Instructions
Don't pay for a tourist package. Even if you are not an avid traveler and are afraid to travel around an unfamiliar country on your own, tear yourself away from the hotel and the bus with a guide, get over yourself - just try once not to book a full tour to Europe in travel company. You'll save a lot of money, and booking plane tickets and a hotel or hostel won't be too difficult - you can easily do it online. There should also be no problems with a visa if you have issued plane tickets, insurance, hotel reservations and confirmation of a bank account.
Look for promotions and discounts; in Europe they can be significant, and for all types of travel services. You can buy air tickets and book a hotel with a significant discount. Today, buying a plane ticket to Europe is sometimes two or even three times cheaper than flying the same distance across Russia. In Europe itself, plane tickets between countries can cost about 20-30 dollars, and this is even cheaper than traveling by train, and even more so by car.
The cheapest way to travel between European cities is to hitchhike. And if in Russia this type of movement has not yet gained such popularity, then in Europe they have been accustomed to it for a long time. It's safe and free, you just stand on the highway, vote, negotiate with the driver to which point he can take you, and thank him verbally after the trip, share lunch or treat him to coffee at a snack bar. In order to communicate with the driver, you need minimal knowledge of the language, the main thing is that you don’t need to be embarrassed to communicate with local residents.
To save money on accommodation, you can book places in hostels instead of a hotel - this is a version of a European hostel, quite clean and cozy. Experienced tourists They don’t even spend money on hotels or hostels. They carry tents and sleeping bags with them, settling down for the night under open air in campsites, of which there are quite a few throughout Europe. You also have to pay for a place in a campsite, but much less than for a hotel or hostel.
There is an option with free accommodation. To do this, you need to agree in advance with the host from the city where you are heading. There is a special tourist service: https://www.couchsurfing.org, where tourists from different countries They are looking for people who can host them at home for a couple of nights while traveling. The service is free, as is accommodation in the house of such owners.
When in a European city, don't use public transport too much, it is very expensive. All attractions are located in the center, so you will have to walk a lot. If you know the language of the host country or at least English, you can rent a bicycle for the day; it is more convenient and cheaper than using public transport.
Instead of expensive booked excursions, take advantage of the services of a special free excursion. It is carried out by volunteers in most European cities, taking tourists to the most visited architectural monuments. At the end of the excursion, if you wish, you can leave them some money, but this is not necessary. Such excursions are conducted on English language regardless of whether tourists are there, and last about 2.5-3 hours.
Today you can find a lot of information on the Internet about various routes in Europe. When planning our honeymoon in, as well as other European countries, we most often came across routes for traveling around Europe by car. Since we decided to travel between countries by rail, such options were not suitable for us. However, we managed to create a very convenient route around Europe.
Using google maps I will show you a map of our route around Europe
On the left you can see the main points of stay - the countries and cities in which we spent the night. As you can see, our travel route through Europe included the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy and Germany. It was in this order that we visited these countries.
What guided us when drawing up the route? First of all, we identified the main places we wanted to visit. Since our wedding took place in Prague, this city became the starting point of our tour of Europe. Everything else revolved around a few places that we simply dreamed about.
The village of Hallstatt (or Hallstatt) in Upper Austria
Neuschwanstein Castle in southwest Bavaria
Romantic Verona in northern Italy
Italy's largest lake - Garda
These are real postcard places in Europe!
Since the most convenient way to get to Hallstatt is from Salzburg, we went along our independent route across Europe from Prague first to Vienna, we stayed there for 2 nights, and on the 3rd day we headed to Salzburg to visit Hallstatt on one of these days. It should be noted that both Vienna and Salzburg are worthy of your attention!
After our stay in Austria from Salzburg we headed to northern Italy. The city of Verona became our overnight stop for 5 days for a reason! It is from Verona that it is very convenient to get to Venice (1.5 hours by train), and to Lake Garda (only 20 minutes by train), and to Milan (about 2.5 hours by train), as well as to many other nearby cities such as Padua, Bologna, Brescia, etc.
From Italy we planned to go to Munich by night train (travel time about 8 hours), but 3 days before the planned departure from Verona there were no free tickets, so we stayed in Verona one more night and left for Munich early in the morning. We stayed in Munich for 5 days, during one of which we visited the wonderful Neuschwanstein Castle!
The independent route around Europe that we have described to you has already been tested on ourselves, and it turned out to be quite convenient! If you are interested in the same places, you can go along this route, or you can create a route around Europe on your own! Google maps will be a good help to you in this matter - you can not only build a visual route on a map of Europe, but also estimate travel time, view places that are nearby and possibly include them in your tour!
In the next article I will definitely talk about the budget for this route, and later - more detailed notes on how to get to the places described above!
Traveling around Europe is what we often dream about while sitting at work or watching a travel show. Often it seems to us that it is expensive, difficult and generally... impossible. Although this is not true. After all, we only need to cross the border to get to Europe (unlike, for example, the residents of Vladivostok or Peru). Agree, in this case the obstacle is not distance at all!
