anonymous
Traveller
2467 comments
Posted 16 years ago
Hi me and my friends are planning on going interailling mid Aug- mid Sept, using 10 days travel in 22 days. We were planning on starting by flying to Sofia and making our way to Amsterdam like this:
Sofia -> Belgrade -> Ljublijana -> Budapest -> Bratislava -> Vienna -> Krakow -> Prague -> Berlin -> Amsterdam
We would be spending around 3 nights in each place (except Bratislava, do that in a day we thought on way to vienna)
And I have some questions...
1. In your opinions, is Sofia worth it? The flights arent very expensive with easyjet and apparently the nightlife is good, but has anyone experienced it first hand? Is there a better place to go in your opinions?
2. Our first train journey would be from sofia to belgrade, was thinking of using a night train but am i right in thinking this would use up 2 days of travel from our 10? Because its the first journey?
3. What journeys would you recommend using night trains for? We dont mind sitting for a long time on a train during the day if the scenery is nice...
4. And lastly is there anything you recommend doing in each city, especially short day trips?
Thank you very very much in advance!! This forum is really good!! :D
Tisch
admin
Traveller
203 comments
Hi there,
Your plan looks pretty good to me; not trying to visit 19 places in 22 days, like some overly-ambitious railers!
1. Haven't been in Sofia but Krakow and Prague are excellent at night as are Berlin and, of course, Amsterdam. You could checkout what Lonely Planet has to say about Sofia.
2. Your trip from Sofia to Belgrade should be just one day of your pass. If your train departs after 19.00 you write the next day's date in to your pass but if the train leaves before 19.00, you write that date into the pass and arrive the next day having used only one day's entitlement.
3. I recommend taking night trains for Krakow-Prague-Berlin-Amsterdam. I've done all of those and, if you take a couchette, you'll have a fairly comfortable night and your own space. It's well worth the cost. It's pretty flat in those parts of the world so you're not going to miss any amazing scenery.
4. In Krakow you can take a day trip to Auschwitz. Take an ordinary bus from the bus station which is near the main railway station. The journey takes around 75 minutes and costs 7 Zlotys (one pound twenty) each way. There are tour coaches but they charge around 90 Zloty. Entry to the camp is free and you can wander wherever you like for as long as you like. It's a very sobering experience but you'll be glad you did it.
Anywhere in central Prague is interesting: Old town, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle and Cathedral. Lots of pavement cafes and bars and great beer. The more central the higher the cost of everything.
Berlin is great just for walking about. I'm afraid I stayed in the centre and area around Alexanderplatz and Oranienburger Strasse but if you Google things to do and see in and around Berlin, you should find plenty.
Amsterdam, likewise. I'd recommend: Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, Rembrandt's House. And in the evening you can just stroll around, lost, among the many bars, etc.
Hope this is some help to you. Have a most excellent trip.
iaink
[quote]Hi me and my friends are planning on going interailling mid Aug- mid Sept, using 10 days travel in 22 days. We were planning on starting by flying to Sofia and making our way to Amsterdam like this:
Sofia -> Belgrade -> Ljublijana -> Budapest -> Bratislava -> Vienna -> Krakow -> Prague -> Berlin -> Amsterdam
We would be spending around 3 nights in each place (except Bratislava, do that in a day we thought on way to vienna)
And I have some questions...
1. In your opinions, is Sofia worth it? The flights arent very expensive with easyjet and apparently the nightlife is good, but has anyone experienced it first hand? Is there a better place to go in your opinions?
2. Our first train journey would be from sofia to belgrade, was thinking of using a night train but am i right in thinking this would use up 2 days of travel from our 10? Because its the first journey?
3. What journeys would you recommend using night trains for? We dont mind sitting for a long time on a train during the day if the scenery is nice...
4. And lastly is there anything you recommend doing in each city, especially short day trips?
Thank you very very much in advance!! This forum is really good!! :D
Tisch[/quote]
anonymous
Traveller
2467 comments
Thanks for the replies, getting really excited about it!
[b]2. Your trip from Sofia to Belgrade should be just one day of your pass. If your train departs after 19.00 you write the next day's date in to your pass but if the train leaves before 19.00, you write that date into the pass and arrive the next day having used only one day's entitlement.[/b]
So for the date we want the pass to start (because the train is at 21:00) we would put the date we want to leave sofia, say 19th July, and we get into belgrade at say 5am on the 20th and this only costs the first travel day? Brilliant.
We've heard the night train krakow-prague isnt great, with gassing etc, but was it fine when you took it? If we get a couchette can the compartment be locked? We would be 6 so take up a whole one.
Definitely go to Auschwitz, its something i've always wanted to do, we were also thinking of going to Lake Bled from Ljubljana...
Thank you for all the tips, will most certainly do all those things, im soo excited!!
Thanks again!
Natacha
[/b]
admin
Traveller
203 comments
Hi Natacha,
As long as your pass is already active and the train departs after 19.00 then you write the next day into the pass. Correct!
My night train from Krakow to Prague was a Polish train and it was very good; comfortable and clean. Better than some of the night trains I've taken. German and French ones are the best I've taken so far but, if I remember correctly, the Krak-Prag couchette cost only 10 pounds compared with about 20 for an equivalent journey in Western Europe.
If you want a whole couchette compartment, for your party to travel to Prague, book it together when you arrive at Glowny - Krakow's main rail station - to avoid disappointment. The earlier you book the better. The couchette compartment does lock from the inside but you'll be expected to open up and show your passports to border guards a couple of times in the night. All good fun. Just remember to smile and say thanks.
Hope this is helpful. Have a most excellent trip and don't forget to log-on when you get back to give advice to others. Cheers.
iaink
[quote]Thanks for the replies, getting really excited about it!
[b]2. Your trip from Sofia to Belgrade should be just one day of your pass. If your train departs after 19.00 you write the next day's date in to your pass but if the train leaves before 19.00, you write that date into the pass and arrive the next day having used only one day's entitlement.[/b]
So for the date we want the pass to start (because the train is at 21:00) we would put the date we want to leave sofia, say 19th July, and we get into belgrade at say 5am on the 20th and this only costs the first travel day? Brilliant.
We've heard the night train krakow-prague isnt great, with gassing etc, but was it fine when you took it? If we get a couchette can the compartment be locked? We would be 6 so take up a whole one.
Definitely go to Auschwitz, its something i've always wanted to do, we were also thinking of going to Lake Bled from Ljubljana...
Thank you for all the tips, will most certainly do all those things, im soo excited!!
Thanks again!
Natacha
[/b][/quote]