Peter
I'm aware of the pass called the euro rail pass or globe euro pass something like that..anyways anyone travels to Europe and had the experience with the train systems there and pass? How is it? And is it worth it? My plans are going from Sweden west towards Ireland and hitting countries in between. Any advice?
Answer
It can be worth the money to buy an Eurail Global pass, buy you need to do a lot of train travel to make it work out cheaper to get one over early bought train tickets, or even train tickets bought on the day.
When travelling alone a car will be more expensive, due to rental costs, fuel cost, parking fees and often also road tolls and insurance.
If you can sleep in the car or camp wild you will save on hotel costs and can make up some of the extra cost for the rental.
As I do not have a driving license I do use trains, I might still travel by train as I love it, but once you own a car you will pay the lot on the regular costs and just the petrol/gas will not be that much more than train travel and at times will be less.
Sweden is huge, how much of it you want to see makes a huge impact on your travel plans.
I would try to see at least a bit of countryside and one city there.
Cross over to Denmark, from Malmo there is a bridge, from several other cities there are ferries.
Copenhagen is a fun city, if in a quiet way. Denmark as a country is quite flat but has its own beauty. I just love those long bridges they have between different islands. But there are ferries in other places.
There is even a ferry to England from Denmark.
Otherwise south to Germany. There you have the choice of a whole country, or you can get out pretty soon and turn into the Netherlands, Belgium and France, depending on which connection to the England you take, or whether you want to take the ferry between France and Ireland, bypassing the UK.
The UK is not on the Eurail pass. Train travel is not cheap if you buy tickets on the day. If you can buy your train tickets early you can get good prices, but you do need to plan ahead to get that deal.
Across England and Wales, or up north and maybe even through Scotland and across from there, options enough to cross over.
Hostels are good when you travel alone, as you meet with others who also travel alone. If you do not want to share dorms, they often do private rooms.
But the advantage of a hostel is that you really meet with other guests whereas in hotels you just sit at the next table. Campsites (especially when you travel by car) can be good but it is up to you to make sure you have contacts.
Wild camping, while cheaper, is most likely less social.
Camping and trains to not mix well as you will need a lot of gear and will not have a safe place to store things.
More information on the Eurail pass, and other travel options: http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm If you doubt about the cost compared to point to point tickets, read the third item in the listing in the main text on the page.
If you want to plan train travels, the German planner is a good one, easy to use and knows most of Europe: http://www.bahn.de/i/view/DEU/en/index.shtml
In the UK this one works as well or better, as it also does do coach and buses: http://www.transportdirect.info
I am sure Ireland also has a travel planner, but I do not have it handy.
For car planning Google maps can do the rough work, http://www.viamichelin.com/ will also do road tolls, and has options to work out fuel cost.
If you do have the time, go to the Irish west coast, around Galway for instance, not just stay in Dublin
It can be worth the money to buy an Eurail Global pass, buy you need to do a lot of train travel to make it work out cheaper to get one over early bought train tickets, or even train tickets bought on the day.
When travelling alone a car will be more expensive, due to rental costs, fuel cost, parking fees and often also road tolls and insurance.
If you can sleep in the car or camp wild you will save on hotel costs and can make up some of the extra cost for the rental.
As I do not have a driving license I do use trains, I might still travel by train as I love it, but once you own a car you will pay the lot on the regular costs and just the petrol/gas will not be that much more than train travel and at times will be less.
Sweden is huge, how much of it you want to see makes a huge impact on your travel plans.
I would try to see at least a bit of countryside and one city there.
Cross over to Denmark, from Malmo there is a bridge, from several other cities there are ferries.
Copenhagen is a fun city, if in a quiet way. Denmark as a country is quite flat but has its own beauty. I just love those long bridges they have between different islands. But there are ferries in other places.
There is even a ferry to England from Denmark.
Otherwise south to Germany. There you have the choice of a whole country, or you can get out pretty soon and turn into the Netherlands, Belgium and France, depending on which connection to the England you take, or whether you want to take the ferry between France and Ireland, bypassing the UK.
The UK is not on the Eurail pass. Train travel is not cheap if you buy tickets on the day. If you can buy your train tickets early you can get good prices, but you do need to plan ahead to get that deal.
Across England and Wales, or up north and maybe even through Scotland and across from there, options enough to cross over.
Hostels are good when you travel alone, as you meet with others who also travel alone. If you do not want to share dorms, they often do private rooms.
But the advantage of a hostel is that you really meet with other guests whereas in hotels you just sit at the next table. Campsites (especially when you travel by car) can be good but it is up to you to make sure you have contacts.
Wild camping, while cheaper, is most likely less social.
Camping and trains to not mix well as you will need a lot of gear and will not have a safe place to store things.
More information on the Eurail pass, and other travel options: http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm If you doubt about the cost compared to point to point tickets, read the third item in the listing in the main text on the page.
If you want to plan train travels, the German planner is a good one, easy to use and knows most of Europe: http://www.bahn.de/i/view/DEU/en/index.shtml
In the UK this one works as well or better, as it also does do coach and buses: http://www.transportdirect.info
I am sure Ireland also has a travel planner, but I do not have it handy.
For car planning Google maps can do the rough work, http://www.viamichelin.com/ will also do road tolls, and has options to work out fuel cost.