The only real obstacle to visiting Europe is the financial issue, but here everything depends on the desire of the person. On any trip you will have to spend some money - just in some places more and in others less. As for traveling around Europe, it all depends on:
- how to move,
- Where to live,
- which countries to visit,
- and how long to stay in them.
In the same city, different people over different periods of time can spend different amounts - some - 5 euros, others 20, others - 100, well, or 1000. It depends on habits and scope - who knows what. Once on board a low-cost airline, I heard the opinion that everything depends on the comfort zone and I agree with this opinion. I also often come across the fact that a person actually cannot afford a luxury holiday option in Europe, and does not want to hear about other possibilities. It happens, but there’s nothing you can do about it (except maybe raise your income level). The main thing to remember is that All the most interesting things in life are just outside your comfort zone! Take a look at least once, because traveling Europe on your own is the easiest and unexpectedly exciting way to do it!
My job is to talk about how you can travel around Europe and what to save on, but it’s up to you to decide :). Go!
Traveling around Poland
Traveling around Poland is the first thing that comes to mind, especially since Krakow is worth seeing! Actually it's a beautiful city with many interesting sights and getting here from the same Lviv will not be difficult. The price of a ticket for the Lviv-Krakow bus is from 350 UAH. and passengers will spend about six hours on the way. That is, it can be very good option for weekends or May holidays! In addition, Krakow is the second transport hub in the country, so from here you can fly on a low-cost airline to literally any country in Western Europe! A trip to Poland requires obtaining a Schengen visa - this is a minus, but the fact that Polish visa centers are located in almost all regions of Ukraine is a plus. The peculiarity of obtaining a Polish Schengen visa is that the embassy requires full payment for housing - this is a minus, but the plus is that hotels and hostels in Poland are relatively inexpensive! Therefore, plan a trip to Poland without doubts and fears.
In addition, Poland is one of the best countries in Europe for hitchhiking! Usually, budget travelers and stoppers travel by international bus to Przemysl (a bus from Lviv costs from 154 UAH if you buy online, but if the visa issue is resolved, then you can take the bus for 50 UAH - if you board right next to the checkpoint) and Then they travel freely both within Poland itself, and throughout Europe as a whole. And note, tickets can be purchased on the website!
People in Poland are most eager to visit Krakow - how ancient capital countries, as well as ski resort Zakopane, especially when it comes to a decision.
In addition to buses, many will be interested low-cost flight wizzair Kyiv-Katowice, but keep in mind that you will have to add the cost to the low ticket price if it is large - after all, this is a budget airline after all! So travel light! It's more economical. You can also catch cheap ones from UIA and the Polish national airline LOT.
Many will also be interested in a trip to the capital - Warsaw or the seaside city of Gdansk.
Traveling around the Czech Republic
Traveling around the Czech Republic can also bring incredible pleasure, because most of the towns here have retained, frankly speaking, a medieval flavor, and the Czech Republic will especially delight lovers of castles and antiquities! When planning, you must visit, of course, magnificent Prague, as well as the neighboring mineral resort of Karlovy Vary. Visits to the colorful small Czech towns of Olomouc or Cesky Krumlov can bring incredible pleasure.
As a rule, there are direct ones, but today there are no low-cost airlines. UIA also sometimes offers inexpensive flights, specifically to Prague. To be honest, the most cheap way getting to Prague is a bus. Although the journey will be quite long.
Who doesn't dream of going to Italy?
I've been there, but damn, Italy is never enough! Travel to Italy used to be much easier to organize - there were direct cheap flights from both Kyiv and Lviv. Today, to travel to Italy you need to go to neighboring countries to buy a ticket for a cheap low-cost airline.
Options for getting to Italy from Ukraine:
- bus Uzhgorod - Kosice (Slovakia) and plane to Milan
- bus Lviv-Karakov + plane to Rome, Venice, or Milan
- combination of low-cost air tickets to Budapest, Vilnius, Katowice plus air tickets to Italy
- look for airline tickets from UIA.
Biometric passports are visa-free. If you need a Schengen visa: There is a visa center only in Kyiv. Full instructions on how to plan, which you can read about in a separate article!
Travel to Slovakia, Austria and Hungary
Organizing a trip to Slovakia today is easier than ever, because there is a direct bus from Uzhgorod. Depending on the destination, the fare ranges from 2 to 8 euros!!! And then - local internal transport. Train from Kosice to Bratislava - up to 19 euros - by bus or train. Interesting fact that Bratislava is 49 km from Vienna. which will allow you to travel to Austria in a few days. After Vienna you can go to Salzburg and then to Munich, or from Vienna to Budapest by train for 13 euros (this is even cheaper than the bus). From Budapest to Kyiv there is both a low-cost flight and a bus to Kyiv, Uzhgorod, Lviv.
