Europe, Trains, planes busses or car?

Here is the short version, believe it or not. I've lived in Europe about 6 years of my life and worked in Morocco for a month as well, so I can help.

First, "bouncing around Europe" is like "bouncing around the US". Very large area, very diverse, and it would take a lifetime to do everything you want to do. Add in that you are starting in Norway and you are already kind of on the outer realm of what I imagine you are looking to do, unless you are right there in Oslo the whole time. 10 days to me sounds like 2 places at most, unless you are interested in doing the standard American trip and go to every big city you can in 2 weeks. Personally, I think that sounds fucking awful and I'd pick one or two places to get after in a proper fashion. Cities all over the world are generally the same, most people just have such a small amount of relative experience living abroad that damn near any foreign country is "the coolest place every and the people there are so chill. So different from the US." Open your mind to a less aggressive prospect and really take advantage of some great places.

Trains - Very slow. Very expensive for extensive travel. Very overhyped. Very easy though. I've seen people buy $500 passes and use them all summer, but waste 2 DAYS on a local train because they didn't realize that taking a train to Greece from Northern Italy is like taking the subway from Atlanta to DC and their pass doesn't cover all the high speed trains.

Buses - Cheap, easy, slow though so it depends on where you are hoping to go.

Car - Generally super cheap to rent in Europe, although some countries will charge your card for an enormous deposit as their insurance policy. If you aren't doing well on credit that could be tough, obviously it won't go through if you bring it back in one piece. The thing that will really crush you if you want to travel a lot by car is tolls and gas. It's usually double or triple what we pay in the US.

Plane - Money maker. Fast. Easy. Can be unbelievably cheap (my wife visits her friend outside of Venice on weekends sometimes because Hahn to Venice is like $30 round trip on Ryanair). I'd recommend using Skyscanner since you are unfamiliar with European travel and that will help you find several other small airlines you may not know about and their search engine is super sweet.

The kicker with all this stuff in Europe is people get kicked in the balls by stuff that would never fly in the US, and they therefore have no clue exists. For example, if you forget to grab your paper Ryanair ticket off the table before you go to the airport, be prepared to pay $50 for them to print you a ticket at the airport. Seriously.

If you reply with some ideas you have for your trip as well as your travel experience, I could help you maximize your dollars and your time. Let me know what you're thinking and hopefully I can save you time and heartache.

If you are staying in one basic area, go for train/bus/public transportation. I lived there for a year and there wasn't a moment when I thought,"man, having a car would be way easier right now." (I was on the border of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. France was only a few hours by train away)

(My experience may just be because I was in Germany. I can't speak for the efficiency of public transportation in other Euro countries, but when it comes to being on time, Germans are on point. There may be places renting a car makes more sense)

Dustin.Plane - Money maker. Fast. Easy. Can be unbelievably cheap (my wife visits her friend outside of Venice on weekends sometimes because Hahn to Venice is like $30 round trip on Ryanair). I'd recommend using Skyscanner since you are unfamiliar with European travel and that will help you find several other small airlines you may not know about and their search engine is super sweet.

The kicker with all this stuff in Europe is people get kicked in the balls by stuff that would never fly in the US, and they therefore have no clue exists. For example, if you forget to grab your paper Ryanair ticket off the table before you go to the airport, be prepared to pay $50 for them to print you a ticket at the airport. Seriously.

I'd rather drag my saggy old man ballsack, after a week of abstention - to make the testicles large and heavy - over exposed fibreglass the length of a Boening 737-700.

If I ever have to hear that 'landing on time' celebratory trumpet tune again I will stab out my ears with the blunt end of a Stabilo Point 88 pencil.

Easyjet is International First Class Swiss compared to Ryanair.

Really good info from Dustin. I'd just second most of it, but also say that you'll likely have a way better trip if you don't try to see as many countries as you can in a short period of time. Choose one area and just see maybe 3 countries and spend a bit longer in each. If you do that, you can use trains and buses and it won't be a big deal as the distances won't be as great. In my experience, trains are much easier, but buses are cheaper. I rode a lot of buses. I would splurge if it was going to be an overnight train though and I'd just sleep there and not get a hostel.

