Europe a la Carte Blog

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As modern tourists we tend to travel fast. We fly in, grab a hotel room (or hostel bed), see all the tourist sights, try a local meal or two and zip back home again. We stay within cities, we are surrounded by other tourists and we do it all in a hurry before our days or cash run out. We don’t soak in ambience, we dive bomb into it and think that the few drops clinging to our hair are equivalent to the pruney-skin permeation of a long and leisurely exposure.

Personally I’m an exponent of slow travel, a term I thought was particularly nifty until I googled it when writing this article and discovered that I didn’t coin the phrase. My version of slow travel is camping. Travelling leisurely through the back country, off the highways and into smaller towns. Getting to meet the locals in an environment (the communal lifestyle of a campsite) which encourages interactions (unlike the private sterility of a hotel room).

Camping lets you soak in the atmosphere

Of course camping isn’t always feasible. If you go with your own car, caravan or mobile home you are limited by how far you can drive in the allotted holiday travel time. Driving three days across Europe only to have four days there and a three day return journey is not anyone’s idea of fun. Some ways around that are to look at carrying your car on the train – something which saves time, stress and petrol. You can also carry the minimum camping gear with you on a flight and locally hire a car or just rely on public transport to get you around. Or you can rent the entire get up once you arrive.

But the prices do start paying out, especially if you are travelling for a longer period. The average European campsite costs 15€-20€ per night, including electricity, with each person costing around 2€ extra. Showers may or may not be an additional cost (usually 0.50 – 1€). This is similar to a bed in a dorm room of an inner city hostel for one person, but in a group becomes extremely cheap and is far more appropriate for travelling with a family. Finding campsites is easy – decent maps of the country will have many marked and usually your home automobile club will have lists of international campsites, ones which they have even checked out and rated.

You aren’t necessarily limited to remote campsites on the outskirts of town either. If you are travelling in a self-contained motor home there are many sites which allow for short stops, overnight stays and replenishing water/emptying waste. The E6 on the coast of northern Norway is dotted with them, in Germany they are called Stellplätze, in France Aires De Service, and many are free of charge.

The varying sizes of mobile homes

I’m not really encouraging the use of the large mobile homes. These white ships are gas-guzzlers, can be dangerous on narrow roads (especially when driven by people unused to the size) and cannot be driven into European city centres because of their size. Smaller vans, such as VW camping buses, can be and tenting means you have a car available for local trips without having to pack up your campsite every time.

Of course camping doesn’t work for everyone, nor does it work for every situation. It requires a certain amount of preparation and investment in gear, the availability of a little more time and a roughing-it mentality. While northern France’s freezing autumn rains may send even myself into the shelter of a local chateau, as a budget summer travel option it is a relaxed, slow travel affair.

You can buy a return Sail Rail ticket to Dublin for only £54 from UK cities such as London and Newcastle. Sail Rail is a partnership of British and Irish ferry and train operators. The ferry crossings used are Fishguard to Rosslare, Holyhead to Dublin, Stranraer to Belfast.

I did a search for a Sail Rail ticket from Edinburgh to Belfast on 27 July, in 2 days time and found a single ticket for £26.

I think that is a really good offer as it appears to be available even at peak times and without having to book months in advance. You also have to consider that you don’t have the hassle of getting to and from the airport, the train will take into the city centre. You can also take as as much luggage as you like.

Have you used Sail Rail?

Generally speaking, there is more than enough to keep a tourist busy in a major city. Sometimes though, it’s nice to get out of the big smoke and see the smaller towns and sites in another country.

This can be tough when you’ve just flown straight in, don’t have a car (nor want to shell out for the rental and petrol prices) and the trains seem to be just that bit too pricey. Which is why it’s great that the German train system (Deutsche Bahn) have the Happy Weekend Ticket (Schönes-Wochenende Ticket).

Berlin Hauptbahnhof by Matthias M

For 35€ up to five people can travel anywhere on the regional train network. The ticket is valid from midnight to 3am the following day, but only available for Saturday or Sunday hence the happiness of the weekend. It also covers the S-bahns within those cities that have them. You don’t have to reserve seats and you can use it as many times as you want anywhere in the country for the entire day.

There are a few important points though:

-This ticket can only be used on the regional trains, ones designated by an RB, IRE or RE. These are generally the red ones. Don’t get on an ICE (Inter City Express)! Those are prettier and faster, but the conductor is not going to let you get away with a happy weekend if you do that.

