Maps and train schedules are the most precious commodity for any traveler who plans to traverse a country, state or continent on rails. If you take the time to read and understand a train schedule, it can be of great help in planning your trip. You can even access train schedules over the internet and pre-plan your vacation.

While Eurailing, it’s a good idea to learn to use the 24-hour clock used in European train timetables. After 12:00 noon, the Europeans keep going — 13:00, 14:00, and so on. To convert to the 12-hour clock, subtract 12 and add p.m. (16:00 is 4 p.m.).

You can always find train schedules at any station in Europe. They come in many forms - posters (with departures on yellow, arrivals on white), airport-type departure schedules that flip up and list the next eight or ten departures, handy pocket-sized schedules for popular routes, and computer kiosks (spreading quickly across Europe).

Personnel at the train station information window can confirm your plans. Once aboard, you'll find that many express trains are littered with route programs that describe everything about that train.

Any schedule includes information on both directions between destinations (Dijon to Paris and Paris to Dijon) and has a section explaining the many exceptions to the rules. An "X" in a box means you'll have to change trains, an "R" in a box means reservations are required for that departure, crossed silverware means a dining car, crossed hammers indicate that the train goes only on workdays (daily except Sundays and holidays), a cross means the train goes only on Sundays and holidays, and a picture of a little bed means the train has sleeping compartments, which come in "couchette" and "sleeper" varieties.