Europe by Train [Archive] - urban75 forums

jugularvein

11-08-2005, 14:14

My little sister is spending the month of september on an interail pass, tavelling through europe. she asked me if i had any ideas on where she should go and what the best plan for accomodation is. all on a tight budget.

i advised couchsurfing.com for accomodation and asking the helpful and well travelled people of urban75 for ideas.

but she can't log on for herself can she as i'm already here, and i'm not having her read the filth i've come out with. :o

so.... europe by train. :) cool / cheap destinations? accomodation tips? useful websites? is £500 enough? other posts on the subject i've missed? show the way urban 75.............

CyberRose

11-08-2005, 17:26

Depends which zones she's got? If its a month maybe two zones would be good (could be 8 countries)

I prefer Eastern Europe (Czech, Hungary, etc) as accommodation/nightlife/etc is dirt cheap and there is loads and loads to do

Accommodation-wise I got all mine on that link from Lonely Planet website where you can search all the destinations for where you go and see which ones the cheepest

oneflewover

11-08-2005, 18:04

Hi all,

So many destinations, so little time. Must do's - Switzerland, Italian and French coasts.

Grab the Thomas Cooks European timetable and its all there.

Couchettes, great to sleep in and wake up in a new place.

Up the Tigers

miss direct

11-08-2005, 18:24

Inter rail include Bosnia now, I would definitely tell her to go there. I've travelled quite a bit and that was my favourite country in Europe. Croatia too.

JWH

11-08-2005, 18:57

Not many rail lines, though? :confused:

miss direct

11-08-2005, 18:58

there are a few in Bosnia. Not many people use the train there, most use the bus, but there are trains and stations in major cities.

CyberRose

11-08-2005, 23:10

Yea definately definately get the Thomas Cook Rail Guide (it even has the times to get to Worksop from Sheffield in it!!!)

Isambard

11-08-2005, 23:15

If she hasn't bought it yet, have her leave off buyig an InterRail.
Decide FIRST what and where interests her and THEN look for the best ticket deal. :cool:

Happy trails for your sister.

CyberRose

12-08-2005, 00:21

If she hasn't bought it yet, have her leave off buyig an InterRail.
Decide FIRST what and where interests her and THEN look for the best ticket deal. :cool:

Happy trails for your sister.
Good thinking! It would have probably been cheeper for me just to buy single tickets in Europe as they are so cheep (well in eastern Europe anyway)

Isambard

12-08-2005, 08:33

The rail passes are a bit of a rip off sometimes but they offer the convenience of having one ticket so you never need to worry and out how to buy a ticket in an obscure Romanian vilage etc.

But with a bit of a spirit of adventure and lashings of ginger beer you can save money doing it independently.

davesgcr

12-08-2005, 08:40

Certainly stay away from the South of France. East of Berlin is good - and even the Budapests of this world are a damn site more affordable than Paris etc. Hungary / Croatia etc very scenic - interesitng rail rides - and your money goes a lot further. Lubijna - Budapest I can reccomedn - takes all day (take food) - but is great ride through the backwoods !

jugularvein

12-08-2005, 14:32

thank you people :) all very helpful. with her tight budget i will suggest to her that eastern europe and maybe as far as greece would be better and probably more fun. berlin's not too expensive apparently either. the interail pass is already bought unfortunately but it removes the hassle and allows her to plan the other parts of the trip.

any ideas on how to budget for accomodation? what to look for? does this 'couch surfing' thing actually work? at the moment we estimate £10 for a night if it's a dormitory style situation and £20 for a individual room....at cheapest.

CyberRose

12-08-2005, 16:49

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel_services/trvl_accomo.cfm

Here ya go! Just type in where you're goin then sort by price and pick the cheapest! (But definately make sure they have safe deposit boxes and a common room is a must for meeting people!)

Oh and b4 anyone starts crying cos its on the lonely planet site its the same cetralised hostel search every site uses!! :p

jugularvein

13-08-2005, 23:44

CyberRose

14-08-2005, 12:17

tar mate ;)
Oh yea just a bit more advice...

When your sister books the hostels she'll pay for the deposit, but you have to ring the hostel up the morning (or day b4) you plan to arrive to confirm your reservation or they'll give the room to someone else! I arrived in Vienna at 10:30pm finding I had no bed for the night!! I think thats only if you pay the deposit by switch (and it'll tell you when you book the deposit what you should do)

Roadkill

14-08-2005, 13:12

I agree with those who say go to Eastern Europe. I spent a month interrailing around Hungary, Romania, Czech republic, Slovak Republic and Poland five years ago, and loved it.

I'd especially recommend Romania, and in particular the train from Oradea to Cluj Napoca. It's a spectacularly beautiful journey. Oradea is the north-west border town, so the trains from Budapest stop there. I'd recommend overnighting in Oradea (when we were there, the Hotel Parc, the best in town, was £5 a night!) and then getting the morning train south for Sighisoara. It takes about seven hours to get there, but Sighisoara is well worth seeing. :)

And yes, buy the Thomas Cook rail timetable. I don't think we'd have covered half the distance we did without it.