Question for my Euro buds.

[SaShman]

I'm going to Europe at the end of the year and I was wondering what the easiest way to get around the UK and mainland Europe would be. I've had a look at budget airlines and sites for train tickets but I don't really know what is legit and what isn't.

Comfort isn't that much of an issue for me as I have some dodgy places in my itinerary already. For the most part I should be able to tolerate delays. I'm basically looking for companies that aren't outright scams.

Also, details on easy ways to get around the bigger cities would be splendid.

 

[Big Casino]

You cant go wrong with the bus when it comes to inter city and inner city travel. Its cheaper than the train or the tram. In the UK especially you can get a megabus to another city for about £7. Whether it be a small journey like Aberdeen to Glasgow or big like Edinburgh to London. WIth the megabus your looking at prices around that £7 mark. Im prettty sure megabus does trips to mainland euope aswell. Id say the easiest thing to do would be to ask them in the bus station. Or look at megabus.co.uk and get your tickets now. Theyre real cheap and pretty comfy ways to travel when you wanna do it a bit cheaper.

 

[Lirael]

As Big Casino said, megabus is probably your best bet. I've never been on one and I hear it is the worst form of transport possible, but it's cheap.

Any legit website will only sell expensive train tickets. The train prices here are extortionate! You could look into buying a train ticket which lasts a week and allows you to travel with one particular company. nationalrail.co.uk is one website, but doesn't always provide the best deals. http://www.thetrainline.com is legit, or you could look on company webstites.

The train companies I know are: virgin trains, crosscountry trains and southwest trains.

 

[Big Casino]

I quite like the megabus hahah. Theyre comfy enough and you get plenty legroom which is very important. Its also a hell of a lot cheaper. I got one back from Edinburgh last night actually.
you get first trains and the british rail trains aswell. You could get severeal busses for the price of one ticket though so if yer trying to keep it low budget stick with the bus.

 

[SaShman]

lol the megabus is ridiculously cheap.
Is it better to book bus/train tickets in advance or will I generally be alright if I show up on the day (providing tickets haven't sold out)? Also, what about budget airlines?

Cheers guys.

 

[greenyxi]

I've never had any problems with train tickets running out or anything...there're generally empty seats whenever I travel; this is into and out of Cardiff Central, which is the busiest station in Wales. But, if booking tickets is the same price then I don't see a problem with doing that

I couldn't help with buses or planes though. Never been on a plane

 

[Lirael]

Book in advance! You can reduce the cost by a lot...

To give a couple of examples, I used to be able to get from Birmingham to our local train station for £16 in First Class if I booked in advance. If I were to buy the ticket on the day itself, I would have been in the standard carriages for £45. In example two, Chris' parents were able to get tickets from Southampton to Edinburgh for £30 each (we have a young person's railcard), but had they bought these on the day, the one-way tickets would have cost about £100 to £120 each (after applying the same discount railcard).

First Class isn't necessary, but it can be the cheaper option. It depends on when you book and what time you're travelling/how many people have booked before you. Basically, they have a limited number of 'advance' low price seats.

You won't find cheap tickets if you turn up and buy tickets just before travelling. :/ If we assume that, theoretically, all the advance seats are available, you will still be expected to pay full price. It's ridiculous.

If you book a seat, you don't have to worry about finding one when you arrive. There's no limit to the train tickets... You may just find that there's no space on the train! People will generally squeeze on like sardines if they have to, but it's not pleasant.

When it comes to the megabus, I'd book in advance to ensure you get the cheaper tickets.

 

[Toshiya]

Contrary to everyone else I'm gonna say everything really depends on how many places you want to visit.
Since you're an Aussie you're eligible for a Eurail train pass which is the non-EU equivalent of the pass I used to tour Europe this summer. You can see them here: http://www.eurail.com/

Are you looking at doing a big tour and visiting lots of countries/cities or going to one or two countries? If it's a big tour where you'll be away for 2 or 3 weeks (which is what I did, could be even longer!), a Eurail pass is definitely worth looking at, since you can just hop on a train to anywhere (some trains need extra fees but they're never expensive).
If you're looking at just a few countries it may be worth buying advance tickets on trains or for coaches. I don't know much about European coaches but I can tell you, trains in Italy and Germany are really cheap, and trains in France and Spain are incredibly expensive
In England our trains are incredibly expensive unless you get the special advance deals as well when you have to catch the train you're booked on or your tickets aren't valid, which is sometimes a right pain.

