Solo September Western Europe Rail Trip Adventure

This started out with the opportunity to purchase, a very inexpensive flight from the US to Paris, $432, no frills RT, on Air France from New York. First question to my wife, “ Do you want to go?” Her response, “What do you want to do?” My response, “Take a rail journey through Europe?” Her response, “Will you stay in a different hotel every night?” My response, “Yes.” Hers, “That would be a big no.”

I do not recommend this adventure for everyone, but it is what I like. Yes, I saw the inside of trains, train stations and hotel rooms. That is what I signed up for and enjoy.

My objective was to spend minimal money as possible(except on rail pass), stay in adequate hotels, visit towns which I previously had passed through on my way to someplace, and to ride trains. Obviously, this not for everyone but this is one of my life’s pleasures. Having been employed by 3 different European companies in my career, this was probably my 35th plus trip to various parts of Europe via business and pleasure.

Flights
I booked a 17 day, RT on AF, JFK to ORY. Since I live in Pittsburgh, I used my Delta points to book a RT from PIT to JFK. After I arrive in New York, I have 8 hours to kill before my flight leaves JFK for Paris. The solution, a day pass for the Delta Skymile Club. More options were available had I booked JFK - CDG but I reasoned that as ORY offered less transfer options versus CDG, that the flight would have less passengers. Since I wanted a guaranteed aisle seat over and back, I booked that each way at $23 per segment. Glad I did as the flight was quite full, each way. After 40 plus years of business travel, I can set anywhere in an airplane.

Rail
I then purchased a 17 day rail pass, first class (a splurge.) This was a good value for me, second class even more, as I rode 42 trains through France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and back to Paris. This total does not include the RER trains and metro that I used in Paris. Single tickets, even purchased in advance would inflate the rail cost by 40%. I did find a discount on rail the rail pass when I purchased it last spring.

Hotels
I used a combination of the specific hotel direct booking site and bookings.com for hotel booking. I stayed in 12 different cities. Most hotels were 3 star, within walking distance of the rail station, adequate but not luxurious. My best hotel was a 2 star in Paris, the night previous to me returning to the US.
I have stayed in higher rated hotels, and enjoyed them. I have also stayed in much worse hotels in the US and not really enjoyed the experience but when the airport shuts down, beggars cannot be choosers.

Rail Segments
Paris to Karlsruhe - (via Strasbourg on TGV) 1 night (3 trains)
Karlsruhe to Bamberg - 1 night (2 trains)
Bamberg to Quedlinburg - (via Nordhausen to ride HSB) 2 nights (5 trains)
Quedlinburg to Augsburg - 1 night (5 trains)
Augsburg to Passau - 1 night (2 trains)
Passau to Villach - 1 night (3 trains)
Villach to Trieste - 1 night (2 trains)
Trieste to Mestre - 1 night (1 train)
Mestre to Locarno - 2 nights (4 trains)
Locarno to Poschiavo - 1 night 9 (2 trains, 1 Bus, Lugano - Tirano)
Poschiavo to Filisur - 2 nights (9 trains)
Filisur to Paris - 1 night (4 trains)


Luggage
I was limited to 26 lbs. total. I used a 21 inch or aboard and a messenger bag and came in at 26 lbs. My luggage was weighed on the way over by the airline, but not on the way back. The cost to check a bag was $60.

Museums
One, railroad museum (Rhb history) located in rail station at Bergün. All text in German but a great model railroad layout.

Final Cost
My total expenditures was about $4900, give or take a few dollars. Each hotel was around $100 per night, some more (Paris), some less (Filisur, Poschiavo, Mestre, Trieste, Augsburg, and Bamberg.) The largest expense was the 1st class rail pass.

Observations/Recommendations
Would I do again? Probably not as this was my third rail trip of this sort, but I met my objective. But?
Hotels? Adequate, my biggest gripe were the bath towels. in a few hotels. All hotels were clean, hosts were friendly. My Passau hotel packed me a very generous breakfast as I left early before breakfast started.
Food? Breakfast included at all hotels. Dinners were expensive in Switzerland, but good at the hotels. Lunch was usually a water and sandwich takeaway at rail station.
Flights? No frills and no checked luggage is the way to go if you are on a budget and tight on time. I missed business class from my career traveling days, but I can sleep, read, watch movies for at least 8 1/2 hours at a time. I chose Orly out of New York as I thought flights might be less populated with minimal transferring passengers via CDG. Not so.
Time of Year? Venice was crowded, Paris very busy. Other tourist cities were not full but stayed away from Munich.
Weather? Two days of rain, cooler in the North, warmer in Switzerland and Italy. Best time of the year to travel.
Clothing? Adequate, washed socks and underwear at hotels. Heck, Rick Steves has reportedly said, “he can wear jeans for 30 days between washing.” I continue to take less clothing each time I go, especially if I am visiting several locations. It always amazes me of the large suitcases people feel they need for travel, including a different outfit for each day.
Next Trip? Christmas markets in Nov./Dec. with my wife and neighbors. Side trip to Paris (for Christmas lights, thanks Kerouac) and Dijon. SQ Business class over, Premium economy back. Travel Frankfurt - Salzburg - Munich - Nuremberg - Mainz - Paris - Dijon - Frankfurt by train.

