maybinuk
Traveller
10 comments
Posted 14 years ago
Hi there. My boyfriend is coming over this year and we will be some budget travelling over the summer. I live here and have a 2-yr student visa for the UK. We both have New Zealand passports. I have just realised that the InterRail pass might not be applicable for him, who lives in NZ. Can I just clarify that if he does not live here then he won't be able to travel on any kind of InterRail passes? We are thinking of the following countries/cities as possibilities:
ITALY
Rome
Venice
SLOVCENIA
FRANCE
Paris
GREECE
BELGIUM
Brussels
NETHERLANDS
The most we will be able to afford will probably be a 5-day travel of sort. I understand that the EURail offer different kinds of passes. Do you have any suggestions as to how we can most productively use our time and days for travel? Any info would be much appreciated! :idea:
Thanks!
Head
Traveller
101 comments
There is a couple of things to clarify first.
Your boyfriend will be coming to UK or directly to the continent?
How many cities would you like to visit during these 5 days of travel?
Or do you want to have 5 days of train travel during some longer period?
maybinuk
Traveller
10 comments
He will be arriving and departing from London, stay for 6 weeks. We were looking at 5 days of train travel, total travelling period up to 15/16 days (initially planned to be 3 days on either side of the InterRail 10-day pass). We currently have Rome booked for 3 nights in the beginning of August, and were thinking of planning around that with the flexibility of the InterRail. And it was only just today that I realised that he might not be able to travel on it! I wasn't able to find a EURail pass that is the same version as a 5-day within 10-day InterRail pass... We are generally quite flexible in terms of where we go from Rome as he's not seen any parts of Europe. The main thing for us is to do it in the most cost-effective way.
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
hi ...
the best way might be to fly from the UK to Rome, stay there for your 3 nights and then start with the 5 days in 10 days InterRail Pass before ending up in the Netherlands. Stay there for 3 nights and back home by plane. :)
you can use the Eurail pass on the same trains, sit together, pay the same supplements (for night trains for example).
for Eurail have a look here: [u]https://rail.cc/en/eurail[/u]
Peter :)
Head
Traveller
101 comments
I believe the best solution for your boyfriend is Eurail Select pass.
If you want to get to Athens, probably it's best to find some cheap advance air fare from London to Athens, then sail to Italy (ferry included in both passes), then continue to France and Netherlands, probably stopping in Slovenia. From Benelux fly back to London.
and you may consider buying 10/22 days pass, it's not much more expensive, but will give you real flexibility.
maybinuk
Traveller
10 comments
Thank you for your quick replies it's so good to have real responses as opposed to those FAQ's!! Do you think the following route within the 5day within 10 day pass is feasible?
Rome--Venice--Slovenia(Ljubljana)--Paris--Brussels--Netherlands (And as you said, starting the InterRail from the Rome-Venice travel after 3 days in Rome, and finishing with the Brussels-Netherlands where we will stay on for another 2/3 days) Hope this makes some sense! I am having trouble finding nighttrains of sort to get from Slovenia to Paris also. Can you help at all?
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
hi ...
going from Venice to Ljubljana and then back will need some time...
some links which will help you:
Rome-Venice: pay attention to supplements in Italy - [u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-train-reservation[/u]
Venice-Slovenia: [u]https://rail.cc/en/venice-ljubljana-train/f3664[/u]
Slovenia-Italy: the same way back
Italy-Paris: [u]https://rail.cc/en/venice-milan-paris-night-train/f3675[/u]
Paris-Brussels: [u]https://rail.cc/en/paris-brussels-bruxelles-train/f3992[/u]
Brussels-Netherlands: use the free IC trains, not the expensive THALYS trains. you have frequent free IC trains from Brussels to Amsterdam, ...
Train schedules: [u]https://rail.cc/en/search-interrail-route[/u]
And don't forget... if you want to support all the help and the forum, buy your tickets via:
[ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux]
Thank you.
Peter :)
maybinuk
Traveller
10 comments
Thank you for those links - very helpful! We are only two cities into planning and already dealing with budget, so have now changed our route slightly to Rome-FLORENCE-Paris-etc. (Will take a day trip to one or both of Pisa/Venice) Just have a couple of questions.
- Are there night trains going from Florence to Paris?
- I have been looking at train schedules. Is that one the same as the one you've provided: [u]https://rail.cc/en/search-train-route[/u] ? They also have the boxes for Youth/Adult with Railcard so I am assuming they all correspond to each other, except just on different sites?
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi!
Night train Firenze - Paris:
EN 220 :arr: Artesia, have a look for supplements here: [u]https://rail.cc/en/rome-florence-paris-night-train/f1454[/u]
Firenze SMN dep: 2125
Paris Bercy arr: 0916
SBB itself uses the same software as the travel planner in Peters link. From what I've seen now, I wouldn't use this site and can't recommend it. Although it finds the connection I mentioned above the site lists the train as reservation not required what definitely is wrong. It's the same with connections throughout the day.