A couple of potential itineraries that will put you in at least three countries but let you take ground transport rather than dealing with the hassle of multiple air legs:

Barcelona to Florence via France
Cologne-Amsterdam-Somewhere in Belgium-Paris
Venice-Ljubljana (a favorite of mine)-Zagreb - Budapest/Vienna

Laurent.I'd rather drag my saggy old man ballsack, after a week of abstention - to make the testicles large and heavy - over exposed fibreglass the length of a Boening 737-700.

If I ever have to hear that 'landing on time' celebratory trumpet tune again I will stab out my ears with the blunt end of a Stabilo Point 88 pencil.

Easyjet is International First Class Swiss compared to Ryanair.

Yep, there's a reason Ryanair is cheap as fuck.

Dustin.Yep, there's a reason Ryanair is cheap as fuck.

Oh no doubt, I've done my fair share of 15 buck flights to Dublin after a night-out for shits, giggles and gigantic dumps in public Irish restrooms. But please do prepare the young lad that traveling with Ryanair compares unfavourably with pre-Greenpeace Romanian livestock transport.

As a mode of transport it's prizes are unbeatable, but the journey will be hell, a yellow, plastic dirty hell.
Watch out for hidden fees for things such as emotional baggage and an adrenaline tax on rough landings.

Dustin.Here is the short version, believe it or not. I've lived in Europe about 6 years of my life and worked in Morocco for a month as well, so I can help.

First, "bouncing around Europe" is like "bouncing around the US". Very large area, very diverse, and it would take a lifetime to do everything you want to do. Add in that you are starting in Norway and you are already kind of on the outer realm of what I imagine you are looking to do, unless you are right there in Oslo the whole time. 10 days to me sounds like 2 places at most, unless you are interested in doing the standard American trip and go to every big city you can in 2 weeks. Personally, I think that sounds fucking awful and I'd pick one or two places to get after in a proper fashion. Cities all over the world are generally the same, most people just have such a small amount of relative experience living abroad that damn near any foreign country is "the coolest place every and the people there are so chill. So different from the US." Open your mind to a less aggressive prospect and really take advantage of some great places.

Trains - Very slow. Very expensive for extensive travel. Very overhyped. Very easy though. I've seen people buy $500 passes and use them all summer, but waste 2 DAYS on a local train because they didn't realize that taking a train to Greece from Northern Italy is like taking the subway from Atlanta to DC and their pass doesn't cover all the high speed trains.

Buses - Cheap, easy, slow though so it depends on where you are hoping to go.

Car - Generally super cheap to rent in Europe, although some countries will charge your card for an enormous deposit as their insurance policy. If you aren't doing well on credit that could be tough, obviously it won't go through if you bring it back in one piece. The thing that will really crush you if you want to travel a lot by car is tolls and gas. It's usually double or triple what we pay in the US.

Plane - Money maker. Fast. Easy. Can be unbelievably cheap (my wife visits her friend outside of Venice on weekends sometimes because Hahn to Venice is like $30 round trip on Ryanair). I'd recommend using Skyscanner since you are unfamiliar with European travel and that will help you find several other small airlines you may not know about and their search engine is super sweet.

The kicker with all this stuff in Europe is people get kicked in the balls by stuff that would never fly in the US, and they therefore have no clue exists. For example, if you forget to grab your paper Ryanair ticket off the table before you go to the airport, be prepared to pay $50 for them to print you a ticket at the airport. Seriously.

If you reply with some ideas you have for your trip as well as your travel experience, I could help you maximize your dollars and your time. Let me know what you're thinking and hopefully I can save you time and heartache.

im not looking to just sit in one spot. I make pretty good time bouncing around. This isnt the euro trjp ive been dreaming of my whole life but I found a cheap ticket back to norway.

if ryonair isnt that bad ive got tickets as cheap as 6 bucks. Skyscanner is alright but ive done better with travelpirates google flights and other stuff.

Idk I understand traveling but im not worried about this being some epic euro vacation. im going to spend more time in norway and see some new things there also barcelona and morocco for several days each.

I might ryonair it up to make the most of things. im just bringing a backpack

ill go do a proper euro trio later on. right now id rather spend that money to explore se asia s america etc. This trio was just a random impulse by. 420 rt and going skiing and hiking in norway.

