anonymous
Traveller
2469 comments
Posted 14 years ago
Hi
We are looking to travel through Europe this summer and have planned a route from Sofia to Vienna. However we would like to travel from Vienna to London making some stops on the way, does anyone know of some nice routes? Or time saving journeys?
Also we would love to hear from some people who have visited Sofia, Bucurest, Budapest or Vienna about recommended hostels, campsites and sightseeing opportunities :)
Wow that's a lot of questions!!
Many thanks!
Katie and Col
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi Katie and Col!
First, I removed your other post - no need to post twice since we read all the messages. ;)
I dont know how much time you have planned for your journey Vienna - London that makes it a little difficult - I'll just list some random places where you could choose from. If you then need further details just let me know.
Maybe have a stop at the Salzkammergut - if you like lakes, nature etc. Places to go to by train would be Bad Ischl, Bad Goisern, Hallstatt, Bad Aussee.
Then you could continue via Salzburg to Munich. Maybe a day trip to Füssen/Neuschwanstein Castle? Continue maybe via Frankfurt along the rivers Rhein and Mosel to Trier or Luxembourg. From Luxembourg either directly with TGV to Paris or first to Belgium. Bruxelles, Antwerpen, Gent and Bruges are all fantastic places. :) Depending on how you want to go to London, you could then either go to Hook van Holland for the Harwich ferry, [u]https://rail.cc/en/ferry-netherlands-england/f1659[/u] to Calais for the Dover ferry [u]https://rail.cc/en/paris-london-ferry-calais-dover/f1442[/u] or directly with Eurostar [u]https://rail.cc/en/brussels-london-eurostar-train/f1807[/u]
Another possible route from Munich would be via Karlsruhe (or Freiburg) and Strasbourg. Other nice cities in that area are Basel, Colmar, Mulhouse - and all of them (except Freiburg) have direct TGV connections to Paris.
A totally different route would be to go through the Alps: Salzburg - Innsbruck and via the Arlberg to Switzerland. There, maybe have a look at Glacier Express [u]https://rail.cc/en/glacier-express/f1750[/u] or another route through the Alps - Lötschberg, Gotthard and many more. Visit Zürich, Bern, Lausanne or Geneve and then go to Paris by TGV.
I hope these suggestions will help you finding a nice route - I know this is quite a lot to read through so if you have any detailed questions dont hesitate to ask. :)
I can only give you a recommendation for accomodation in Vienna: Wombats Hostel
In Budapest it is worth to visit one of the thermal spas, either the Gellert or the Szechenyi. Then there is the old market hall at the Szabadsag hid across the river of the Gellert spa. Also go to the castle hill where you have a nice view over the city as well as a nice old quarter.
In Vienna there's also plenty to do - lots of museums: MAK, MQ (both modern art), Kunsthistorisches and Naturhistorisches Museum (Art and National History Museum)...and many more. Great night life, shopping... :)
If you dont have your InterRail pass yet and if you like the work here at the forum and website - please support it by buying your official InterRail pass at [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux] . Thank you. :)
Flo 8)
Noora Laitinen
Traveller
5 comments
Hi!
I am also going to do my first interrail this Summer.
I will start from Northern-Italy. Any good tips how to get there as quickly as possible from Finland? Are the trains expensive, would it be better to fly from Finland and start railing there? Any recommendations about nice cities, hostels, etc. in Northern-Italy.
After the first week in Italy I`ll meet my friends and we`ll head towards east. We thought of Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia and Southern Poland. Any tips about nice places, good train routes, accommodation, attractions etc? We are going to spend about 2 weeks there.
Then we should head towards Austria and Paris..
All the tips are more than welcome because it`s our first time there interrailing..
And I hope we`ll meet other interrailers too there in July!
Best Regards, Noora :)
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi Noora!
If you start from Finland it might be a good idea to look for a cheap fight to somewhere in central Europe (although I dont want to promote to fly such short distances) since it would take quite some time for you to get down to Italy by train.
