mysteriousdonkey
Traveller
1 comments
Posted 12 years ago
Hey guys,
I know this may seem like lots of writing but trust me, its all very clear and my problems are simple enough. I just like to be thorough!
I will be (hopefully) travelling with my gf who is non-EU (Chinese) but resident here in Ireland with me. As such, I pretty much have to plan out the whole trip in advance so that she can get a visa. We are planning to go in August so as you can see, I really need the help and advice to get this off the ground quickly!
My proposed route is:
Amsterdam-Berlin-Prague-Krakow-Vienna-Budapest-Ljubjiana-Salzburg-Munich
Amsterdam 2 nights, leave for Berlin on the third day.
Berlin stay 3 nights (2 days in the city, one in Potsdam) leave for Prague early in the morning.
Prague stay 3 nights, take overnight train to Krakow
Krakow stay 2 nights take overnight train to Vienna
Vienna stay 1 night (I hear its expensive!) Head to Budapest next evening
Budapest stay 3 nights, then overnight train to Lubjiana?
Whats the story with getting from Budapest to Lubjiana? I need to avoid Zagreb completely as my gf will only have a Schengen Visa (not applicable to Croatia). It looks like a 9 hour train journey, are there sleepers available?
Another option would be to stay somewhere else in Hungary/Eastern Slovenia to break up this journey. Suggestions?
Lubjiana stay for 2 night, train to Bled
Bled 2 Nights, train to Salzburg
Salzburg One night, train to Munich the next evening
Munich 2 nights here and then up early to fly home.
What I want to know is,
1. is it really worth taking two overnight trains just to see Krakow? I also want to visit Auschwitz for one of my days there, but to be honest im not sure if its worth the hassle. I've been to most capital cities in Europe, this trip is mainly so my gf can see Europe while her visa is valid. Thats why it looks like its just ticking off the big cities, something I'm not big on.
2. Does anyone have any suggestion for scenic locations/excursions I could add to this route? Ideally I would like one full day to check out each cities historial areas of interests, and then spend the rest of the time heading out to see some nice scenery. For example when in Slovenia I will spend one day in Ljubjiana, then move on to Lake Bled for the day/night.
3.The plan is to use a 22 day interrail pass.Including the first two days in Amsterdam and the final 2 in Munich in which the rail pass is invalid, the trip should be 26 days. Sound realistic?
4. I have NOTHING booked yet. Would I need to book any of those trains, especially the sleepers in advance? As you can see, Its not a very flexible itinerary.
Thanks, hope someone can help me out SUPERQUICK!
mysteriousdonkey
Flo
Traveller
10723 comments
Hej!
I am not aware of the visa details but shouldnt it be enough to get the InterRail ticket now? Or do you also have to already state where exactly you are going?
Anyway, for all day trains you wont need a reservation. Just hop on the train as you like. An exception could be Budapest - Venezia but lets deal with that later.
You'll find most routes already at the railcc site. Examples:
:arr: [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/amsterdam-to-berlin[/u]
:arr: [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/prague-to-krakow[/u]
There is one direct day train Budapest - Ljubljana, dep Budapest Deli 1211, Ljubljana arr 2123 - I just checked, it should not require a reservation. You could ask locally to be sure but I'm quite certain. ;)
It does not cross Croatia! You can check on the map here (it runs via Hodos) :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/en/maps[/u]
There is a night train as well but its timings are not that comfortable if you wanna go to Ljubljana: :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/en/night-train/hungary/hu[/u]
Bled - Salzburg: Do it during the day to get the nice Alpine views on the Tauernbahn, connections here :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/zagreb-to-munich[/u]
Wien is not that expensive, you can stay eg for 20€ in a Wombats hostel which are very nice. :)
To your questions:
1) Why not? If you want to go there, do it! :) Night trains are well worth their money...and it is always a little adventure..
2) Between Budapest and Ljubljana you could go to Lake Balaton if you want to relax some days - but in summer it is rather crowded so maybe not that what you are looking for.
Maybe think of extending your stay in Salzburg to fit a day trip to the Salzkammergut in (Bad Aussee, Hallstatt, Bad Goisern, Bad Ischl,...)
The train ride between Berlin and Praha is quite nice as well (sit on the left side between Dresden and Decin).
3) Sounds reasonable. :)
4) Like I mentioned above, you do not have to book any day train of your route. For the two night trains it should be OK to get the reservations in Berlin at the station. Do not do it in Amsterdam, as they charge an additional booking fee.
Hope this helps you - and that you'll get your tickets from [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux] ;)
Flo 8)
mysteriousdonkey
Traveller
1 comments
Flo,
Thanks so much, thats perfect, you really helped! RE. the visa situation, I need to apply to the Dutch embassy as it is point of entry, and I was told we need to show a full itinerary plus proof of accommodation-basically have EVERYTHING booked. The interrail ticket isnt enough, otherwise people could do a runner. My calculations were a bit off, so I actually have a spare day or two which I will add to Vienna, or most likely Salzburg now due to your recommendation.
That seems like everything for now, thanks so much for getting me the train info...now I just have to pray I dont turn up for any of the trains and get turned away or it'll mess up the plan!
Thanks dude.
Flo
Traveller
10723 comments
Hej,
glad I could help. Regarding the visa situation...then the InterRail ticket plus booked accomodation should be sufficient to get the visa?
Since you do not need to reserve any of the trains mentioned (except the night trains to/from Krakow) like I said. There is no need to worry that you get turned away from any of the day trains of your route since none of them has compulsory reservation! Just show up in time and get a nice seat. :)
And in case you'll miss a train there is always an alternative connection. All cities are connected with ~2 hourly direct trains, except for Budapest - Ljubljana. For this leg you could alternatively go via Wien - Villach in case you'd miss the direct train. Just ask if you have any doubts... ;)
Flo 8)