Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you book through them. But as you’ll see below, I usually recommend using Omio as a search tool and booking directly instead.

As someone who’s lived without a car for years and travels extensively, I’ve spent way too much time using all the travel tools available.

Since I try my best to choose more sustainable travel, I often use tools that compare buses and trains.

So today, let’s talk about Omio. I’ll talk about how I use it (there are two good use cases), how I don’t, and why I usually book direct.

TL;DR: My Omio Review

• How I use It #1: To compare flights vs. trains vs. buses on the same search. If you’re deciding whether to fly or take the train or bus, Omio is the tool for that.
• How I use it #2: It’s good for U.S. and Canada searches. It’s strongest in Western Europe. Omio covers buses, trains, flights, and even ferries across most of Western Europe. That breadth is hard to find in one place.
• I use it as a Search Tool. It’s great to find stuff, but I book directly, not on Omio. There are some exceptions, and I cover this.
• It’s not a fancy aggregator. It doesn’t get as creative as many popular flight search engines.
• When you book through Omio, you pay a fee. Usually, it makes more sense to book direct.

If you want to quickly compare trains, buses, and flights for your trip, you can check routes on Omio here.

What Is Omio?

Omio is a travel search and booking platform. They’re a place to search across multiple operators and see options side by side.

You know these. For flights, we’re talking about Google Flights, SkyScanner, Kayak, Momondo, whatever.

Like other travel site aggregators, Omio doesn’t operate any buses or trains or planes.

What Makes Omio Different? Multiple Modes.

Whereas flight aggregators will show you flights, Omio will show you flights, trains, buses, and in some regions, even ferries.

Only Google Flights will occasionally show you a train. Aside from that, I think Omio is unique in this feature.

That makes it a great tool for many trips and certain types of travelers (like me).

How I Use Omio

So here’s how I actually use it.

Deciding Between Modes of Transit (Flying vs Train vs Bus)

This is the main reason to use Omio.

I care a lot about sustainable travel. I try to take trains and buses when it makes sense. But I’m also realistic. Sometimes you need to fly. The journey is too long, the time difference is too big, or the train infrastructure just isn’t there.

What I hate is making that decision without actually knowing the full comparison. How much cheaper is the flight, really? How much longer is the train? Is there a bus that splits the difference? Omio helps answer these questions in one place.

Otherwise, you’re bouncing between a flight aggregator, a rail booking site, and maybe even a bus search.

Especially in Europe, there are so many different bus and rail companies, I wouldn’t even now where to see them all in one place.

If you want to see what that looks like for your route, you can run a quick search on Omio here.

As a recent example, I was looking at going between New York and Ohio. It was one of those, “You know what, let me check just how much longer the train is.”

I could take a one-seat Amtrak ride to Cleveland. In this case, there are also cheap flights, so most people would choose that. But let’s say that the flight was $196, which it could be on other days, then you might choose the train.

I would choose the train anyway because I like trains.

This is exactly the kind of trip where I’d start with Omio to compare my options.

You Can Toggle Between the Transit Modes

So all in one search, you can toggle between trains, buses, and flights. It’s useful just to get a good idea of all your options without spending a lot of time toggling between different websites.

It’s Nice in the Early Stages of Planning

If it’s one of those trips that’s doable without taking a flight, Omio will often to be the first website I got to check. It’s great in those early stages of planning when I’m trying to get a good idea of the options.

How I Use Omio: Almost All Western Europe Travel

Omio is pretty good in the U.S. and Canada. But it’s a Western European company, and it shows. You can search between any two cities on the continent and it’ll give you the options available. I use Omio for any search within Western Europe.

(When I was a teenager, I did an exchange in Spain and visit often).

From the U.S. perspective, we imagine that you can zip across anywhere in Europe by train. In reality, countries like Spain and Italy aren’t that close to each other, and flying is often easier. Going from Madrid to Berlin is 1150 miles. New York to Miami is 1100 miles. So yeah, often you’ll want to compare flying versus taking the train.

There Are a Lot More Bus and Train Options in Europe Than You Know About

In addition to just working well in Europe, Omio has shown me that holy smokes, there are way more bus and train companies than I imagined. There are sleeper train companies. “Budget high-speed rail” companies, buses that will cover the same routes as trains but for a third of the price (if you’re on a tight budget).

Omio is really good for knowing all your options available for European travel.

Omio also helps me avoid needing to read things in French, which I’m still very bad at.

Why I Don’t Usually Book on Omio

So I like Omio. I like using it as a search tool. But I don’t actually book on Omio.

These reasons aren’t unique to Omio. They’re true of aggregators and flight search engines in general.

You Pay a Fee

When you book through Omio, there’s often a service fee baked into the price. It might only be a few bucks, but it’s there.

If you click through to the actual train or bus operator and book directly, you’ll often see the same ticket for a little cheaper.

Sometimes it looks the same, until you realize one ticket price is from a refundable ticket, and direct you can buy a cheaper one with less flexibility.

It depends on the operator, and since Omio has so many companies, it’s tough to generalize. So the way to know is to compare the Omio price to the price directly on the travel company’s website.

If Something Goes Wrong, You’re Dealing with a Middleman

When everything goes right, it doesn’t matter where you book.

But if you travel enough, things come up.

If you booked directly with the operator, you talk to their customer service. If you booked through Omio, you now have a third party in the mix. You’re talking to Omio who’s dealing with the operator.

I just prefer having a direct option to manage the booking with whoever is getting me from Point A to Point B.

