Europe Travel Guide

Where to start?

2008-11-26T10:06:00.000-08:00

Time and Places

To begin with, you need to know how many days you will spend in your trip, and what cities would you like to visit. On the basis that we did not know any city in Europe, and that almost all were interesting for us, this was not an easy task at all!

We had approximately one month available... as it is not much time; we decided to try the "most representative" cities in Europe, and also some extra city that could provide us something different. First we chose Madrid, Barcelona, Munich, Rome, Paris and London, which are cities that you cannot miss, and then we decided to visit smaller cities too, with very different characteristics between them, as Füssen, Budapest, Firenze, Venezia, Basel and Amsterdam. To decide the order and number of days we were going to stay in each city, took us about 4 or 5 months. During the planning, our trip was changing all the time, depending on the price of flights to go from one side to another, accommodation, and so on. It is very important to have defined this part of the plan, accommodation and flight reservations are something that must be done very well in advance.

How to get around?

Another important thing is to define how you will move through Europe. The greatest advantage is the variety of transportation forms that can be chosen. We opted to do most of our trip by train (for which we got an Interrail-Eurail ticket), and some other specific routes by plane. Later we will talk about the use of Interrail and Eurail, which requires some expertise knowledge! Ha ha.
The advantage we found in the train, which is why we chose it as the main mean of transport, is that you cannot only look at the landscape (that changes completely just in seconds from mountains and lakes, to deserts), but also because train stations are always at the centre of the city, so if you already have your ticket, arriving 10 minutes before their departure it’s ok to get in. Other advantage is that you can save time by traveling at night and sleeping on the trains at the same time.
Finally, airports are always on the outskirts of the city, and sometimes getting to the center of the cities could be as expensive as paying another plane ticket.

How much is spent?

We must also mention the issue of money. Obviously it's going to change from person to person, but doing most of the rides, staying in hostels or in some friends homes, eating "good" food (McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, sandwiches, pizza ... ), going out for a drink at night, paying transport from country to country and within cities, and so on, we spent an average of 50 or 60 Euros a day.

What we carry?

The luggage is obviously something very personal, but anyway something can be advised on this issue.
Make an effort not to carry with you rather than:
-- Big bag style backpack. (Camping)
-- Little handbag.
-- Belt compartment
-- Coat with compartment
-- Comfortable shoes and waterproof.

Backpack:
Try not to exceed 10-12 kg weight. You walk more than imagined with the bag behind yourself and the physical fatigue affects much on what you appreciate and enjoy. So do not carry too much clothing. There is always a possibility of washing something in hostels or laundry places.
Little handbag:
There you can put little stuff and practical things as your passport, maps, iPod, camera lens, sunglasses, etc. ...
In fact, all the things that you must always carry with you. Consider that you always have the risk of losing your luggage in some flight or airport.
Belt:
I brought a belt that had a closure inside, I put the cash planned to use for the entire stay, so as not to leave it in hostels or lockers and feel safer (even though we did not have any problems with that).
Coat:
Here you can put your wallet, which include credit cards and cash that you use on a daily basis.
In case you go in summer, it is better to have it in the little handbag.
Footwear:
Footwear is very important. Try not to take more than a couple to make your bag lighter. It is better if they resist the water, just in case the rain gives you hard times.

Summing up ... This is the most personal part of the trip so it requires a lot of time and dedication, and research for different options, but it is also great fun to imagine the different possibilities that are almost endless!!!

Question's Place

2008-07-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

In this section we will publish all your questions and our responses to your doubts.

Keep sending your comments or queries, and we will answer as soon as possible.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name: Elliot

Writing from: United Kingdom

hey,
myself and 6 other friends are going interailing this summer.we have bought the interail 5 in 10 day global pass, but we are confused about the overnight trains. we do not know how to book and are confused about how we book the beds and what the prices are. can you help?
thanks

Answer-

Hi Elliot, how are you?

The price of the night trains vary depending which type of train you choose, or if you book a seat or a couchette, and also depending in which country you are travelling.
There's a really good website in which you can look for prizes of train tickets, and book them... it's www.raileurope.com, there you can search for night trains between 2 cities, and also check a box saying that you have a Train Pass (such as InterRail Pass)... and it gives you the correct price for the journey.

You can also book night tickets in the train stations, as you are travelling around. For example, when you arrive to some city, as you will be already at the train station, you can book the night train for the day you are travelling to the next city.