As another former long-term resident of Europe, here's my few cents. I've been to the majority of countries in Europe.

Pick a region, Europe is huge, you don't have that many days to cover everything, so don't!

If you're bouncing around for 10 days or so, stick to a city or two. Don't spend all of your time traveling, you'll be missing on things like great beer and wine, leisurely meals, and such.

So here are some cities that would be good for a 10 day trip:

Barcelona - Madrid, with side trips to places like Toledo and Escorial.

Rome - Florence, with a side trip to Pisa.

Prague - Vienna - Budapest, these are the highlights of Central Europe. Or Berlin - Dresden - Prague.

Munich - Salzburg - Innsbruck

Amsterdam - Brussels, with side trips to Bruge and Antwerp

Paris, with day trip to Versailles

London, with day trips to Oxford and Cambridge

For something very different, try Sarajevo - Dubrovnik - Split

I think you get the point. If you're sticking to a city and taking side trips, then just buy a plane ticket. For cities like Prague - Vienna - Budapest, just buy the train tickets, I don't think the railpasses justify their cost. Train tickets are expensive, but with some advance planning, you can get deals. Sites like sbb.ch and bahn.de or oebb.at are pretty useful for schedules and planning.

Travel light- don't haul all your gear with you. If you have to, book your next lodging online, preferably near the train station. Yeah, the neighborhoods near the train stations are often scuzzy, but you don't want to be walking a half-mile or longer to get from the train platform to your lodging.

With few exceptions, European cities don't change a whole lot quickly, with exceptions such as Berlin and London. The architecture will always be there, the sights won't change, just plan on coming back when you have the chance.

English goes pretty far, just learn a few basic phrases in the country you're in. But try the language first, you're not expected to know every single language on the continent.

If you can drive stick rental cars are extremely cheap. But the cost of an automatic will be 2-3x as much as manual. Strong dollar should help with cost of fuel.

I'd drive Europe being so small compared to the US means everything is a quick car ride relatively speaking.


The cheap flights won't be as cheap after they rip you off for luggage assuming you bring more than a change of clothes.

I really don't want to just dick around in this city or that city. I'm trying to go on the move and get a tiny taste of this or that. I can always go back. Like I said this isn't my dream vacation where I lay on the beach all day and go out to a nice restaurant, etc.

I'm going solo, I'm only bringing a small backpack and I prefer to be on the move. I understand people keep saying "stay in one area for a long time etc" but that's not what I'm trying to do. for this trip I want to/ will keep moving. I do plan on chilling for a bit in morocco and spending a couple of days in barcelona.

Other than that I'm thinking 2 or 3 days in a place tops. Sure I won't get outside the city, but that's what I'm trying to do. I get a lot done in a city in a small amount of time. I'm going to knock out some of the cities, and then if I come back with more time, I'll avoid those cities and get out into the country more.

This isn't a 6 month adventure, hoenstly didn't even want to go to Europe right now. Just found a cheap plane ticket, wanted to get back to Norway. And I'm going to ping pong around europe.

Otherwise thanks for the advice. But I'm going to travel on the move.

Idk, I did over 60k miles in the last year driving around the USA. I like to be on the move. I have travel ADD. I constantly move my residency, from state to state, country to country. I understand that isn't relaxing to people but sitting in one country for a month is not my jam for this trip.

I could however so that with norway, skip europe entirely other than hitting barcelona and then morocco as I have the tickets.

Take trains but don't get a rail pass, you pay for convenience

Laurent.Oh no doubt, I've done my fair share of 15 buck flights to Dublin after a night-out for shits, giggles and gigantic dumps in public Irish restrooms. But please do prepare the young lad that traveling with Ryanair compares unfavourably with pre-Greenpeace Romanian livestock transport.

As a mode of transport it's prizes are unbeatable, but the journey will be hell, a yellow, plastic dirty hell.
Watch out for hidden fees for things such as emotional baggage and an adrenaline tax on rough landings.

Hahahahaha, dude this is on point.

theabortionatorim not looking to just sit in one spot. I make pretty good time bouncing around. This isnt the euro trjp ive been dreaming of my whole life but I found a cheap ticket back to norway.

if ryonair isnt that bad ive got tickets as cheap as 6 bucks. Skyscanner is alright but ive done better with travelpirates google flights and other stuff.