Thanks for sharing. We agree that September is the best month to see Europe, but please keep that a secret. We also travel with only carry-on luggage, and have done trip reports on our 6-weeks, We didn't mention that, for the third year in a row, we did not even wear everything we brought. We can wash out some stuff in the bathroom, but we use airbnb to get access to some washing machines.You said the first class travel for you, with your pass, was less expensive than second class, so that's a no brainer. One question I have, since we haven't done "first class" rail since we had a Euro Pass 18 years ago: Did you really notice any difference on most trains? We recall a difference on the Chunnel train, but beyond that, at least on first glance, on the several dozen trains we took this fall, we couldn't detect much difference.

Thanks for the report. I do enjoy 1st class travel on trains, but it is not really necessary, since one rarely spends more than about 3 hours on most trains. I pay for 1st class when the price difference from 2nd class isn't more than 10 or 20 euros. You probably didn't need to spend as much on hotels, but many people might feel "better safe than sorry" in terms of 3-star hotels. I have personally discovered that 2-star hotels often make more of an effort to please because they are trying to make up for their rating. I also travelled on business quite a bit, but I was automatically put in 4 and 5-star hotels which I grew to hate over the years. There is absolutely nothing appealing about being isolated from the real city in a room that is too big with a bed that is too big and a bathroom that is too big, etc. What kind of people really need all of this excess? Does it make them feel more important? If I can fit in the bed and the bathroom, that is enough for me. I know that some people require glitter and dazzle in their lives.

You are totally correct in understanding that there is no point in bringing too much luggage or clothing on a trip. And after 30 days, jeans do very well in a Laundromat. They cost 4€ in Paris in my neighbourhood.

Thanks for both your replies.

Rail Pass: The only difference that I noticed was being able to have access to your luggage. Since I was on so many trains and having the 1st class pass meant that I could jump on any train, any car. Sometimes to seek out the first class car, I needed to walk a bit more down the platform. Definitely, second class rail cars were a bit less roomy but many times, I just jumped on any car, regardless of the class. But no, I found minimal difference. But with 42 trains, it cost me about $5 per ride.

Hotels: I chose hotels which I thought offered quick access to the rail station. Obviously, the more stars, the more amenities such as elevators and in-house restaurants. Most of the time, I walked out to the neighborhood for evening meals. Most were 3 star, but some 2 star. As long as the room was clean, especially the bathroom, I was happy. The only gripe was the absorbency of the towels. Small thing, but I remember that the most.

H

I'm with your wife on this one, but glad you enjoyed yourself.

Mel:

I hope that I have helped you with your list entitled "Things I never want to do."

H

Oh, I love your report! I would love to do something like this - at some point in time in my future! My BIL grew up in Luxembourg and during his teen years would pack a backpack and jump on a train and go somewhere. Since I was 17 years old (when I met him) I thought that was the most glamorous - in a very non-glamorous way - to explore Europe. Wrong word, but I was so envious. In the early 80s I was dating a guy who just gave notice and took a 6 month break from work. Flew to London, had a bike custom made and biked around until he got tired or it started raining, jumped on a train to somewhere else. I loved the postcards from anywhere and everywhere. At the end of the 6 months he flew home and then flew "home" to see me. He was ready to get married. I was not. He returned to his job, stayed there for a few months and then took another break to visit a nurse he met in Turkey and traveled to Greece together. They've been married every since and very happy. So I've watched or listened to stories of two guys who have done something like this. You've inspired me to do MY version of this. At some point in time. Thank you!

Easy for me as I am retired. My one wish, as I get older is that I would have started my travels earlier in life. My first trip to Europe was around 1983 to Paris and Switzerland. I was hooked on travel. I now go and have gone for several years at least 2 times per year. My only advice is to go, before you cannot any longer.

H

Good advice Huggy. I'm retired too, but still couldn't pull this one off. You're right about helping me with my "things I never want to do" list. I'd need to add 2-3 nights to each city.