The route for a simple independent trip to Slovakia, Austria and Hungary looks like this:
- train Kyiv-Uzhgorod,
- bus Uzhgorod-Kosice,
- train Kosice-Bratislava,
- bus Bratislava-Vienna,
- train Vienna-Budapest,
- plane Budapest-Kyiv.
On your way out you will at least visit: Uzhgorod, Kosice, Bratislava, Vienna and Budapest!
By the way, you can organize a trip in the opposite direction. Such an eventful trip will leave a lot of impressions! In Vienna, be sure to visit the Castaletto confectionery! Well, you can simply organize it by castles and fortresses, which is also worthy and interesting! can be purchased or booked on the website.
Organizing an independent trip to Europe
An independent trip to Europe, or rather its organization, consists of four parts:
- transport;
- housing;
- visa (if needed);
- attractions.
Each of them is worth considering separately, but in general for Europe it looks like this:
- Buying transport tickets. In fact, the availability of tickets determines the further travel plan for Europe, because it is the departure dates that determine not only the length of stay anywhere, but also this has great importance for exploring many attractions. People who are not affected by the visa-free regime must also plan to obtain a visa based on the transport tickets purchased.
- Hotel booking.You can find a hotel/hostel/apartment with free cancellation and choose another one if the booking conditions allow. In any case, the hotel is the most flexible category of the entire plan. You can even cancel the reservation and then live couchsurfing or with friends, but in any case, you need the reservation to apply for a visa. In any case, accommodation reservation is required for a visa.
- Submitting documents for a visa(and if necessary, then before these on the passport for traveling abroad). As a rule, a copy of tickets and a hotel reservation are useful to obtain a visa.
- Attractions- the last point of the plan. It is important, but at the same time, you can scour the Internet and read about places worth visiting before departure or even during the trip.
Tickets for bus, plane, train in Europe, as well as hitchhiking and blablacar
Tickets to Europe are a determining factor for both hotel booking and visa (if needed), so this is the first thing to take care of. Tickets for bus, plane, train in Europe, as well as hitchhiking and blablacar - these are the main ways of transportation for modern independent travelers in Europe.
When planning a budget trip to Europe, the following options are considered:
- air ticket: a promotional offer from a regular airline (for example, an offer from an airline newsletter) or cheap plane tickets (low cost or budget airline, such as wizzair or vueling). More information in a special article about low-cost airlines in Europe. Aggregators can also be implemented through special websites.
- bus ticket: today on regular passenger international flights You can buy a ticket online directly on the website. A direct flight is usually long, but you can plan a trip with transfers - which is cheaper and more interesting. For example, from Kyiv (and other Ukrainian cities) you can travel by train, and from Lviv you can buy a bus ticket to Przemysl, Lublin, Warsaw or Krakow. From Uzhgorod it is convenient to travel to Kosice (Slovakia) or Budapest (Hungary), where you can either take another European transport or spend a wonderful weekend.
- train ticket It is convenient to buy from Ukraine only to Moscow or St. Petersburg, but this can only be done at the station, since international train tickets are not sold online even in Europe. The exception is private railway companies.
- hitch-hiking- this is a free transportation of travelers by drivers - a whole movement. Before planning such a trip, read how things are with hitchhiking in a particular country and, just in case, take money with you for public transport. But even if you have planned a hitchhiking trip, it is best to cross the border by bus - there are fewer questions when obtaining a visa and there is less queue at the checkpoint. Flights Lviv-Przemysl (Poland) or Lviv-Vysne-Niemecke (Slovakia) are well suited for this purpose - such tickets will cost only a few euros - check in the system.
- blablacar- or the travel companion service is no longer a free service, but you only pay for gasoline when paired with a driver. This is often cheaper than public transport, and it is also beneficial for the driver, because in this case the cost of his trip is reduced. By the way, Blablacar drivers will also be extremely interested in it - it’s like a paid hitchhiking :). But often, bla-blakar becomes a business for some drivers, rather than a way to share the cost of gasoline.
Accommodation in Europe: hotel, apartment, hostel, couchsurfing
There is a variety of housing in Europe to suit every taste and budget. There are both fashionable and inexpensive and comfortable. Individuals can rent an apartment, an apartment or even a villa, while budget travelers usually choose affordable hostels or live with foreigners for free. For lovers of nature and thousands of stars above your head - camping sites.
Websites for booking hotels, hostels, camping sites, as well as apartments and apartments in Europe:
- booking.com- European leader in accommodation booking. Here you can find hotels and hostels, as well as camping sites and apartments. Here is the largest housing base and for regular customers - the most low prices. Although the main direction of the resource is hotels. Here you can find both the most expensive rooms and offers in guesthouses and home hotels, although if you are looking for hostels or apartments, pay attention to the following two resources. It is also worth visiting Booking if you just need a hotel reservation with free cancellation to obtain a visa - this is the best service for these purposes. By the way, if you are planning a trip to Asia, then pay attention to the agoda.com service - it is the leader in Asia.