Take into account that night trains are considered after 19.00 hours... so if you take a train after that hour, you can travel next day without using another InterRail Pass day... unless that next day you take another night train... in this case you will have to use another travel day.

If you have more question or comments, please write again.

Bye!

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Name: Mejoy

Writing from: Ireland

Hello friend,
Thanks for very useful information posting. I would like to know, these
Interail global pass can possible to buy from railway station?
Is it possible to use this pass in metro rail, tram or underground trains?
I am planning for a trip in next two weeks.

Thanks,
Mejoy

Answer-

Hi Mejoy, how are you?

Yes, you can buy the InterRail Global Pass in a railway station, I bought mine in Chamartin - Madrid, but you can buy it in every important railway station.
In the underground and trams I'm almost sure that you cannot use the InterRail Pass, but you can use it in the regional trains, that sometimes run over the same rail that metro lines does, inside the city.

Good luck with your trip, and hope you find useful this information!!!

Best wishes!

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Name: Mel

Writing from: Brazil

Hi,

I must say your review on Munich and Fussen is very enlightning.
See, we're planning our honeymoon fo r March next year, and while browsing Googleearth we came across some pictures of Neuschwanstein. I'm really willing to pay a visit to it, and I believe there's nothing more romantic for a honeymoon to be unforgettable.
There's one question I'd like to ask: how much did you spend on lunch and dinner while in Fussen? We already found a hostel that serves breakfast included in the daily rate, so we are concerned about how much it'll cost to have the other meals.
Have a nice week.
Mel

Answer-

Hi Mel, how are you?

The hostel you have found is "House L.A."? If it is.... I must say we were there and it was really nice, and the owners were really helpfull and kind! They pick up us from the train station at night, when we arrived.... and the breakfast was nice!

About how much we spend in the meals... I don't remember exactly... but I think it was something between 10 and 15 euros per person, eating a great pizza and very nice beer! (I think German beer is the best!!!).
I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but there was a kind of "cheff statue" in the front door... you can see it in one of our pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/euroviajex/FSsen#5135780873944759970

Well... hope you to have a great and romantic Honeymoon... and find this information useful!!!

Bye bye!!!

Rome - Travel Guide

2008-05-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

Rome is a city in which you can breath history... Wherever you look there are sculptures, building or ruin that has been there for more than 2000 years. We will try to provide as much information about Rome as we can in this post.

We spent 4 days in this city, and we believe that is the minimum time you need to stay if you want to get the whole picture of Rome, seeing all the typical places of the city, although we know that this is a more personal topic.

Hot to get to Rome city centre?

- By Train:

This is the easiest option, as any train to Rome will arrive to Termini Railway station. Near Termini Railway station you may find the cheapest hostels, and you have really good public transport services in this zone (buses and subway for any place in the city).

- By Plane:

There are many options to reach Rome city centre from both airports. We include here the one we think is the most convenient.

Fiumicino Airport: Bus Terravision: From Fiumicino to Termini or from Termini to Fiumicino. Single ticket: approximately 10€.

Ciampino Airport: Bus Terravision: From Ciampino to Termini or from Termini to Ciampino. Single ticket: approximately 10€.

Transport in Rome

Some of the typical monuments in the city are not far away between them. In this case, the best way to go from one place to another is by walk.
However, Rome is a big city, and sometimes you will have to go through a big distance that is not suitable to make it by walk.
As Rome subway has only 2 lines, the best way to move across the city when you need to go for a long distance, in our point, is using the buses.
Bus lines have night services, they cover the entire city, and they have a really great advantage: they are "FREE"!!! :D
We are not going to recommend people not to pay the ticket, but we must say that we stay in the city for 4 days, during that time we took several buses to go to many places in the city, and we didn't pay the ticket in any of them, nor any inspector checked the buses. In case an inspector gets in the bus, you can always get out of it before the inspector reaches you. ;)
This is why we can not say how much is the prize of a single ticket... what we can say is that drivers do not sell tickets, so in case you want to buy one, you'll have to do it in the ticket machines that are supposedly near bus stops (supposedly because we never saw any of them), and also in Termini train station.

Hot to move around Rome from Termini train station?

As mentioned above, Termini is a good starting point to move around Rome. Here is a list of bus lines that takes you to the most important tourist places:

Coliseum: line 64
Piazza Venezia and Vatican: line 64
Piazza Spagna and Trevi Fountain: line 492
Campo di Fiori: line 64

Rome city map:
Here is a really good map of Rome city: Rome Map

Rome monuments

Below there is a list of some places to visit in Rome.

