britrain
Traveller
3 comments
Posted 9 years ago
[b]Part 1[/b]
I was thinking about getting a 10 in 22 pass and doing the following route.
I'd only be travelling by day as I can't sleep on a train and I don't think I need to pay (m)any reservations on this route?
Start from Berlin after visiting a friend for a few nights:
Dresden - 1 night
Prague 3 nights
Cesky Krumlov 1 night
Vienna 3 Nights
Graz 1 night
Ljubjana 4 nights ( trips to Bled and Postojna possibly staying overnight there)
zagreb 4 nights (trip to Plitvice lakes possibly staying overnight there)
Budapest 3 nights
Using the tool on this site and the backpacker index would a £600(/$926/€ 815) budget be about right for this without including the rail pass, Berlin or any possible extreme sport costs?
That's 20 days and 8 days travel so is there anywhere obvious I can add or change along the way? Bratislava perhaps being the easiest addition?
I many also have allocated too many days for Ljubjana and Zagreb and as you may have guessed Dresden, Cesky Krumlov and Graz are mostly there to break up journey times so can be sacrificed if really necessary.
[b]Part 2 - (should I start a new thread for this?)[/b]
I'd then like to carry on into Romania focusing on Transylvania which I see as part two of the trip although Budapest to Cluj will be via the interail at the moment.
Then Targu mures, Sighisoara, Sibiu, Brasov (maybe a Moldava detour) and Bucharest, not necessarily by train.
Ideally Istanbul, Sofia, Thessaloniki and Athens after that if I have enough money/energy left, I'm still working out Romania time and costs but I think that should be quite cheap...
From what I understand prices in this region mean buying individual tickets could be the best option or maybe a Balklan Flexipass? Where can I find more details about where to buy that pass and the costs/options available (I'm English)?
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi!
No need to post another topic we can write about everything here. :)
Part 1 looks good, you wont need any extra reservations.
You could think about skipping the night in Dresden and instead just go there during the day - take an early train from Berlin, put your stuff in a locker at the station and leave for Prague in the evening. Sit on the left on the train to Prague.
If you are going to Cesky Krumlov, think about visiting Ceske Budejovice and its brewery too. :)
You could also think about going to Pilsen which is cultural capital of Europe this year.
Graz is quite nice for one day, if I am around I could show you the city. If you skip it - the trip from Vienna to Ljubljana is not that long (~6 hours).
4 nights in Ljubljana sound a bit long even with trips to Postojna and Bled. You could also think about going to Italy - Trieste and Gorizia are not far from the Slovenian border and easily reachable. Or go to Koper and then by bus to Piran/Izola.
Plitvice is best done by bus from Zagreb, the train connection is of no use.
Bratislava could be another stop, yes. A bit more away is Krakow but worth considering. Or Wroclaw maybe?
You may also think about going to Bratislava - Budapest - Vienna - Graz and then from Zagreb to Belgrade with the last trip of your Interrail. Belgrade is a really nice city IMO - and you could buy route Balkan Flexi Pass there. Buy it locally where it will be cheapest! 5 days are 53€, 7 are 70€, 10 are 89€ and 15 travel days within one month are 106€ (2nd class under 26). The problem about the BFP is that it is only valid for trips to/from the border if you buy it in Romania and Serbia. This means that the pass would be of no big use for travel within Romania if you would buy it there - thats why I suggest going to Belgrade to purchase it there.
YOu could even make it from Belgrade via Timisoara to CLuj within one day; or make an intermediate stop in Timisoara.
If you prefer to go as planned you can just buy tickets for trips in Romania locally. For prices have a look at [ux]https://rail.shop/cfr[/ux] and for international fares in the validity area of the BFP have a look at [u]http://www.triptkts.ro/Itinerarii_en.aspx[/u] (just ask if you need help) ;)
If you go from Budapest to Cluj (or any other city in Romania), this will be the first time you need a seat reservation.
Within Romania, all long distance trains require a seat reservation which is usually included in regular ticket and really cheap if you would travel with the BFP (4 RON/1€).
If you want to go to Istanbul, be aware that the train connection is quite bad at the moment with replacement buses on the whole trip in Turkey. This may change until the summer though - but information is hard to get. Alternatively you can take a bus from Bucharest, Sofia, Burgas,...