If you do have the time, go to the Irish west coast, around Galway for instance, not just stay in Dublin
i'm traveling this summer what are some good spots to travel to see?
someone
This is going to be my first time out of the country ever. I am traveling to Germany, Netherlands,Switzerland, France, Poland, Czech Republic, Denmark, italy,Belgium, and Austria. I know I am extremely lucky to be going on this trip with my family. We have been saving money for many years to take this trip to Europe. We are mainly staying in Germany with family, but plan on visiting all these countries, but are having a hard time finding sights to see!
Thank you for your answers!
Answer
Germany- Bavaria. See the 3 castles (http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-526B-9E2103B-39F275D4-prod2 http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-2E68-1530A71A-39F3A455-prod5 http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-410D-5AFA0B5-39FB9631-prod1 ).. I was also profoundly moved visiting Dachau - a German Camp for Jews, Gypsies etc.. in WW2 --just outside Munich... very powerful but if you are going to Poland I have heard Auchwitz is much better... you might never have another chance to experience such a major part of modern history.
Netherlands- certainly you don't want to miss Amsterdam
Switzerland - I never found this a very interesting area to be honest... Lake Geneva is pretty but Switzerland is very expensive and I think there are more interesting places to see.
France - So much to see here... Certainly don't miss Paris. The castles in the Loire Valley (must see Chambord - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mireille/69515514/in/set-1497510/) I love the Dordogne ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/mireille/sets/315520/) region -- beautiful and they have alot of prehistoric caves there -- one that is really amazing is the Font-de-Gaume... until the day I die I will never forget this area. Provence is also amazing... Aix en Provence is a lovely little town... much of France is best seen driving and exploring the countryside.
Czech Republic- Prague... don't forget to visit the castles! and take time to explore the beautiful and unique architecture as well as the variety of churches... And the Charles Bridge is so photogenic - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mireille/9167190/in/set-227003/
Belgium - Bruges... so romantic
Austria - Vienna... there is a summer palace which has a fantastic collection of Klimt paintings... in such a great setting... certainly a highlight of my stay there.
If you can swing it, certainly go for a car rental. It will really allow you to get off the beaten path and see what the country is really like... don't be afraid to get lost... that's just part of the adventure! Plus Europe is pretty easy to navigate -- just look for signs to the next town/village -- this is especially true in France.
I really like the Fodor's books but Let's Go are another good series but the Fodor's books focus on road trips alot.
My best advice is not to try to do too much... far too often I see people try to do a "greatest hits of Europe" tour and really spend so much time jumping from one city to the next that they miss some really great parts. I have been lucky, having a parent who is French so I have visited Europe several times... I always try to pick a region and try to study up on the important parts of art, history, cathedrals etc.. in the area and build my trip that way. For instance I love Cezanne so in Aix I tried to see as much of the real landscapes I had seen in his work.. it was really interesting... but you and your family need to figure out what moves you and then launch from there... have a great time!!!
Germany- Bavaria. See the 3 castles (http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-526B-9E2103B-39F275D4-prod2 http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-2E68-1530A71A-39F3A455-prod5 http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-410D-5AFA0B5-39FB9631-prod1 ).. I was also profoundly moved visiting Dachau - a German Camp for Jews, Gypsies etc.. in WW2 --just outside Munich... very powerful but if you are going to Poland I have heard Auchwitz is much better... you might never have another chance to experience such a major part of modern history.
Netherlands- certainly you don't want to miss Amsterdam
Switzerland - I never found this a very interesting area to be honest... Lake Geneva is pretty but Switzerland is very expensive and I think there are more interesting places to see.
France - So much to see here... Certainly don't miss Paris. The castles in the Loire Valley (must see Chambord - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mireille/69515514/in/set-1497510/) I love the Dordogne ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/mireille/sets/315520/) region -- beautiful and they have alot of prehistoric caves there -- one that is really amazing is the Font-de-Gaume... until the day I die I will never forget this area. Provence is also amazing... Aix en Provence is a lovely little town... much of France is best seen driving and exploring the countryside.
Czech Republic- Prague... don't forget to visit the castles! and take time to explore the beautiful and unique architecture as well as the variety of churches... And the Charles Bridge is so photogenic - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mireille/9167190/in/set-227003/
Belgium - Bruges... so romantic
Austria - Vienna... there is a summer palace which has a fantastic collection of Klimt paintings... in such a great setting... certainly a highlight of my stay there.
If you can swing it, certainly go for a car rental. It will really allow you to get off the beaten path and see what the country is really like... don't be afraid to get lost... that's just part of the adventure! Plus Europe is pretty easy to navigate -- just look for signs to the next town/village -- this is especially true in France.
I really like the Fodor's books but Let's Go are another good series but the Fodor's books focus on road trips alot.
My best advice is not to try to do too much... far too often I see people try to do a "greatest hits of Europe" tour and really spend so much time jumping from one city to the next that they miss some really great parts. I have been lucky, having a parent who is French so I have visited Europe several times... I always try to pick a region and try to study up on the important parts of art, history, cathedrals etc.. in the area and build my trip that way. For instance I love Cezanne so in Aix I tried to see as much of the real landscapes I had seen in his work.. it was really interesting... but you and your family need to figure out what moves you and then launch from there... have a great time!!!
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