5 Responses to “WHAT’S THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE WAY TO TRAVEL THROUGH EUROPE, OTHER THAN BY CAR?”

1. Milan M
   

   09. Mar, 2010

   yes train is very cheep but you also have great low cost flying companies in germany i think so…

2. LaFeeFan
   

   09. Mar, 2010

   You actually have to compare the prices, and if possible perform an early booking and stick to a certain connection, regardless whether you chose a flight or a train connection.
   In central Europe there are certain high speed train tracks which make the travel faster than a car and take almost the same time as a plane ride since you do not have the check-in procedures.
   A good example would be the destination Paris to Lyon in France. The train takes 1 hour and 53 to 57 minutes for the 463 kilometer (288 miles) distance. By car you would need almost 4 hours, A flight takes 1 hour and 10 minutes but you have to consider the check in time as well as the travel time to and from the airports whereas the train stations are located in the middle of the cities.
   Another example is the destination Cologne to Frankfurt in Germany. Trains take 1 hour and 10 minutes for the 189 kilometer (117 miles). A car would need about two hours to get from and to the middle of the cities. Airplane companies have suspended their offer for this destination after the high speed train track had been built.
   A good tool to compare prices is the website of sky scanner and a site which links to the European train companies.
   Buses as greyhound in the states are not offered to that extend in Europe because of its functional rail system. There are certain international bus connections preferred by backpackers since they are cheap but they take a lot of time.

   Source(s):
   http://www.skyscanner.net/?single=true
   http://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-tickets.htm#How%20to%20buy%20European%20train%20tickets%20online
   http://www.tgv-europe.com/en/home/
   http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
   http://www.touring.de/International-Bus-Lines.3.0.html?&L=1

3. Karina A
   

   09. Mar, 2010

   Actually by bus it’s cheaper if you buy tickets (well) in advance or travel long distances (Eurolines for example).

   The thing with trains is that
   1) you might not have direct connections.
   2) the prices depend on the country you are in and your age.
   InterRail pass is not a bargain if you want to cross Europe from one end to another.

   Low cost airlines might have nasty delays or leave you in far away airports. I don’t use planes unless the destination is far far away, I like to see places from ground level.

4. thiswillneverbechanged
   

   09. Mar, 2010

   Train is extremely cheap, the best way to go, no one will take advantage of you unlike taxis and buses etc.

5. dan the man
   

   09. Mar, 2010

   depending on the countries you want to visit, yeah getting a rail card and using trains would be the cheapest, however always check for cheap flights, ive heard of friends flying from london to north italy for about 30 dollars american so that would obviously be cheaper and faster than anything else.