Also, there is no train anymore from Istanbul to Thessaloniki, so you either have to travel back to Sofia, then go to Thessaloniki or take a direct bus.
815€ is for the 20 days of part1? Sounds really reasonable for me, about 40€ per day will be fine.
Hope that helps for a start and please consider: To support the free information and the forum on railcc, please be fair and buy your official Interrail pass via our railcc partner link: [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux]
Thank you! :)
Flo 8)
britrain
Traveller
3 comments
Thanks for the detailed and speedy reply, I have some thinking to do.
I should have mentioned I'll be going in March/April (will you be in Graz then?) so I'll definetly cut out Istanbul as it sounds a bit of nightmare getting there.
From what I can tell there shouldn't be many other issues going outside of peak season will thee? Apart from the odd minor problem like less frequent tours/buses and hostels outside the big cities being a bit quiet.
I tried booking through that link but it came up with the below which is odd as I'm in England.
[quote]Not available in your region
InterRail passes are not available for sale outside of Europe. Non European travelers can travel by rail across Europe with a Eurail Pass. [/quote]
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Alright. I should be around in March/April - if you make a stop here just tell me when exactly you are going to be here so I can try to get some free time.
No, there shouldnt be any big troubles.
Humm...did you go to the ACP Shop or to Voyages SNCF UK?
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
Hi.
If you went to ACP, it should select the correct country in the top right corner. If not, do it by yourself. :)
Then you are able to buy an Interrail pass (As only available if the country in the top right corner is an European one).
Thank you for supporting. Peter :)
britrain
Traveller
3 comments
My original plans fell thorough so change of plan, Berlin will now be a long weekend at a later date.
Now I have the option to start and finish anywhere along the way I may change things significantly.
For example maybe travel the Croatian coast before or after using train a pass or perhaps start in Rome and go to the towns you recommended on the way to Slovenia. I think it's probably best to cut out the Czech part too.
I don't want to spend more than €1400 for everything including flights and rail passes. Ideally I want the most time (up to a month) for the least money. All the information is slightly outdated as they're in three currencies that have fluctuated so much that I'm finding it tough to work out a budget.
So any suggestions?
At the moment I'm thinking - 5in 10:
Fly to Budapest - Vienna - Graz - Ljubljana> Zagreb - Belgrade
Then see how far I can get on a Balklans pass which is perhaps a discussion for a another time.
Whichever route I...
Definitely want to include Ljubljana and Zagreb
Really want to go to Transylvania BUT could sacrifice it if the trade off is worth it.
Vienna and Budapest just make sense to me but I could cut them for Rome or Athens.
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
I think you should come up with a list of places you really wanna go to. Maybe you should think about the 10in22 pass plus some regular tickets at the beginning/end of your trip - this could be the best/cheapest combination of tickets, depending on where exactly you want to go in the end.
The Interrail pass is good value if you are going to travel through Italy/Slovenia/Austria/Croatia/Hungary, so the countries where the Balkan Flexi Pass is not valid. If you are going to spend some time in these countries the 10in22 would be cheaper per day compared to the 5in10 plus Balkan Flexi Pass.
britrain
Traveller
3 comments
Yeah that plan was rubbish. Hopefully this one is better and I've finally got it all worked out.
Fly to Dubrovnik and get a bus to Mostar.
Then 10 in 22, the route should leave plenty of time to play about with but I may have to either skip Bratislava or get to the last stop without the pass.
Sarajevo> Zagreb > Ljubljana > Graz > Vienna > (Bratislava) > Budapest > Cluj > Sibui > Sighiosara
Then get individual tickets for
Brasov
Bucharest - Fly home
Thanks again for your help, seems I need a new referral link? It was the country not changing automatically last time.
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
OK this looks good. Ticket fares in Romania are quite cheap though so if you have time you could think about adding one or two extra destinations in other countries (Prague, Munich, Salzburg, Krakow, Kosice,...)
You could visit Bratislava on the go - early train Vienna - Bratislava, spend the day there and go to Budapest in the evening.
We are now official partners of interrail.eu, so please use this link: [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux] :)