Ticket Flexibility and Options Can Be Clearer

Aggregators like Omio don’t always show you the ticket options available on the same ride. For example with Amtrak, there’s a “flex fare” and and a basic option with different refund policies.

On an operator’s official site, you’ll often see:

• More fare classes
• Clearer refund/change policies
• Add-ons (like seat selection or upgrades) explained better

Omio does a good job, but it’s still simplifying a bunch of different companies’ data into one interface.

If I’m booking something important, or something expensive, I want to see everything clearly before I commit.

So Why Would You Book Through Omio?

For all the reasons I don’t usually book on Omio, there are still some situations where it genuinely makes sense.

“Cancel for Any Reason”

This is probably the strongest case.

Omio offers an add-on called “Omio Flex” that lets you cancel within two hours of the departure and get most of your money back, no questions asked.

It’s a standard insurance upsell.

I think this makes the most sense when you’re trying to lock in a good price, but you’re not totally sure you’ll take the trip. Maybe your schedule is up in the air, maybe you’re coordinating with other people, or maybe you just want optionality. In that case, paying a small fee to preserve that flexibility can be worth it.

So it’s up to you if you want the insurance for the cost. But again, check the operator because they may offer something similar.

You might get the same (or better) terms without paying extra.

When Omio Has a Discount

Sometimes Omio runs promotions or has pricing that ends up being cheaper than booking directly. If thye do, they’re on their app. Which is an incentive for them to get you to download the app. It’s a decent app.

Currency Conversion

You can book Omio in any currency. So if your card charges foreign transaction fees, booking through Omio in your home currency can simplify things and potentially save you money on those fees. It also just makes the checkout process feel more straightforward.

But again, it’s not automatic savings. You still want to pay attention to the exchange rate Omio is using. Sometimes the convenience of paying in your own currency is offset by a slightly worse conversion rate on their end.

The User Experience / Convenience

This one just comes down to how you like to book travel.

Omio is clean, simple, and keeps everything in one place. You don’t have to jump between different rail operators, bus companies, or unfamiliar websites.

Even though I personally don’t book this way, I get the appeal. If you just want a smooth, straightforward checkout and don’t want to think too hard about it, booking through Omio is perfectly fine. Your ticket will work, and you’ll get where you’re going without any issues.

Omio vs Other Travel Search Engines: Lacks Many Other Features

It’s hard to ask a search engine to try to be “everything.” Unless it’s Google, in this day and age, companies focus on what they’re good at. For Omio, that’s comparing flights vs trains vs buses.

Omio vs Busbud for Non-Flight Searches

Busbud is another tool that compares buses and trains, but not flights. So if you’re choosing between buses and trains, it’s a good tool.

For U.S. non-flight searches, I tend to prefer Busbud.

The interface feels a little more straightforward when you already know you’re taking a bus, and it does a really good job of laying out all your options in one place without much friction.

But in Europe, Omio is much better.

Busbud just doesn’t have the same depth of coverage across most countries. In my experience, it works well in Spain, but once you start moving between countries or looking at rail-heavy routes, it just doesn’t show you all the buses and trains available.

Anyway, if you’re curious about Busbud, you can check out my full Busbud review here.

But if you’re traveling across Europe, comparing modes, or just want a fuller picture of your options, Omio is the better tool.

It’s Not as Good as Skyscanner, Momondo, or Top-Tier Flight Aggregators

Here’s where I have to be honest about Omio’s limits.

If you’ve already decided you’re going to fly, you’re better off on a dedicated flight search engine.

Whether it’s just Google Flights or something like SkyScanner or Kiwi (and underrated tool in my opinion), you’ll find more features.

They have flexible date searches, price calendars, “explore anywhere” options, and more.

If you’re hunting for the cheapest possible flight on the most flexible schedule, go there instead.

You can read my article on my favorite flight search engines for budget flights if that’s you.

Omio Doesn’t Show Mix Transport Modes

Omio struggles to suggest creative multi-leg itineraries, especially ones that mix transport modes or include intentional layovers.

Here’s a real example. I was getting from London to Barcelona and didn’t want to fly.

We decided to take two trains: London to Paris on the Eurostar, then Paris to Barcelona on a high-speed AVE.

We turned the Paris connection into a two-day stop, which ended up being one of the better decisions of that trip. Omio wasn’t able to surface that as a connected option. I pieced it together.

That’s the kind of creative, multi-stop ground travel routing that I’d like to see. Omio couldn’t figure it out.

I love that Omio is encouraging us to take trains and buses, but I wish it could connect plane-free options with more creativity.

You know how the flight search engines tell you to combine flights with different companies? Let’s see that from Omio for trains and buses.

Still it’s a great tool.

Check out Omio here.

FAQ: Omio Review

Is Omio Legit?

Yes. Omio is a real, established company that’s been around since 2013. They’re based in Berlin and operate across dozens of countries. The platform is clean, functional, and the bookings work.

Is Omio free to use?

Yes, you can use Omio like any other website for free. If you book through them, compare the price to booking direct to see if the overall price is more.

Does Omio cover trains and buses in Europe?

Yes. Omio has strong coverage across Western Europe, including trains, buses, flights, and ferries. It’s one of the most comprehensive tools for European multi-modal travel planning.

Is Omio cheaper than booking direct?

Usually, no. Occasionally, Omio runs promotions or discounts that make booking through them worthwhile. Always compare.

Is Omio good for travel in the U.S.?

Yes, it’s good for the U.S. You’ll see Amtrak, FlixBus, Greyhound, regional buses, and flight options together.

Can I get a refund through Omio?

You can upgrade to “Omio Flex” to see their refund offer. But the base refund option will depend on the operator.