But good on you for doing what you want to do while you can still do it! Travel on.

This kind of adventure was never on my "Things I'd like to do" list, either; and your report confirmed that I shall never place this activity on such list, though I enjoyed reading your tale. If an airlines is going to give me 23kg of luggage space, I am going to take it. I much prefer reading or eating or planning or writing notes in the evenings to the household drudgery of washing laundry in a sink.

A couple of weeks ago I slogged seven hours on a bus/train from Trieste to Vienna. For the bus segment I was in 1st class with a woman who yammered with the driver for every minute she was not in the WC; for the train segment I had a table in 2nd class and was subjected to the aromas of plastic-wrapped sandwiches, mobile phone conversations of people who did not have the courtesy to step into the middle area, and the buzzing of various music genres seeping through earbuds. Never again.

If you're into rail pass trips, you might look up my trip report from my Switzerland trip in 2016. We rode the rails every day, but didn't change base camps as frequently. Using the rail pass to move around Switzerland at will was a lot of fun. You might even be able to persuade your wife to make a trip like we made.

Good job, Huggy! Would you please share the name of the Paris hotel you liked??

The hotel in Paris was District Republique, 4 Rue Lucien Sampaix. near Place de la Republique (about 2 blocks.) Easy walk from Gare Est, on my return from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Easy access to metro at Jacque Bonsergent. I think I paid $129 Euro.

H

Four:

Think of that yammering as "happy noise." The aroma of plastic-wrapped sandwiches is known as "immersion with the locals."

I did take one bus, from Lugano to Tirano. My seat mate spoke very little English and smiled a lot. So I was not involved in a long conversation with anyone but I did meet and converse with a delightful couple from Australia. Of course the boorish fellow who insisted in speaking very loudly in the dining room of the hotel about his personal life and his knowledge of wine along with a monetary tip for each of the 3 bottles so that all could hear, was quite a bit much. (He was not from the US, thank the lord.)

I don't think I have ever had an experience that you described from your rail trip in second class by riding in first class. Not that I did not travel in some second class on this trip. If the surrounding noise bothers you, I suggest you purchase a first class ticket.

Ah, a little peace and quiet and just enjoy the scenery.

TWK:

Agree that Switzerland is a special place. Rail travel there is magical. I have been employed by two Swiss corporations in my career. This allowed me visit regularly and I and my wife took advantage of those opportunities throughout Switzerland. We have enjoyed Austria and the Dolomites as well. In fact, we are returning to both in June, but are driving this time.

"The aroma of plastic-wrapped sandwiches is known as "immersion with the locals."

That is funny. Except, the sandwich eaters were mostly backpackers and Austrians returning home. So, no locals.

And you are correct. Hopefully there will not be a next time, but if there is, it will be in 1st class. (our car had been hit, while parked, by a large truck days before this trip, damaging the hood (!) and the drivers quarter panel so that I could not even open the door, so DH had rented a car for this work trip to Trieste. I returned early and he remained with the car; otherwise I would have driven home and he would have taken a Business Class train home).

I know you can hear me gnashing my teeth.

s

Thanks for the hotel info, Huggy. I meant to relate that the PR on the Va - FL autotrain suggested that the gentle swaying of the train would lull one to sleep. HAH!

TDudette:

I once spent the night on a train from Zurich to Vienna. On every curve, I rolled out of the bunk.

That was better than the night spent on the Greek ferry from Sifnos to Piraeus. Every time the ship rolled from the waves, the door would open. Every time it rolled the opposite way, it would slam shut. No lock or anything to prop it shut or open.

Does make for great stories once its over.

Indeed, swandav. If DH and I had trained to Trieste, we would not have enjoyed lunch in nearby Muggia and supported the fish agritourismus. We would not have hiked the Rilke Weg, and then supported the local economy by eating lunch near the Castle Duino. And, we would have taken a taxi to/from our meeting with friends who live in Trieste, anyway. The public transportation options to these destinations were miserable. Should I have remained home and not traveled at all?

My train schlepp home to Vienna has further uninspired me toward such travel. The car was noisy and aromatic (not in a good way); and my photos are crap because of the window reflections. As I wrote earlier, if I should find myself needing to travel via train, I will purchase a 1st class ticket, though that likely won't help with the crap photos. I appreciate your diligent service to the environment, but I do not appreciate your tsk-tsk just because I think train travel sucks.

Well, I actually thought I had framed my thought with some humour (ardent environmentalist gnashing teeth uselessly in a corner...). Guess not.

I'm afraid I'll always have my tsk-tsk. If that's the worst we experience from car pollution, we'll be doing ok.

s