Best way to get around Europe?

[2Xtreme21]

I'm going over to tour europe for 10 days prior to studying in Nantes, France for 6 weeks over the summer, and I want to try to hit as many cities as I can without spending a killing. I've been looking up flights from carriers like RyanAir and EasyJet and they seem reasonable, but I can see how it would easily add up. On the other hand, I can buy a Eurail pass for a flat fee and have unlimited travel for 6 days or whatever, but I'll need to take a whole day to travel (Paris -> Rome is like a 14 hour train ride).

Anyone have any experience with either form of transportation?

 

[feralkid]

"hit as many cities as I can in 10 days"



That's the problem, not train vs plane.


Pick a couple cities, spend a little time to actually see them.


Enjoy!

 

[Patt]

Originally posted by: feralkid
"hit as many cities as I can in 10 days"
That's the problem, not train vs plane.
Pick a couple cities, spend a little time to actually see them.
Enjoy!

Agreed ... though cities are not necessarily the best places to visit. Head to Chamonix for some hiking/relaxing.

 

[EMPshockwave82]

train.. pay for the sleeper car and sleep while you travel


edit:
also.... try to plan your trips to where they are 8-10 hours travel on the train so that you arent wasting a lot of time traveling while awake.... it wont be the most restful sleep you get but it will be much more cost effective and still wont waste your time while awake

 

[Uppsala9496]

If you want to see the countryside, pick the train.
If you are trying to see as much as you can in a short time, the plane is going to be the better choice. It is more expensive though.

 

[TheChort]

the train should be cheaper, a little bit slower, unless you do the overnigt sleeper cars. Scheduling and finding routes can sometimes be a hassle with the trains, but definitely a cool experience.
MUCH more fun than flying. Plus you can meet people in the lounge/eating car

 

[Scarpozzi]

Fast trains are good choices for long distances, but are more expensive.

Slow trains are great for shorter distances, but will take a lot longer and be less comfortable.

You can get good airfare on Ryanair, but keep in mind that you'll have to pay for cab fare to get back into civilization. They usually fly into smaller airports.

 

[jagec]

10 days? You'd pretty much have to use the plane. You really shouldn't hit any more than 4-5 cities in that time, so it probably wouldn't cost any more than the Eurailpass if you book NOW on one of the cheapo carriers.

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi

You can get good airfare on Ryanair, but keep in mind that you'll have to pay for cab fare to get back into civilization. They usually fly into smaller airports.

They also always provide bus service to-from civilization, but the hours are a little infrequent. You only need to take a cab if you planned poorly. I did that...once. The rest of the time I took the bus.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Well I think I'm going to limit it to three cities: London, Rome, and Paris. I'm most likely going to be flying into Dublin and want to end in Paris as that's where I am going to be starting the study abroad experience.

I don't believe you can book specific trains, if I read correctly on the eurail site. You just buy a eurail pass and check in on whatever train you want to go to.

 

[ElFenix]

air can get costly, a lot of their specials are only available 1 day of the week. additionally, do you really want to the hassle of going to the airport (usually far from the city center, while the train station is usually very close), waiting in security, waiting before takeoff, waiting for a gate after landing, waiting for your luggage, etc? you could be on the train, moving, meeting people, seeing the countryside, etc.


and paris --> rome via train may take a long time, but the alps are much nicer from the train

 

[2Xtreme21]

True. I just wish I could buy specific tickets... do you have to use the Eurail?

 

[jpeyton]

I would go Eurail, but I'd limit it to 3-4 cities.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
True. I just wish I could buy specific tickets... do you have to use the Eurail?

what do you mean?

the way my brit rail pass worked, you had a certain number of days you could use. all you had to do was fill in the date, and when the conductor came by, show him/her the pass with today's date filled in and you'd be good. didn't have to get specific tickets. it's great for going somewhere without much of a plan. you want to spend an extra day somewhere? no problem. hear of a great out of the way place from someone, no problem.

i'm assuming the eurail pass works the same way.

the eurail pass is supposed to be cheaper, but it doesn't have to be. my britrail pass would have been more expensive than buying the individual tickets from gatwick-->london-->cambridge if i hadn't gone to scotland for the Open. you can buy tickets, but, again, you kinda limit yourself.

