eagle eyes asked:
Iam Planning to Visit Europe by Train in summer for 1 month.I want to visit more than 20 countries.I need some information about Trains,Hostels and advises .I will start my journey from Italy.If anybody has some information or have been kindly please share with me.irshad
Iam Planning to Visit Europe by Train in summer for 1 month.I want to visit more than 20 countries.I need some information about Trains,Hostels and advises .I will start my journey from Italy.If anybody has some information or have been kindly please share with me.irshad
You should look into traveling with Eurail, also known as Eurorail, they offer rail Passes for train travel in Europe. With a Eurail Pass you can travel on trains throughout Europe. Just choose the countries you want to visit and the number of travel days you need. Take as many trains as you wish on each day.
More than 20 countries in 1 month? That’s barely 1 day-ish per country, and it’s really not very viable. You’re going to end up being on the move at all time, you’ll be tired and you’ll see a lot but not really see anything, if you get what I mean?
I really would recommend cutting down the number of the countries a little. Even at a stretch, how about allowing at least 2 days per country?
Train travel:
Anyway. The handy way to travel is by train as Europe is served by an excellent rail network. You can get Eurail pass (http://www.eurail.com ) and you’ll need a global pass, which costs 527euro for one month if you’re 25 and younger (on 2nd class youth ticket), 810euro if you’re 26 and over (for 1st class adult ticket).
Please note about travelling with Eurail pass, especially if you want to take fast train/overnight train, and some trains DO require reservation, you’ll need to pay supplemental charges for those. This may adds up quite a bit on top of what you’ve already paid for the pass.
On the other hand, perhaps paying for overnight train is worth it, because if you have a long distance to travel and you don’t want to lose time, paying for the couchette is like paying for the hostel for that night. When you wake up, you’ll be at your next destination city.
Visa:
Check that you don’t need visa to the countries that you plan to visit. While many European countries are participants of the Schengen, which means getting one Schengen visa (if applicable) is good for travelling in all these countries, there are some countries which require separate visa (e.g. UK and Ireland). If you do need separate visa, the cost may be a bit much if you’re visiting those countries for 1 day each, not to mention the hassle involved as well.
Accommodation:
I normally use HostelWorld (http://www.hostelworld.com ) for bookings as they have a vast network of reasonably priced accommodations.
Guide book:
Lonely Planet has a pretty good guidebook call Europe on a Shoestring. I would recommend getting a copy of it.
Travel insurance:
Get a travel insurance. You’ll never know when you’re going to need it. Hopefully not while you’re travelling but you’ll have at least some peace of mind knowing that if something goes wrong, you’ll be able to access medical care, document replacemenets etc.
Route planning:
Try to route your trip so that you’re doing it in a single direction without a lot of backtracking. That way you’ll save some time. And plan sensibly. E.g. if you’re not going to Portugal but you’re going to Spain, then choose Barcelona over Madrid, because it’s closer to the rest of Europe for you to connect to your subsequent city. Use Google Maps to visualise the route to see if it makes sense.