Interrail’s ticket is for people who live in Europe, Marrocco, Argelia or Tunesia
To start whith you have to choose the zones that you want to take ( the price of the ticket varies depending on the number of zones taken: 1, 2, 3 or all). The ticket is not valid in the country in which you live, where you only pay half of the ticket’s price to the border.
Inside the ticket there are some identical pages in which you have to write the name of the city of departure, arrival, and some other things If you’re finishing your pages go to a big train station, where they will give you some more or make copies.
Carry a colour copy of your ticket, because if you loose your ticket you will have to by a new one, and also to give it if someone asks for it and is going to take it somewhere (saying that you’re giving a copy,...).
Tickets are purchased at train stations or in the train company bureau. Make sure that they give you a small booklet where the eurepean trains time table is written, which is very usefull to plan your trip in advance, even if it’s during the trip.
These tickets are for people who can not purchase the interrail ticket.
Whith the Eurailpass you can travel as much as you want around 17 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holand, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Eurailflexipass allows you to travel 10 or 15 days around the countries above during two months.
Travel whith Europass around France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland 5 days in two months. You can also take asociate countries (Austria and Hungary, Benelux, Greece, Portugal) and up to 10 extra days can be added.
By a guide whith a discount on it!
Taking a guide whith you is a good way of saving time and carrying less weight (if you don’t have one you need to have panflets), which are two really important things if you want to be able to visit the cities well. The guide I have used is Let’s go Europe, which is renewed every year. The guide includes maps of the countries and their most important cities, description of the towns and cities worth to be seen, hostels’ addresses, cheap places to eat, and much more.
If you don’t want to buy a guide you should go to the embassies of the countries you want to visit and ask for maps and a list of hostels of the places you want to go to, which is quite a lot of work, especially if it’s the first time you do these kind of travel (you might forget somethig or might want to change your trip)
Buy a good quality and confortable backpack whose weight you’re able to carry (don’t buy it to big nor to small). To travel for a month it’s good to carry a 50 to 60 liters backpack, whith metal bars on it’s back. When you’re packing you should be aware that you will probably buy presents and souvenirs, so leave some room for them.
Taking a small backpack whith you is quite smart (it’s enough whith one for two persons) because you have to take some stuff around the city with you while the rest is at the lockers or at the hostel.
You should take a sleeping bag whith you because it makes it a little bit easier to sleep in the trains, and sometimes at the hostels, if they’re not too clean.
Take a camera, an alarm clock, bandages, aspirin and something for the flu.
Concerning clothes you have to think that you’re going to travel around lots of different cities, whith different climates and that you have to carry apropiate clothes for all of them. Even if you’re not going very far up north don’t forget to take some kind of pullover, because it’s cold in the trains at night, and also something for the rain. Eventhough be aware that you’re going to carry your backpack around (because it isn’t convenient to leave it in the lockers unless you’re tired or you’re going to stay for the hole day, there are many more interesting things to spend your money at), so don’t overpack.
Take your most confortable shoes (better if they have got a thick sole and they’re not really hard, something like mountain shoes) because you’re going to walk a lot.
Don’t take expensive things whith you (walkman, sunglases, clothes,...) or things whith a great sentimental value, because it is very easy to loose things when you have not been sleeping very well for a couple of days, and also because theft is frecuent.
If you’re Northamerican take for example MCI’s WorldPhone toll-free numbers, or something alike, if you’re not try to find the phone numbers to call to your country collect from all of the European countries, you might need to use it. MCI’s:
It’s better to travel in groups of two or three persons, because:
Leave your backpack at the lockers of the train stations of the cities where you’re only going to spend one day, that way you’ll be able to see more things because you wont have to carry such a heavy weight around. You can put two backpacks vertically in the medium size lockers.
Go to the information point as soon as you get to a train station if you get to a city of which you don’t have a map or a lot of information, or if you need to ask something.
You should always wear your passport, ticket and money on your front pockets, pockets which can be closed, hanging from your neck, or in any kind of hidden pocket. Theft is very usual
Avoid taking all your money in cash, a good way to travel is whith a credit card, whith the telefon number of the place where you have to call if you loose it. Traveller checks are not really good because you loose quite a lot of time finding a place where they would change them, especially in Eastern Europe.
Sleeping in the trains at night is a good way to save time and money, so it’s something worth to be given a try.
