned large city public transit system (1912) and probably the last to call itself a railway.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23148 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23119
Because it's America, the space you get on the trains is immense compared to the UK and on certain legs of the journey you get your own cabin with panoramic windows to watch the world go by (and a free little bottle of bubbly upon arrival!)

The longest leg of our journey was approx. two days through the beautiful flat plains of the Midwest with the occassional ranch and small town thrown in for good measure, followed by the beautiful Rockies, where we even saw a few wild animals!

All your food is included in the price of your fare - staff come knocking on your cabin door to take reservations and at your alloted time you make your way to the dining carriage. If you're travelling alone or in a couple you'll share a table with other passengers.... although we're a bit British sometimes and don't like awkward small-talk, this actually was a lot of fun! One night we shared a table with a sweet Midwest school teacher (v. talkative) and a toothless trucker (not so talkative!) Priceless!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23119 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23117
We met some interesting characters on the train, who were eager to talk to us and help us when it came to switching trains. Perhaps the best thing though is that you get to see the countryside and small towns along the way that you would normally be flying over! Well worth the slight more effort involved!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23117 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21986
If you don't mind travelling a bit further, Digne, which is ment to be beautiful, is three hours from Nice. Just make sure you check the time table – the trains only run about six times per day.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21986 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21616 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21616 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21580 Some of the food was actually excellent]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21580 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21528 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21528 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21515 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21515 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21514
My first tip is to play the Chinese at their own game in order to get the best floor positions for your overnight journey. Your competing 3rd class companions will be travelling with half their kitchen larders strapped to their backs, which can include two or three 'cash and carry' style bags of rice or even sacks of chicken feet! So i would advise teaming up with a friend or fellow westerner, which combined with your likely height advantage and 20kg backpacks, you'll find yourselves with some kind of purchase on the crowds of surging travellers to get to your carriage first.

The second tip is on boarding and locating your floor space. With competition fierce, and the odds stacking against you, you will need to prepare for your mini sprint. Try and establish from platform gates, which end of the train your carriage is in; you don't want to find your self running in the opposite direction as you are then likely to be stood beside the toilet for the next 15 to 20 hours. So, once at the carriage doors, I would recommend boarding at the same time as your friend, guarding yourselves from the beating crowds to give you the opportunity to seek the best position, ideally not near the toilet or wash basin, but next to a guards door, which is likely to leave you some good leg room and uninterrupted sleep from people getting on and off through the night.

The third and final tip is spread yourself out, as selfish as it might sound, conceding early on or showing weakness will leave you sharing your pillow another guy who likes to chain smoke and cough up loosening flem from his lungs. This early initiative also gives you the flexibility of lying down and sitting up to read throughout your journey, as fidgeting to get comfortable will become your new best friend. Once you have your little enclave, you can pick and choose who you share your space with, and observe the fascinating culture and characters on board your train as people pass through and squat to chat to the unlikely westerners slumming it on floor.

These light-hearted tips are really just great memories and a product of clashing national psyches, for which I believe brings so much colour, character and adventure to a train journey and gets you right under the skin of a nation which is quite literally on the move.

Many thanks for reading my top tips for character rich 3rd class train travel in China.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21514 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21513
If you fancy making it a weekend of windswept walks then Romney Bay House is a suitably eccentric place to stay.

British beaches in the wintertime (preferably with a good breeze and a kite) beat most other romantic locations hands down.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21513