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Post by christopher on Feb 16, 2009 21:17:14 GMT -5
Hi, i will be traveling in europe for the first time this summer. i will be going to munich, brussels, amsterdam, hanover, and back to munich. looking for advice with the trains. do they leave frequently from those cities and are they typically direct or will i have do extensive planning to make this happen?
thanks
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Post by Eagle on Feb 17, 2009 1:38:40 GMT -5
christopher, Welcome to the Boards! I'll start with a few comments and questions.... First, could you provide a few more details on your trip? What summer months will you be travelling, how long will your trip be, etc. How long were you planning to stop in each city Where are you flying from? I'd strongly recommend using open jaw flights so that you don't have to return to Munich for your flight home. It will give you an extra day or so for enjoying Europe! Could you elaborate on reasons for visiting Brussels and Hanover? You might consider Bruges rather than Brussels. I'm sure the others will have some comments on Hanover. Regarding the trains, these are VERY frequent but some pre-planning on routes and times is a good idea. One of the best sites for finding good information on trains is www.bahn.de (the German rail website). In some cases (especially with the fast trains such as the TGV or Thalys) reservations are compulsory! If you're buying P-P tickets, the reservation fees are included in the cost of the ticket. If you're travelling with a Rail Pass, you must pay the reservation fees separately!As this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door, as it will provide you with a lot of good information on travelling smartly and efficiently in Europe. Cheers!
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Post by christopher on Feb 22, 2009 18:15:24 GMT -5
I will be flying out of Philadelphia July 30th. I will land in Munich Friday morning. I was also considering including Bruges in my travels.
I will be flying out Sunday August 9th. I will be moving around pretty quickly. Only satying in each city 2 days. I threw Hanover in their because I wanted to get another city in before I headed back to Munich(already purchased ticket). My buddies will continuing on after we leave Amsterdam to Berlin and Prague, then back to Munich. I however need to get back. Berlin seems to be about 9hours from Amsterdam and Hanover only 4 or so. If getting an over night is an option, I would try and do Berlin.
Do you have any thoughts? Also, with Luxembourg being right on path, do think it is worth my time? I am pretty open so nothing is set in stone other then Munich.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Feb 22, 2009 22:15:41 GMT -5
Maybe look at exchanging Hannover for Cologne or Heidelberg instead, or go with what you were thinking and do Luxembourg (althought it's not cheap, it's a chance to see another city/country if only briefly as it isn't on the direct train route). Of course this still depends on how long you are are considering staying in each of the places you've listed as you might not have time for a final stop between AMS and MUC with only 9 days total travel time.
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Post by Eagle on Feb 23, 2009 0:02:11 GMT -5
christopher,
Thanks for the additional information. With only nine days for travel (which will include travel time between cities), it's going to extremely challenging to put together a realistic Itinerary, especially as you'll be travelling during the peak tourist season. You'll need to plan your transportation links VERY precisely.
One thing you might consider would be a budget flight from Munich to Amsterdam, and then use fast trains for the return to Munich (an open jaw ticket would have helped enormously). I wasn't able to find any budget flights from Munich to Amsterdam, however Brussels Air flies from Munich to Brussels, so that would be a workable alternative. If you book early, the fares will be as low as €51.24, including taxes. One note regarding budget airlines though - they often have very restrictive baggage limits, and any flights booked are usually non-changeable and non-refundable.
Cheers!
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Post by herrbert on Feb 23, 2009 16:58:21 GMT -5
I am not a fan of Luxembourg, as there is not a lot to see. If you want to have a stop in that neighbourhood, I would go for Maastricht (or Cologne, which has been nominated before.)
Lufthansa has flights within Germany for 59 euros, so you could fly back to Munich from within Germany without a lot of effort. There are also Betterfly-deals from other destinations with Lufthansa.
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