Aldor
Traveller
1 comments
Posted 15 years ago
So me and my two friends are planning on doing our first interrail trip this summer(July12-August 7). Were from Finland and plan on flying down to Rome and continue from there back up with train. We haven't totally planned the route yet but the countries will be. Italy-France-Spain-France-Belhium-Germany-Netherlands-Danmark-Sweden- Boat home. Mostly we plan on moving along the coast.
So as this is our first time naturally theres quite alot of questions. I've been looking around on the net and found some answers but not all. So here they are, thank you in advance for any answers.
[b]Budget:[/b]
How big should it be? how much do you usually use on your trips? Our trip will be about 25 days long. Any money saving tips are very welcome.
[b]Trains:[/b]
Are the trains usually full this time of the year? What time of day is the best to travel? Do you have to book in advance(if so how early). What's the best way to find trains without supplements? We plan on travelling with local trains mostly, is this possible on our route? Oh and if you travel with a night train and pay for a separate cart, do you pay per bed or one price for the whole cart?
[b]Hostels[/b]
Is it smart to book in advance? Are they often full? Is it safe to leave your luggage in their luggage storage(if provided)? Any safety tips/warnign signs? What's actually cheap and are the prices always firm or can you haggle?
[b]Countries/Places[/b]
How is the train traffic in Italy/Spain/France? Any cultural must knows? Please recommend any must see cities or places you have visited :) .
Hopefully that isn't too many questions for you :D . Maybe this thread can help others in the future. Thank you in advance!
SiDUDe
Traveller
752 comments
Ok here goes - I spend around £1000-1200 per trip (for just over a month), including flights/tickets/etc and quite a few meals out. You could do it more cheaply, but youre visiting expensive countries. If you can find hostels with kitchens that can save you quite a bit.
Popular trains are likely to be quite busy, as are ones at rush hour, so travel in the middle of the day if you can. Use the link to timetable site on this forum to find trains without suppliment, though you will be pretty severly limited on routes like italy france and france belgium. Book as far ahead as you can, without sacrificing flexibility.
I dont know what you mean by cart - if you book a couchette you dont have to book the whole compartment. On some trains if you book a sleeper you do have to book the whole compartment, but on others you dont.
In western europe in the summer its smart to book in advance. most will provide places to lock youre luggage away, in all of the places you are going youre unlikley to be able to haggle since everywhere will be so busy, they will not be desperate for business.
Florence is nice, as is pretty much anywhere in Umbria. Obviously Rome is a must. If you can do Venice as a day trip from somewhere else its easier than trying to find somewhere reasonable to stay on the island.
Aldor
Traveller
1 comments
Thanks for the answers, yea i ment compartment when i said cart :) .
Were planning on staying in Rome for 3days before our interrail card becomes valid so we can see the city. We will probably visit Florence aswell.