-If you want to be a bit more adventurous you can get to Poland on this ticket via a few routes: Grambow – (Grambow Grenze(Border)) – Szczecin Gl; Tantow – (Tantow Grenze) – Szczecin Gl; Forst Grenze – Zasieki; Frankfurt (Oder) Grenze - Slubice; Görlitz – (Zgorzelec Grenze) – Zgorzelec

-These are the slow trains. They stop a lot at very small towns, go in somewhat circuitous routes and can take a long time to get somewhere. Make sure your destination is achievable.

German Train by dayvidday

You can buy the ticket directly from the website, but the web-shop itself is, unfortunately, in German and there is a 3.50€ charge for postage. Otherwise it can be purchased at train stations, either from the travel center (DB ReiseZentrum), or from the DB ticket machines. You can also buy them on the trains, directly from the conductor, but you will be charged an extra 10% and you cannot purchase it on S-bahn trains.

The Happy Weekend is a great way to get out of the large cities and into the smaller towns. It is even a very inexpensive way of getting between major cities, but it can take twice as long as the fast trains. But for 7€ per person if travelling in a group, I don’t think you’ll find a cheaper way.

While Sweden might be sparsely populated, it covers quite a large area, and the costs of domestic travel deter many visitors from exploring the interior of the country. True, travel in Sweden is not cheap, and can hardly be called “budget”. Yet for those willing to do some searching, affordable options do exist. And today, I’ll do the searching for you.

Trains are one of the most affordable ways of moving around the country. And SJ (Swedish Railways) are quick to point out it’s the most environmentally-friendly way of travel, too.

A few months ago, several English-language travel mags touted the new budget option of purchasing SJ tickets for bargain prices at an internet auction. If they had done more research than just reading the official press release, they would have noticed that in order to use the auction function the customer needs to understand Swedish.

Fortunately, SJ also offers several discount choices for those of us who only speak English.

1. Family offer – an adult ticket holder can take 2 kids under the age of 16 and only pay a booking fee of 5 or 10SEK for the children. If you are traveling on a student ticket, then the same deal applies to 2 kids under the age of 6.
2. Student tickets – SJ is very generous with their definition of a “student”, which can be anyone over 26 years old with a valid student card (ISIC for foreigners).
3. Youth tickets – for anyone under the age of 26.
4. Last minute tickets – can be purchased the earliest 24 hours before the train’s departure and are available for those under the age of 26, students with valid ID cards, and retired persons – ID required.
5. Group discounts – for 10 or more people. This one proves perfect when my friends and relatives invade!

Train tickets can be purchased on the SJ website, and after some recent changes, foreign-issued credit cards are also accepted.

The SJ website also offers a slew of useful tidbits such as multi-language PDF brochures, travel planning tips, and other services.

Keep in mind that SJ is only one of many Swedish train companies, however, its extensive network in the southern part of the country makes it the most popular choice. And just so you know, all SJ trains offer secure wireless internet connection.

Please keep in mind, that just as with everything else in Sweden, a booking fee is applied to almost every purchase, and train tickets are no exception.

written by Anna Etmanska

Ravenglass is the only coastal village in the Lake District National Park. I thought it was charming, situated at the confluence of three rivers the Esk, Irk and Mite. We walked across the railway bridge and down the coastal path. There’s a large free car park with public toilets next to the station. You can also reach Ravenglass on the circular Cumbrian railway from Carlisle, Penrith or Lancaster with a hop on and off day ticket costing £24 per adult and £12 for a child.

Ravensglass from the northern estuary bank

The Ravenglass & Esk Railway runs on a tiny 15 inch wide track for the 7 miles to Dalegarth.  It’s a short walk from here to Eskdale Mill the oldest working water corn mill in the Lake District,  There are several stations along the way and a full line return ticket allow you to hop on and off throughout the day.

I arrived at the station just as the steam train was leaving the platform, so only managed to take photos of the back of the train.

Ravenglass Station

Muncaster Castle with its garden, maze and owl centre lies just outside Ravensglass. You can walk the one mile on the Eskdale Trail through the Decoy Wood, this will take you past the Roman Bath House.

