GreyWolf
Traveller
1 comments
Posted 15 years ago
So i have this journey in my head after researching the cities i would most like to visit in this region. Is it possible to come from London, stop in Amsterdam for a few hours then onto cologne in time to get my hostel and a bit of night life. Is it possible to then travel from cologne to Prague without 11 hours for no surcharge. Because i seem to come up again a wall, if i want to get the 10 days with 5 days travel pass i need to spend as little time travelling between as possible. Maybe if i went through Berlin to Prague this would be easier? And the rest of my journey will it be hard? As this will be my first time and no other languages known to me, it seems daunting to get on trains and have people talk at me about surcharges lol
Any help on this journey or alternatives would be great thanks ^ ^
Peter
Traveller
9337 comments
Hi.
I think the best way would be like this...
London-Harwich ... then overnight ferry to Hoek van Holland:
[u]https://rail.cc/en/harwich/ferry/c[/u]
Arriving there in the morning at 0800h. Then by regional train to Rotterdam. Change to the free IC train to Amsterdam. The main station is in the middle of the town - you reach everything by foot ... leave the station, turn left - there are more cafes, bars, the well known red light district and so on...
In the afternoon take a free ICE international to Cologne. Dep: 16:34h, Arr 19:12h - several other connections [u]https://rail.cc/en/search-interrail-route[/u]
This is travel day [b]ONE[/b].
Travel day [b]TWO[/b] can be Cologne-Berlin ... stop in Berlin as the main station is close to the Reichstag (5 minutes) and the Brandenburger Tor (15 minutes by foot maximum) - then continue to Prague.
Cologne-Berlin: free ICE train
Berlin-Prague: [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/berlin-to-prague[/u]
Also possible is to do this journey directly by night train:
CNL: [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/amsterdam-to-prague[/u]
Cologne Dep: 22:28h
Praha Arr: 09:56h
Using the 1900h-rule ... then it counts as only one travel day:https://rail.cc/en/interrail-night-train
Prague-Krakow... possible by night train, better by day train. See schedules and Czech country forum .
Travel day [b]THREE[/b].
Travel day [b]FOUR[/b]: Krakow-Budapest... either by night train or day train... best by night train: [u]https://rail.cc/en/krakow-budapest-night-train/f3305[/u]
Travel day [b]FIVE[/b]:
Budapest Dep: 19:05 - by night train: [u]https://rail.cc/en/budapest-frankfurt-night-train/f2071[/u]
Stuttgart Arr: 06:30
Stuttgart Hbf dep: 06:54 - by TGV France-Germany, supplement EUR 5: https://rail.cc/en/interrail-train-reservation/france/fr
Buy this supplement as early as you can, for example already in Amsterdam or at least in Cologne !!!
Paris Est Arr: 10:34
Then have for example some days in Paris and travel home afterwards by EUROSTAR - if you book early via their website you can get good offers, without a valid InterRail ticket.
You can also travel by night train from Budapest to Frankfurt - from there to Hoek van Holland and back by ferry.
Or Budapest to France - Calais - and then by ferry to the UK: [u]https://rail.cc/en/paris-london-ferry-calais-dover/f1442[/u]
Bonne voyage, Peter :)
GreyWolf
Traveller
1 comments
Great thanks a bunch pete, hope i can get this sorted soon :P
Peter
Traveller
9337 comments
at the beginning everything sounds a bit complicate - but it isn't ... just go to a station and jump into a train. ;)
if you buy supplements (for night trains for example) write down the train you want to use on a paper and give it to the staff at the ticket window. so you get what you want - the easiest way I practice every time when I am in a country with a language which I can't speak. :)