Colosseum / Palatine:

When you visit the Colosseum, you need to know that there will be many tourists, in other words, you will spend some time in the queue before you can get inside.
Opening hours: from 9.00 am until one hour before sunset.
The normal price of entry, which includes both monuments is € 11.
If you are an EU citizen and you have between 18 and 24 years, or if you are a student, there is a reduced rate, which I think it was € 6.50.
Inside you can get also an audio guide, whose price is around € 3, or reduced to € 1.50.
Something good if you want to avoid queues, is to buy the ticket in the Palatino, because there is always less queued than in the Colosseum, and then you can go back to the Colosseum, because if you have the ticket, there is a special queue that is much faster than the other one.
It is a visit that will take you almost all day... once you are inside the Colosseum, you want to stay there for a long time! It's amazing! :D

A recommendation... around the Colosseum there are many people disguised as Romans... You have to know that to take a picture with them you must pay! And it is better to ask the price before taking the picture, because if you first take the picture and then ask how much is it, the will say a really expensive price.
If you ask before, maybe you can ask them for a lower price.

Roman Forum: Free admission. Open from 9.00 until one hour before the sun goes down.

Vittoriano Piazza Venezia: Free admission. Opening/closing hours: In winter: 9.30 to 16.30. In summer: 9.30 to 17.30.

Pantheon: Free admission. Opening/closing hours: 8.30 to 19.30, sunday 9.00 to 18.00, holidays 9.00 to 13.00.

Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli: Free admission. Opening/closing hours: 7.00 to 19.00 (in winter until 18.00); to climb to the dome: from 8.00 to sunset.
Recommendation: although maybe you go in summer and the weather is really hot, you should not wear shorts, nor bare shoulders or miniskirts, as they are strict with the Dress Code. This applies to both men and women.

Vatican Museums / Sistine Chapel: most of the year, opening/closing hours are from 10.00 to 15.30 (but you can stay inside until 16.45). Free admission on the last Sunday of each month, and opening/closing hours are from from 9.00 to 12.30 (but you can stay inside until 13.45).
Regular ticket: € 13.
With a Student card (plus being under 26 years old), applies the reduced rate of 8 €.

Fontana di Trevi /Piazza Spagna/ Piazza Navona/ Piazza del Campidoglio/ Campo di Fiori

This are all monuments or public squares that obviously doesn't have neither time nor entrance fee... but each one of them (specially the Trevi Fountain) are recommended to be visited during the day, and during the night because of the lighting.

Where to eat in Rome?

Obviously we are not say anything new if recommend eating pizza and pasta in Italy... but they are certainly the most tasty and cheap things to eat (specially pizza).

We specially recommend a place, located at about 150 meters from St. Peter's Basilica, which sell pizzas of all tastes by weight. To find it, is a matter of keeping track of the people who come around eating pizza in cardboard boxes. Many nuns and priests also stopped there to eat! :)

Another typical thing in Rome are the ice creams! Wherever you go, you'll always see people eating ice cream. In this case we recommend the Gelateria "Da Quinto". It is located on the Via di Tor Millina 14, near the Piazza Navona.

Where to out at night in Rome?

A good place to go out, drink something and listen to good music is Campo di Fiori. In this square there are many pubs and restaurants, which are not expensive and where you can spend a pleasant time.

There is also the Pub Crawler option, with people that offer you this option in the street... First you have a "happy hour" in a pub, in which you can eat and drink all the pizza and beer you want (or that you can... hehe), and then they take you up and down from one pub to another... which are usually at a distance of 10 or 15 minutes by walk. In every pub you go, they give you a "shot".
The price for the Pub Crawler is around 20-25 euros.

Finally: BE CAREFUL when crossing the streets! :D Even if you're in a pedestrian crossing or the traffic light is green, look carefully to both sides... people there drive really fast and doesn't respect the traffic signs!

Accommodation in Rome

We stayed in a hostel called Freedom Traveller, located very near the Termini train station. Seeking for information to know in which neighborhood we should stay, we read in some forums and blogs that this area was "very dangerous". Based on our experience, rather than dangerous, we felt that it was quite dirty. We did not have any problems there.
If you are interested, you can find more information on hotels or hostels in Rome below.

Munich - Füssen - Travel Guide

2008-04-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

For these 2 cities we spent about 3 days (2 days in Munich and 1 day in Füssen), and we can say that we would liked to spend some more days in Munich... It gave us no time to see everything. In Füssen with only one day we visited all their most important tourist attractions.