 

[elektrolokomotive]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Well I think I'm going to limit it to three cities: London, Rome, and Paris. I'm most likely going to be flying into Dublin and want to end in Paris as that's where I am going to be starting the study abroad experience.

I don't believe you can book specific trains, if I read correctly on the eurail site. You just buy a eurail pass and check in on whatever train you want to go to.

Depends on which Eurail pass. With the SelectPass (I'm too old for a student pass), I had a 1st class ticket. On the more popular runs, reservations were encouraged, and IIRC were $5. This was especially true on the DB ICE runs.

 

[Cookie]

How much is a Eurail pass?


I prefer flying. I took an overnight train once and it was miserable. All the other trains I took were crowded, but short trips. Also I found trains more expensive than flying, if you book the flight enough in advance. As for the comment that the cheap flights are only 1 day per week, that was not my experience at all with EasyJet. They were all cheap regardless of the day. Also, even though they fly into lesser known airports, there was always transit to get into the city at relatively low cost.

 

[Fern]

Most trains stations are "downtown", airports are not. The travel to/from airport, the check in "x" hrs ahead of scheduled flight, delays etc add up. I suspect the time savings you expect from flying may not actually exist.

Take trains at night, and sleep. No need for hotels bills in some cases.

Watch the train schedule, one that has a gazzlion stops obviously takes a lot longer than a dirct train.

Whether train or plane, try to check ahead and make sure you're not travling during some Euro holiday (unlnown to us). It'll make booking either a real pain.

Originally posted by: feralkid
"hit as many cities as I can in 10 days"

That's the problem, not train vs plane.


Pick a couple cities, spend a little time to actually see them.


Enjoy!

Quality over quantity is my method. Unless you just want bragging rights about what cities/towns you've been "in" - slow down and absorb the character and charm of the place.

But try to be effient about your travel plans (train/plane schedule) so you don't waste time stitting around some terminal, or taking a train etc that stops every 20 minutes instead of a direct one.

You can also tire yourself out if you rush too much. That will diminish the enjoyment. See, you'll likely find that you'll be walking quite a bit, or doing a lot standing like in museums etc.

Try to have some idea of what you want to see in the places you choose so you don't dither about that. Get maps in advance also. Train schedules and such can usually be found on the internet, you needn't wait until you get there.

Fern

 

[2Xtreme21]

Originally posted by: Cookie
How much is a Eurail pass?


I prefer flying. I took an overnight train once and it was miserable. All the other trains I took were crowded, but short trips. Also I found trains more expensive than flying, if you book the flight enough in advance. As for the comment that the cheap flights are only 1 day per week, that was not my experience at all with EasyJet. They were all cheap regardless of the day. Also, even though they fly into lesser known airports, there was always transit to get into the city at relatively low cost.

Thanks for sharing your experience. From what I could find the Eurail passes are about $260 for the "youth" select pass (< 26 years old) for 3 countries, any 5 days in a 2 month period. I don't know if that's what I want though.

Say I take a train from London to Paris and want to then go to Chamonix as stated earlier in this thread, would I use the Eurail (and subsequently burn one of my days on the pass) or are there France-specific trains that I can book separately?

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: Cookie
How much is a Eurail pass?


I prefer flying. I took an overnight train once and it was miserable. All the other trains I took were crowded, but short trips. Also I found trains more expensive than flying, if you book the flight enough in advance. As for the comment that the cheap flights are only 1 day per week, that was not my experience at all with EasyJet. They were all cheap regardless of the day. Also, even though they fly into lesser known airports, there was always transit to get into the city at relatively low cost.

How was it miserable?

I took the overnight from Paris > Venice and it was fine.

