Travelling in Europe from mid- July - Help!

[Plym]

Hi,

I read most of threads on the front page and some were helpful but I thought I'd post my own to get a bit of advice on my situation from others. I'm looking for some help and general tips on routes, transport and time etc for my trip in July/August.

I am looking to go away 20th July. I am going to buy an InterRail card 1 month global pass which means I'll be able to travel unlimited. I'd like to go away for longer but their doesn't seem to be a card that lasts for longer - this is my first problem. The InterRail card only gives me a time limit of 30 days but this doesn't seem enough time to go to every country I'd like to...

I was hoping to perhaps start in Holland and then work my way through Belgium, France, Spain then over to Italy and head North to Scandinavia. This seems far too adventurous an idea in the timespan of the card now. And it seems that RyanAir doesn't fly from Glasgow to Amsterdam. They do however fly to Oslo to £1.00 (including tax!) on the 20th so this might be a starting point.

Any tips to what route I should take?
I'd essentially like to see Holland, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy Austria, Czech Rep, Hungary, & Poland. The others I'm not too fussed about it time permits. Spain I have been to loads of times.

Thanks in advance!

[madamtrashheap]

Plym, welcome to GFE.

Your trip will only be too ambitious if you're trying to cram too many countries/cities into a short space of time. It's not clear exactly how long you're planning to travel for - is it from 20th July to the end of August, or longer?

As for the Rail Pass, there are many more passes to choose from in terms of length of travel.

If you plan to fly on any legs of your trip, then you'll need to check the type of pass you need to see what stacks up best in terms of savings. The InterRail Global pass seems great as it covers 30 countries, but as you've seen you only have 22 days on the pass, which would mean a lot of travel and not much sightseeing. A Eurail Pass may suit you better as you can choose from a greater length of travel time (up to three months) and it will cover most if not all of the countries you've listed. Check on RailEurope.com or RailSaver.com for information or go to the Eurail site directly to read more.

As for RyanAir - if you don't have to take them, then don't. Check their terms and conditions for checked luggage weights, ticket cost, etc and also note that some of the airports they use are not actually in the city listed (eg Frankfurt (Hahn) is actually closer to

One thing to note, before you buy your pass, work out the cities/countries you absolutely want to visit, list the amount of time in which you will be travelling, and then you'll have more of an idea what type of pass will suit you best. You don't want to be spending more time on trains than in cities just so you can make it to as many places as possible - there's no fun in that. So plan your route, list the ideal number of days in each city, then you'll see what does and doesn't work.

[Plym]

Thank you for the reply! Very much appreciated.

I have looked at EuRail and this seems like a good option. They have a pass for 10 days over 2 months for £336.00. Would this be a better option?

I think it would be best if I stuck with countries next to each other and didn't make any massive jumps (because of time mainly).

I've managed to minimize the countires/cities to about 6 that I REALLY want to go to.
I'm generally interested in sightseeing, architecture, things like that.
Will want to stop in Paris and at least one big Italian city. Maybe Berlin & Amsterdam too.
Any further tips for narrowing it down?

[WillTravel]

Plym, take a look at Keri's current thread about the reservation costs she is encountering. Double-check what the reservation costs for your itinerary would be prior to buying that 10-day pass.

Check www.whichbudget.com and www.skyscanner.net to see more cheap flight options.

Ryanair to Oslo means that you land at an airport well outside the city. There are worse things than the bus ride in, but you have to consider all the time and expenses when making a comparison. The Ryanair flight (probably) will also add a check-in fee and other fees, and most likely you will need a baggage fee.

[Plym]

Hey! Thanks for replying!

Can you point me in the right direction to Keri's thread? I couldn't find any username Keri...

Those sites are great links.
However, Glasgow to Oslo (RyanAir) is only £1, including check in and taxes.
I could only find a night train from Norway to Sweden so I'm thinking perhaps this is a good idea as I'll have a goodf few hours in Oslo. Anyone think there's another option?

Free Online Check in

Depart:
Glasgow (Prestwick) 12:45

Arrive:
Oslo (Torp) 15:25
1 x Adult 1.00 GBP

Fare: 1.00 GBP
Online Check-In: 0.00 GBP
Taxes / Fees: 0.00 GBP
Total Price: 1.00 GBP

I can't think of another cit/country to start off in that will cheap to fly to. Ideas? Anyone flown from Glasgow into Europe before travelling?

