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Interrail in Europe

Share your experience in where to go, not to go and help us get the perfect trip.

14 years ago, July 7th 2009 No: 1 Msg: #78679 Delete Edit

Thyman
QWeelo

N Posts: 2

I am 21 years old and will together with a friend travel through europe primarily by train and we'll be leaving in less than two weeks from now, we'll be on foot for a month. I'd like to ask for some tips from other experienced travelers about what to see in the cities, places to visit, places to avoid, some do's and don'ts, anything is highly appriciated! =)

Our primary travelroute is as follows:

Falköping (Sweden)
Berlin (Germany)
Warzawa or Krakow (Poland) (Uncertain)
Prague (Czech Republik)
Wien (Austria)
Salzburg (Austria) (Uncertain)
Budapest (Hungary)
Ljubljana (Slovenia) (Uncertain)
Zagreb (Croatia)
Split or other costal city (Croatia)
Might up meet friend in Montenegro.
Sofia (Bulgaria)
Thessalonki (Greece)
Athens (Greece)
Patras (Greece) - Ancona (Italy) (with a ferry)
Rimini (Italy)
Rome (Italy)
Some other italian city north of Rome, proberly Firenze, Milano or Genova.
Nice (France)
Marseille (France)
Barcelona (Spain)
A detour towards Madrid and Lissabon in Portugal is in consideration if time allows it.
Paris (France)
Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Falköping (Sweden)

Please share your experience for the listed city, and please tell me if there is any city close to planned route which you like to add and why so.

I'd also like to know any renowned amusement park or prominent waterpark along the way for a daystop. I Can imagine that any large town has at least on of these in their radius, so I'd like to know the good ones and why to visit them. Thanks for you time! =) Reply to this

14 years ago, July 7th 2009 No: 2 Msg: #78693 Delete Edit

pilnikjezerobota
.

B Posts: 119

Hey,

Not really into waterparks but I've heard one called "Caneva World" near Verona in Italy hyped about a lot, you could go there between Rome and Nice. I know there's one in Prague as well, but I think it's indoors. The best places to look for them will probably be Spain, Italy or Greece, each city will probably have about 5 near it.

My advice when visiting Prague (from someone who lives there) is do not bother with the tours - they're usually bland and uninformative. It's much better if you explore the city yourself. Get a map from a tourist office or your hostel, and have a look on http://www.expats.cz/prague/events.php - that lists all events that are going on around the city, including permanent exhibitions. If you want to do the touristy bits you'd see on the tours, just wander around the old town, then walk across Karlův Most and up to the castle, and you've pretty much done it all yourself.
If you're going out at night, clubs and bars in the old town, especially around Naměstí Republiky will rip you off, as they are aimed at tourists. You should never be paying more than 40 CZK for a beer. For good nights out, look for places a bit further south, like around Vinohrady or in the new town, or on the west side of the river around Anděl/Smíchov if you're feeling really adventurous :o)

Regarding Croatia (which I also know a fair bit about), another coastal city I'd recommend is Zadar, which is a bit further north on the coast than Split, there's a lot of old Roman architecture there and if you want a bit of a surreal experience, go and see the light show and sea organ by the harbour.. You could also go and see Dubrovník if you're going to Montenegro. You can hop between cities on the Croatian coast by ferry (the company's called Jadrolinija) if you're not feeling taking the bus, which can be a bit nasty in hot weather, I think you get discounts on ferries with an interrail pass. There's no train line going down the Croatian coast.

Can I also say that if you plan to do Salzburg, it would be quicker to put it between Prague and Vienna on your route. There's a direct train that goes to Salzburg from Prague via Linz. Going from Salzburg to Budapest would require going back through Vienna again.

Hope this helps, feel free to ask if you have any more questions about Prague

Z. Reply to this

14 years ago, July 11th 2009 No: 3 Msg: #79183 Delete Edit

Thyman
QWeelo

N Posts: 2

Hey, thanks for your answer.

Caneva world seems nice, we also got a tips about Gardaland in Italy, I'll have to do some research about it. At the moment, Caneva Land seems nicer.

We haven't planned on taking any citytours so far. I think the best way to see a city is to explore by hand with a guidebook telling one whats worth seeing. Thanks for the link, its golden! =) Do you have any club to recommend?

