UK - Dublin - Doolin - Colmar - Interlaken - Venice - Crete

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hej Tessa and Anna,

looks like an interesting route, personally I would probably go with the 10in22 pass, but it's up to you to decide. ;)

From London to Dublin I would go with the Holyhead - Dublin ferry; there are overnight connections available.
Doolin is only accessible by bus from Limerick and Ennis, direct trains run from Dublin to Limerick where you can change to Ennis or take a bus straightaway.
To get back to France I would recommend having a look at the Rosslare/Dublin - Cherbourg ferry so you could avoid going back through the UK and having to use two ferries or going by Eurostar. Reclining seats do not cost extra but you might have to include an extra overnight stop en route from Cherbourg to Colmar depending on which date you sail...maybe in Caen, even Granville could be an option if you want to avoid staying in Paris.

The route from Cherbourg to Paris would be without extra reservations (you have to go through Paris anyway and change stations there), from Paris to Colmar you can take one of the Intercity trains via Troyes to Belfort and then travel to Colmar via Mulhouse to avoid the TGV trains with compulsory reservation.

Colmar to Interlaken is easy to do without extra reservations, as is travel within Switzerland in general. Consider that the railways in the Jungfrau area (Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Kleine Scheidegg and Jungfraujoch are not included in InterRail.
From Interlaken you can take two routes to Milan, either via Spiez - Brig - Domodossola or Luzern - Arth-Goldau - Chiasso. You can travel both routes without extra reservations if you use regional trains from either Brig via Domodossola or from Chiasso to Milan.

I cant resist suggesting my favourite Swiss route that is also free of extra reservations but a bit off your route: [u]https://rail.cc/blog/zurich-milano-albula-bernina/[/u]

From Milan to Venice frequent Frecciabianca trains operate but require a 10€ reservation. You can avoid these by using regional trains which usually require changing trains in Verona and sometimes also in Padova.

Sarajevo is a bit off route as well...you could go from Venezia via Ljubljana to Zagreb, spend the night there and continue the following day to Sarajevo.
From Sarajevo by bus to Belgrade, then night train to Thessaloniki (which is supposed to run from April), and continue to Athens/Piraeus and finally to Kreta.
It'd be definitely quicker and easier to just take a ferry from Italy to Patras then continue to Crete. This option would also grant you a 30% discount on domestic ferry routes in Greece.


Flo 8)

fyynis
Traveller
6 comments

Thanks for great tips Flow :)

We were thinking going from Dublin to Galway by train and there to Doolin by bus, to see little bit whats Galway like :)

Oh you can go straight to France from Dublin! Have to look that one up, thanks.

That Swiss route sounds so attempting !! Amazing views i bet, have to really consider that one ! :)

That France part is little bit confusing, so many train companies and train connections.. But im sure we can figure those out :D So with Intercity we get form Paris - Belfort and Belfort - Colmar (also Intercity?)? Or do we have to chance trains also in Troyes and Mulhouse...?

I think we leave Sarajevo to our next trip, and use the ferry from Bari to Patras. We want to have planty of time so we dont have to rush form place to place. And when we get lost we have enough time to find our way to back on map haha :D

Do you have any suggestion where else to stop by in France, Switzerland or Italy, any beatiful little places to visit? :)

Have a nice day!
- Tessa and Anna

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

You're welcome!

Dublin to Galway is totally fine...I assume there are buses as well from Galway to Doolin. On the way back you could then complete a round trip by going through Limerick though - depending on where there are better bus-train connections.

The ferry Dublin/Rosslare - Cherbourg is definitely recommended! It runs more often from Rosslare though, but the train trip Dublin - Rosslare is quite scenic anyway (sit on the left hand side).

If you have the time to do the Bernina route in Switzerland, go for it! :)
The more direct lines are quite scenic itself though, so you can enjoy the scenery either way - just ask if you need help with detailed planning.

Going through France...well...in fact there is just one train company: SNCF, running TGV, Intercités, regional trains (TER). The route I would suggest from Paris would first take you to Belfort via Troyes, there are several direct trains each day, though some trips may require a change of trains. From Belfort to Colmar you will travel with TER (regional trains) and a change of trains might be required in Mulhouse. If you tell me the exact date you are travelling I can help you finding the best connection.
The advantage of this route would be to avoid getting reservations for a TGV high speed train - although you might consider this option as there is a number of direct TGV trains Paris - Colmar which are much faster than the option above.

It probably is a good idea to wait with Sarajevo until your next trip - after all there are so much other interesting places around this part of Europe for which you would need much more time to visit.

In France you could think about going to Le Puy en Velay...it's a bit off route but you could still include it in your trip. While in Colmar you might also visit Strasbourg which is just 30 minutes or so away. Maybe have a look at Beaune in the Burgundy vine region as well... Provins would be almost on the way from Paris to Belfort via Troyes.

In Switzerland you could have a stop in Luzern (the Interlaken - Luzern route is quite nice).

[quote]
Have a nice day!
[/quote]

Thanks, you too! :)

fyynis
Traveller
6 comments

Do you know how much are reservation fees on that route from Paris to Colmar with TGV? And how much time would we save? It sounds a lot easier haha :D and i think it might fit better to our schedule (wich we dont have yet, but there is no places we were planing to visit between Paris - Colmar)

We dont have any exact days planned, only start and end :D We were planing staying few days in Doolin, Colmar and Interlaken at least (and take day trips to places near by), thats all we got so far. And of course one-night-stays long the way.