- hostelworld.com- the best site for booking hostels both in Europe and in the world. As a rule, the site takes 10% of the cost as its fee, but considering that the average European hostel costs about 12 euros per night, the money is quite small. There is a much larger selection of hostels here than on any other resources, since the conditions for them are as favorable as possible - the hostel owner does not have to “share” profits with the service and the management system is quite simple. By the way, you can find a hostel here and book directly from the hostel’s website, although the savings in this case will be insignificant and it will be more difficult to resolve any issues.
- airbnb.com- a service for renting apartments and apartments, places in interesting, non-standard hotels, and through it you can rent out a bed in your own home for money :). It's like paid couchsurfing. Those who prefer to have not only their own shower, but also their own kitchen - this is the place for you! Prices vary, as do offers:) From guest sofas in the corner to your own villas.
- couchsurfing.org- the global community of travelers and their sympathizers - when foreigners welcome tourists into their home for free. At first, the community was organized to learn something new, but it evolved into a service for finding free housing not only in Europe, but throughout the world. If your comfort zone allows you to live near strangers and craves communication - this is the best housing option in Europe. It will be especially interesting to those who dream start a love relationship in Europe! I often hear romantic stories of dating through couchsurfing! Try to find love in Europe by couchsurfing.org! There is no guarantee, of course, but there will definitely be something to remember and something to talk about!
Some travelers feel great on a stranger's couch (couchsurfing), others in a tent, others in a hostel, and for some, a hotel must have a 5 star rating and a pool. And here we must pay tribute: a hotel of the highest category and the cheapest hostel are significantly different, and here you need to decide in advance or TRY! I knew girls who stood with their hands and feet and said - the hotel is at least three stars, the amenities are only in the room... and then once they tried to spend the night in the common room of a hostel with young people (and not only) from all over the world, that now only hostels during European travel and recognize!!! Pattern breaking in action.
If you are a sociable person and love people, then it is better to live according to couchsurfing: That is, foreigners invite you to live with them for free. Why? No matter how sour! This is an opportunity not only to see a new country, saving on accommodation, but also to get to know the locals, so to speak, in everyday conditions.
Visa-free regime and visas
Since 2017, a visa-free regime for biometric passports has been in effect between Ukraine and the EU.
Ukraine has a visa-free regime with Albania (90 days), Bosnia and Herzegovina (90 days), Montenegro (90 days) and Serbia (30 days), but on different conditions.
To find out more precisely where a Ukrainian in Europe needs a visa, you can find out on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Policy of Ukraine: mfa.gov.ua/ua/consular-affairs/travel-advice/entering-foreign-countries.
Attractions in Europe
When it comes to attractions in Europe, I always recommend checking out local tourism resources, as well as international forums such as tripadvisor. The whole point is that the Russian-speaking tourist community is always “in itself.” There are few experimenters and new information is also not enough, while our foreign ones “get their act together” are more advanced. I often come across the fact that we overpay simply due to ignorance. For example, if you type “visiting the Vatican Museums” in Russian, you will be offered a tour for 80 euros, and if you go to English-language forums, you will find out that admission costs 15 euros + walkie-talkie guide - 5 euros. Agree - the difference is significant!
You can also watch thematic programs like “Heads and Tails” to highlight for yourself what you want to see. Also, be open to information on the spot! For example, you can give in to the desire and go on a local excursion. Did you know that in Edinburgh you can go on a boat ride to the islands to watch seals? And this is one of my brightest memories of Scotland and I found out about it on the spot!
I do not recommend paper guidebooks or tourist guides. Why? Their main readers are housewives. Do you need it?!?
As a rule, not only the country, but also every European city has its own website and it is better to go to official resources - they have more information. Be sure to carefully review the information about: what to do, transport, TOP 10 attractions of the city, non-standard offers. These sites also often contain information about musicals, theater productions, exhibitions and festivals! I highly recommend choosing something based on your interests!
To make your trip special, memorable and not like everyone else’s, do something unusual. For example, in London, go to a musical (I went to the 25th anniversary celebration of the musical "The Phantom of the Opera" at the Royal Albert Hall), and you can go to, say, Soccer game or music festival. In Cologne I visited the world exhibition of the photo industry Photokina, in Vienna - of course the opera, in Paris - the Raphael exhibition. Another option for an unforgettable trip is to check your plans with the world tour schedule of your favorite performers, for example, rock bands. I personally visited my beloved Nickelback. Everyone has their own interests, and Europe offers maximum opportunities for the realization of any desires. Use it!
You can also take advantage of the offers of local “couponers” - I once bought a boat trip on the Rhine from Mainz to Cologne for ridiculous money and spent an unforgettable day.
Be unconventional!
Travel routes in Europe
Travel routes around Europe are built according to two principles:
- Wherever you want, because the power of dreams is limitless.
- Where there are cheap tickets and when you discover this, you get excited about this idea.
