scotland369
Traveller
2 comments
Posted 13 years ago
After coping surprisingly well in Tanzania, me and my best friend have decided that we want to try interrailing in summer with a ten days in twenty two day pass. We'd really appreciate it if someone could give some feedback on the route.
The Route-
Rome-Zurich-Munich-Prague-Berlin[b]---[/b]Amsterdam[b]---[/b]Paris-Nice
Basically the issue is that some parts of the route (that I've attempted to highlight) are potentially problematic. Apparently its difficult to get directly from Berlin to Amsterdam and the journey itself takes ages. Also getting from Amsterdam to Paris will require transiting through Belgium where it's horrendously expensive ie supplements and whatnot.
Also, does anyone have any idea how much we should budget between us? I've looked at the calculator but any individual opinions would be helpful :)
Hetman
Traveller
364 comments
from Berlin to Amsterdam at midnigth is direct night train and moreover a little bit more than 6 hours it's not ages! :)
Amsterdam->Paris: [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/amsterdam-to-paris[/u]
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hej!
First, your route is rather awkward considering that Roma and Nice are not that far away from each other - is it because of your flights back home? Have you considered going back to Scotland by train/ferry as well?
Like Hetman said, Berlin - ADam - Paris is not really a problem at all. During the day there are two-hourly direct IC services (no reservations required), although they do not serve Amsterdam Centraal (Zuid and Schiphol only) but this is not a big issue.
For Amsterdam - Paris you have to avoid the direct but expensive Thalys...follow the link Hetman posted above. If that is a too long journey, you can make a stopover along the route, for instance in Antwerpen or Brugge.
Regarding the budget...that mainly depends on what kind of accomodation you prefer..a quick estimate:
Reservations: ~30€ (only those that you really need if you do not want to only go with slow regional trains...in Italy and France mainly), if you want to travel with a night train you have to add ~25€ for a couchette per person
Accomodation: Hostels got quite expensive during last years, I would calculate with ~25-30€ per night (Roma, Zürich, Amsterdam, Paris being more expensive than the other cities)
Food etc: Depends on your preferences but ~10-15€ should be fine
That would total around 800-900€ plus the ticket... :)
Flo 8)
scotland369
Traveller
2 comments
Thanks for responses! The route isn't definite so alterations can be made :) Out of interest are there any cities on the route you think we should miss out or not plan on spending too much time on?
Nah, we have to fly really. It's the cheapest and most practical way of getting to and from the continent. Rail fares in Britain are pretty extortionate and getting a ferry from mainland Europe to the west coast of Scotland (and how I'd get to Glasgow from there I don't know) would take a very very long time lol :D
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hmm...well, I probably wouldnt stay in Zürich too long (mainly since it is rather expensive, of course), all the other cities are really nice and you could spend lots of time there. But since you would still have some travel days of your pass left I would recommend to make a stop somewhere in between Amsterdam and Paris like I said before...when staying in Nice visit some of the other places along the coast (Antibes, Grasse, Villefranche,...); what could also be quite nice would be to make a stop somewhere between Paris and Nice: Lyon, Avignon, maybe Marseille, or one of the smaller cities in the centre: Le Puy en Velay, Perigueux, Albi, Caracassone,...
Dresden is certainly worth at least a short visit too (halfway between Praha and Berlin). Of course you could also include Austria between München and Praha.
scotland369
Traveller
2 comments
Thanks, I'm very grateful for your help :)
If we were to stop between Amsterdam and Paris, we were thinking about Bruges.
I've noticed you are in Austria. Where would you recommend we visit? We don't have to go to Vienna.
Friend, has decided she wants a stop in the west of Germany (North Rhine Westphalia) between Berlin and Amsterdam. We'd probably end up in Düsseldorf, Köln or Bonn. Is this advisable or should we just avoid it?
Could we realistically fit this all in 22 days or would we have to get a one month pass instead?
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Yeah, Brugge is a good idea for a short visit. :)
In Austria, the obvious choice would be Salzburg, which is quite nice although cramped with tourists. It is not far from München and has acceptable connections to Praha.
All other cities (Innsbruck, Graz) are a little off route...I would recommend either Salzburg or Wien for your trip.
An extra stop before Amsterdam is no problem, you have very good connections from Berlin/to Amsterdamin the Köln/Düsseldorf area.
I have been to Düsseldorf this year but I didnt like it that much. If you go there, you can easily visit both as they are very close to each other with frequent trains running.
The route is totally feasible within 22 days, calculate with 2 or 3 days in each city. A 10in22 Flexi Pass would be just perfect. :)
Flo 8)