Regarding Trains & Railway.

[texasoutlaw]

I'm planning on getting lost in Europe this summer and have a question. I'll be travelling at my leisure through whatever countries suit my fancy. I'll be 25, I'm a former United States Marine, recently divorced, and looking to get away for a while. My question is if I'm travelling from country to country, hiking, hitch-hiking, and taking trains, what is the least expensive way to take a train? Buy a pass? Buy when I need to get on a train? Anyone who has experience in this and could help would be much appreciated.

[crystal]

Hey there,
If you end up travelling in the UK do not just jump on a train unless you are only going on a short journey. You will end up paying much more for your tickets. Do try and book your ticket at least a couple of days in advance. Sorry I don't know a lot about rail passes but I know others on this site do.

[texasoutlaw]

Thanks Crystal. I'll keep that in mind. I'm planning more on walking, just for the experience. I wanted to be familiar with things though. I may be too tired to hike! thanks again.

[herrbert]

Don't buy your tickets on the train, as you will be paying much more.

A pass can be a good thing, but you need to make sure that you at least roughly know where you are going. If you want to hike for parts of the journey, you might end up with an expensive pass, that you hardly use.

In some countries, like Spain and Italy trains are pretty inexpensive. In Spain busses are also a very good alternative. In general they take longer to get places, but they are cheaper. For Europe you can also check Eurolines, who run busses between the bigger european cities.

[Eagle]

texasoutlaw, Welcome! I have a few comments to add to those of the others.

To begin with.....

I'm planning on getting lost in Europe this summer

You didn't state how long you were planning to "get lost" for. That's important as you'll need to be aware of the terms of the Schengen Agreement. Non-E.U. residents are allowed a maximum of three months in the Schengen countries (which includes most of Europe).

I'm not sure about the legality or practicality of hitch hiking? Hopefully herrbert or one of our other European contributors can provide further information on that. Public transit is excellent in Europe, so I can't see any reason why hitch hiking would be needed?

A few comments and thoughts regarding your questions on rail travel. Given the huge number of different types of Eurail Passes that are available, it would be extremely difficult to choose a Pass without having some idea of which countries you'll be visiting, which order and the time frame. Note that Rail Passes can only be purchased here. AFAIK these can not be purchased in Europe.

Generally speaking, the least expensive way to purchase rail tickets in Europe is to buy Point-to-Point (P-P) tickets at rail stations in Europe. As herrbert mentioned, do not purchase these on the trains, as you could get nicked with a fine in addition to the cost of the ticket. Two other important points to note - first, tickets must be validated before use (look for a small yellow machine somewhere on the train platform to apply the time and date stamp) and this applies to Bus travel in some countries as well. Also some trains (usually the fast trains such as the TGV in France) have compulsory reservation fees, which are in addition to the cost of the ticket. If you want to avoid the reservation fees, you might want to choose only the slower, local trains where possible (keeping in mind that some of these may have multiple changes on the way to your ultimate destination and will certainly take longer).

Again generally speaking, the cost of P-P tickets is usually quite inexpensive in Italy and some of the Eastern European countries. These are a bit more expensive in countries such as Germany, Switzerland and France. Rail tickets in the U.K. are among the most expensive of any European countries. For travel in the U.K. (and other countries), consider travel by Coach (Bus) also. National Express in the U.K. is quite reasonable, and some of the trips don't take much longer than by train. Also, the Coach routes cover more towns than the rail lines.

If you haven't already, it would be a really good idea to read through some Guidebooks to get some idea on places and attractions that might interest you. Do a search on Guidebooks here on the Boards, as there have been lots of comments about these in the past. If this is your first trip to Europe, I would also highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door, which will provide LOTS of detail on things like trip planning, rail skills, language and money issues, etc. That should be available in your local Library or Book Stores (Chapters, etc.).

It would help to have a least a general idea on where you're planning to visit, as the group here will be able to offer specific tips on those particular destinations. Keep in mind also that as you'll be travelling during summer, there may be "challenges" to find lodgings. Europe is often hot and crowded, so if you're travelling without pre-booked lodgings it may be difficult to find a place to stay. I usually pre-book, as I DON'T like hiking all over an unfamiliar city (especially when I'm tired!) carrying my entire kit and a 50 lb.+ Backpack, trying to find a place to sleep for the night (as an ex-Marine this might not be a concern for you, but I'm 50+ so not something I'm comfortable with).

Based on my experiences, those who don't pre-book lodgings are sometimes faced with either having to accept a room in a "dodgy" Hostel or Hotel, one that's located way out of the city centre, or one that's priced at considerably more than you budgeted for. It comes down to a situation of "beggars can't be choosers". Whichever way you want to travel, it's certainly your choice. In the "off season", this isn't as much of a concern (although some lodgings are busy even in the "shoulder seasons").

One last point, if you're planning on visiting some of the Eastern European countries, be sure to check as I believe that a Visa may still be required to visit some of them.

Congratulations on your service to the Corps, and sorry to hear about your divorce.

Cheers!

[WillTravel]

I find the best deals for trains are if you purchase directly through the national train sites, as far in advance as possible.

For example, I am traveling from Munich to Passau (staying overnight in Passau), and then to Vienna the following late afternoon. If I buy the tickets at the train station, the price would be more than 72 Euros. Because I bought them online in advance, the price is only 39 Euros (it's actually one ticket with a stopover included).

Similarly, if you buy a ticket from Paris to Amsterdam far enough in advance at voyages-sncf.com, you can get it for 35 Euros, but it will be 105 Euros if you buy it at the station.

With buying tickets in advance, though, you have to be very careful, because they are generally non-refundable. The cheap tickets also go early.

[mslibrarian]

That's one of the reasons rail cards are so popular and I highly recommend them for travel to certain areas. I"m picking one up for my trip this time around, 5 days of unlimited travel in GErmany, The Netherlands and Belgium.

[texasoutlaw]

Thank you all so much for the information! I'm researching several things now that I wasn't aware of. My plan is to go to Europe with a general itenerary and stay until I get ready to leave. I may be gone 2 weeks or I may be gone for 6 months. Now, I do understand I may need to get a visa or I may just have to max out at 3 months. Again thank you all and I will post any further questions.

[mslibrarian]

Texas: Where are you planning on going that require a Visa?

Also, are you planning on staying in hostels?