And yes, it really is that simple! As a travel blogger, I am often asked where to go on my first independent trip to Europe: people, as often happens in other areas of life, simply don’t know what they want. Think about the place, think about the associations - what is Europe to you? Rome? Paris? London? If you're dreaming of London, then focus on traveling to the UK! A dream will take you further than just an abstract desire for change! Read it. Don't compromise with your dream - it doesn't pay off. Break your own patterns, because you have one life in this body. But dreams are not given to us without the strength and opportunity to realize them!
The first independent trip can be to:
- CIS countries: what about Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Chisinau? The only difference in organization will be that you don’t need a visa, and you know Russian.
- Asian Europe: trip to Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey (Istanbul). There are also no visas needed here and most of the population speaks the language. Also, the organization of the trip will be similar, but you must be prepared that this is not Europe, but Asia. Which is also intriguing, but for the first independent trip it’s not a bad idea!
- Baltic countries: There are inexpensive air tickets from Kyiv to Vilnius or Riga and there are direct international buses. Here you will already need a Schengen visa, but on the other hand, the older generation in these countries knows Russian, which creates unique opportunities and you can get to know the “non-tourist” Baltics.
- Eastern Europe: visit Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, neighboring Ukraine. They are notable for the fact that there are inexpensive tickets for international buses, and here food prices are at the Ukrainian level, and in some cases even lower, which cannot be said about Western European countries.
- Southern Europe: Spain and Greece - these countries are generally cheaper both in terms of housing and food than France, Germany or the UK. Inexpensive air tickets to both Spain and Greece can even be purchased direct. As a rule, airline tickets from Kyiv to Athens are inexpensive, and low-cost airline Vueling flies to Barcelona, Spain, which can allow you to save on flights.
- Western European countries much more expensive than Ukraine, not only in terms of accommodation, but also in basic products (of course, local cheeses and sausages are cheaper here if they were sold in Ukraine, but in general food here is much more expensive). Accommodation even in a hostel greatly depends on the city. The most expensive hostels are in Venice, Paris, Vienna - if in Europe as a whole the average cost of a night is 12 euros, then in these cities it is 33 (although this is not a record). The UK is even more expensive than France or Germany. You need to be prepared for all these nuances.
- Northern Europe- most expensive. Food, housing and transport in Norway, Sweden, Iceland break all records, but what is the nature! If your dream is to see the fjords or the Northern Lights, it is definitely worth it! Moreover, from Poland you can fly to Oslo for ridiculous money!
Holidays in Europe
Holidays in Europe are when you don’t want to decide or plan anything, but generally lie on the beach and go on one or two excursions. In fact, this site is not for such lovers. I perceive vacation as an active pastime, although lounging on the beaches of Ibiza for a day or two is not a bad idea!
If your case is “doing nothing” with good service, you need to look for offers from professional travel organizers and choose the most acceptable ones. There is nothing wrong with relaxing mentally and physically in a good hotel on a pleasant beach in Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece. And for such lovers, nothing more profitable than a “package” has yet been invented.
The only thing is to be prepared for the fact that the company to which you gave money for the trip can go bankrupt at any moment and then a vacation in Europe will turn into “tough in Europe.” Such cases happen more and more often as time goes on, and all because companies dump due to competition and the struggle for vacationers and at some point they will no longer be able to pay the bills. In this case, you risk being left without money far from home.
To avoid getting into such situations, I travel on my own and I wish you the same (or at least have enough money with you for a return ticket). You will know how much the trip costs and all the money will be with you.
Travel and you will be happy!
Healthy? Tell your friends, because they will find it useful too!
Milan-Paris route from 15 €.
2 . The next European city to travel to is Paris. How to get there from Milan to Paris?
What do they offer us for independent travel on the service? Train for 49 € (7 hours 30 minutes travel), plane for 41 € and bus for 29 €. Let's double-check the price for the Milan (Bergamo)-Paris (Beauvais) plane. Let's find out what's possible direct flight fly for 15 €. We estimate what costs (monetary and time) will be added to
and from . In this situation, you also need to decide for what purpose you are going to Paris, and where you plan to stay - in the center or on the outskirts.
We prefer to travel around Europe by rented car. By the way, check how much it will cost if you take it and return it at the airport. But, if your goal is to live in the center, then parking in tourist places will be difficult...
That is, for the Milan-Paris route, choosing a means of transportation is a very individual matter. A lot depends on your goals here. Decide for yourself.
Route Paris-London from 18 €.
3 . Route Paris-London We are considering a transfer to/from the airport - 4 hours 30 minutes, 30 € per flight plus 12 € to get to/from the airport. The journey by bus takes a little longer, but costs less. And the plane takes off at an inconvenient time...
We choose a bus. If you want to save time, then, of course, we choose the train. 
Route London-Amsterdam from 18 €.
4 . On the route London-Amsterdam a plane ticket costs the minimum price for flights of low-cost airlines (without luggage) 35 €. If you fly from LTN-Luton airport, then to get there you also need to buy a train ticket for 18 €. The train + plane journey will take almost 5 hours.
