Traveling Europe by Bus and Train is Stress-Free and Affordable

Like most North Americans, when it comes to travel between countries I tend to first think of airlines. My wife Rita and I are currently in Europe, where airfares can be found that are much cheaper than flights in the US. However, air travel brings its own peculiar qualities that can make travel a little tiring.

For starters, airports are usually outside of the city, so you have to factor in time getting there. You also need to arrive at least two hours before your flight to check in. If you’re checking bags, you need to make sure you are under the weight limit—and some airlines have also started weighing carry on items. Then once you arrive at your destination, there is the wait for your bags on the carousel. After a possibly long ride to your hotel or apartment, no wonder you feel a bit frazzled after even a short flight.

Fortunately, here in Europe we have found attractive alternatives in ground travel, using the extensive rail and bus systems. So far, we have relocated twice by train, and twice by bus. We found both methods to be not only less expensive than air travel, but also much more relaxing.

Let’s start with the trains. Unlike North America, the train system in Europe is quite extensive and convenient. Although the US has more miles of rail than Europe, the network runs only through major transportation hubs, and is given over largely to freight traffic. In Europe, the crisscrossing network of rail lines makes it possible to reach just about any Point B from Point A.

Jim and Rita found traveling Europe by train to be relaxing and affordable.

True, the actual travel time on the train is going to be longer than on the plane, but does it really save you time? Consider that for a train, stations are generally near the heart of the city, so you can get to them faster. You can show up just 15 minutes before departure time, and there is no delay from checking your luggage, you just bring it right on. Arrival again is usually within the city and at a transportation hub, so you take your bags and go.

On this trip we have traveled by rail twice: from Berlin, Germany to Prague, Czech Republic, and from Prague to Budapest, Hungary. We used an app called Rail Ninja to find and book the tickets. Some train lines will accept the e-ticket version, some require a paper copy you can print yourself, or pick up at the ticket booth at the station if you don’t have access to a printer.

The train station in Berlin is modern and easily accessible from the city center.|©iStock/Nikada

Our train from Berlin to Prague took four hours and 12 minutes, and our First Class seats cost $222 for two. We could have purchased coach tickets for just over $120, but our experience in a crowded coach car last fall convinced us the extra fee was worth it. Our Bolt (ride service like Uber) ride to the Berlin Station took only 10 minutes, and we waited just 15 minutes for the train. Once we were in Prague, our Bolt ride was an embarrassingly short three minutes to our hotel. Total travel time, four hours and 40 minutes.

One-way airline tickets for two were running around $330 and up, plus baggage fees and seat selection. There were no direct flights to Prague, so the shortest trip was three hours and 50 minutes, with a layover in Vienna. Add in that the travel time to the Berlin airport, early arrival for check in, and travel time from the Prague airport to our hotel, and you can count on at least a seven-hour travel day.

We had similar savings of money, time, and more importantly stress, on our train ride from Prague to Budapest. There are other advantages as well. The seats are more comfortable with more leg room than on an airplane, and it’s easier to get up and move around. Walk to the dining car for a snack, or order from a menu and have your meal brought to you. You can watch the countryside go by instead of just looking at the tops of clouds, which makes for a much more interesting ride.

The only negative I have about train travel is that for most cars the small luggage racks fill up quickly, so you must store your bags in overhead racks. There’s plenty of room, so that’s not a problem in itself. The difficulty is that lifting two suitcases weighing 50 pounds or more above your head gets a little more difficult once you pass the 65-year mark. Getting them down at the end of the journey becomes more of a barely-controlled fall.

For the next two legs on our journey through the Balkans we decided to try the bus system, using a service called FlixBus. Booking is very easy. You can download an app on your phone, find your desired route, book the tickets, select your seats, and pay all from the app. You get an e-ticket you can save in your Apple or Google Wallet, or print a copy if you like. The tickets not only show your times of departure and arrival, but gives you the exact location of the bus stations, which is helpful.

When you arrive for your road trip just 15 minutes before departure, it’s hard to miss the bright green bus with FLIXBUS on the sides in large white letters. The boarding procedure takes mere seconds, as the driver scans your e-ticket on your phone or the QR code on your printout and nods. Best of all for me, our large suitcase are much easier to load—just tip over into the luggage compartment and slide it in. No more lifting or back strain!

The seats are comfortable, with plenty of leg room and fold-down footrests. There’s free WiFi and a bathroom on board, but I’ll admit that using it while the bus is in motion takes a strong stomach and the agility and balance of the Flying Wallendas. On both of our trips there was a rest stop where you had about 10 minutes to get out and walk around a bit, find a stationary toilet, and grab a snack.

The ticket price for buses is hard to beat. Our trip from Budapest to Krakow costs us a total of $80.95, and would have cost $10 less if I had not opted for the front seats for the “panoramic views.” My reasoning was that on a long bus ride (just over seven hours), it would be nice to enjoy as broad a view as possible. In reality though, the drivers keep sunshades lowered to the point where there is no view at all for the passengers. Even worse for long trips, the front seats do not have as much leg room as the other seats, and no footrests. My advice? Save the $10.

Jim and Rita enjoyed a scenic (and affordable) journey to Krakow by bus.|©iStock/Antagain

If that seems like a long trip, consider that flights would have run us over $300, and with layovers and transport time eaten up almost eight hours. Save over $200 for a less stressful transit? Yes, please.

The shorter trip from Krakow to Warsaw was only $37.95 for the two of us. Keep in mind there are no extra charges for our baggage, you’re allowed carry-on items up to 25 pounds and stored luggage of 50 pounds each, and since you handle the bags yourself, no one is checking for slight overages. The totals include our seat selection, generally about $5 each, $10 if you fall for the “panoramic view.”

The verdict? For us, before looking at flight options in Europe we will always check for the bus first, then the railway options. Even though it can sometimes take longer (although our bus from Budapest to Krakow was actually half an hour faster than the train), the ease, convenience, and affordability makes the bus our number one choice.

Hotel prices and Airbnb prices are on the rise, so it’s always good to economize wherever you can when you are traveling—especially for me and Rita, since we sold our home earlier this year and are roving our way around the world. For us, the lower stress option of the bus, along with the bonus of actually seeing the country you’re traveling through, makes it a no-brainer.

But we’re not done exploring European travel options yet! We have one more transportation option to explore in the weeks ahead.

We’re traveling by bus to Vilnius in Lithuania, then Riga in Latvia, and Tallinn in Estonia. But after that, we have booked a ferry to take us on a three-hour cruise to Helsinki, Finland and an overnight cruise from Helsinki to Stockholm, Sweden. Once again, no worries about baggage weight, and we look forward to exploring another alternative to air travel as we rove around Europe.