Yes, you can save money sleeping on trains, but consider:

- If you are to get a good night's rest, the trip should be uninterrupted. Most trains make at least some stops, and many require changes of trains.

- Sleeping in a chair is possible, but lying down is better. A <i>couchette</i> costs extra, and a compartment costs as much as a hotel.

- You don't lose any sightseeing time if you take the last train in the evening that arrives before midnight. Most of your destinations will be within a four-hour ride of one another. You can relax and have dinner on the train.

&lt;Why Travel Books normally mention just Summers and Winters ?? What about Autumns and Springs&gt;

I don't know why. Spring and fall are good times to travel and might be a little bit cheaper than summer.

Hello Traveller,
You have posed interesting questions. We need some more information. Do you simply want to see/view the scenery? Take the bus. Do you want time in large cities? Take the train. Best may be tour busses doing sites or places you select. Europeans are great tourists. Many are not interested in a general kind of tour. Most want the quickest way to an exotic tourist location; usually a warm seaside spa. Again, how old are you? Are you aggressive or timid? Maybe I should ask, &quot;Self reliant?&quot;. Try reading Bill Bryson, his books about travel in Europe.

Thanks Robespierre,

If I take a night train, I will be only seeing night views. Isn't day views better for country and rural scenery ?

Any particular route that you will suggest should not miss ?

Hi suze,

I have seen your post on recommending some day trips.
Can you you recommemend me some good day trips that I can reach the places on my own without a guide or travel agents ? Best are those I can go in the morning and come back in the night without checking out and carrying my luggage along and cover many places. I don't mind changing buses and trains often.
Thanks

Hi Gsteed,

I am in my early 40s, male. I am still energetic and can walk alot. I enjoy European country scenes and travel alone.
Greatly appreciate if you can just give any info and opinions as this is my first trip to Europe.

&quot;If you are set on bus travel, I would suggest you research the routes you might take, and add up the total number of hours you will be spending on a bus during 1 month to see 6 countries. I'm guessing this reality might (but I could be wrong) change your initial plan somewhat if not substantially.&quot;

This is small potatoes compared to the time you spend getting lost while driving. In Europe you have two choices: 1) the aggrevation of driving tiny roads roads that wind around like bowls of spahetti, with no signs and where you can't ask locals for directions and you can relax on a train with a cup of cappuccino and watch the scenary or perhaps a movie.

OK, I exaggerated, but only slightly. Driving is hell in or near European cities and should be avoided.

Hi, chinesefan. I can remember my first trip to Europe in the 70's. My friends and I wanted to sample some of the places we had heard so much about. I think 30 days is ample time to do just that. I didn't become obsessed with the &quot;in depth&quot; experience of concentrating on a single country until many trips later, and I enjoyed each of the &quot;sampler&quot; trips very, very much. It's just a different mode of travel.

Here are my recommendations. Buy a railpass. Select one or at most two (if you stay in some countries longer than others) small towns on rail routes in each country as your places to stay. Daytrip from each. Buy a good railmap to help you make your choices. Research to find hostels, one- or two-star hotels, or bed&amp;breakfasts. You'll find that you receive a better rate if you stay at least 3 nights, even better for 5 or 6. Eat the heck out of the breakfast that comes with your room. Snack at noon or skip lunch altogether. Alternate evening restaurant menus (the daily special with several courses) with meals you assemble at grocery stores or markets.

Do you have access to a library with lots of books on European rail travel. In the 70's Europe on $5 a Day was my bible, and we almost managed it. Have fun planning. p.s. I know nothing about European bus passes. It is possible that they might be your best buy, but oh, how I love European trains. By the way, if you don't require great comfort, you can save a night's lodging by taking night trains. On my first trip, we zig-zagged across Europe so we had several night train sleeps. I've such great memories of those trips. J.

Good questions about the night travel. In the summertime, the sun sets in northern Europe well into the evening. I have played golf in Scotland at midnight. Check on sunrisesunset.com to get an idea of the times.

You will also see plenty of countryside whilst enroute to and from your day trip destinations.

Your EurailPass will be accompanied by a rail map and timetable. Until you receive it, this map may help in your planning:

<b>http://www.raileurope.com/us/common/rail_map</b>

Check out the bonuses for each country at eurailpass.com

I do not have good advice for day trips, sorry.