In our opinion, for the London-Amsterdam route, an airplane is not the best travel option. 
Amsterdam-Berlin route from 29 €.
5 . The cheapest plane tickets Amsterdam-Berlin fly between Rotterdam and Schonefeld airports and cost 29 €. The road from Amsterdam to Rotterdam will cost 15 € and one and a half hours. Getting to Amsterdam Schiphol from Amsterdam is cheaper and faster. AMS-SXF flights start from 44 € (better look for them).
We see that the train costs 39 €, and the bus costs 30 €, but it takes much longer. The fastest direct bus flight from Amsterdam to Berlin () lasts 8 hours and costs 29 €.
What is the best way to travel from Amsterdam to Berlin? ... A matter of taste and mood. 
Route Berlin-Vienna from 22 €.
6
. How will we get there on the route? Berlin-Vienna?
Getting to Tegel and Schönefeld airports, where low-cost airlines are based, from Berlin is not difficult or expensive. Vienna Airport Vie-Schwechat is also only 18 kilometers away from the city. That is, if we find cheap air ticket Berlin-Vienna, then to save time it is better to take a plane. We focus on the cost of an air ticket Berlin-Vienna 31 €.
And the most unreasonable thing, in our opinion, is to choose a train as a means of transportation from Berlin to Vienna. Expensive and long. 
This is where we will finish considering travel routes around Europe in terms of solving the question “what type of transport to choose for independent travel across European countries." We conclude that there is no single “recipe” - for different routes there are best options- somewhere it’s cheaper, more profitable, more interesting to travel by bus, somewhere by train, and somewhere it’s better to board a plane and “think about the pilot, so that he can take off well...”.
To travel within a specific country, remember to check the price if you feel confident behind the wheel and have the freedom to travel in comfort - travel around Europe by car yourself. In some European countries, we can safely call the cost of car rental “ridiculous.” Do not forget that for a rented car it is advantageous to register on one's own. And, of course, don't forget.
Now you have information about how much bus tickets in Europe cost on different routes and you can decide whether it is profitable to buy the vouchers that we wrote about.
Lifehack. Think about it in advance. This will save your money and time.
How to plan a travel route around Europe by car
We have been traveling abroad by car for five years now. In the fall we set off on a long journey again. The question “where” arose in the spring. We prefer “slow travel” and try not to rush across the EU with our eyes wide open. Usually one country with some transit additions is chosen for the trip. In 2011 she became , in 2012 - , in 2013 - , in 2014 - . We don’t yet know how to approach Norway - the country is expensive, and after the next bout of “prosperity” it has become even more expensive for us. God willing, we will go to Italy in the future. But there are so many interesting things there - rich history, ancient culture, classical art - how not to “burst” :)
Selecting a consulate for obtaining visas, and, accordingly, the main country of residence.
Our visas ran out earlier, so the route had to be linked to the country whose consulate we were going to apply for next. Many travelers like to obtain Spanish and Italian visas. For us, the most “convenient” visas are French or Czech. But the French have an element of a lottery: they can give you a “two piece” (c), or even a “five point”, or maybe a multivisa... depending on the duration of the trip.
Features of obtaining a Czech visa
With the Czech consulate everything is clear and precise: there are two “Schengen” cards used for their intended purpose (i.e. with stamps from border guards of EU countries) - you will get a year, there is an annual Czech visa - you will get two, but... only if you are going to Czech Republic. Making reservations through Booking.com and then canceling them is not an option. Czech officials directly indicate that if your travel route changes, you must notify the consulate. Owners of Czech hotels must provide the police with information about guests on a “were there or weren’t there” principle. If, “hoping for chance,” you don’t go to the Czech Republic, then there is a chance to end up at a checkpoint with... a canceled visa. Of course, you can travel to the Czech Republic endlessly, but not all the time :)
French visa
As a result, we chose a French visa for our future trip and, accordingly, most of the route had to pass through France. There is no such strict imperative as in Czech Republic. The French usually don’t check whether you canceled your reservation or not, whether you went to France or not, but... conscience is also a good thing. If you are shown hospitality, return the favor to the hosts. Go to them, spend your money there, and then you can go to the ends of the earth, to Finland, or to Slovenia.
So, the first choice has been made: we are going to France again! Of course, it was made according to our wishes. If we decided to go, say, to Italy, we would go to the Italians.
Choosing the duration of the route and transit overnight accommodation in Germany.
I want to visit everywhere at once, but financial resources are limited. Time is also not rubbery, and, besides, somewhere in the third week of the trip, the eyes begin to “blur.” Based on the experience of previous trips, “for everything,” we allocate 20 days (another 1 day in reserve). Of these, 4 days are for transit through and there and back. I repeat, please don’t talk about fly&drive! (c). In this case, the time that we have is money, which we don’t have much of. Moreover, We start relaxing as soon as we leave.
