Travel by Train: Pros and Cons
Eurail.com is pretty easy to navigate and selecting the right pass really depends on how long you will be traveling, how many countries you plan on visiting and how many times you think you will use your pass. Since we were going to be there for 7 weeks, we decided to get the Global Pass, which allows unlimited travel days to any of the Schengen countries for two months from the first day of travel. You can get less travel days if you are staying long in most places and won't be using the train too much. This does not include city trains such as the Metro, but can be used on local and regional trains. Your Eurail pass is not your ticket, and you will still need to reserve your seats for where you want to go, but it gives you the luxury of traveling for a way lower price than a full-fare ticket, so you can go to more places. For instance, I was able to get a round trip ticket from Paris to Strasbourg for only €18 as opposed to the €40-70 range for a one way ticket if you buy without one. Another good thing about traveling via train is you can actually book a spot on a night train, sleep through the trip and wake up in your next destination, also saving a little money by not booking an extra night at a hotel. Traveling by train also gives you the opportunity to see places and spectacular views that you would not be able to during air travel. Remember that you must book your Eurail pass before you arrive in Europe!
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| Berlin Central Station |
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| At Gare du Nord in Paris, on the way to Amsterdam! |
There are, of
course, a few disadvantages to everything, but none so bad that I
would never travel via train again. First of all, you must know
exactly what time your train leaves, what platform it is on and be
there at least 15 minutes before it departs. Unlike air travel, where
your name is called over a loudspeaker that you are the only person
missing from the plane, the train will leave when it is scheduled to
leave, regardless if you have a reserved seat or not. If you aren't
on it when it departs, well, sorry! In Prague, we almost missed our
train to Vienna because we were so confused by the platforms at their
central station and literally ran and jumped into the train a minute
before it took off-lugging our heavy bags while doing so. Also, if
you enjoy the comfort of checking in your luggage and not worrying
about it until you disembark, then forget train traveling. You have
to carry all your own stuff in and out and make sure you watch it
constantly to make sure nobody accidentally or purposely takes your
bag. There's also talk of a lot of theft in Europe nowadays so watch
your stuff like a hawk! Another thing is that you need to make
reservations in advance because there is a limited number of seats
reserved for Eurail pass holders, so if you try to get one on the day
you plan to leave, you might not be able to. What we did was book at
least five cities in advance so it wasn't such an inconvenience to
have to line up every time we arrived somewhere to book seats for the
next destination. Lastly, in certain locations, you may have to take
local trains, which are free for pass holders, but have no reserved
seating and sometimes are not as nice as others. Also, if it's
packed, chances are you won't get much rest or space during your
travel. Thankfully, we only encountered this problem traveling from
Florence to Nice, where you have to take the Italian train line until
Ventimiglia on the Italian-French border, then switch to a local
train to Nice which was packed with people and full of stops, and
also from San Sebastian to Bordeaux. You get of at Irun/Hendaye on
the Spanish-French border and take a local train to Bordeaux. Other
than that, it was smooth sailing for all our rides. Lastly, if you
aren't into long haul traveling, maybe train rides aren't for you. We
would average about 5 hours per trip, but our longest was from Vienna
to Venice at 11 hours on a night train. I have to be honest, we
cheated once and flew from Nice to Barcelona, but only because we
would have to take a local train with no reserved seats and travel
for over 13 hours with a few switches!
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| The dreadful train from Ventimiglia to Nice. Dreadful because it was the summer and there were so many tourists coming in and out in every stop, and we had our luggage and other crap. |
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| On an 11 hour overnight train from Vienna to Venice. It wasn't SO bad but I wouldn't wanna do it again unless absolutely necessary! |
Staying in apartments: Ups and Downs
I was in charge
of booking our Eurail passes and our accommodations and one thing I
recommend is to plan months in advance to get the best rates for
apartments, and so you have time to really look for a place that
suits your taste and needs. Airbnb.com has a wide selection of
apartments for rent all over the world and there is something for
every budget. Consider this- some of the cheaper hotels I looked up
in Paris were about €80 and good for two people, but we were able
to get an apartment for the three of us plus two friends for €120,
in Le Marais, no less, just a block away from Place des Vosges. In
Florence, we rented an apartment just a 7 minute walk to the Basilica
de Santa Maria del Fiore, better known as the Duomo, which was also
close to a lot of shopping, the San Lorenzo Market and the Uffizi
Gallery for less than €100 per night for three people. Aside from
spending less, it also allows for a more “local” experience I
feel because you are able to go to the markets and cook your own food
and live in neighborhoods that are a bit off the tourist center, but
close enough for you to get to where you need to go. It's a great way
to really feel at home because you are in someone's house or
apartment, usually complete with everything you will need for a
comfortable stay. Furthermore, you can shop for a new place to “live”
in every city and actually stay in a really cute apartment for as
long as you need.
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| Outside our Amsterdam apartment just a block away from Albert Cuypmarkt. Hello fresh stroopwafels! |
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| Our Le Marais apartment in Paris. Down the street from a boulangerie with my fave tarte tatin and close to everything for only 20 euros per head per night (5 people) |
Now the
downside-booking an apartment can be a little tricky, especially if
you have never been to the city you are visiting. You want to know
that you are central enough, but also want to feel like you are part
of the local community. It's best to do your research on the city
before booking a place so that you know exactly what you are getting
yourself into. If you don't do your own research and decide what it
is you want to do or see in the city, then you may end up booking a
place that is too far or in a dodgy area (which might explain why
it's really cheap) Another downside to booking an apartment is that
photos can lie and you might not be getting exactly what you expect.
95% of the time, we were satisfied with the places we chose but there
was that odd apartment that was not what we bargained for. Another
thing is that you need to be responsible for finding a place that is
secure because unlike hotels, you will not have a doorman and a front
desk that prohibits random people from coming in and out. Most place
online will advertise that they have a security lock on the front
door of the building plus more in the actual unit, but we had one
experience in Paris wherein we opened the apartment for the first
time and saw that it seemed to have been broken into! Needless to
say, we booked another place ASAP and worked out a refund from the
owner.
At the end of the
day, I feel that traveling this way made me closer to my siblings
because we had to figure things out together, instead of relying on
someone to plan our trip for us. Since we felt a bit too old to
actually “Backpack” in the literal sense, but wanted the same
sort of adventure, slight unpredictability and freedom as backpackers
do, we opted for this. It may not be for everyone. But it's
definitely the best choice for people who want to feel less like a
tourist and more like a local in their travels and even with some of
the mishaps and misadventures, I would not have done it any other
way!
Photos by Mio Paredes
Published in The Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2013