In most of the countries there are cheap and clean showers in the train stations (not in Belgium!). Normaly you have to pay to get into the bathrooms at the train station so you might want to check Mc Donald’s, Burguer King’s,... bathrooms, which are always clean and free.
Take a bottle of water (half a litter is the best size), and fill it up in the bathrooms.
You should also have a notebook and a pen whith you, sometimes you keep information that other people give you. Anyways, you need the pen to fill in the pages of your ticket.
If you’re over 18 years old, and you’re a student, but don’t have a University card, you should consider getting the international student card (ISIC), whith which you will get discounts on nearly all the museums, and some other places. If you’re under 18 you will either have discounts everywere, or have free entrance.
If you want to be able to think that you have seen the city very well, you should be courageous and keep on walking untill you’re exausted. It’s allways worth it.
Don't forget to by your guide!
Viena: In my opinion the most wonderfull city in Europe (it’s only a traveller’s opinion). Ask for a city map at the train station (free). It’s a small city, but it’s full of museums and it’s architecture is wonderfull. If you only have a day to see it you should first walk around the center (bordered by the Ringstrasse). Then go to the Hundertwasserhauss, which is alike Dali’s houses, and then don’t miss Schönbrun palace (Sisi’s), to which you go taking the Metro, and walk around its park. The Kunsthistorisches Museum should be visited, it is considered to be one of the best museums of the world. The cheapest supermarkets are Löwa and Billa. If you want to eat a good and cheap cooked meal go to Mensa (ask at the university, which is on the Ring, where they are). Night: the bars are in the Bermuda Dreik. There's one which is not bad called Steinzeit (one kind of music each night of the week)
Salzburg: Mozart’s city. It’s surrounded by mountains and a river runs across it, which makes it look wonderfully. It is also where they filmed The Songs of Music, from which you might recognice the places. You should go up to the Kapuzinerkloster and appreciate the wiews. Night:??
Melk: If you are in Viena, Salburg or Linz and you have some spare time go to Melk. It’s a very small town, not too touristy, in which there is a Medieval closter which is on top of the mountains, next to the Danube. It is really impressing, both on the outside and the inside.Night:??
There aren’t any showers on the train stations and it’s quite difficult to find fountains
Brussels: headquarter city of the EU, it has one of the most beatiful squares of the world (La Grande Place), and the Mannekin-Pis should be seen (litlle sculpture). The inside of the Cathedral is really surprising (the apostle have gold weapons). If you don’t have a city map ask for one at the train station (it’s free and really good).Night:??
Brugge: is a small medieval town full of churches and monuments, which is a bit awkward because there are many monuments and it’s really small. The fact that it’s full of tourists (on the summer at least) is a pity. You can by a city map at tha information desk next to the train station, which is worth having.Night:??
Oostende: if you’re ready to get the fresh smell of the sea and relax for a while here you’ve got the beach. It’s fifteen minutes away from Brugge and there are showers on the beach.Night:??
You should try their beer, but becarefull whith the amount you drink, it's really strong!
Prague: it’s architecture is really nice, so you should walk around it, the train station is on its center. Going up to the castle is worth it. You should also check the main square, in which you’ll find a unique clock.Night:??
Kobenhavn: It’s considered Andersen’s city, whith the Mermaid and the Tivoli. There’s quite a nice walk from the train station to the Mermaid bording the river (along which you’ll find a really cheap supermarket) and then go back around the center of the city. At the other side of the river you can find Christania, a curious "hippy" place, to which you should go during day time (it might be dangerous at night, but it isn’t during the day). Night:??
Paris: you can walk around and see (following these way): La Bastille, La Catedrale de Notre Dame, Musée D’Orsay (impresionism: Monet, Manet, Gaugin, Van Gogh,...), Les Invalides, La Tour Eiffel, Jardins du Trocadero (where takes place the opera Carmen), Champs Elysées, Place de la Concorde (where you can see the Obelisque from Luxor), Jardins des Tuilleries, Museé du Louvre (free entrance under 18). If you then take the Metro you can visit La Basilique du Sacré Coeur, which is in Montmartre (18 arrondissement). Night:??
In most of the trains (fast, IC, EC) you have to pay an extra fee, to avoid it take the night trains or the regional trains.
