Dina_Hepburn
Traveller
0 comments
Posted 10 years ago
Hey railccs!
So, me and my boyfriend are doing our first inter rail this summer and we don't know if we should buy one of those timetable books (like the Thomas Cook one) or is that not necessary and could we get by only with online timetables (DB Bahn and such)?
Oh, and thanks in advance!
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi!
Personally, I really like to have the timetable with me - I am much quicker getting the information I want compared to an online schedule planner where you often have to fiddle with different settings to get the connection you want. Also, some routes are not included in the database used by the common schedule planners (like Barcelona - Portbou or Milano - Tirano local trains)...
The best thing is a combination of both (at least for me): Look for possible routes in the European Rail Timetable (the former Thomas Cook) and then double-check the timings with a schedule planner.
Of course you can also get by with just either the book or an online schedule planner.
Flo 8)
nltrainer
Traveller
1405 comments
depends on what you intend to do
Franklly, I follow this site and from all those young newbees only see an utter depressing all-the-same all thetime list of big cities that they want to cross of their list of ''haveseen, have done''. For that you do not need to pay some 20 eur for a big timetable book.
But IF you want to do the real old-style IR spirit, visit unexpected places, go on sidelines where noone else goes, etc. then get such a book-older ones may also serve, also as big source of ideas about what you could also visit or go to.
BTW; It WAS ThCOOK till sept '13, then they decided to stop all printed books, but the staff who did this book decided as a buy-out and start for themselves-since some 3-4 month they publish again as quoted. Sometimes you can get codes that give discount if you order online on the site.
EUrail passholders often get small timetables with the most important trains-older ones are often lying around in some statoons, but these tend to show only the hi-speed trains for which you have to reserve and pay extra-these are all also made by the former ThCook people.
ardeeay
Traveller
99 comments
Hi Dina
On a recent 30 day trip around Europe I found the Eurail/InterRail Rail planner App on my iPad very useful. You download it before you travel and it becomes 'resident' on your tablet or smart phone, without needing a wi-fi connection. You can update with the monthly revisions when you are at a wi-fi hotspot ensuring that you always have information that is no more than one month old. As the timetables are generally unchanged from December to June and from June to December there is little chance that the information from the App will be significantly out of date. As I was travelling light from Australia with only airline carry-on luggage of 7 kg I chose not to carry any printed timetable information, and for me it worked. There is also the OBB Scotty App which is live and needs a wi-fi hotspot to use it.
I hope these observations are helpful.
Richard
ascraeus
Traveller
34 comments
hey there,
if you r using any of android or ios based mobile, you can check following application.
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.hafas.android.eurail&hl=en
and an offline map about the cities as the roaming data would cost an arm and a leg
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mapswithme.maps&hl=en
the second one is quite handy and has offline map support as pin-points & point-of-interests
best of luck!