I recommend using the travel planner provided in Peters link. I am using the one from ÖBB which runs with the same software. ;)
Flo 8)
maybinuk
Traveller
10 comments
Thank you for the heads up on the train timetables! I'll be sure to refer to the link you sent me.
We have sort of come up with our final plan, taking into consideration cost of staying in the places that we are going, and I just wanted some advice on what you think about this before I go ahead and book the accomodation:
5th* - Rome-Florence (leave Rome in the morning use the day to go to Pisa and return to Florence)
6th - Florence
7th*- Florence-Munich (Taking the night train to arrive the morning of 8th)
8th - Munich
9th - Munich (Will take an extra bus/train to Fussen to check out the castle. Not counted as a day travel)
10th - Munich
11th* - Munich - Dresden
12th - Dresden
13th* - Dresden - Prague - Dresden (Daytrip to Prague)
14th* - Dresden - Amsterdam
* = travel day
Could you just confirm that all these routes are possible journeys (in particular the nighttrain from florence to munich), and that this route will work using the 5-day in 10-day travel interrail pass? Thanks again, and sorry for keep changing the plans!
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
hej hej ...
maybe thing about not staying to long in Dresden (even it is a nice city!!) ... but Prague will be cheaper than Dresden... hostels and restaurants, if you avoid the city centre.
and the night train Dresden-Amsterdam starts in Prague.
calculating your travel days:
1: Rome-Pisa-Florence
2: Florence-Munich (night train)
3: Munich-Dresden
4: Dresden-Prague-Dresden
5: Dresden-Amsterdam ... if you stay in Prague and start from there in direction of Amsterdam, you will need a ticket from Prague to the next station after 1900h, as the night train leaves before. But it won't be too much, as Czech trains are cheap... [u]https://rail.cc/en/prague-amsterdam-night-train/f3748[/u]
so in total: 5 travel days - I conform. :)
Peter :)
maybinuk
Traveller
10 comments
Hi Peter
What a relief to hear that it seems to work! And thanks for the suggestion about Dresden. I was in Prague during Christmas and really loved it so maybe we can stay for a couple of nights there, so that our journey now looks like:
calculating your travel days:
1: Rome-Pisa-Florence
2: Florence-Munich (night train)
[b]3: Munich-Dresden - stay for 1 night only
4: Dresden-Prague - stay for 1 night and on the night of the 2nd day in Prague take the night train to Amsterdam
5: (Prague-)Dresden-Amsterdam[/b] ... if you stay in Prague and start from there in direction of Amsterdam, you will need a ticket from Prague to the next station after 1900h, as the night train leaves before. But it won't be too much, as Czech trains are cheap... [u]https://rail.cc/en/prague-amsterdam-night-train/f3748[/u]
Could you please clarify for me the 5.th point you made about Prague-Amsterdam? I have looked on the timetable for the nighttrain on the link you sent me, which goes-
Praha hl. n. Dep: 1831
Praha Holesovice Dep: 1840
Dresden Hbf Dep: 2053
Are you saying we should book a one-way ticket from Praha --- Dresden to catch our night train journey from there?
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
You will need a ticket for:
[b]Praha-Holesovice[/b] Dep: 1840
[b]Usti nad Labem hl.n.[/b] Dep: 1943
Ticket price maximum: 101-134 Czech Kronas = ~ EUR 4-5
You will have to buy the reservation for the type of compartment you want (seat, bed, etc) and then need the ticket mentioned above. From Usti nad Labem hl.n. you travel free on your InterRail pass with the rule of 1900h: [u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-night-train[/u]
Peter :)
Head
Traveller
101 comments
[quote]7th*- Florence-Munich (Taking the night train to arrive the morning of 8th)
9th - Munich (Will take an extra bus/train to Fussen to check out the castle. Not counted as a day travel)
10th - Munich
11th* - Munich - Dresden
12th - Dresden
13th* - Dresden - Prague - Dresden (Daytrip to Prague)
14th* - Dresden - Amsterdam[/quote]
I would rather stay in Prague and make a daytrip to Dresden. Night trains serving Dresden go to Prague as well. Prague seems to have more things to do and see, and is cheaper.
You can also make a trip to Fussen on your arrival day to Munich, this will save you some money. Train to Fussen departs 20 minutes after arrival of night train from Florence - quite enough time to put your luggage in lockers.
München Hbf Gl.27-36 ab 06:51 ALX38702
Buchloe an 07:39
Buchloe ab 07:47 RE 32624 Regional-Express
Füssen an 08:56
you'll arrive in time for opening of castles (and more important - before the main crowd gets there and produces long queues. Late arrival can result in long wait for castle admission times). You'll be than able to return to Munich in afternoon to go to your hotel/hostel.