Looking at an honest policeman who is not susceptible to corruption, you already feel relaxed.Travel time
I use Google maps to plan my route. Some people prefer Viamichelin or Autoroute. All of these planners reflect travel times fairly accurately. Let me emphasize once again that we don’t like to travel 1000 km a day, although we have done more. The first one turns out to be even longer, but it is a necessary evil. The second one is also not close: from to a certain German town where we will have to spend the night.
On our trips through Germany we stopped at, and. Usually, using Google maps, I figure out where I can get to without tearing up “everything in the world for the British flag” and start looking for a hotel in the surrounding area on the principle of “better and cheaper”. So the town of Bad Grund in the Harz was chosen for the French trip. Well, who can resist a “house in the mountains” with breakfast for only 40E?
Pension Harz-Waldwinkel is our overnight stop on the way to France.Choosing a route in France
It's only travel agencies that offer Paris, yes. For especially wealthy fellow citizens, Courchevel pops up in winter, and in summer - Cote d'Azur. In fact, France is much more interesting. There is something to see in every village. You can use ready-made routes our traveler predecessors, but they compiled them for themselves and for themselves. Therefore, we arm ourselves with an atlas with landmarks marked on them, guidebooks, an Internet planner and, last of all, the Internet itself.
Road atlases. They cannot be replaced by any navigator or internet planner. It’s also impossible without guidebooks. We use them to create a travel itinerary.There is almost no information on the unexplored corners of France on the RuNet, so you have to surf French sites, choosing what the guidebooks are silent about. In addition, it is advisable not to repeat yourself. For example, it’s beautiful, but we’ve already been there.
First two French provinces fit into the travel route naturally. This is Alsace - how else can you enter France from Germany?
On the highway leading from the German border to Strasbourg.Besides, we really like it there. We decided to stay two nights, not one, as originally planned. After long and careful study of hotels , settled on the familiar and proven
not far from .The second province was Burgundy. In 2013, we crossed it in transit, licking our lips at the tempting signs with attractions, but then they were waiting for us.
Avtorut A 36. The city of Bon is a historical and cultural landmark. Historical heritage UNESCO in Burgundy - Fontenay Abbey.So Beaune, Dijon, the abbeys of Fontenay and Vézelay organically fit into the route. A quick acquaintance with Burgundy requires at least 3 days: one day in Beaune, possibly with the vineyards of the Côte d'Or, another day in Dijon and another day for the rest. Accordingly, we needed a hotel for two nights.
The choice of the “Burgundian base” turned out to be no less difficult. At first I planned to stay in Beaune, but estimating from the map that we would have to go back on the second night, I decided to switch to Dijon. A thorough analysis of booking offers for Dijon brought disappointing results: either in the center, but expensive, or cheap, but with bad reviews and a shower in the hallway. Moreover, in “the light of the latest decisions of the party and government,” I really wanted to keep it to 50 E/night. All that remained was to expand the search. Instead of “Dijon,” I type “Côte d’Or” into booking and, filtering through numerous hotels in Beaune, I finally find Datcha Bourguignonne. Does the first word remind you of anything? That's right - “dacha”. It is located in the village of Makonge, which I had never heard of before. The room is on the 2nd floor - read, the attic of a converted farm. But we have a shower, a toilet, a bed, and we don’t need anything else. But the price is 40 E per night. The location couldn't be better - equidistant from Beaune, Dijon and Semur en Auxois.
And then where? Here we had to make the most important choice of the trip: Brittany or Périgord? I really wanted to get to Perigueux, Sarlat, Cahors (Kagore in Russian) and the Millau Viaduct. I thought this way and that, wrote down several sheets of paper with supposed day-by-day travel plans, trying to grasp the incomprehensible and embrace the immensity. I almost memorized the atlas sheets with Périgord, Quiercy and Gascony, but in the end... abandoned it in favor of Brittany. The desire to see Cape Ra and walk along the seashore overpowered me.
But you still have to get from Burgundy to Brittany. But I don’t want to - we looked at it in detail two years ago. Go down to Poitou? It’s a long way from Vezelay, which means you’ll have to spend the night in Poitiers. Then we will go to Vannes and the Quiberon Peninsula. However, analysis of the available information leads to disappointing conclusions: from Poitiers to Vannes is not close, but the city is interesting and half a day is not enough for us to see it. Stay another day? What about South Brittany? “With a creaking heart I cross Poitou off the list” (c).
Then I remember that while we were in , we never got to the Losches castle. Where is he? Oppa! Ideally fits on the route from Bourges to Vannes. All that remains is to decide on an overnight stay. In the atlas, about halfway along the route, I see the city of Cholet. By the way, it was smooth on the paper monitor, but they forgot about the ravines... (c). We spent too much time on Burj, although we didn’t regret it. I had to go not through Loches, but through Saumur. Familiar names flashed by: Blois, Chenonceau, Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau. But we still made it to Cholet.