Idk I understand traveling but im not worried about this being some epic euro vacation. im going to spend more time in norway and see some new things there also barcelona and morocco for several days each.

I might ryonair it up to make the most of things. im just bringing a backpack

ill go do a proper euro trio later on. right now id rather spend that money to explore se asia s america etc. This trio was just a random impulse by. 420 rt and going skiing and hiking in norway.

Ya if you did Barcelona and Marakesch those are pretty close and you'd get some good time in both. Morocco is sweet, it's an awesome blend of modern western and ancient arab culture in one. Probably safer than Europe right now as well...

theabortionatorI really don't want to just dick around in this city or that city.

Well then sounds like you already got an idea there. If you don't want to listen to anyone who has already been in Europe, seems silly to ask.

Night trains since you want to see 100 places in 10 days. You can sleep on the train and wake up somewhere new. Won't be easy on your wallet but hey, that is what you want to do.

I would also recommend what the others previously have mentioned.
However you could do Oslo, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Berlin. I would definitely not recommend more than 4 places. When one travels to a ton of places in a short amount of time, one can barely say that he was even there. It is equivalent to being in the airport and saying "Yea I have been in Dubai... well only the airport, but it was really cool."

IamMANWell then sounds like you already got an idea there. If you don't want to listen to anyone who has already been in Europe, seems silly to ask.

Night trains since you want to see 100 places in 10 days. You can sleep on the train and wake up somewhere new. Won't be easy on your wallet but hey, that is what you want to do.

I would also recommend what the others previously have mentioned.
However you could do Oslo, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Berlin. I would definitely not recommend more than 4 places. When one travels to a ton of places in a short amount of time, one can barely say that he was even there. It is equivalent to being in the airport and saying "Yea I have been in Dubai... well only the airport, but it was really cool."

Well for the record I did ask what the best mode of transportation would be not for tips on planning my trip.

And since everyone is so pushy on the travel advice. The trip isn't 10 days. Im spending 7-10 days in Norway. I've already seen all I want to see in Oslo and won't be spending any time there other than maybe a night waiting to fly out.

I will also likely be getting to barcelona around the 29th or 20th. So I have a block of 10-12 days for anywhere I want to in Europe and i'm going to bounce around quite a bit.

One person mentioned the size comparison to the USA. I bounce around the USA all the time road tripping from north to south East to West.

Spending 2 or 3 days in a city is plenty for me. I moved around pretty quickly and cover a lot each day. That's nothing like the airport terminal.


Once again, I don't really give a fuck that nobody likes the way I travel. I don't see why that's so hard to understand. I understand I asked for advice and now I'm being a dick, but people aren't listening.

I'm doing some snowboarding and hiking in Norway, I'm doing chilling out and whatever in barcelona I'm probably hiking a mountain in Morocco. I'm totally fine with doing some other places by the city in a short amount of time.

If I really was tying to understand a whole country, the culture, see it all experience it all I'd go for a few weeks absolutely minimum. Like I said, I don't even care about that. Europe was a trip I wasn't even going to do for a few years. I just impulse bought a cheap flight to get back to Norway.

So if I ever mention that' I've been to france after this trip feel free to find me and call me out for only having been to paris, and it only having been for 3 days. You can tell me how I didn't see enough of the country, didn't spend enough time there, and that I'm a horrible person or whatever.

I'm not very worried.

theabortionatorWell for the record I did ask what the best mode of transportation would be not for tips on planning my trip

Well what did you think the best mode for transportation was you dummy? It depends on how far you are going. You could have found that out by yourself.
Airplane = far
train = not so far
Swimming = pretty close

have fun out there.

theabortionatorWell for the record I did ask what the best mode of transportation would be not for tips on planning my trip

Well what did you think the best mode for transportation was you dummy? It depends on how far you are going. You could have found that out by yourself.
Airplane = far
train = not so far
Swimming = pretty close

have fun out there.

Dustin.Hahahahaha, dude this is on point.

theabortionator420 rt and going skiing and hiking in norway.

is that norwegian air?

