Miguel119
Traveller
0 comments
Posted 1 month ago
Hello, everyone,
I'm from Portugal and I'm determined to do the Discovereu interrail on my own!
I have several friends in Eastern Europe, mainly Poland, Romania, Hungary and Turkey, so those are the countries I'm most interested in visiting.
But there's a problem, I only have 7 days to spend on the train that month, and getting from Portugal to the east would be almost impossible because I'd spend almost all the days just going. What I've been advised is to take a cheap plane to somewhere that serves as a starting point.
But I'm confused and don't know where to start planning my itinerary.
If anyone can help me, I'd be very grateful!
nltrainer
Traveller
1445 comments
1.far better forum: community.eurail.com. Works for EU and INterRail and has many tips. THIS forum/site is slowly dying, but google sometimes still sends people to it. I just visited that forum and saw a nice overview of INTERNat trains in the Balkans.
2.IN East-EUR trains are often not existing, or quite cheap=cost less as what a passday would cost you, there may also be youth/junior fares OR- often much easier to book, cheaper and faster, look at BUSes, like FLIX or others.
3.IR_passes are for 4,5,7,10 days in 1 month or also for 1 or even 2 month continuous- of course for different prices. IF you still have to buy, wait til there comes a sale= discount and decide again how many to take.
4.you have done homework quite good already-its indeed from PT a hassle to reach on rails East-EUR. So again: consider a bus to somewhere in FRance.
OR check cheap airlines like that so often mispraised RYANair, also EASYjet or possibly others. Check to where they fly from LISboa or maybe FARo or PORto-and decide what works best for you. There is also WIZZair, specializes in East-EUR (its like RYAN from HUNgary) and in summerseason will offer many flites to where those people want to to: the beaches in ES and PT-so you can use them in the more empty contra-flow. IF you have never used such an airline; DO inform yourself, follow rules exactly, DOuble check rules for luggage and adapt your overweight backpack so that is better fit for that airline.
BTW: as you see this is a trainforum and thus mostly wants to steer people into trains. That was the past-this forum is slowly dying. I am myself much more critical to trains-those people never tell the truth re all the problems one may encounter on them. There was also in the past a terrific bekpek-forum: from the lonelyplanet guidebooks, named thorntree, but that has also ceased. THre is for now not really a neutral-all taking forum anymore.
I see you have done homework beter as most, so post again if you have some more specific Q.
Also: the so often mentioned site seat61.com has info on how to travel by trains to/fro UK=GB to all EUR counrties-you can use parts of that for global planning, f.e. the sector PT-into somewhere in FR, then pick up their advice for how to go to HU/RO or the like.
All the best miguel, succes with it and I hope some of this may help you further