I think if you first map out your overall plan, figure out a route, what cities and countries you will travel to and in what order, which Rail Pass will be best - that all would come first.

Later you can plan some day trips into the countryside. You can even wait until you are in Europe to figure that part out.

Dear suze,

I saw your post on some suggested itinerary in Switzerland, so lovely !!

Can you give me some ??

The Travel Book I have mentioned Geneva and Bern but nothing on Zurich and Lucerne, shall I skip Z and L ?

Dear J,
Thank you very much.
I have that $5 per day book too when I have my dream to travel Europe as a youngster but never made it. So sad, I get rid of the book some years later.
Can you let me know how much will it costs to spend average per day now based on 1 or 2 nights ? I will not make it to 3, maybe except for Paris, Rome or London.
Based on your $5 per day then standard, how much do you think I need to spend in 30 days ?
Any &quot;not to miss&quot; route or place will you suggest ?

Rob,

Thank you again.

Hi, chinesefan. I'm not able to quote a cost per day staying only one or two nights per hotel, because nowdays I stay in one hotel for four or five nights to receive the best price. (and I limit my stars to two.) If you plan your locations and research the number of daytrips possible from each, you will certainly save a lot by taking advantage of the reductions for additional nights. You might enjoy looking at the websites parisbandb.com, romebandb, and londonbandb. Perhaps the books of &quot;Let's Go Europe&quot; may have some low-cost recommendations, too. In Italy, it is possible to stay in convents. Folks here at this forum can recommend. Looking into the possibilty of staying in hostels might be good, too. I don't know if they have age requirements or not, but I'm sure some folks here can supply that expertise. Don't give up on your dream. J.

Take a look at Rick Steves 'Best of Europe' book. He covers a type of whirlwind 3 week trip you have in mind. I think his plan is too rushed but it gives you good sense of the sequence of places to visit and how to get from one place to another. I also think rail is much better. Price out your itinerary on railsaver to determine what type of pass is best for you.

Take a look at

letsgo.com

and

hostelworld.com

Hi Chinesefan,
(a) Your ethnic background won't make much difference to the way people treat you. Sadly nowhere is completely free of racism, but most people who are friendly or rude to you will be friendly or rude to everyone. If you speak English as well as you write it you'll be OK in any English speaking place. The different European nationalities all have their own personalities, some are by nature more friendly and outgoing and others are more reserved, but if you learn the basics in the language of anywhere else you want to visit, they'll appreciate the effort and will probably speak English back to you if that's your best European Language.
I agree with those who say you're trying to do toomuch in thirty days, but it's largely a matter of personal choice. The same goes for the choice between bus and train - train will usually be faster, more comfortable but more expensive. But a lot of places have busses and don't have trains.
You asked about scenic train journeys. The West Highland Line from Glasgow to Fort William and Mallaig is widely regarded as one of the top ten rail journeys in the world. I don't think you could fit it into a schedule of 7 countries (not just 6 if you're going to Scotland as well as England)in 30 days.
As for summers and winters, most services will run all year round but away from the main cities the timetable might be less in winter. In high mountain areas they sometimes have to close the roads because of heavy snow or avalanche risk.

Hi,

J, Anya, Craig and all, thank you very much for your help again.

Anyone know if we can drop personal e-mail to each other ? How can I do it ?

Hi J,

I will check those websites but appreciate if you can let me know:
a) Will rooms in the smaller towns or resorts area cost less than the major cities ?? For eg. Will rooms in Capri, Assissi, Naples, etc cheaper than in Rome or Venice ?(I refer to hostels or 1 or 2 stars)
b) How much will a 2 stars hotel room for 3 or 4 nights now ? Will there be much price difference with a room for 1 or 2 persons ? Are all 2 persons room come with 2 single beds ?
c) I heard about some cheap rooms with no bathroom, in this case, how is the public bathroom normally like ? Individual private bath or open bath ?
d) Is drinking water provided in cheap hotels ? Is tap water safe to drink in Europe ?

Hi Craig,

Beside that, do you know of any other rail route or cruise with great scenes that a Eurail pass can use without much extra charge ?