With a train track length totaling 240,000km – I can tell you right now that in Europe, traveling by train is the easiest and most convenient method of travel available. Everyone there, whether they be locals or tourists see train as the preferred method of travel.
The trains are very good both domestically and internationally within the European continent.
I’ve travelled in Europe by both train and bus, and although buses are generally a little cheaper – I much prefer travelling by train. You can get up and stretch and don’t feel so confined. Train stations are also always located centrally, so it’s a good spot to arrive when landing in a new city.
If you’re hoping and researching into backpacking through Europe this summer, then I do highly recommend the train as a way of getting around. There is a pass known as the Global Pass that will give you access to most of the European train system, all with the one ticket.
There are two companies that can provide this service for you, and they are EuRail and InterRail. Both have websites where you can get all the details you need to organize a global pass.
At first it can seem a little confusing, but essentially there are two varieties of tickets available to cater to two types of travels. There is the unlimited travel style of ticket, meaning you can travel as much as you like in a set period. This is great for those that love to move around a lot and see as much as possible.
The other style of ticket is the set amount of days within a certain time period. What I mean here is that you can, for example, travel only 10 days within a 2 month period. The advantage to this ticket is that it is a lot cheaper – so for those that already have an idea of how they want to travel it can be a great way to do it.
I’ve been backpacking through Europe multiple times, and trains are the way to go if you want convenience and comfort – if you ONLY want budget and that’s it, then you’ll want to use the bus system instead. But the price difference is not that dramatically different, so a global rail pass is still incredibly useful.
This was a guest post from Tom of ActiveBackpacker.com – it caters to all of your backpacking preparation needs and gives tips and advice too.
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