Pay Less Than the Passenger Next to You

Here's the Deal: With ScotRail's Bargain Berths promotion, you get a bed on an overnight train between London Euston and one of 42 Scottish towns and cities, at fares ranging from $37 to $96.

Booking Details: Tickets are available up to three months in advance. Pending availability, you can buy them until noon on the departure date. Go to firstscotrail.co.uk and click on Sleeper Trains, then Bargain Berths. Search for a specific date, or throughout a period of up to three months.

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THE TRIP: PARIS TO BERN
Normal price: $101

Sale price: $39

Here's the Deal: Piccolo prices on the TGV Lyria high-speed train line connecting Paris to the Swiss Alps start as low as $26 for shorter journeys on the line's branch connecting to Geneva. Fares on the Zurich branch can cost $39 to Bern and $45 to the end of the line.

Booking Details: One-month advance purchase is required for trips on the Zurich leg; a two-month advance is necessary for excursions on the Geneva line. Go to voyages-sncf.com, enter your cities, and look for the fares labeled Piccolo.

THE TRIP: BRUSSELS TO AMSTERDAM
Normal price: $60

Sale price: $30

Here's the Deal: The latest discounted trips on the high-speed line between Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Cologne are listed every Tuesday via Thalys's Last Minute Offers. Fares are routinely sold at about half the standard price (meaning Paris-Brussels costs $50, not $100) for select departures in the week ahead.

Booking Details: Visit thalys.com and click on Last Minute Offers for the latest discounted trips. Availability is very limited, so if you see a departure that works for you, snap it up.

THE TRIP: VIENNA TO KRAKÓW
Normal price: $62

Sale price: $38

Here's the Deal: Austria's SparSchiene tickets are available between Vienna and major cities in nearby countries including Italy, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, and Poland. There are discounts on standard seats, as well as for couchettes and private sleeper rooms--from $38, $50, and $76 respectively for trips to Kraków.

Booking Details: Head to oebb.at and click on Discount Products, then SparSchiene. The actual booking engine is in German only, though you can talk with English-speaking agents at 011-43/5-1717. And plan well in advance: You must book a minimum of three months ahead of departure.