JCAVENGER
Traveller
1 comments
Posted 9 years ago
So me and my friends are planning a trip through europe (next August), I think that it might be to big but I was expecting that you guys could help :D
LINK TIMED OUT
With the trip starting in Lisbon, we wanted to make:
Lisboa-Madrid [b]N[/b] (validating the interrail pass in madrid?-I dont really know how to validate the pass)
Madrid-Barcelona [b]N[/b]
Barcelona-Marseille [b]N[/b]
Marseille-Lyon [b]N[/b]
Lyon-Bern [b]N[/b]
Berna-Milan [b]N[/b]
Milan-Pisa [b]N[/b]
Pisa-Florence[b]N[/b]
Florence-Rome [b]N[/b]
(Vatican)
Rome-Venice[b]N[/b]
Venice-Vienna [b]N[/b]
Vienna-Munich[b]N[/b]
Munich-Prague [b]N[/b]
Prague - Auschwitz [b]N[/b]
Auschwitz-Berlin [b]N[/b]
Berlin-Hamburg [b]N[/b]
Hamburg-Copenhagen [b]N[/b]
Copenhagen-Stockholm [b]N[/b]
Stockholm-Oslo [b]N[/b]
Oslo-Gothenburg [b]N[/b]
Gothenburg-Copenhagen [b]N[/b]
Copenhagen-Amsterdam [b]N[/b]
Amsterdam-Brussels [b]N[/b]
Brussels-London [b]N[/b]
London-Paris [b]N[/b]
Paris-Angers
Angers-Nantes
Nantes-Bordeaux
Bordeaux-Madrid [b]N[/b]
Madrid-Lisbon[b]N[/b]
[b]N[/b]-At night
This would be the plan of the 30 day trip in which we would want to be in the maximum number of night trains possible (to pay less)
We are able to walk around 12km a day (I guess) and I'm trying to check the best monuments to visit within a 5km radius around the train station but it is getting hard to select the best... Hope you can help!
JCAVENGER
Traveller
1 comments
Edit: Lisbon-Madrid N
Madrid-Barcelona N
Barcelona-Marseille N
Marseille-Bern N
Berna-Milan N
Milan-Pisa N
Pisa-FlorenceN
Florence-Rome N
(Vatican)
Rome-Venice N
Venice-Vienna N
Vienna-Munich N
Munich-Prague N
Prague - Krakow - Auschwitz Hostel
Auschwitz-Berlin N
Berlin-Malmo
Malmo-Stockholm N
Stockholm-Oslo Hostel
Oslo-Copenhagen-Amsterdam
Amsterdam-London Bus? N
London-Paris N Expensive?
Paris-Lisbon N
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi!
Your route could be bit too ambitious I think. Does N mean a train trip overnight? If so, you should definitely think again, since there are not as many night trains available as you think. Have a look at the list of night trains here: [u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-night-train[/u]
Maybe think of visiting less cities and making some longer stop to be able to rest - it is not very comfortable to spend one whole month walking around in cities during the day and spending the nights on a train, probably just sitting.
Flo 8)
ardeeay
Traveller
99 comments
Hi
Your route may be a little bit too ambitious as Flo says. However in 2013 and 2014, I used rail passes to spend a month in Europe using night trains and a very minimum of hotels. I enjoyed every minute of it.
The first time (2013) I used Eurail and Balkans Flexi passes to visit 28 capital cities (and a few others) in 41days. Hotels only at the “end of the line” in Dublin and Sarajevo.
In 2014 I planned to use all the CNL routes, and go to Nord Kapp for midnight on the summer solstice (sleeping on the bus on the way south). All in 31 days and again avoiding hotels.
However some of the CNL routes have already been abandoned and I believe that they will all cease to run from December this year. However other options may appear.
My thoughts are:
(1) sleeping in seats on trains for a month will not be all that pleasant. (I used sleepers with en suite toilet and shower when available - not a cheap option but very comfortable). Consider at least couchettes to get some sleep 8) ;
(2) forget a logical geographical route and plan for the maximum distances/times available on night trains - you will zig-zag all over Europe but you will have enough time to rest;
(3) you should be able to spend a whole day walking around each city but allow enough time for drinking coffee, sitting beside the river, and smelling the flowers - you will not have the safe haven of a hotel or hostel to retire to;
(3) leave as much of your gear in a locker at the railway station when you arrive. Travel light within each, with a day pack only. In nearly every city you will depart in the evening from the same station;
(4) plan out a rough walking route in each city (as you seem to be doing) but don’t be too rigid - be prepared to be surprised and delighted by the unexpected :o ; and
(5) don’t forget that for sleeper or couchette accommodation on night trains you will generally need to make reservations well in advance - it reduces the spontaneity but makes sure you will get into the new city well rested!
For what it’s worth, here is my 2014 Itinerary. [Nord Kapp is a long way from Rovaniemi, but it is the nearest you will get to the North Pole on the European mainland!]
Day 1 Zurich - Heidelberg (Day train)
Heidelberg – Frankfurt (Day train)
Frankfurt - Mannheim-(Evening train)
Mannheim- Prague (part of Zurich – Prague route) (N)
Day 2 Prague – Amsterdam (via Bad Schandau) (N)
Day 3 Amsterdam – Munich (N)
Day 4 Munich– Berlin (N)
Day 5 Berlin - Zurich (N)
Day 6 Zurich – Hamburg (N)
Day 7 Hamburg – Munich (N)
Day 8 Munich - Milan (N)
Day 9 Milan - Munich (N)
Day 10 Munich – Rome (N)
Day 11 Rome – Kufstein (part of Rome - Munich route) (N)
Day 12 Kufstein - Vienna (early morning train)
Day 12 Vienna – Venice (N)
Day 13 Venice – Munich (N)
Day 14 Munich - Amsterdam (N)
Day 15 Amsterdam– Prague (N)
Day 16 Prague – Zurich (N)
Day 17 Zurich – Hamburg (N)
Day 18 Hamburg – Prague (part of Copenhagen – Prague route) (N)
Day 19 Prague – Basel (part of Zurich - Prague route) (N)
Day 20 Basel – Copenhagen (N)
Day 21 Copenhagen - Stockholm (Day train)
Day 21 Stockholm - Turku (Ferry)
Day 22 Turku - Helsinki (Morning train)
Day 22 Helsinki - Rovaniemi (N)
Day 23 Rovaniemi - North Cape (Bus)
Day 24 North Cape - Rovaniemi (Bus)
Day 24 Rovaniemi - Helsinki (N)
Day 25 Helsinki - Stockholm (Ferry)
Day 26 Stockholm - Copenhagen (N)
Day 27 Copenhagen – Amsterdam (N)
Day 28 Amsterdam – Munich (N)
Day 29 Munich– Berlin (day trains)
Day 29 Berlin – Paris (N)
Day 30 Paris – Munich (N)
Day 31 Augsburg - Cologne (part of Munich - Amsterdam route)
Cologne - Zurich (Evening train)
I went to/through Munich several times because that's what many of the CNL routes did too!
I hope your trip will be as enjoyable as mine were.
Safe travelling.
Richard :D