ndnwill83

Hi,

I will be travelling to Europe in October from the 15th to the 30th.

I will be flying into Paris on the 15th and leaving from Munich on the 30th. I want to visit Paris, France the onto Brussels,Belgium > Amsterdam, Netherlands > Berlin, Germany > Prague, Czech Republic then back to Munich, Germany for my flight leaving on the 30th.

I want to spend a couple of days in each city and then move on.


What is my best/cost-effective option to travel via train? I will most likely stay in Hostels to keep the costs at a minimum. Which Hostels are the best bet for a single traveller? How much spending money should I bring?


Any and ALL assistance is appreciated!




THANKS!!!

PalenQ

Are you under 26 so that you could get a Eurail Youthpass?

What is my best/cost-effective option to travel via train?>

Hard to say - a railpass if you want to hop on just about any train you want on your list except Paris to Brussels which needs a seat reservation before boarding.

But if you go the discounted ticket route that could be cheaper but then you must book a specific train on a specific date and not usually be able to change it and those tickets being sold in limited numbers must be booked in stone weeks in advance to get.

but if you want flexibility to hop any train anytime with few exceptions on your itinerary look at say the Benelux-Germany Railpass which I believe includes the bus from Nurnberg or Munich to Prague (not positive but that is a cheap fare).

Anyway for loads of great info on trains and passes check www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com- the latter superb info on discounted tickets from sites like www.bahn.de/en- the German Railways site - take a look at various fares vs full fare.

Whathello

Cost effective for Paris Bruxelles is the bus. Very cheap (20 eur) ?
Lasts 4 hours.

nytraveler

You should bring only a small amount of money with you in case of emergencies. You Pay for as much as possible with credit cards and pull walking around money from your checking account at the local ATMs (preferable in or attached to a bank). This will give you the most money -much more than tying to change cash at bureaux de changes.

KTtravel

You lose much of one day with every move you make. This is a LOT of travel for such a short time.
For example, your plan might like something like:

October 15, 16, 17 Paris
October 18 1/2 day Brussels
October 19, 20 Brussels
October 21 1/2 day Amsterdam
October 22, 23 Amsterdam
October 24 1/ 2 day Berlin
October 25, 26 Berlin
October 27 1/2 day Prague
October 28, 29 Prague
October 30 - out of time to return to Munich

I would give a lot of thought about considering which of these locations isn't a must for you and save one (or two) for your next trip.

Whathello

And days are short and you will likely have miserable weather
I remember that oct 16 2008 was gorgeous in Belgium Burundi remember it because it happens about once in a lifetime.

StCirq

That's going to be an expensive and very rushed trip.

tonfromleiden

Brussels might not live up to your expectations. Skipping gives you more time for your other destinations.
Check the ticket prices. If bought now, a non-refundable ticket Paris to Amsterdam is EUR 52, and Amsterdam to Berlin EUR 39. Buy those tickets directly from the relevant railway companies.

Christina

YOu don't lose much of one day every time you move, it depends on the distance. It's not long at all between Paris and Brussels or Brussels and Amsterdam. I've gone to/from Brussels from Paris just for a day trip. You don't look at entire day just going between them, you don't lose hardly any time at all, a couple hours or even less (about 1:30 between Paris and Brussels). You could to that and by there by 10 am.

Now Berlin to Prague is a longer distance by train, about 4.5 hrs, but that still doesn't take up an entire day, just a morning. I think it is most efficient to go from Prague to Munich by bus. They don't have a good train route. The bus from Prague to Munich takes 5 hrs and is pretty cheap. It's a typical method, not an inferior method, some routes just are more efficient by bus.

janisj

>>YOu don't lose much of one day every time you move, <<

Yes one does -- even the shortest moves eat up about half a day.

Others take a full day.

>>it depends on the distance. It's not long at all between Paris and Brussels or Brussels and Amsterdam.<<

When you factor in packing/checking out/traveling to the station/the train trip/traveling to your next hostel/hotel/checking in . . . even a 2 hour train trip kills at least half a day.