IamMANWell what did you think the best mode for transportation was you dummy? It depends on how far you are going. You could have found that out by yourself.
Airplane = far
train = not so far
Swimming = pretty close

have fun out there.

No shit. But DID YOU KNOW, that sometimes they differ depending on where you are? Shocking fact. PS: You were being useless anyway but whatever.

whoa-dereis that norwegian air?

Yeah. They nickel and dime it as well but I'm not checking any bags and I'm not spending $50 on the shitty meal. I'll just bring some slices and snacks on board and be good to go. Could have gone for $240 if I only wanted to go for 10 days. Some real cheap flights.

Pretty solid airline other than the charges. If you aren't bringing anything and can survive without a meal it's not too shabby.

Laurent.I'd rather drag my saggy old man ballsack, after a week of abstention - to make the testicles large and heavy - over exposed fibreglass the length of a Boening 737-700.

If I ever have to hear that 'landing on time' celebratory trumpet tune again I will stab out my ears with the blunt end of a Stabilo Point 88 pencil.

Easyjet is International First Class Swiss compared to Ryanair.

I'm literally crying with laughter hahahhaha

If would try hardest to rent a car because it makes adventures that much more fun and you can do as you please (minus parking shenanigans) but public transit is hit or miss for me. I've lived here for a year and a half and trips that don't involve driving just end up with me being trashed or hung over a majority of the time.

There are several low-cost international bus services available on the continent that beat the hell out of the prices of the trains.

https://www.flixbus.com/ is one of them. Largely based in and around Germany, but I'm sure other countries have similar options.

I use Flixbus to get between Zurich and Munich, or Zurich and Milan, for example, for under €20 per trip.

The only option, because you re wanna get to many places as you want in a short period of time:

bus. Limited to Germany/Northern Italy/Austria/Netherlands. Cheap as fuck, drives whenever you want.

Because it doesn t seem you re looking for something special to see in Europe, visit some random cities. Hannover, Essen, Rotterdam, Stuttgart, Leipzig. All ugly as fuck but who cares when you wanna just wanna get around. I sometimes just buy f.e. a day train pass for Bavaria for ten bucks and travel random shitholes, which I honestly really enjoy.

ESBI use Flixbus to get between Zurich and Munich

I always get stuck behind it in traffic, looks like a solid deal!

Dustin.unless you are interested in doing the standard American trip and go to every big city you can in 2 weeks.

I just had to quote this. Pretty dumb imo. Saying the whole typical american thing. When people talk about the US they talk about going to nyc etc.

Also when flying its easier to land in a city than get norwegian to drop me off on a mtn. Cities are in no way all the same. If you hate them that's fine. If you're trying to get a lot done in a short amount of time with foot power its pretty solid.

Crushing the norwegian game. Decided to pass on ryonair for everything accept for morocco as it was the only cheap option. Did norwegian to helsinkfor 40 usd, budapest 45 usd, train to prague 35 usd and probably doing the same to berlin. I think my flight from there to barcelona was 50ish.

Idk, I feel like Im doing pretty well for time limitations and planing it somewhat on the fly.

Ill probably rent a car when I come back for some of the other countries. The bus and train game seems pretty decent though. Im rocking a small backpack so its easy to get around.

Unfortunately I was pretty sick at the start of the trip which cost me a day or two in norway and made the first week a struggle but whatever.

Finding some pretty solid hostel locations to maximize time.

Halfway through and pretty satisfied.

theabortionatorI just had to quote this. Pretty dumb imo. Saying the whole typical american thing. When people talk about the US they talk about going to nyc etc.

Just had to quote this, because you are unbelievably douchey.

Also when flying its easier to land in a city than get norwegian to drop me off on a mtn. Cities are in no way all the same. If you hate them that's fine. If you're trying to get a lot done in a short amount of time with foot power its pretty solid.

Crushing the norwegian game. Decided to pass on ryonair for everything accept for morocco as it was the only cheap option. Did norwegian to helsinkfor 40 usd, budapest 45 usd, train to prague 35 usd and probably doing the same to berlin. I think my flight from there to barcelona was 50ish.

Idk, I feel like Im doing pretty well for time limitations and planing it somewhat on the fly.