Munich

Franz Josef Strauss airport is located approximately 40km from Munich city center, and if you don't have vehicle, the best way to get there, taking into account the price and duration of the journey is by Urban train (S Bahn).
Tickets can be purchased inside the airport, in the sales point.
You can take lines S1 or S8, and the name of Munich central train station is Hauptbahnhof. The trip takes about 40 minutes, and before boarding the train is necessary to validate the ticket in the machines that are located in the platform.
One-way ticket: € 7.40.
Round trip ticket: 13 €.

To move around the city, we used mostly the U-Bahn (subway), and sometimes the S-Bahn, and we think that is a very quick way to move from one place to another.
The ticket costs € 2.20, but if you know you are going to take several trains, you can get the 1-day ticket, which costs 5 € and you can travel all day (this ticket does not include all areas, nor S Bahn trains, but it's useful to visit all places of the city centre). U Bahn works from 4:15 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., every day.

As we only stayed in Munich for less than 2 days, we cannot give advice on all the places to see, but there are 2 things that we highly recommend:

Dachau Concentration Camp:
How to get to Dachau Concentration Camp? To reach Dachau from Munich, you have about 45 minutes. You have to take the S Bahn, line S2 heading toward Peterhausen and get off at "Dachau" train stop. There you take the bus number 724 or 726 right at the train station exit. Both will leave you a few yards from the Concentration Camp. Just follow the tourists that will be arriving, it is not necessary to ask how to get there!
The entrance to the Camp is free, but if you want an audio guide you have to pay around € 2, which is highly recommended if you are not in a guided tour, because you will learn many important historical things.

Oktoberfest:

Oktoberfest (the beer party) lasts 16 days, and its dates varies somewhat from year to year, but it is usually about the last week of September until the first week of October (in 2008 will be from 20 September to 5 October).
If you travel to Munich in this time of the year, you should be aware that it is very difficult to find accommodation, so you should plan it in advance.
The festival takes place in a giant campus, and many people attend to it, so the best way to get there is by public transport:
- S1 or S8: Hackerbruecke subway stop.
- U3 or U6: Goetheplatz or Poccistraße subway stop.
- U4 or U5: Theresienwiese or Schwanthaler Höhe subway stop.

The party starts in the morning, around 9 am or 10am, and extends until about 22.30, so it's good to try to get there early, or at least before 5 pm.
The price of the beer is 9 € for 1 litre, and is the best beer in the world! We specially suggest you to drink the HB (Hofbräu). It was the more tasty! :D

Here is a video that shows a bit of our experience during the Oktoberfest!

Although we are sure that Munich has many other interesting things to see, as we didn't have enough time we could not saw them all. If anyone knows about other places to visit in Munich, and wish it to be here, do not hesitate to contact us and we will include it here.

Füssen

How to get to Füssen?
To make the journey from the city of Munich to Füssen we used the train. Trains depart from Hauptbahnhof (main station) approximately every 1 hour, and the trip lasts 2 hours.
As we had the InterRail/Eurail ticket Global Pass, and because it was a regional train (REG), we did not have to pay anything to make the trip, and neither had to make any reservation, it was enough just to jump into the train and nothing more. In case you don't have an InterRail/Eurail Pass, you will have to pay a € 20.80 ticket. (If you want more information about how to use the InterRail/Eurail Pass, go to our previous post: Trains: InterRail - Eurail).

It is very small city, so most of the trips can be made on foot.

Undoubtedly the most recommendable tour in Füssen is to visit the "Crazy King Castle": Neuschwanstein. It is about 3 km away from Füssen downtown so if you want (and the weather let you do it, because when we went it was raining and very cold), it's nice to go walking. If you are a bit more vague, you can take a bus near the train station. Lines 73 and 78 takes you there, and you have to get off in Hohenschwangau. Again, if you are a bit lost, follow the tourists. ;)

To visit both castles you have to buy the entrance in Hohenschwangau, before going up through the hill, to the castels. To go up, you can go on foot but are like 40 minutes uphill, or go by a car pulled by horses, or go by bus (the ticket costs around € 3). The horse cars are more expensive than the bus.

When you buy the entrance, you receive an entry schedule for your visit. This is really worthy because even though there will be many people over there, you will save time that in other case you would have been losing in the queue.