PalenQ

Yes even relocating hotels in the same city can take a half a day for some -packing up and unpacking can take hours!

janisj

>>packing up and unpacking can take hours!<<

It isn't that packing/unpacking takes hours -- though if one travels w/ steamer trunks it might

But check out is typically 10 or 11 AM and check in is usually 3 or 4 PM -- so either you have to leave your bags at hotel #1, return later to retrieve them and then move to hotel #2 - OR - take your bags to hotel #2 and leave them, returning later to check in. So yes, even changing hotels in the <i>same</i> city can take a few hours.

When you factor in moving to a new city - it eats up a minimum of half a day and often more.

PalenQ

It isn't that packing/unpacking takes hours -- though if one travels w/ steamer trunks it might>

I've been with some who just unpack every little thing and re-pack them ever so carefully - try packing up the night before to quicken the process that for some takes forever - at least IME.

ndnwill83

Thank you all very much!

After reading your responses, I decided that I need to narrow down my list. I will be skipping Belgium for another time. I will spend a day and a half in Paris before hopping my train the Amsterdam.

I'll narrow down my stay in Berlin as well. My ultimate goals are to see the sights in Paris, unwind in Amsterdam, touch the Berlin Wall, then see some breweries in Prague and Munich.

As for expenses, I already have plane tickets and have already sorted out hostel and train reservations (I'm not getting a Eurail pass) will be purchased individually as that will save me A LOT of money.

I'll have about 2k for eating light, tours, breweries and other small expenses. Will that be enough for a frugal spender/backpacker?

PalenQ

Yes for your travel plans a railpass makes no sense.

PalenQ

The only railpass that could be warranted (or may not) would be IMO the Germany-Benelux railpass - valid in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg and I think it may also cover buses from Nurnberg to Prague (German Railpass does but not sure about Germany-Benelux pass caveats for that.)

suze

You've got it all sorted out by the time I read this! Yes your new itinerary is much better (you were trying to move too fast and cover too much ground the first idea). And yes your budget is OK for your style of travel and length of trip. You're good to go. Enjoy!

ndnwill83

@PalenQ - I'd still have to reserve seats though. With the amount I would pay for that, I would think that would be included and that's like 10-30 euros more for each connection.
In my case, flexibility isn't a necessity as I'd like to stick to an itinerary to ensure I'm as efficient and economical as possible.

I'll read into it one more time but I really want to avoid having to go through 3rd party companies who will charge me extra to make reservations for me.

PalenQ

All reservations on those trains are optional (except if you take Thalys Brussels to Amsterdam but the slightly slower IC trains between them will not even take reservations.

Reservations on other trains will cost about $5-6 per train not nearly $10-30 -but the Thalys might.

I'd consider a first-class pass too and you will always be able to hop on and find empty seats IME and first class is significantly more relaxed.

But do the maths - if you can save a ton by train-specific non-changeable 2nd class tickets then great. I love the beauty of just bopping down to the station and hopping on first class - IME of years of traveling European trains it is well worth the money and discounted tickets also come in first class.

If you can get all the long journeys at discounted rates great but if you have to pay full price for one then the pass could be cheaper - book those tickets ASAP as those fares are sold in limited numbers.

On the trip of a lifetime IMO go first class - you will be happy you did.

I'll read into it one more time but I really want to avoid having to go through 3rd party companies who will charge me extra to make reservations for me.>

You are right about third parties like Rail Europe - but you can reserve those trains as you go along and in each country at any train station so can make all at once.

ndnwill83

Paris to Amsterdam - 69 euros - Thallys
Amsterdam to Berlin- 39 euros - Bahn
Berling to Prague - 39 euros - Bahn
Prague to Munich - 16 euros - CS

=163 euros / 183.07 USD - I'm going to estimate 205.00 with fees/taxes. Not bad imo.

Obviously these are all 2nd class but I'm sure I'll have a chance to upgrade if I feel the need to splurge a little.

After reading seat61 and Reeves' sites, they don't mind 2nd class and I can bring my own food/beer so that might work. I'll ponder more tonight.

I really appreciate your input though. Very valuable.