Im sure that we will come here to ask help about the connection and trains etc when we are on the road:D

Do have any experience about couchsurfing?

anonymous
Traveller
2469 comments

For getting to Doolin, the Dublin to Galway route is best and then a bus to doolin..... Or take a bus to the cliffs of Moher which is right beside Doolin and you should be able to get to Doolin no problem. (I would highly recommend walking from the Cliffs of Moher back to Doolin along the cliff edge(dont worry it is quite safe :D ) or when you are in Doolin walk up to the cliffs, it will take 2-3 hours depending on how many breaks you take and the views are spectacular and you get into the cliffs of Moher centre for free if you walk !!!)

If you are spending a few days in Doolin I would also recommend a trip to one of the Aran Islands. The small one is best Inis Oirr as the big island is too touristy I find.

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

A regular TGV reservation within France is 6€, however the amount of available seats for InterRailers is limited on each train; when the 6€ seats are sold out you can only get a bord tariff reservation for 18€.
In June, the ferry from Rosslare arrives at Cherbourg at 1100, the one from Dublin at 1130 (there are 11 departures overall in June); this would allow you to get a train to Paris and arrive there at 1646 latest (no reservation required). This would be too late to get a train onwards to Colmar via Troyes - Belfort; you could get a TGV train though, either straight to Colmar at 1855 (arr Colmar 2150) or earlier at 1725 and 1755 to Strasbourg only where you could change to a local train to Colmar.

I never did real couchsurfing, only crashing at places where I or some of my friends new someone...

fyynis
Traveller
6 comments

mmcinerney, we have to look up Aran Islands thanks for the tip :) in Doolin we are looking first some couchsurf hosts, if there is non we are staying some b&b place and we were thinking going to the cliffs by bicycles, just rent bikes somewhere and go sightseeing :D Do you know some good route to the cliffs and back? We can use the hole day for the trip, and I'm sure we can handle a little longer route if there is great views (and maybe some pubs long the way) :)

Flow, thanks for those connection details ! :) now I'm starting to get it :D Those reservation fees aren't too much, I think we are going to use TGV to save time and trouble

We are trying to use couchsurfing as much as possible, to get to know new people and make new friends :) and of course that way get to know the places we visit a lot different way than regular tourists !

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Well, I think that on certain routes it makes sense to invest in extra reservations, and if you want to head straight for Colmar it is a good idea to get the TGV for that part of the trip, especially since you probably wont need much more extra reservations on your route.

Couchsurfing is certainly a good idea to get to know each place better than just staying at a hostel - that still can serve as backup in case you do not find a host in a city.

anonymous
Traveller
2469 comments

[quote]mmcinerney, we have to look up Aran Islands thanks for the tip :) in Doolin we are looking first some couchsurf hosts, if there is non we are staying some b&b place and we were thinking going to the cliffs by bicycles, just rent bikes somewhere and go sightseeing :D Do you know some good route to the cliffs and back? We can use the hole day for the trip, and I'm sure we can handle a little longer route if there is great views (and maybe some pubs long the way) :)

![/quote]

Fyynis, I wouldnt really know much about couch-surfing in the locality but I will check it out for you and I will let you know how I get on. B&Bs should be reasonable around that time.

For the Aran Islands/Inis Oirr do not prebook a ferry ticket, make sure to go down to the pier and haggle like hell, I know the guys who run the ferrys and if you have a bit of craic with them you will probably be able to swing a return trip for 10 :) and maybe even the cliff of moher cruise on the way back which is well worth it on a nice day. I once got both trips for €5 but that comes with being a local :D

You are talking about getting bikes, (You can hire bikes on the Inis Oirr aswell and it is well worth cycling around the island, although you can walk it as easily.)

If you were going to do this I would recommend that you do 1 day cycling and go towards the Burren. cycle north to Ballyvaughan and then come back via Corkscrew Hill which will be so scenic. (but would be very long!!!)
Then I would do the walking trip to the cliffs by the clifftop from Doolin. Basically just walk from the village along the cliff top :) Best Idea would be to continue past the offical Cliffs of Moher centre and keep going as far as Hags Head. then walk back same way to Doolin. Birdlife and views are epic. :)
There are 3 pubs in Doolin try them all. :) Mcdermots or O connors have great Seisiuns (irish music ) at all times of day or night :) O connors have lovely seafood too

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hey,
I just came across the village of Mittelbergheim which is close to Colmar (it's just a 2km walk from Barr railway station through the vineyards of Alsace...), you should check it out. :)

@mmcinerney: Seriously thinking about going there soon now! :D

anonymous
Traveller
2469 comments

@Flow

Haha I am such a sales man :)

fyynis
Traveller
6 comments

@mmcinerney :
Thanks for your information! Can't wait to get to Doolin and do all those things :D
The cliffs by feet and biking trip separate, sounds good to me :)
And I bet we can talk and smile ourselves a little discount haha :D

@flow :
That Mittelbergheim looks so adorable and cozy :) that is definitely going to our to go to -list!

Summer come on already :D (I've bought new backpack for the trip and now trying not to start packing yet :D )