Lastly, while waiting for your turn to visit the castle, I specially recommend that you walk up to Marienbrücke, which is a bridge from where you can get the best views of the castle, the river and the Alps with a small waterfall that runs below this bridge! Simply amazing! It's just 5 minutes away by walk ... (The photo was taken from the Marienbrücke bridge).

Accommodation in Munich and Füssen

In Munich, as mentioned earlier, if you travel during Oktoberfest, you should take special care and look well in advance in order to have a cheap place to stay, as that time is considered peak season.
In Füssen, the problem is that there are very few hostels or cheap accommodation, so you also must book with some advance to avoid running out of place.
Below you can look for more information about accommodation in this two cities.

Madrid - Travel Guide

2008-03-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

The only thing Madrid doesn't have is a beach, but it has everything else: museums, monuments, parks, good food, nightclubs, bars…

How to get to Madrid city centre?

-- Arriving by plane:
The flights will arrive at Madrid Barajas airport, which has 4 terminals: T1, T2, T3 and T4.
If you do not have too much luggage, or want to get to the city center as cheap as possible, the best is to take the subway (Metro). In the case of T1, T2 and T3 terminals, the subway stop (which is inside the airport) is "Airport T1-T2-T3." For T4, the subway stop is "Airport T4" and you can found it a few meters from the Arrival Gate. Line 8 is the one that takes you to and from the airport.
The cost of the simple ticket is 1€, but as you are inside the airport you will have to pay an additional fee of 1€, so you will finally pay 2€.

-- Arriving by train:
The two most important railway stations in Madrid are Atocha and Chamartin. The first is located in the south of the city center but you can walk up to "Puerta del Sol" without problems. In case you want other means of transportation, the subway line that passes through Atocha is the line 1.
Chamartin station is located in the north of the city, but also a few minutes from the center, where you can go using lines 1 or 10, as both pass through this train station.

Where to go in Madrid? (click to see some pictures):

-- Palacio Real (Royal Palace): free on Wednesday.
-- Jardines de Sabatini (Sabatini Gardens)
-- Templo de Debod (Debod's Temple)
-- Catedral de la Almudena (Almudena's Cathedral)
-- Plaza Mayor (Main Square)
-- Puerta del Sol
-- Puerta de Alcalá
-- Parque del Retiro (Retiro Park)
-- Casa de Campo
-- Real Madrid Stadium - Santiago Bernabeu)
-- Atlético de Madrid Stadium - Vicente Calderón
-- Museo del Prado (Prado Museum): free on Sunday.
-- Museo Reina Sofía (Queen Sofia Museum): free on Sunday.
-- Plaza de Cibeles
-- It is also highly recommended to spend one day to go to Toledo, another day to go to Segovia, and another day for El Escorial Monastery. Three quick getaways that you cannot miss!

Madrid city map:
Here is a really good map of Madrid city: Madrid Map.

Here is a little video about our days in Madrid and Toledo.

Eating in Madrid - Tapas Bars:

On weekdays, at lunch, many restaurants offer an "Executive Menu", that usually costs around 10 € and includes 1st dish, 2nd dish, bread, something to drink and dessert… the best if you are really hungry! My recommendation is to seek the place that best fit your tastes, because in the front door of all this restaurants you will find dishes offered.

In the afternoon the best is to "salir de tapas" and drink some "cañas". For those who do not know, a "caña" is a glass of barrel beer, and "tapas" is what they give you to eat with this glass of beer, usually a "tapa" consists of a little bread with something on it (bread with ham, tuna, pâte, "tortilla", etc.). The best time to start is at 8pm, and if you are with some other people will be more fun; but I think the ideal is being 4 people. It is the most typical way to have dinner, and the cheapest way too.

I specially recommend the next four Tapas Bars:

-- Bar "Los amigos": it is almost at the corner of Navas de Tolosa street and Veneras Street (metro stations: Callao, or Santo Domingo, or Opera). They serve excellent tapas with each beer you order, and I recommend to order too the "Patatas Bravas" (potatoes with some hot sauce, they are excelent!).
-- La Esquina de Eusebio: it is located in the Caramuel street nº16 (metro stop Puerta del Angel). This is definitely the best Tapas bar in Madrid! The "caña" is only 2€ each and you can eat anything you want. Tapas are served on trays in the bar, and people are passing trays from hand to hand and serving themselves. You can also ask for some big meat steaks that here are delicious! (see picture behind).
-- Casa Mingo: it is located on Paseo de la Florida nº34 (metro stop Principe Pio). Here their specialty is the roast chicken, and order it with a good cider! You can also take the opportunity to visit the Goya's tomb, located beside the bar.
-- Cerveceria Galatea: the address is Principe de Vergara nº4 (located between the metro stops Principe de Vergara, and Nuñez de Balboa). Here their very best dishes are hamburgers and hot dogs! You can not leave Madrid without eating them.