However, if you decide to do so, here is a possible route:
Ferry Helsinki or Turku - Stockholm (via Mariehamn) :arr: 50% discount on Tallinsk Silja Oy services with an InterRail pass
Stockholm 1706 - 2102 Lund :arr: X2000, compulsory reservation, 7€
Lund 2116 - 0604 Berlin :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/en/berlin-night-express-sweden-berlin/f1186[/u]
Berlin 0632 - 1347 Basel :arr: free ICE
Basel 1403 - 1544 Arth-Goldau :arr: free IR
Arth-Goldau 1550 - 1850 Milano :arr: EC, compulsory reservation, ~5€
This is just an example, you can find detailed train schedules here: [u]https://rail.cc/en/search-interrail-route[/u]
You could also use the Stockholm - Travemünde ferry (20% discount with IR on Finnlines) and then continue to Italy by train.
If you think that journey would be too long you could make a little stop somewhere along the route - maybe in Hamburg or Berlin. With InterRail you have the flexibility to do so. :)
Especially the part in Switzerland (Gotthard route via Arth-Goldau) is really scenic and worth to see.
In northern Italy maybe stop at Lago di Como or somewhere along the Centovalli railway Locarno - Domodossola. And then to Milano...
To go to Slovenia from Italy is a little bit tricky - have a look at the links: [u]https://rail.cc/en/venice-budapest-night-train/f1487[/u] and [u]https://rail.cc/en/ljubljana-venice-train/f3663[/u]
In Slovenia definitely go to Ljubljana and then maybe to Lake Bled.
In Hungary Budapest is a must; also think about Pecs which is half-way between Ljubljana/Zagreb and Budapest - it is cultural capital of Europe in 2010! :) If you want to go for a swim you could go to Lake Balaton.
Cant tell you really much about Slovakia and Poland; well, Bratislava is nice but you could also do it as a day trip if you are going to visit Vienna. And Krakow is of course very nice.
In Austria, besides Vienna, maybe think about going to Graz (my hometown, really nice and relaxed student city) or Salzburg; if you want nature I can recommend the Salzkammergut or one of the lakes in Carinthia.
Have a look at the different country boards of our forum where you will find further information, especially regarding night trains: [u]https://rail.cc/en/countries[/u]
First time InterRailer guide: [u]https://rail.cc/en/first-interrail-tour/f3303[/u]
If you have any other questions dont hesitate to ask! And if you want to support the work here at the forum and the website, please buy your official InterRail ticket at [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux] . Thank you. :)
Flo 8)
Noora Laitinen
Traveller
5 comments
Hi Flo!
Thank you so much for the tips.. I have to think of the trip from Helsinki to Italy, the problem is that I should be there in like 24 h after I leave my hometown, but it`s not that big problem though...
Yep, many of the places you mentioned I already had in my list, but Como, Pecs and lake Balaton are good extra to that, thanks! :)
How about accommodation; is there any hostels, B&B etc. that you (or anyone) would recommend for three girls that would like to meet other interrailers too?
I really must check the timetables for the trains, fortunately I have two months left before starting the trip..
Thanks a lot, I may still have more questions after a while :)
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
No problem - you're welcome.
OK, the connection Stockholm - Milano is certainly one of the fastest possible, if you then include the ferry to Stockholm (~12h/~18h, depending on where you leave in Finland) you will need almost two days to get there. I always like to start my travels by train instead of going by plane but I totally can understand if you choose the latter beacuse of the quite long direct journey.
Unfortunately I cant really give you recommendations regarding hostels in the places mentioned - only in Vienna I recommend the Wombats hostel. Also check at [ux]https://rail.shop/hostelworld[/ux] as there are usually lots of places listed together with many reviews.
To check the schedules, use the link I provided in my first post - but keep in mind that there is a minor schedule change in mid-june and that the database isnt fully updated yet. So it will be better to check for dates before 13th June now - there wont be many substantial changes so that you can plan your journey with these timetables. If something's unclear still, just ask. ;)
anonymous
Traveller
2469 comments
Thanks for all your help Flo, still in the early stages of planning so all of that is really helpful!
If we were to opt for the 10 days travel in 22 day pass, would night journeys count as one or two days?
Thanks again
Katie and Col
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Again - you're welcome. :) If you get the 10in22, you can make use for the 1900-rule for night trains: [u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-night-train[/u]
Flo 8)
Noora Laitinen
Traveller
5 comments
Thanks a lot for all the information! You have great internetsites! :)
-Noora