Are their any cheap ways of transportaion for getting around europe?

Question

so my boyfriend & i are going to be backpacking through europe in january through febuary. we are students & dont have enough for hotels & restaurants every night, but we will have enough to enjoy ourselves, and walking the whole time with a heavy backpack can be aching. now, a few questions i have...

how much would it be for buses, trains, & whatever other means of transportation there are? are their monthly passes?

and, how much are hostels to stay at?

thanks!! :D

Answer 1

When I went to Europe with one of my close girlfriends we travelled with our luggage to and from the airport and from the hotels to train stations. We really didn't do the whole backpacking thing in a way. We stayed in hotels that costed anywhere from $30-$70 that included breakfast everyone morning. We just didn't feel comfortable staying in a hostel (no not because of the movie) because we were afraid people would jack our belongings. Although, I've had friends that stayed in hostels and that wasn't their concern at all for they had no problems. Hostels are cheaper and also include breakfast according to those daring friends of mine.

As for transportation:

*We took like maybe 4 taxi rides that costed $20-$40. Try not to take 'em; some taxi drivers are nice while others take the long way to reach your destination to get more money b/c they can tell your tourists.

*We also took a euro-pass/railpass which costed $645 for the day and overnight (with bed) trains to take us from country to country.

*For the subways/metros they only cost like $1.25-$5.00 depending if you're going one way or for an all day pass.

*And of course walking! So bring comfortable shoes for the day and dress up shoes for the night!

*You could also rent mopeds/bikes for other means of transportation for fun.

Answer 2

u cud bring a tent with you and hitch wherever you go

Answer 3

train

Answer 4

I'm planning a similar trip very soon and have bee researching online...

Check out these sites, some were recommended, some I just stumbled upon

www.couchsurfing.com

http://www.unhostels.org/  

http://www.eurail.com/1_our_products

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_low...

Answer 5

Hostels in Western Europe range from 10-25 euros per person per night - in the major cities it will be on the higher end of that range.  With two people you may prefer to get a double room in a cheap hotel, which will be about the same price as two hostel beds in most cities.

The cheapest ways to get around are (1) a railpass if you are under 26 and can buy the youth pass, which is 1/3 cheaper, (2) the Eurolines bus, (3) "low-cost airlines" like Ryanair and Easyjet, and (4) trains are cheap in some places like Italy or Eastern Europe.  There are a lot of different railpasses, and which one you want depends on where exactly you plan on going.

BTW, most of Europe will be cold in January and February - unless you plan on sticking to the Mediterranean coast you will probably find most places too cold to be enjoyable.

Answer 6

walking

Answer 7

I am a student studying in Germany right now.  For Christmas my parents gave me a Eurail pass.

http://www.eurail.com/

There's a number of different passes.  You can get unlimited travel for all available countries for two months, but that is rather pricey.  If you already know which countries you want to visit you can get a "select" pass which is cheaper, but limits the number of countries you can visit.

Hostels are excellent.  As for prices, expect to pay anywhere from 10-40 euros a night for a dorm style room.  If you would like a private room for two this will of course cost more.  I usually pay around 20 euros a night, but that is because I never plan ahead, so the prices are probably a bit more.

As for heavy backpacks, although most hostels have a check in time around 1 they will almost always allow you to drop off your backpack before check in, so you can wonder the city unencumbered.

You don't always need to use public transport in Europe.  Often times you will be able to walk from point A to B just fine.  There's free maps at information points (always at train stations, and sometimes scattered around other places).  If you do plan a bunch of public transport around a city consider getting a day-long ticket.  Or some sort of "bulk" ticket.  If you get a bulk ticket thing (ex: 10 tickets for the price of 8) you and your boy will be able to share.

Best of luck to you both.

The site I use to find hostels is http://www.hostelworld.com but if you want to find a hostel in Luxembourg you have to go to http://www.youthhostels.lu/