Heavy luggage is easier to handle when you plan the last stretch first: the stairs, the lifts and the ride to the hotel door. The train is the simple part; the walk from the platform to the room is where bags and tired people struggle.
If your parents are with you, or you are packing for a long holiday, this is a fair worry. A few choices made at home can spare everyone the worst of it.
What is the luggage limit?
On C, D and G trains the official limit is 20 kg for adults and 10 kg for children, with each item at most 130 cm[1]. Bags are rarely weighed. That is generous, but a bag at the limit is heavy to lift on stairs.
Pack a day bag for the train and a case that one person can lift alone. Our guide to luggage on high-speed trains goes through the details.
What is between the train door and the hotel?
Count each step: the platform, the stairs or lift to the hall, the entrance, the taxi or metro, and the hotel doorway. Each one is a chance for a heavy bag to slow you down.
Expect an X-ray check of bags at station entrances[2]. Keep your passport reachable, because foreigners need it to pass the gates[3].
Which ways avoid carrying bags?
Three choices help.
- A pre-arranged pickup or a taxi to the door
- Sending bags ahead to the next city
- Keeping bags in storage while you explore
Read our guides on luggage forwarding between cities and luggage storage at stations and airports. Our guide on hotel pickup versus taxi compares the door-to-door options.
What about stairs and lifts?
Look for the lift before you need it. Big stations have lifts, but queues build up, so ask station staff and leave extra time. If someone in your group cannot manage stairs, read our guide to mobility-friendly transport.
Choose a hotel with a lift or a ground-floor room when you can, and check this before you pay.
Should you take the metro with heavy bags?
Not as a first choice. Metro stations mean stairs, crowds and long walks between lines. If you have light bags and a short route, it can still work, so see our metro guide.
For a heavy-luggage arrival, a ride to the door is kinder. The hotel will also need your passport at check-in, because hotels copy it to register you[4].
Send us your route and bags, and we can suggest which transfers need a door-to-door ride.