I do not know what to do about Croatia anymore, as you said yourself, the trainlines are very limited, so goes for the surrounding countries as well. We might take a brief stop in Rijeka after Ljubljana and continue to Zagreb and belgrad.

Salzburg is now out of the question, here is our new primary route:

Falköping (Sweden)
Berlin (Germany)
Prague (Czech Republik)
Vienna (Austria)
Budapest (Hungary)
Ljubljana (Slovenia) - Not more than a day
Rijeka (Croatia)
Zagreb (Croatia) - Short stop
Belgrad (Serbia)
Sofia (Bulgaria)
Thessalonki (Greece)
Athens (Greece)
Patras (Greece) - Ancona (Italy) (with a ferry)
Rimini (Italy) - Beachstop
Rome (Italy) A longer stop is proberly unavoidable
Florence (Italy)
Geneva (Schweiz) - We want to see the alps up close, proberly a day stop.
Nice (France)
Antibes (France) - If time is on our side
Marseille (France)
Barcelona (Spain)
A detour towards Madrid and Lissabon in Portugal is in consideration if time allows it.
Paris (France) - Me and my friend spent a week here a couple of years ago, stop will be brief.
Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
Falköping (Sweden)

Reply to this

14 years ago, July 11th 2009 No: 4 Msg: #79191 Delete Edit

pilnikjezerobota
.

B Posts: 119

Really depends what kind of music you're into.. dont know about much other than dance music yet. If youre there on a monday night, Roxy club (which is just next to the ripoff area I mentioned) do a free entry night which is usually packed with great atmosphere. The "dogs bollocks" bar in smíchov has also been good whenever I've ended up there. Generally, check that website for single events cos stuff moves around a fair bit.

You can definitely go by ferry from Rijeka to Split if you have time and want to see it, and then there's an overnight train from Split to Zagreb if that helps. On a side, overnight trains are the life blood of these trips as they save you on accomodation and give you more time in places, so use them wherever you can on a tight route like this one. Reply to this

14 years ago, July 12th 2009 No: 5 Msg: #79216 Delete Edit

junker
Shane and Alana

B Posts: 10

I know most of these aren't part of your travel plan, but here are some idea's you might like.

Bern, Switzerland - They have a very nice river that runs through the city and is very popular for floating or tubing down.

Italy - It really depends on what you are into, are you a foody? A bar star? A outdoor enthusiast? etc...?

If you are a foody, just about anywhere in Italy is great. If you like clubs then Florence is the city for you, it is full of colleges and universities, so there are plenty of students there partying almost every day. During the summer they have make-shift clubs set up on walking trails. Lots of great bars, and for the traveller in you there is plenty of amazing architecture and lots of art galleries, a few of which are outdoors and free.

Also, if you like the outdoors you should look into Cinque Terra. We camped there for a week in a town called Deiva Marina just beside the actual Cinque Terra park. It is 5 amazing villages that are connected by an ancient trail system. We walked the whole thing in about 12 hours, but that was stopping for beers in each town and plenty of pictures.

There is a place in southern italy, calabria region called Tropea. We had a two bedroom flat on a vineyard overlooking the whole town and a nice ocean view. It has cliff homes that are some of the oldest in Europe due to the country always choosing the winning side of wars. Plenty of history and lots of hot and available italian ladies who just love the tourists since it isn't a very touristy town.

If you are going to Nice, you should side trip it to Monaco. It is only about 30 minutes drive away from Nice and is unbelievable. If you are into seeing how the rich live, drive, and boat, then go there. The yachts are bigger than my last apartment building and the cheapest car I seen there was a Bentley.

Amsterdam, okay now this is where I consider myself an expert. So if there is anything else you want to know about this place, feel free to write me or reply.

Amsterdam you should start with a canal cruise. Find the one with unlimited booze and dinner. Pretty cheap boats, but great way to get a quick view of the city and meet people who you may end up hanging out with for the remainder of the night. Liedesplein is the sqaure for the pot smokers, rembrandtplein is the sqaure for night clubs (lots of hostels here as well), and damn square is the red light district.

Heineken brewery is worth it.
Argentian Grill is amazing after you get the munchies.
Febo is the the worlds fastest fast food, not the healthiest, but also a great munchy place. Try the Sautekroket.

If you try the mushrooms, the Van Gogh museum is a trip. I think he painted with that in mind.

That's all I got for now. If I can help any other way let me know. Reply to this