Nightlife in Madrid - Night Clubs:

In Madrid if you like dancing, you can go 7 nights a week, but obviously when more people are going out is on Friday and Saturday.
It has different options for everyone:

-- Huertas / Puerta del Sol: In this area you have many options, from little "bars" (places to have a drink, listen to music and maybe even dancing), until fairly large nightclubs. Weekdays, if you walk through this area, there are many people offering discount cards, and invitinge you to free shots ("chupitos"), or a beer or "sangria". If you do this, you can go walking and at the same time drinking for free! During weekends is not like weekdays, but you can always get some discounts on drinks. Usually you pay around 6€ to go in a bar, and a drink is included.
-- Gaviria Palace: this is a pretty big club which is about 2 minutes walking from Puerta del Sol. Thursdays is the "Countries Party" in which when you go inside, they give you a sticker to put on your chest, that says your country, it's really funny! And the entry costs about 12 € and includes 2 drinks. On weekends is a little more expensive, but there are more people and different kinds of music.
-- Kapital: it is located close to Atocha, and is a 7-floor nightclub! It has many musical styles, depending on the floor in which you are dancing, and the entrance is about 18 euros (a drink is included).
-- Salsa / Merengue / Bachata: if you like dancing tropical rhythms, you have these two great places to go: "El Son", which is about 2 minutes walking from Puerta del Sol. Admission is free on weekdays and there is a band that plays live. On Mondays they bring Salsa classes for beginners. On weekends to enter you have to pay about 7€ with a drink included; "Azucar": it is located near Atocha, and the entrance on weekends costs between € 10-12 with a drink included.
-- Torre Europa: it is between the metro stop Santiago Bernabeu and there are several small clubs all together. Admission is free every day for all of them, and the drinks costs around 7€. All this clubs play different kind of music as the night goes by.

Madrid city transport:

-- Metro (Subway): it is the better mean of transport of the city. The typical waiting time is between 2 and 5 minutes, but if it is very late at night, maybe you will have to wait about 15 minutes. It is open every day from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. of the next day, so it is almost always working. The only problem is when you go out at night and you want to come back before 6am, but there are other means of transport to use. If you want to see the subway map, go to Metro de Madrid

-- BuhoMetro: This is one of the best solutions to the problem of going out at night and wanting to come back before 6am. This buses that operate only on Fridays and Saturdays, have a 15 or 20 minutes frequency and make the same way of the metro lines. They only stop in the bus stops that coincide with metro stations, and take the number of the subway line that emulate, for example L1, L2, L3, etc.

-- Buses: besides BúhoMetro there are also common bus lines. At every bus stop there is information about the lines that stop there and if you want to know when the next bus arrives, simply follow instructions and send an SMS! Overall, during the week, at business hours, it is not a good mean of transport as many traffic jams occur and it may take much to go from one point to another in the city. I recommend it for the night, or if there is no other choice! At night there are night services, that have the letter "N" before the number (N23, N1, etc..). The Plaza de Cibeles is a strategic point (near the zone with more bars and nightclubs) from which emerge services to virtually all city directions during all night.

Something that can save you a lot of money, is the 10 trips ticket sold in the Metro stops. It is useful for both Metro and buses (including BúhoMetro). The single ticket costs 1 € and the 10 trips ticket 6.40€.

How to get from Madrid to Toledo?

To travel from Madrid to Toledo, we did it by bus, and we both think that is the best way to go.
Buses leave from Avenida America bus station, and you can get there by subway. The subway station Avenue America is located just inside the bus station (lines 4, 6, 7 and 9).
The company that brings you to Toledo is Continental Auto, the journey time it is about 45 minutes and the ticket cost around 10€. The frequency of buses is really good, a bus every half hour or something like this.
When you arrive to Toledo, near the station there is a tourist information office in which you can ask for a city map with the main places to visit.

Cheap accommodation in Madrid:

I looked for several hostels before traveling to Madrid. Basically services are the same in most of them, and prices too. After an intense search I decided to stay in the Cat's Hostel, because is very well located and is very cheap. You can search for more information below.