As for how to get around big European cities; if they've got an underground system, use it. Buses and trams are also okay but don't rival the underground.

 

[Bambi]

me and clare got the megabus from glasgow to manchester, needed a wee most of the 4 hour journey though haha, you can get train tickets cheap enough if you do it far enough in advance, id only mega bus it if the train tickets were too much though, think we got the bus for like £4.00, but ive been to glasgow before on the train for 12 quid, so i would shop around before diving straight on the bus for a long journey. They are alright if you dont mind the longer journey time though

 

[SaShman]

me and clare got the megabus from glasgow to manchester, needed a wee most of the 4 hour journey though haha

I assumed they would have toilet stops?

Are you looking at doing a big tour and visiting lots of countries/cities or going to one or two countries? If it's a big tour where you'll be away for 2 or 3 weeks (which is what I did, could be even longer!), a Eurail pass is definitely worth looking at, since you can just hop on a train to anywhere (some trains need extra fees but they're never expensive).
If you're looking at just a few countries it may be worth buying advance tickets on trains or for coaches. I don't know much about European coaches but I can tell you, trains in Italy and Germany are really cheap, and trains in France and Spain are incredibly expensive
In England our trains are incredibly expensive unless you get the special advance deals as well when you have to catch the train you're booked on or your tickets aren't valid, which is sometimes a right pain.

Thanks Tosh. I was actually looking at those Eurail pass thingies and I was unsure whether they would be a ripoff or not. I am planning a pretty big tour so I may end up getting one.

As for how to get around big European cities; if they've got an underground system, use it. Buses and trams are also okay but don't rival the underground.

Do the subways offer some kind of unlimited travel tourist pass?

 

[Toshiya]

Thanks Tosh. I was actually looking at those Eurail pass thingies and I was unsure whether they would be a ripoff or not. I am planning a pretty big tour so I may end up getting one.
Do the subways offer some kind of unlimited travel tourist pass?

Nah they're not a ripoff at all, and that website is legit - like I said, if you're doing a big tour it can make inter-country travel a lot cheaper. Though, if you're looking at hitting the UK too, to get across the channel don't get the Eurostar - it's not included in that pass and is bloody expensive. Get a cheap flight (easyjet!) from Paris/Berlin or the ferry from France. Once you're in the UK though, no trains have extra fees on top of the Eurail pass so you save quite a bit there.

All of the subways I travelled on (Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Munich and Barcelona) offered travel cards for either 10 journeys or 1 day unlimited. Both are pretty good value if you want to see a lot in one day. Some places do a 2 or 3 day travel card which could be worth getting if you think you're gonna use the metro a lot within those days. I can't help you with the London tube though... despite being from England I know nothing about that

 

[Big Casino]

Most megabusses have a toilet. Theyre not pretty but at least its there if its that bad you need to use it.

And like folk said booking in advance is way cheaper.

 

[Dionysos]

I can't help you with the London tube though... despite being from England I know nothing about that

With the London Underground it is pretty much the same sort of deal. You can buy a day ticket for unlimited travel, but London travel is split into a series of zones that work like rings through London (zone 1 in the centre, 2 surrounding that, and so on). If the places you want to visit are situated within the first zone, then you can buy for that. Or if your itinerary will take you to other zones then you purchase for whatever zones you will be entering. The price will be different depending on this. Usually the first couple of zones would cover most of what you would likely be visiting, but there should be maps at each station plotting out where the zones are, how big they are, etc, so you can plan what to buy for.

I find the underground works very efficiently and you can travel around London with little issue at all, and in really no time at all.

 

[Abstract Debauchery]

The prices of transportation in Britain are numberwang.