daruda
Traveller
5 comments
Posted 14 years ago
Dear,
As explained in the title this would be our route.
We would take 4 night trains.
From Prague to Krakow
From Krakow to Budapest
From Budapest to Bucharest
and from Bucharest to Sofia.
So we would buy the 5 days within 10days card.
Now I have 1 question. Probably we want to visit some little cities in the neighbourhood of the bigger cities.
If we travel to there by train. We can take again 1 train for free?
For example if we go from Krakow to city x we can take that again for free (5 travel days in 10)
But when we come back from city x to Krakow we need to pay. Am i right?
Then another question.
Do you need to reservate the night trains? Or is there place enough?
Do we need to reservate them now? Or is it time enough to do that when we arrive in the station and plan to leave 2 days later ?
Hope someone can help me!
kind regards
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
Hi.
You travel days are like this using the rule for night trains: [u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-night-train[/u]
If you want to use this rule on your first trip Prague to Krakow, your InterRail ticket has to start already on day in advance. For example you want to use the night train in the night of the 10th to the 11th of June, your InterRail pass has to start the 10th. And you fill in as the first ONE of your FIVE travel days the 11th.
[b]1st: Prague-Krakow:[/b] [u]https://rail.cc/en/prague-krakow-night-train/f4027[/u]
[b]2nd: Krakow-Budapest:[/b] [u]https://rail.cc/en/krakow-budapest-night-train/f3305[/u]
[b]3rd: Budapest-Bucharest:[/b] [u]https://rail.cc/en/budapest-bucharest-night-train/f1605[/u]
[b]4th: Bucharest-Sofia:[/b] [u]https://rail.cc/en/moscow-bucharest-sofia-night-train/f3417[/u]
You can use as much trains as you wan on such a travel day. Just as an example to explain (maybe not worth to do, but okay):
You travel from Prague to Krakow by night train. Arriving in the morning in Krakow. Then take a train to Auschwitz. And go back in the evening to Krakow - where you then stay for some days.
All this is ONLY ONE travel day.
Just to add: you can leave the night train Prague-Krakow in the morning at Oswiecim for Auschwitz (see schedule planer).
You still have one day left to use for the smaller cities. But even if you run out of travel days, no panic: train travel is extremely cheap in Eastern Europe. It is not expensive to buy then single train tickets for the smaller places you want to visit.
About the reservations: you will have to buy them in Eastern Europe at the stations as you can't buy them online. If you know your exact travel days, you can already try in Prague to get the reservations for Budapest, Bucharest and Sofia.
And if you like our forum, support it and buy an official InterRail pass at [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux] ... Thank you. :)
Peter :)
daruda
Traveller
5 comments
Peter!
Thanks a lot!
We certainly will buy our tickets at this site because of the support.
One other question.
We will be with a group of 6-7 persons.
What would you recommend?
Couchettes for 6 people?
Or cabins for 2-3 persons?
We want to get the cabins for only our group.
For example 1 couchette 6 persons for our group, not that 2 persons lay in 1 couchette and 4persons in another.
But I don't think this is a problem if you mention this when you make the reservation?
In the couchettes of 6 persons do you have the same place as in the cabins of 2-3 persons?
Then another off topic question
We also want to go on a hike journey for 2 days somewhere in the neighbourhood of the big cities.
Do you have any idea where we can make a nice route?
I already did find some information about the amber trail!
Another question I have.
If we for example go on the hiking trip and we start in Krakow and end our trip in Skawina.
Then we take in Skawina at 20h22 a train to Krakow where we arrive at 20h56 on 30/07, so we need to fill in our interrail pass 30/07 i guess.
If we then take at 22h11 the night train from Krakow to Budapest do we then need to fill in 31/07 on our interrail pass? Or can we use the 30/07 again?
Because otherwise we would lose 1day because of the small route from Skawina to Krakow
kind regards
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
If you want to spent the money, use the 2/3 bed compartments. More comfortable to sleep, but the 6-bed-couchettes are as well okay.
And it is no problem to ask for one couchette for all - they can book it so that the whole group is together in one compartment.
Of course a 6-bed-cabin is a bit smaller - but as you only use it over night, it is no problem!
About hiking routes, I am not an expert. I am more fixed on the rail thing. :)
For your journey [b]Skawina-Krakow-Budapest[/b]:
You can use the 1900h-rule for night trains only using a [b]DIRECT night train[/b]. You can not use it the way you mentioned.
