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Official AU.TA's in Europe thread! (pg. 56)
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| waXology |
hey guys need some idea... who went euro rail i nthe previous trips...
im looking at doing trains throughout europe this year...
but ppl say cheap flights are same as euro rail and quicker... but others are saying trains have no customs and take u to heart of the city...
thoughts... pros/cons? |
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| stamper |
I went Eurail... and a damn good decision at that.
I paid about $900 for 15 trips over the 2 months. It paid itself off about 3 time over i think. For example one 5 hour train I caught from Amsterdam to Wurzburg would normally cost 120 Euro (AU$200), so If you are doing longish trips it is definately worth it.
We had one budget flight and it turned out ok. It cost us a euro each (then plus taxes etc.). Thing was, with the budget airlines, it cost us 8 euro to catch a shuttle bus to the Rome airport, then 12 Euro from Frankfurt-Hahn airport to Frankfurt (which also took about 2 hours!).
So i would definately go Eurail. The trains are quick and cheap and you can go absolutely anywhere you want, whereas planes you cant.
Let us know if you need any more info. |
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| stamper |
| quote: | Originally posted by PulseFusion
Just enquired today, prolly going to book within a week :D:D
My flight to europe (switzerland, czech, germany, france and prolly amsterdam) but mostly switz in july:
$1,299!!!!:eyes: :haha: :eyespop: :tongue3 :crazy:
hell yes :D |
Wow!! Thanks fkn cheap!! Who did you book through? STA travel? Are you sure it is return? :)
My flight cost $1700 and that was in the off season.
Looks like some nice places you're going pulse... you should drop into Austria while you are there, one of my favs from my trip. :) |
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| PulseFusion |
| yeah that's excluding taxes though... but still pretty cheap... |
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| misstrance |
| quote: | Originally posted by PulseFusion
yeah STA travel, my gf was at the travel agent yesterday..
url:
http://www.statravel.com.au/879_885.asp
:D
apart from that, the next cheap one is $1800, JAL |
i think u should check up on those prices as it says its only valid for departures between 17 January and 24 February...so i suspect it would be a lot more during peak season (june/july) :( |
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| waXology |
| STA are rip offs.. used em last year... but after booking found heaps cheaper prices from best flights www.bestflights.com.au |
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| stamper |
| It all depends what travel assistant helps you. Some travel agents will lookup prices for you and give you a final quote within 30 seconds without looking at other options avenues. We had a good guy who helped us and actually look at all different possibilities, and gave us a whole heap of different quotes. Also its quite common for there to be monthly bargain prices where the airfares are dirt cheap but have to be paid for by the end of that month. |
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| PulseFusion |
hmm.. that weird... coz she was gonna let us fly in jul for that... we didnt book it yet just seriously enquire... if i can scam that id be stoked!! maybe she'll realise when we actually book it... who knows... it's worth a shot tho.:D
wax, cheers for that, i'll check em too :D |
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| eRRaTiK |
| quote: | Originally posted by waXology
but ppl say cheap flights are same as euro rail and quicker... but others are saying trains have no customs and take u to heart of the city... |
Before we headed over we were considering whether to go air, rail or bus domestically also.
Here are a few things to consider:
- Eurail can be quite expensive, depending on what type of ticket you purchase. Grab yourself a Eurail guide, talk to a travel agent, or check out the website to determine the rates.
- Some eurail passes only allow access to specific countries.
- Depending on which countries you want to travel to/from, taking a flight can be quicker. However you need to take into account the departure and arrival airports, and how far they are from the city you want to get to. Many of the cheap flights (easyjet, ryanair, etc) depart from airports at least 40-60 mins out of the main city, so travel time to/from the airport needs to be factored in.
eg. Easyjet flys from Gatwick, Luton and Stansted. All these airports are at least 60 mins (some greater) outside of London central.
- The best plan of attack is to first work out a schedule/itinerary for yourself ie. where you want to be and when. Once you have that, you can then take a look at the Eurail guide and determine if you can get to a specific location within the time you decided on earlier. If not, then you may need to find alternate travel, or alter your dates.
- Some countries do require customs officers to verify passports eg. when passing through the border from Berlin to Prague we were checked.
- There is an online tool on the eurail site (or it may have been a eurail affiliate) that allows you to specify what countries you want to go, and it will work out what the best pass/ticket is. |
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| dEsidEL |
^^^ juss outta curiousity, are u goin back this summer ? i plan to make my return to Spain ..
hopefully after a short trip in Miami for WMC :D
i almost had more than juss my passport checked between Amsterdam and Frankfurt .. :eek:
(long story for another day)
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| PulseFusion |
| mmm.... prauge ;) :D:D |
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