European flight costs up 13% in a year, trains remain cheaper on many routes

A new annual comparison by savings and investment platform Raisin shows that air travel within Europe has become significantly more expensive over the past year, while train fares have stayed relatively stable. The study looked at travel costs for a family of four, two adults and two children aged 10 and 14, travelling to ten European destinations.

For the research, prices were gathered on 10 and 11 May 2026 for travel dates between 6 July and 7 August. The comparison looked at return trips from Amsterdam Central Station and Schiphol to ten destinations across Europe.

On average, flight prices (excluding baggage) increased by 13.1%, rising from 808 euros in 2025 to 914 euros in 2026. The only destination where fares decreased was Vienna, where a return ticket fell from 987 euros to 968 euros.

Prices rose for all nine other destinations, with the steepest increase seen for Innsbruck. There, travel costs went up by roughly a third, from 896 euros to 1,198 euros.

Researchers say the gap between air and rail travel costs has widened further, now averaging 401 euros per family.

Train fares increased only modestly, by 2.5%, rising from an average of 500 euros to 513 euros. Travel by train remains relatively affordable, especially to destinations in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

For instance, a return journey to Munich costs around 275 euros on average, while a trip to Berlin averages 288 euros. Even for longer routes such as Prague and Vienna, train travel remains considerably cheaper than flying.

On nine out of ten routes in the study, travelling by train is cheaper than flying. The only exception is London, where a train ticket costs 652 euros compared with 554 euros for a flight.

Price differences between destinations are considerable. Innsbruck shows the starkest contrast, with train travel costing 330 euros compared to 1,198 euros by air. There are also large variations for southern France: a train trip to Bordeaux averages 1,120 euros and to Marseille 915 euros, though rail remains slightly cheaper than flying in both cases.

The comparison does not include baggage fees, which airlines often charge separately. According to KLM, within Europe these costs range from 20 to 70 euros per suitcase per one-way journey. For a family carrying three suitcases, this can add up to more than 400 euros in extra costs for a return trip.

Jasper Berkhout, a researcher at Raisin, points to significant regional disparities: “Once you rely on high-speed connections to France or the UK, costs increase quickly. At the same time, it is striking how relatively cheap it is to travel to more distant cities like Prague or Vienna.”

He says it is worthwhile to compare options carefully and remain flexible about departure locations: “Also consider airports such as Weeze, Frankfurt, and Brussels. And book train tickets early, as rail operators like Deutsche Bahn often offer substantial advance booking discounts.”

Flight prices were gathered using Google Flights, while train fares were based on data from platforms including Trainline and Deutsche Bahn. The reported flight prices do not include baggage costs.

The comparison uses the most favourable available options, allowing only a limited flexibility in travel time and a maximum of one stopover for flights.