But don't spent ONE of your travel days for Skawina-Krakow, just [b]buy normal one-way tickets[/b]. It will be definitely less than EUR 5 per person.
From Krakow to Budapest you make use of the 1900h-rule.
Peter :)
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
If you're not sure if you got all your reservations in one compartment you can check the numbers:
Couchettes in one compartment are usually numbered from x1 to x6 - for example 31 to 36 - x1 and x2 being the lower, x3 and x4 the middle, x5 and x6 the upper berths
Similar system with sleepers, only difference is that the maximum of berths in one comparment is three (sometimes four).
Flo 8)
daruda
Traveller
5 comments
Peter,
I want to order the tickets, but the maximum is 5 at once?
We are with 7, so we want to buy 7 passes at once!
I also have some other questions.
as I said, we are with 7 persons.
One of the 7 will buy a seating ticket. The other 6 wil buy a couchette of 6 persons.
Is it possible for the person who bought the seating ticket to join us in the couchette? He maybe can sleep on the ground? Or is this not allowed?
Then, there are supplements for the night trains, for example per person €10 for a sleeping couchette.
Is this the only supplements that needs to be paid?
Then are there also supplements for local trains?
For example, we go from Prague to Krakow on night 1/2 august.
So on the interrail tickets is filled in 2 august.
Then we also can travel the second august to Auschwitz, but do we also need to pay a supplement for this journey?
Then last question, we can reservate all our train routes in Prague, do we also need to pay everything in Prague then?
Can we change/cancel something we did reservate? Or will the cost be lost?
Is it recommended to reservate in the beginning?
The travel plan is the same as mentioned in the first post.
Do you have any experience with these trains? Is there a lot of place?
kind regards!
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
Hi.
1) With the new shopping systems it is no problem anymore: [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux]
2) After the staff checked your tickets and reservations it shouldn't be a problem to move to the couchette for person number 7.
3) The supplement for the night train (EUR 10) is the only thing you have to pay extra. The supplement is at the same time your reservation. On the supplement there is written the number of the wagon and the number of your bed.
4) Local trains are usually free to use.
[u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-train-reservation[/u]
5) Night train 1-2 August.
If the night train leaves after 1900h in the evening of the 1st, fill in the 2nd as your travel day.
And on the 2nd you can travel to Auschwitz and turn back to Krakow in the evening of the 2nd.
But check the schedule planer. You can leave the night train coming from Prague before Krakow - then you are directly at Auschwitz.
6) All routes (night trains) you should be able to book in Prague.
You can only change (not all) reservations at the place where you bought them - especially such international ones.
So plan exactly.
7) Rail travel in Eastern Europe is fun - always have some beer with you ... and enough water to drink.
Have a sunny trip, Peter :)
daruda
Traveller
5 comments
Ok thanks a lot!
Some more questions:
Will you get something like border control in the night train?
If you book all the tickets in Prague, is it easier to write it down? or do the people at the desk in the train station speak fluently english?
Also I guess you need to pay cash?
Do the trains have a lot delay?
And not all the trains have seating possibilities?
Because we are with a group of 7 and want to reservate a 6 couchette coupon and the 7th person would join us in our coupon.
And the pass control in the train is in the beginning of the journey?
Kind regards
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
Hi.
The pass controls are usually at the time when you cross the border. This can be as well sometimes in the middle of the night.
But I never had problems. As soon as they see tourists, the just leave and close the door.
Seats are only available if mentioned.
Better to write it down on a paper (also with the prices of the supplements if you know them) - as even if someone speaks fluently English (and most of the staff do so), you might get confused by all the dates and times. :)
Eastern European night trains might have delays . coming closer to Sofia, it might be up to 3 hours - but sometimes they are in time.
To sleep with 7 persons in a 6-bed-couchette shouldn't be a problem. Just tell the staff - or lock the door.
Peter :)
daruda
Traveller
5 comments
Ok thanks!
And do we then need to pay 6 times the price of the couchette or 7 times? :D
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
Depends on how good you can hide person 7 from the train staff. ;)
I would say: you have to pay for 7 persons.
Ask at the station, often cabins aren't filled up with 6 persons ... maybe 2 x 4-bed-cabins aren't much more expensive... :)
Peter :)
daruda
Traveller
5 comments
With the prices that are listed on this site the difference between 4 and 6 couches is sometimes the double.
And we want to keep it as cheap as possible :D
But we'll do our best! :p