Berlin: destroyed various times during this century, it is still under construction, especially the part that use to be at the east of the wall. Be careful, museums are closed on Mondays! Stoping at Zoo station is quite a good idea. You can then go walking to Charlottenburg (where you’ll find the treasure of Nefertity), and then to Ku’Dam, afterwards you can go through the park, taking a look at the memorial statue of the soviet army, then to the Brandenburg door (separation simbol) and then to Alexanderplatz. The cheap supermarkets are Aldi, Bolle and Penny Markt. During the summer, in July there’s a huge Techno party Love Parade that last all weekend long, non-stop. Night: There's plenty of discos in Berlin. The one I like the most is the WMF (techno), the Far Out (pop music) isn't bad.
Munich: really different from Berlin, full of churches and fascinating monunents. You can walk from the train station to the center and the walk around it. You should have a map, sold at the train station. The tipical things from München are the Biergartens and the white sausages. Night:??
Köln: small town, at crossed by the Rhin, which has a fastous gothic cathedral, just on top of it’s train station, which is probably the most wonderful in the World. You can also see the house after which the Cologne was given a name. Get a map. Night:??
Bregenz: known by the Germans as the Egg of Germany, it’s where the river Mossel meets the Rhin. Nice to see if you have some extra time from Köln, Franckfurt or Düsseldorf, people are really nice. Night:??
Amsterdam: it a very curious city, where everyone is very liberal. You can walk everywere, because it’s quite small. If you’re going there for a day, don’t carry your backpack around whith you, leave it in a locker at the train station. Get a map, even if it doens’t have all the names of the streets. Go to the Rijksmuseum (known for its Rembrand collection), and then to the Van Gogh. If you’re there any day of the week but Sunday, go to the Heineken museun, an old factory around which they give you a tour and then you can drink as much beer as you want for 20 minutes (4 tours each morning, none on the afternoon, 2f). Afterwards you should walk around the red light district, which is weird on the evening. Try the frikandels (some kind of fried saussage), they’re really cheap and different from anything you’ve tasted before. Night:??
Budapest: You can walk from the train station to the center of the city, along the main street, where the shops are. On one side of the Danube you can see the magnificent parlament, and on the other side the castle, again on top of a hill. The side whith the castle use to be Buda and the other side Pest, which were two different cities. Night:??
Be carefull whith the ticket collectors and be ready for the fact that no one will understand you unless you speak Polish.
Krakow: it isn’t the capital (which is Warsow) but I’ve been told that going to the capital isn’t really worth it. It’s a really nice city, in which you should take a look at the medieval market, the main square, the castle and then again, just walk around it. Night:??
Auswitch: it’s an hour away from Krakow by train. It is really impressing, it even keeps some of the smell. It is an very hard experience, more than anything you can think, but everyone should go. Night:??
Bratislava: it really is still a very eastern european city. It has a castle on top of a hill with the Danube right below. Go to get a general idea about what that part of Europe was like under Russia’s power, not very long ago. Take a bus from the train station to the center. If you have to take a train at night, or if you get there before dawn, being at the train station is the safest choice. Night:??
Madrid: you should visit the Plaza Mayor, in la Puerta del Sol, the statue of Cibeles, in the midle of la Castellana, the park of el Retiro, the Palacio real (royal palace) and the Opera. You have to go to these museums: Prado (considered one of the best museums of the world), modern art: Reina Sofía ( where you will find the Guernica from Picaso), and the Thyssen (which has a colection whith paintings from nearly every epoque). Night: there's a lot of different zones to hang out: Alonso Martinez, Bilbao, Malasna, Moncloa... The famous discos are (you have to pay the entrance): Pacha, Joy and El Sol.
Toledo: one hour away from Madrid by bus. It is a city founded in the times of the roman empire, which had it most explendor during the epoque of Charles V.You should go to la catedral, la iglesia de Santo Tomé, la casa del Greco, la judería and la sinagoga del tránsito. One of its food specialities are the marzipan. Night:??
Sevilla: also founded by the romans, became very important after the discovery of America. There can be seen la Giralda, la catedral, el retablo mayor, el patio de los naranjos (you can smell oranges everywere in Sevilla during spring and summer time), el Alcázar, el barrio de Santa Cruz and la casa de Pilatos. Night:??
Cordoba y Granada are two cities whith very important arab buildings (la Mezquita in Cordoba and la Alhambra in Granada). Night:??