Cheap Flights - Low Cost Airlines

2008-02-21T05:21:00.000-08:00

One of the most economical ways to travel between the different cities in Europe is using the cheap flights of the low cost companies.

These cheap flights have to be purchased via Internet, using credit card and they price varies depending on the date, the anticipation when buying, and the cities of departure and destination.

The prices of these flights are often between 25 and 30 euros. Usually no meals on board included, but you can buy drinks and a snacks on board if you wish.

About what we have been asked by several people, whether this kind of flights are reliable or not, we can ensure that they are. We took about 4 or 5 flights of some of these companies and we did not have any delay beyond what is normal that can occur at any airline, whether it is a low cost companie or not.

Cheap Flights Guide

1 - The first thing you have to do is choose the low cost company in which you are going to travel.

For the same route, these different companies usually have different prices among themselves, so before deciding in which you will travel, look at others because you may find a better offer. Note that sometimes leaving a day earlier or a day after the date you want to travel can make you save a lot of money.

In our case, we thought to travel from Paris to London on a Sunday, and when we ask for the price to travel on Saturday, it was 50 € cheaper.

Below we list some of the best-known and reliable companies in Europe. In their websites you can find prices, schedules, destinations and some special offers.

-- Ryanair
-- EasyJet
-- Air Berlín
-- Vueling
-- Air Europa
-- Spanair
-- Condor
-- German Wings

2 - Once you are in the page, search tickets for the dates and destinations you want. When you have found the one you want, select it, click 'continue', and automatically you will be entering the security area of the page, where you will pay for the elected flight.

3 - Concluded payment, the company will send you by mail a reference code. Companies such as EasyJet also give you the option of printing a paper with your flight and the reference code. Anyway, the ONLY thing you will need to take with you when boarding will be the reference code and your passport.

4 - Stay alert not to receive any mail from the company about the flight being cancelled. It is not quite common, but just in case ...

5 - The day of the flight, you should be 2 hours before departure at the airport. Look on the Departure panel where your company window is, and head toward it.

6 - On the desk of the company you will give the reference code and your passport, and then you only have to wait the boarding call.

Another place to finde cheap flights:

A cheap flights search engine we found before making our trip, that was extremely useful was Skyscanner.
The best thing this web has, is a Route Map, in which first you have to select the departure city, then you 'throw' an arrow to the destination city, then click on the search button and you will go to a screen in which after selecting the month, you will see the prices 'day by day' of you ticket, so you can choose the cheaper fare to get there.
We hope this page will be useful for you, and it can be found below.

Accomodation (Hostels - Cheap Hotels)

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Hostels

The cheapest accomodation you will find in Europe are the Hostels. For people that have never used this kind of accomodation, they are similar to a Hotel, but with the difference that you share your room with other people.

Hostels usually have from single or doble rooms, up to 10 or even 14 beds in a room. Rooms can be only for man, only for woman, or mixed. Most hostels have the three possibilities.

Actually this is a good option for a traveller, which is not claiming much more than a convenient place to sleep, take a bath, take their things safe ... and maybe to meet people from all over the world.

If you travel with your partner, hurry up to make reservations, because if you make them in advance, you can find very cheap double rooms in Hostels.

In our experience we stay in several hostels across Europe, some with more facilities than others, but none of them was a bad place to stay.

Prices vary between 15 and 25 euros a night. The check-in is usually after 2pm and check-out before 11 am.
But sayway, all Hostels allow you to leave your baggage in a special room they have, in case you arrive before check-in time, or if you leave the city some hours after the check-out time.
Also, you should know that in train stations, for about 3€ there are lockers specially design for that purpose.

It is very important to book in advance, otherwise you will not have place in the cheapest Hostels. A week at least, depending if it is high or low season when you will be travelling.

When you make a reservation from the internet, you will usually get a charge in your credit card, that is a percentage of the price for one night.

It is important to know that if you cancel a reservation, you have to do it 48 hours before your arrival in order to avoid being charged with the whole night on your credit card.

The page in which we found the best accommodation was Hostel World, but you can probably find good Hostels too in Hostel Bookers and Hi Hostels.

Hostelling International Card
Although we took it with us, we didn't use it at all. This card is useful only for some specific Hostels which usually are not the best of the city.