Yeah, some trains can be crowded, but you can reservations etc.

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Say I take a train from London to Paris and want to then go to Chamonix as stated earlier in this thread, would I use the Eurail (and subsequently burn one of my days on the pass) or are there France-specific trains that I can book separately?

If doing rail travel in France, look for the TGV (trains Grande Vitess SP?) means high speed trains.

Google it, the info is available online.

Fern

 

[otispunkmeyer]

if you come to england your ******.

train = ******
bus = ******
air = less ****** if you can deal with airports like heathrow.

taxi's arent bad

its best if you have your own car, or in london ride a bike.

 

[Cookie]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21

Originally posted by: Cookie
How much is a Eurail pass?


I prefer flying. I took an overnight train once and it was miserable. All the other trains I took were crowded, but short trips. Also I found trains more expensive than flying, if you book the flight enough in advance. As for the comment that the cheap flights are only 1 day per week, that was not my experience at all with EasyJet. They were all cheap regardless of the day. Also, even though they fly into lesser known airports, there was always transit to get into the city at relatively low cost.

Thanks for sharing your experience. From what I could find the Eurail passes are about $260 for the "youth" select pass (< 26 years old) for 3 countries, any 5 days in a 2 month period. I don't know if that's what I want though.

Say I take a train from London to Paris and want to then go to Chamonix as stated earlier in this thread, would I use the Eurail (and subsequently burn one of my days on the pass) or are there France-specific trains that I can book separately?

I always bought train tickets separately to get around to smaller places within France. they weren't expensive, but I don't remember how much specifically. Based on your quoted price for the Eurail pass, it wouldn't be worth it to use it for smaller trips. However in your case, going longer distances, it might be worth it. Check EasyJet to see what kind of flights you can get too.

 

[Cookie]

Originally posted by: Fern

Originally posted by: Cookie
How much is a Eurail pass?


I prefer flying. I took an overnight train once and it was miserable. All the other trains I took were crowded, but short trips. Also I found trains more expensive than flying, if you book the flight enough in advance. As for the comment that the cheap flights are only 1 day per week, that was not my experience at all with EasyJet. They were all cheap regardless of the day. Also, even though they fly into lesser known airports, there was always transit to get into the city at relatively low cost.

How was it miserable?

I took the overnight from Paris > Venice and it was fine.

Yeah, some trains can be crowded, but you can reservations etc.

I took the overnight train from Krakow to Prague, I didn't sleep the entire time and when I got to Prague I was exhausted and desperate to find a place to sleep. In the end it worked out ok, because we ran into an ex-Canadian who rented out rooms in the back of this hotel for super-cheap.
http://www.yellow-net.com/prague-prague...rague/hotel-europa-prague-200x2671.jpg

If you have the eurail pass do you have to pay extra to get a sleeper car?

 

[randomint]

i hear air fare is cheap as dirt in Europe. read an article about $40 flights from rome to paris etc.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Originally posted by: randomint
i hear air fare is cheap as dirt in Europe. read an article about $40 flights from rome to paris etc.

If you look on easyjet and ryanair they are quoted sometimes at like 5 euros or something, but they add 30-40 euros in surcharges as well as requiring you to pay X amount per checked bag.

 

[Cookie]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21

Originally posted by: randomint
i hear air fare is cheap as dirt in Europe. read an article about $40 flights from rome to paris etc.

If you look on easyjet and ryanair they are quoted sometimes at like 5 euros or something, but they add 30-40 euros in surcharges as well as requiring you to pay X amount per checked bag.

I never had to pay for baggage, but I never had more than one bag. Also, the fares are cheap, the taxes are not as cheap, but the total is still only 25 euros from Berlin to Krakow, for example. 30 euros from Paris to Berlin, 45 euros from Venice to London. All much cheaper than trains. Plus you add a couple euros (2 - 10) to get into the city from the airport. This info is all based on EasyJet, I've never used RyanAir.