I had a look to see what accommodation is available in the area. The best value option is the Muncaster Country guest house, a converted school with 8 rooms. I found double rooms with shared bathroom from £36 and ensuite double rooms from £45 at the beginning of April 2008.

The Pennington Hotel is a luxury hotel in Ravenglass, where double rooms cost £120 a night.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time recently on the UK National Rail site doing research about finding the lowest train fares. I noticied a link to the Trakkies website for train lovings kids. The site has 2 areas, one for 5- 7 year olds and another for 8 - 12 year olds. Kids can play games, download activities for their next train journey, find out about railway history and do quizzes.

It reminds me of when our sons were young and bit rail fans. I remember hanging around in the cold at our local train station so they could do a bit of train spotting and wave at the train drivers and sitting in the car parked near level crossings.

I wrote recently about the complexity of judging the best way for me to travel to Glasgow Airport from my home in Berwick upon Tweed in Northumberland to catch my Easyjet flight to Berlin. During my research I found an advance purchase ticket from Berwick to Glasgow Central for £8.90 when bought online. I’m flying from Edinburgh Airport with Ryanair to Bremen in Germany in April, so looked for the cheapest rail fare from Berwick to Edinburgh Waverly. I assumed it would cost less than a ticket to Glasgow and you pass through Edinburgh at around the half way point or the journey from Berwick to Glasgow. Guess what, the cheapest fare from Berwick to Edinburgh cost a massive £18.20. That’s double the fare for half the journey! It’s all the more perverse because I’d be on the same train the 07.14 from Berwick to Glasgow Central, that I’m taking to reach Glasgow Airport.

Train by niznoz

I read that the UK has the highest rail fares in Europe. I would add to that that they are probably also the most bizarre. What’s your experience of the crazy rail pricing structure in the UK?

I’m attending a travel bloggers summit in Berlin next month. I’m flying with Easyjet from Glasgow for £53 return. However I live in Berwick upon Tweed in north eastern corner of England. Flights with other airlines from Edinburgh or Newcastle airport, my 2 closest airports, cost a lot more and/or involve a stopover.

My flight departs at 12:45 so I’m aiming to be at the airport by 11.30. I’m only taking hand luggage and have already checked in online but I don’t want to like to cut it too fine. My two options are driving or taking public transport.

It’s over 100 miles to Glasgow airport from Berwick, the airport lies to the west of Glasgow. The drive is a minimum of 2 hours if every goes smoothly but the route encompasses the Edinburgh bypass and the M8 motorway through central Glasgow which can both be very congested. I’d probably have to allow 3 hours plus another half hour to go to the secure carpark and be taken to the airport by minibus. So that’s a 08.00 departure from home. It would cost about £15 to park for 5 days, if you book in advance. It’s always a good idea to use a airport parking price comparison site plus around 230 miles return trip at say 40 pence a mile, so a cost of £107 plus the hassle of the drive.

If I bought an open return rail ticket it cost £69 return but involved 2 changes and all going smoothly i.e. no missed connections the journey from Berwick to Glasgow. I’d have to take the train from Berwick at 07.15 due to arrive at Glasgow airport at 10.25 and the next train departing Berwick at 08.29 arriving at the airport at 11.25 was too tight. I’d still have to get to Berwick station from our home which is a 20 minute walk with no public transport options so the would mean leaving home at 06.50. My husband will give me a lift if it’s raining but the alternative would be a taxi costing around £4. That brings the total cost to £77. I discovered I could reduce the cost by purchasing an cheap advance ticket for the train journey from Berwick to Glasgow Central which only costs £8.90, if you purchase online and then pay £5 for the bus to the airport. I can’t buy the cheap ticket for my return journey as it’s only valid for a specific train so it would be £35 for the return trip, so that my total down to £52, £44 if I manage the walk to and from the station. You do also win some Brownie points for being green by using public transport but that rather pales into insignificance when you consider the environmental impact of your flight.

So which is best? Looks like the car wins on the time front as I can leave home an hour later and on my return I can pick up the car at the car park and drive straight home. With the train I could have to wait for an hour for the next train as the flight is due in at 14.00 and I could just make the 14.57 train but if I don’t the next is at 15.43. However public transport is a lot cheaper and you don’t have a potentially stressful drive lasting up to 3 hours each way. The other big advantage of public transport is that with most travel insurance policies you are covered for missed departure if public transport lets you down, whereas if you travel in your own car you are only covered for accident or breakdown of the vehicle in which you are travelling.