[WillTravel]

Here's Keri's thread:
pretravel.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Transportation&thread=7928&page=1

You will almost certainly have to check baggage with Ryanair, which will probably be another 10 pounds, although that is still cheap overall. Plus the bus from Torp airport to central Oslo is not cheap. It might be the best option, but also check the other budget airlines at the sites I mentioned.

[Plym]

Ah I see! I, like Keri, had not accounted for reservation charges!
I am thinking this will be alot easier if I just make my way myself from country to country and book flights and trains before hand without the pass. This seems to be generally cheaper!
Thank you!

I've also decided not to fly to Oslo as this seems like too much hassle after I arrive.
I've found a flight from Glasgow to Amsterdam for around £40 with EasyJet that I think I might take and then head to Paris, Northern Italy, austria and then Germany.
Any quick tips on the cheapest way to get from these places to the next?

Help very much appreciated!!!!

[herrbert]

The cheapest is by bus (unless you want to try your luck at hitchhiking.) check Eurolines.

From Amsterdam to Paris you can go by train (Thalys will take you there in 4 hours, but is pretty expensive.) From Paris to Northern Italy it's shouldn't be too difficult to find a flight. (to Venice, Milan, Pisa, Florence?) But watch out for Ryanair on this one, as there Paris airport is in Beauvais (almost closer to Belgium than to Paris.) and e.g. Milan + Bergamo, Venice = Treviso and Florence = Pisa. (which is not bad for people that want to go to Cinque Terra.)

I guess that from Italia onwards it's all trains. Depending on where you want to go in Germany, it could work out better if you go Paris - Germany (e,g, Munich) - Austria - Italia.

[WillTravel]

I have seen rates as low as 25 Euros on Thalys, Amsterdam to Paris, if you buy far enough in advance.
Try
www.tgv-europe.com
www.thalys.com
voyages-sncf.com (Although this is supposed to have an English-language site, it's only ever worked for me in French. I think you have to choose your country as France also)

It can be a bit tricky to make sure you get a ticket you can self-print. Whatever you do, make sure you don't have it mailed, unless you know someone in the relevant country and you can easily get the ticket before you take the train.

For cheap airfares, try
www.whichbudget.com
www.skyscanner.net


For cheap tickets that involve Germany, try www.bahn.de . I have had train tickets mailed to me in Canada from bahn.de - which is OK if you allow plenty of time before your trip.

For cheap train tickets, you have the best chance of success if you start booking them 89-90 days in advance. The cheap tickets go very quickly. But it's always worth a look. Also, if you are flexible, some times of days may be at a high price, but other times of day still at a low price.

[Plym]

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate this help!

I've took alot into account from your tips and think I have now worked out the start of my trip... See what you think:

I was going to now fly into FLORENCE (through RyanAir from Glasgow) and stay there for 3 nights before heading to Pisa for a day (I've been advised Pisa isn't really worth it but I wanted to see the Tower) and then onto Rome for 4 nights. I was then going to travel (train? Plane? Easyjet have a flight for 16Euros) to Venice for 2 nights.

I wanted to leav Italy after this and have decided to stop at Vienna next for 4 nights. Whats the best way of getting there and is there any way to at least pass the Alps so I can at least experience it? I wa then going to go from Vienna to Budapest and thats all I have planned so far.
Thoughts?

[WillTravel]

Plym, Ryanair flies Glasgow Prestwick, which by my recollection is some distance but not too huge from Glasgow, to Pisa airport, although it calls that Florence. It's true Florence and Pisa are not that far apart. I'm not sure what the luggage storage situation is, or when your flight into Pisa lands, but you could consider seeing Pisa right after your flight. Then you could go on to Florence, and it would be easier logistically perhaps. Google what the options are for storing luggage in Pisa while you go see the tower.

[Plym]

Well, that seems an even better idea!

[allsf]

hey Plym. how is it going? how is your planning coming along? I sort of just decided on going to Europe in a couple of weeks for a couple of months and I am horrified of not making the right decisions.. I've been getting a lot of info on this site.. but it's just been a lot to diggest. your itinerary pretty much looks like what I'd like to do.. care to share some good finds? you going alone?? I am a 38yo gay man from Brazil living in San Francisco.. planning on going to Europe from mid July till late September.. I've posted my own thread last night.. but haven't gotten any replies so far..
I look forward to hearing from you.. thanks!
Alex

[Plym]

Yes, I am going alone!
Good to see I am not the only one!!!!!!
My MSN is [e-mail] if you want to discuss itinerary's and such!