Cheap Hotels
In our experience, we did not use them, but for those who travel with their partner, can be a good kind of accomodation. These Hotels usually have their Internet portals. Below you may find some information:

Trains: InterRail - Eurail Pass

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One of the most exciting and interesting means of transport if you want to travel around Europe, is by train. Europe has multiple railway lines linking each country. If you finally decide to travel by train, you have two options. The first, and less economical, it would be to buy your ticket every time you make a train trip, like when you travel buy plane or by bus.
The second one, the one we chose, are those Interrail / Eurail passes. It is a ticket that allows you to take almost all trains in Europe, and is valid for a specified period and has a limited number of trips.
On one side is the InterRail and on the other the Eurail. The two things differ on several things, but the main thing is that the InterRail is for residents of any European country, and the Eurail for Non-residents.
When you want to buy the ticket, in the case of being in Europe, you can go to almost every railway station, and buy it there, but if you are not in Europe, you can buy it over the Internet and they will send the ticket to your house, or buy it at any travel agency.

Because one of us was living in Madrid and the other one in Uruguay, we took different passes. The one in Madrid bought the Interrail pass, and the second one the Eurail pass. There is no problem in travelling toghether people with different passes, that means that we could take the same train, and as the two passes were both for 2nd class, the same rate was applied for the tickets between the cities for the two of us.
Another difference between them is the number of countries in which it is valid. For more information about all the possibilities that have this passes, you can visit the official web sites (you can find it below on this page) because if not I would have to write quite a lot!!! :D
We finally opted for the Global Pass, which includes practically all Europe countries (InterRail includes more countries than Eurail), and within that choice, the 10-day trip option. In the case of InterRail, this means that for 22 days, there were 10 days in which you can take all the trains that you want (in Eurail, instead of 22 days, it is valid for 2 months).

A day trip is valid from 0 hrs until 24hrs. However, when you take a night train, a day trip is considered since 19hrs of the previous day. This means that if for example, you take a train that leaves at 19.05 from Vienna, and arrives at 8am of the following day to Rome, on the ticket you just must mark the day you will be arriving. Further, for the day of your arrival you can travel without using an extra day in your ticket.
In the mentioned same example, if you previously travelled during the day, and then you take the night train from Vienna to Rome (from 19.05 hrs), you need to mark both days on the ticket: one because you travelled during the day, and the other one because of the night train, as you will be travelling the next day.

There are several kind of trains in Europe, and is not everything included in the Global Pass. In other words, having purchased the pass, does not mean that the only thing you need to do is find out the schedule of the trains and take the one you want. There are some trains for which you need to make a reservation, and depending on the country, it will be how much you will have to pay for (we had to pay from 2 or 3 euros in some countries, until 18 euros in other). Night trains also need a reservation (you will have to pay an additional fee), and the price will depend whether you choose to travel in a seat or a couchette. The couchettes are between 15 or 20 euros, almost the same as many hostels.

Recommendation: unless you run out of money or have little money, CHOOSE A COUCHETTE!!!!!!

A couchette is just like a narrow bed, but obviously not as comfortable as a real bed. Usually in each wagon there are several "bedrooms", and in each “bedroom” there may be 4 or 6 of those couchette. Although it is a bit more expensive, it's the only way to get some rest. Sleeping in the seats is practically impossible because they are upright and, in our opinion, less comfortable than a regular bus or plane seat.

We did not travel during summer (when most people travel). We travelled from late September until mid-October, and to make reservations we did not need to do anything in advance. Every time we arrived to a city train station, we asked for the trains schedule for the next city and if a reservation was needed. Then, if the train we chose needed a reservation, then we just pay it (that would be about 1 or 2 days before leaving the city). This was simply as a convenience, since we were inside the train station and so we did not have to come back another day to purchase it.
Making the reservation would be like buying a ticket: you go to the ticket window, then you say you are carrying an Interrail or Eurail Global pass, and they gave you a ticket in which is written all data you need to take the train (such us date, time, wagon number, seat number).
Sometimes before boarding the train the ticket must be validated. The validating machines are always in the platform and the only thing you have to do is to put the ticket there, and the machine will write the date and time.
When trains do not require prior reservation, you only get in the train and ready! Showing the Interrail/Eurail pass when an inspector comes it’s enough.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT GET IN A TRAIN WITHOUT A VALID TICKET!

In absolutely ALL the trains we took between different cities, some inspector was there to check that everybody has the ticket (except for some really short journey within the same city). If an inspector founds you without a valid ticket will not only get you down of the train, but also you will have to pay an important fine!

If you want to check prices for the different passes and see all the possibilities, you can check out the official Interrail or Eurail web site below.