Ill probably rent a car when I come back for some of the other countries. The bus and train game seems pretty decent though. Im rocking a small backpack so its easy to get around.

Unfortunately I was pretty sick at the start of the trip which cost me a day or two in norway and made the first week a struggle but whatever.

Finding some pretty solid hostel locations to maximize time.

Halfway through and pretty satisfied.

I'm not sure what the point of anything you said is, because you have to understand that it comes off as incredibly stupid to me. That's super cool that you've spent all of 3 weeks of your life outside the United States and therefore have a grasp of the world and are now super cultured. I've spent 8 years, in almost every continent, and find it very strange that you keep coming back to this thread every time you have some life changing conversation with a random person in a foreign country. Stop talking like you have any clue what you are talking about because you met a few random people at a bar in Finland. I'm not interested in your high school Eurotrip dude.

Was in Germany a month for work this past summer and had weekends to do whatever. To me it seems like anything over 2 hours plane was the cheapest, I didn't end up flying anywhere because I had a car and preferred driving because then I could stop wherever and do whatever I wanted. And I stuck within 4 hours of where I was staying so car was fine. Local train was real nice to get to the surrounding cities though.
Have fun with your trip. Don't listen to the people saying that being in an area for only a day or two isnt worth it, all depends on the person. For me a day or two in a city is enough, I enjoyed finding places to hike and checking at smaller towns more.

Dustin.I'm not sure what the point of anything you said is, because you have to understand that it comes off as incredibly stupid to me. That's super cool that you've spent all of 3 weeks of your life outside the United States and therefore have a grasp of the world and are now super cultured. I've spent 8 years, in almost every continent, and find it very strange that you keep coming back to this thread every time you have some life changing conversation with a random person in a foreign country. Stop talking like you have any clue what you are talking about because you met a few random people at a bar in Finland. I'm not interested in your high school Eurotrip dude.

You're so fucking heady dude. I live in NZ or so Im moving to Africa for 5 in a few weeks.

I think this is the only time I came back to this thread. You're putting it on me but you're clearly the "hey look at me " guy here.

Not sure why you're such a douche but I dont think another I years wherever is going to cure you.

Have fun being an ass.

Peace bitch

theabortionatorYou're so fucking heady dude. I live in NZ or so Im moving to Africa for 5 in a few weeks.

I think this is the only time I came back to this thread. You're putting it on me but you're clearly the "hey look at me " guy here.

Not sure why you're such a douche but I dont think another I years wherever is going to cure you.

Have fun being an ass.

Peace bitch

Kettle > Pot

Seriously, you just wrote an autobiography. Reference: 90% of your posting history, to include this page. I and others were very helpful from the start, and all you've done is shit all over it. Just stop talking. Close your mouth and open your mind to the possibility that others might have something to say that you don't know about. New Zealand? Sweet, 99% of what I already said applies...

Dustin.Kettle > Pot

Seriously, you just wrote an autobiography. Reference: 90% of your posting history, to include this page. I and others were very helpful from the start, and all you've done is shit all over it. Just stop talking. Close your mouth and open your mind to the possibility that others might have something to say that you don't know about. New Zealand? Sweet, 99% of what I already said applies...

Ill donate $1 to your kickstarter so you can write a sweet book about how much better you are than everyone.

You were in "im so heady" mode from the start. Its actually kind of amusing.

Maybe Ill send you one of those foam #1 fingers and a burger king crown.

good talk

theabortionatorIll donate $1 to your kickstarter so you can write a sweet book about how much better you are than everyone.

You were in "im so heady" mode from the start. Its actually kind of amusing.

Maybe Ill send you one of those foam #1 fingers and a burger king crown.

good talk

Well that's simply not true, and it's written down above. But I'd have to search pretty hard through your post to ever find a coherent one.

ITT: abortionator asking for advice and then telling everyone to stop giving him advice

Peter.ITT: abortionator asking for advice and then telling everyone to stop giving him advice

nah, dustin was being a doucher from post 1.

Also pretty relevant that I asked the best mode of transport. Some gave helpful advice, other people not so much.

The buses are extremely cheap. Went from Darmstadt (little south of Frankfurt) to Dortmund for $30 round trip. Trains are fairly expensive from what i remember but they are much more efficient.