So how am I travelling? I’m taking public transport to Glasgow airport and my husband is picking me up for the return trip, as one of our sons is a student in Glasgow so it’s an opportunity for us to visit him. That would avoid any hanging around waiting for connections. My decision is also influenced by the fact that we are a one car household and I thought my husband might want to use the car when I’m away. Also I’m happier with the travel insurance cover for my outward journey, as I believe the cover is better. In my travel insurance the wording is I’m covered for missed departure if “public transport does not run to timetable” but there is the caveat off “allowing time for delays which are to be expected”.

Overall I think it’s overly complicated to work out which is the best option. The main problem is lack of direct rail link to Glasgow airport. You either have to take the train from Glasgow Central to Paisley and then bus to the airport or the express bus from central Glasgow, which may be delayed on the motorway journey out to the airport. The confusion of all the different tickets available by rail doesn’t help as the cheap advance ticket option didn’t appear when I searched for through journeys and if you bought the suggested £69 open return ticket then some of the cost advantage of public tranport is lost as you are paying £20 for the sane rail journey from Berwick to Glasgow Central. The only difference is that with the open return it’s train to Paisley and the the bus and with the cheap ticket you take the airport express bus.

How do you usually travel to the airport? I suspect a lot depends on where you live and the availability of transport options to your nearest airport(s).

Everyone wants to get value for money when they travel but you have to ask yourself how low you are willing to go. What is budget travel? To some people, others budget travel may appear pretty upmarket. Personally I’m an in-betweenie, I’ve never been into backpacking and camping or staying in hostel dorms but neither have I been prepared to fork out to stay in fancy hotels. I’m looking for basic, clean, comfortable accommodation with a private bathroom and a variety of interesting activities with pleasant pit stops for meals and refreshments.

If you follow my tips you can have a great stay on a modest budget of around £100 sterling for two travellers per day to include accommodation, meals, transport and entertainment.

1 Travel outside peak season. I’d only suggest city breaks during the period from the end of October until the end of March, due to the limited daylight hours. At least in a city there’ll be plenty to do and see in all weathers. If you want to see the countryside too, I’d suggest April to June, excluding Easter, or September to October. June can be great as the days are really long, although you can’t be sure of warm, sunny weather.

2 Book in advance to get cheapest hotels and rail tickets. I know this means that your itinerary is inflexible but it saves you serious amounts of cash. You pay £19 for a Travelodge room if you travel off peak and pay 3 weeks in advance. where the standard rate is between £50 - £80. I paid £28 for a off peak rail ticket booked well in advance for which that my husband paid £220 for exactly the same journey but travelling peak hours.

3 Look for set menus or buffets in restaurants. It’s generally cheaper to eat out at lunchtime when a lunch menu or buffet costs around £7, whereas the same meal in the evening will cost a few pounds more.

4 Entry to public museums is free of charge in the UK and most cities have several museums and galleries where you can happily spend hours.

Here is my sample budget for £100 per day for two including accommodation, food and entertainment. I’ve based my example on staying in Edinburgh as there are 2 Travelodges in city centre, a wide array of museums and galleries such as the National Museum, Gallery of Modern Art and the Museum of Childhood, much to see and do off the beaten track and a good bus service with all day tickets costing £2.50.

Leith, Edinburgh’s port

£29 - Travelodge Saver room

£ 4 - Buy food for breakfast eg, croissants and fruit, tea and coffee making facilities provided in room

£18 -  Buffet with soft drink

£20 - One course dinner in pub with drink

£ 5 - Two all day bus tickets in Edinburgh

£ 8 - A couple of coffees or teas per person

£12 - Two cinema tickets

TOTAL £96

Eurostar has been voted the best rail network in the world in the 2007 World Travel Awards. Paris and Brussels can now be reached in 2 hours from the new St Pancras terminal in London.

St Pan Station by chakchouka

Eurostar’s Tread Lightly campaign has offered carbon neutral journeys at no additional cost to passengers since 14 November 2007. This has been achieved through a combination of lowering or train emissions and carbon offset. According to Eurostar 92% of their trains ran on time last year.

I haven’t used Eurostar, primarily because I live in the far north east of England. Have you used the service, how do you find it?