So I'm off to Europe next week on August 21st. I am very excited! Haven't traveled in many years but finally starting to do so to many places. As much as I'd love to check out everysingle place in Europe I only have a limited time of 3 weeks... I'll be flying into Vienna and then flying back from Istanbul.

I will be spending my last week in Turkey (8 Days) and 4 days in Bulgaria.

I only have about 2 days in each city and my plan is so far Vienna -> Basel -> Amsterdamn -> Paris -> Sofia (Something along those lines)

I know taking the train is very cheap in Europe and that's what I plan on doing. Unless ofcourse I can find cheap flights or decide to drive.

I heard about the EuroRail Pass. For $350 you have a choice of 4 destinations first class, which I think is pretty decent. Plus I can sleep

- Should I get the pass now or just wait till Europe incase I can find cheap flights there.
- I have places to stay in Vienna & Basel, but not sure where to stay in Paris and Amsterdam (beside whore houses, but I will visit them haha) I don't want to spend too much money on hotels, infact I might just sleep on the train, but afterall I do need a place to keep my backpack and stuff while I'm out, are hostels really safe for that?

Anyways, any input from those who have been to Europe would be great

Oh yeah, I almost forgot... Club Recommendations please :P

Last edited by Ozmozis on Aug-13-2008 at 15:23

try http://www.couchsurfing.com/ ..nothing beats free accommodations


Oz.. u ******.. i want some Budapest women !!

oh and i recommend not sleeping at all!~

quote:

Originally posted by jsibilin try http://www.couchsurfing.com/ ..nothing beats free accommodations Oz.. u ******.. i want some Budapest women !! oh and i recommend not sleeping at all!~

mmmm... I wouldn't enjoy my trip without any sleep lol...

Actually, I just signed up on that website yesterday. I will definietly consider it...

if i recall correctly the Eurrail pass has to be bought here prior to beginning travel in EU .. there's lots of info online about it and so forth. Flights are also far cheaper (even with high oil prices) compared to charter flights here in North America. If you have a fixed itinerary, it might be better to go with the rail pass, but if you plan on making on the spot decisions on destinations, you can usually find some decent last minute deals on flights.

as for hostels, yes they are safe, in fact I think they add to the whole experience since that's where you'll meet a lot of other backpackers on your trip and end up partying with them until your liver fails.

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europass is not that great as you think it is. You cant just go anywhere in Europe for the price you quoted. Do your research ASAP.

regular train fares are pretty pricy. Train is probably most expensive transport in Europe. I prefer night buses. Costs you close to nothing, plus if you are travelling at night, you are saving on accommodation.. Being on a bus for more than 10 hours is hell tho, so you better find an alternative to get to Sofia.

As per accommodations, stay at hostels, some of them are SICK and super cheap.. do your research tho... there are some pretty sketchy hostels around too. especially in Amsterdam

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taking the train is NOT cheap

you can buy the rail pass there, we bought ours in Amsterdam

only buy it if u plan on taking 5+ trips on the train

hostels r the way to go, we booked everyting thru www.hostelworld.com

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the hell with trains.

i just came back from europe on sunday and we didnt even take a train once.

check out ryanair.com and easyjet.com for budget airfare.

my recommendation....stick with easyjet if possible. but i'd still take ryanair over the trains.

quote:

Originally posted by vendetta999 the hell with trains. i just came back from europe on sunday and we didnt even take a train once. check out ryanair.com and easyjet.com for budget airfare. my recommendation....stick with easyjet if possible. but i'd still take ryanair over the trains.

and also bearing in mind that Easyjet and Ryanair operate primarily out of the UK. So if he's traveling between other European cities outside of the UK he'll need to consider other discount carriers which exist as well.

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This thread makes me want to travel

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Having just come back a month ago, I'd concur with Sasha. The trains aren't really the cheapest and *best* option. Night busses save you the most time and money. Also, considering your schedule, I'd cut out one city, and add an extra day to others. You will lose a lot of time in travel, and will not get enough time in these places.

BTW, just out of curiosity, how come so long in Sofia?

quote:

Originally posted by Sasha europass is not that great as you think it is. You cant just go anywhere in Europe for the price you quoted. Do your research ASAP.

VERY true... also... many local trains you can just hop on without paying... so don't waste your money if you don't have to. In france we travelled all through the south for free by their local public train.

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