How to travel Europe cheap 2022
The paramount guide to traveling Europe on a budget!
To travel through Europe can be an exciting idea. However, Europe isn’t exactly cheap when it comes to holidays. It may not be the biggest continent around, but traveling through it sure comes pricey regardless!
When you plan to travel through Europe and you need to keep the funds in check, it may be smart to research and discover how to travel Europe cheap!
As a true travel-loving European grown person, I hope I will be able to inform you on the best ways to achieve the best and cheapest Euro-traveling for your buck!
Traveling Europe by train
Fast, affordable, and comfortable
Eurail VS Interrail
Night train
Besides regular trains, it is possible to take the night train. For an extra fee, including a bunk bed. This might sound like an expensive way to travel, but if you calculate in a night’s sleep, and save a whole day’s time it can actually be a pretty decent deal in some cases! Did I mention there is a small breakfast included in the price as well?
Here is a map with all the night trains available: https://tinyurl.com/bdzyv6rp.
In addition, you can also book a lot of these trains on https://www.nightjet.com/en/.
Buying loose tickets
Of course, it is also possible to travel by buying train tickets locally. Be careful to buy the ticket for the class you prefer to be in. In Example, machines at the Airport of Schiphol offer single tickets, especially to Amsterdam. These tickets are however first class. If you’d take the time to click around on the machine a bit longer, you will be able to find much cheaper second-class tickets to Amsterdam. This may also be true on other airfields.
Keep in mind that the price of public transport can differ greatly per country. For international tickets, it may sometimes be worthwhile to book the same ticket at the website of a train operator in another country.
Verdict
- Cheap?
- Comfort?
- Speed?
- Verdict
Traveling Europe by bus
Budget bus services
As a cheap alternative to the train, certain organizations have set up international bus connections. The biggest organization offering these international connections is FlixBus. There are others like Megabus and BlablaBus, but FilxBus is the most dominant service by a big margin. Â
To give an idea of how cheap FlixBus actually is: Traveling between Amsterdam and Brussels would cost you about 10 Euros. Try not to book at the last moment, though, as prices tend to fluctuate depending on how well filled the bus is.
The biggest downside of this way of traveling? It’s less comfortable and in most cases a bit slower than the train, car, or airplane. I may wel be one of the best ways to travel Europe cheap, though!Â
Local busses
Besides using the cheap international services, you can also get about everywhere just using the local bus systems. Few towns in Europe do not have a bus stop within 10 minutes of walking from wherever you are. Although this way of traveling can be very cheap, it might be somewhat more challenging.
It’s not always easy to find the correct website and bus information as it differs per country in Europe. Since the bus will stop a lot it’s also the slower option. But if you have time, this method will get you about anywhere!
Night busses
Some bus services offer night routes. Flixbus offers a limited amount of night options, as does BlaBlaBus. Mind well, you will have the same type of seat as when traveling during the day, so do not expect to sleep a lot!
Real sleeper busses are a rarity, and you’d probably have better chances looking at a sleeper train mentioned above.
Verdict
- Cheap?
- Comfort?
- Speed?
- Verdict
Traveling Europe by Blablacar
Blablacar
So you like to travel with people but are not so much up for hitchhiking? Then BlaBlaCar may be the European way to go for you.
What is BlaBlaCar? With BlaBlaCar it’s possible to book a journey from A to B by app with private persons. The idea is that you pay for (a part) of the fuel cost and the other party offers the car and a driver.
The why
The advantages of traveling with BlaBlaCar are:
- It’s cheap
- It’s pretty fast
- You can meet fun people
- It’s rarely boring
The why not
Of course, to each method of traveling there are besides advantages a view disadvantages as well. In the case of BlaBlaCar, a downside might be the contact with private persons. In most cases, this will go fluid, but since every person is their own this cannot be guaranteed. It may be fun to have contact with an individual offering a ride or anything but fun.
In addition, there are no quality standards. The person can be a good or a bad driver. Fast or slow. Charge more or less for gasoline. Still, you can place reviews of the driver on the BlaBlaCar site, and reading this may give you a decent impression of what to expect.
Verdict
- Cheap?
- Comfort?
- Speed?
- Verdict
Traveling Europe by Budget Airline
Europes cheap airlines
When it comes to flying cheap, European airlines are hard to beat. The most famous budget airline might well be Ryanair.Â
This airline is usually amongst the cheapest available for traveling within Europe. Do not expect luxury, though, this airline is all about the money regardless.
Most budget Airlines offer a lot of “optional extra’s” after the initial price. Some reasonable, some less reasonable. In the case of Ryanair, for example, it is not exceptional that you have to pay extra to sit next to your friends or family members.
Here is a shortlist of cheap options:
- Wizz Air
- Ryanair
- Eurowings
- Norwegian
- EasyJet
Keep in mind, if you include all the “extra’s” there are definitely occasions where the more expensive airlines end up as the cheaper ones!Â
Also, Norwegian Air additionally covers some very cheap intercontinental flights, just an extra tip on the side!Â
Verdict
- Cheap?
- Comfort?
- Speed?
- Verdict
Traveling Europe by Hitchhiking
Traveling Europe cheaper then cheap?
Cheapy sleeping supertip!
Verdict
- Cheap?
- Comfort?
- Speed?
- Verdict
Traveling Europe cheap: insiders tips
Cycling is king in some countries
2 nations excel in this method of traveling:
– Denmark
– The Netherlands
However in Germany, Belgium and most other European nations cycling is a much practiced activity or travel method.Â
For example: in the Netherlands there is a company called ” Swap bike” where you pay about 17 euro’s to rent a bike for a whole month.Â
Traveling Europe cheap: insiders tips
Walking instead of a taxi!
Last but not least. Almost forgotten to mankind and undeniably cheap: Walking. It may cost a bit more time, and we would definitely not advise crossing the whole of Europe this way. Still, it is certainly an option in many mid-sized cities like Edinburgh, Oslo or Budapest.
Some cities, like Brussels, deny car access to the city center.
So, use those legs and do not neglect the power of your 100% cheap feet!Â
Thank you for reading our “How to travel Europe cheap” guide, we hope you have found the knowledge you were looking for!Â
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