The city is not marked in yellow on the map (interesting tourist place), all the better. So in the morning we’ll rush to Vannes straight away! And then an Ibis budget for 45E turned up. It’s okay that it’s “budget” - you can spend one night, but not far from the cathedral and parking is free!
Ibis Budget in Cholet. In the background are the cathedral towers.Plan first third route.
Day 1: Moscow –
Day 2: – Bad Grund
Day 3: Bad Grund –
Day 4: –
Day 5: – Bon – Makonge
Day 6: Makonge – Dijon – Makonge
Day 7: Maconge – Fontenay – Vézelay – La Charité-sur-Loire
Day 8: La Charite – Bourges – Loches – Cholet
Let's start the Breton part of the trip. Brittany is a very special place, there are even two languages – French and Breton. It is washed on three sides Atlantic Ocean and this is where it’s worth staying longer. I want to see everything at once: capes and beaches, Pont-Aven and Roscoff, parish areas and the Pink Granite Coast!
Choosing places to stay overnight in Brittany was especially difficult. I wanted to stay longer in one place, and on the seashore, and inexpensively, and without prepayment. As they say “fast, cheap and high quality - choose any two positions.” Inexpensive and without prepayment - these are chain hotels on the outskirts of cities 🙁 Inexpensive and beautiful - private B&B (not a chain, but the international terminology - bed and breakfast) far from the sea, but with prepayment. All that remained was to strangle the toad and book what you liked. We're out of budget, but after all, we're going on vacation! Here's what we ended up booking:
Plan of the Breton part of the route started to look like this:
Day 9: Cholet – Vannes – Carnac(?) – Quiberon. By the way, the question mark can be removed - we were in Karnak and were simply stunned by menhirs, dolmens and other prehistoric stones.
Day 10: Quiberon – Pont-Aven – Concarneau – Cape Ra – Trefentek
Day 11: Trefentek – Crozon Peninsula – Sizen – Trefentek
Day 12: Trefentec – Playben – Locronan – Quimper – Trefentec. In fact, the order of visiting the above-mentioned places turned out to be slightly different, but we saw a lot and very beautiful things.
Day 13: Trefentec – parish areas (Gimillo, Lampol-Gimillo, Saint-Tégonnec) – Perrot-Guirec.
Day 14: Perrot-Guirec – Pink Granite Coast – Cape Freel – Saint-Malo
We wanted to get to Saint-Malo two years ago, but we didn’t have time. On this journey, it became the place from which we set off on our way back. Initially it was planned to go through Chartres and Charleville-Meziers to the Belgian Bouillon and, further, to Dinan. But while I was thinking, everything more or less suitable had already been booked in Chartres, the price tags in Belgium were also not encouraging and this part of the route disappeared by itself. Amiens arose instead of Chartres. However, I didn’t want to go there directly from Saint-Malo. The path is not short, and you will crumple Saint-Malo, and you won’t really see Amiens. This is how another intermediate point arose in. It is located almost halfway between Saint-Malo and Amiens.
We've already been there, so what? We walked in the nasty pouring rain and missed the Eugene Boudin Museum. In addition, you need to buy the forbidden Normandy Camembert and Livaro somewhere! And at the same time, fruity and profitable Calvados moonshine.
“Country” road near Honfleur.In the Amiens suburb of Glizy, I came across an inexpensive chain hotel called Quick Palace. Shower in the room, free parking and only 35E with a discount. I'm booking! True, I didn’t take into account that some networks are very fond of blocking funds on the card, and they (the funds) were there - the cat cried. Well, okay, the blocking fell off after a month. Our excursion program was supposed to end in Amiens. All that was left was to return home. There is no way you can get from Picardy to Poland in one day if you are not an “uncle racer” and are not ready to sleep in the car. I need to find accommodation for the night about 5 hours from Amiens in Germany. The beloved one in the Moselle Valley looks very seductive. But it's quite a detour to the south.
Instead of Rhineland-Palatinate, they looked for overnight accommodation in North Rhine-Westphalia. Cologne came to mind first. But there is a lot of interesting things there - a cathedral, an art gallery, 12 (!) Romanesque churches. Going there only for an overnight stay is once again poisoning the soul. Cologne remained for the future.
Continued the search using booking. Dusseldorf, Wuppertal, Leverkusen, Solingen... Hmm, a little expensive. The calculation is clearly for businessmen, and not for car travelers on limited means. Finally (this is why I love booking!) I come across the town of Engelskirchen. From Amiens 436 km or 4.5 hours journey. It contains an offer from guest house with a beer garden on the ground floor. Standard room 49E, parking is free, but breakfast costs extra. No problem, let’s have breakfast with the leftover French baguette with cheese :) That's it, the travel itinerary has been drawn up!
Route plan for the return from Brittany.
Day 15: Saint-Malo – Honfleur
Day 16: Honfleur – Amiens – Glizy
Day 17: Gliesy – Amiens – Engelskirchen
Day 18: Engelskirchen – Poland (where we will get there)
Day 19:
Day 20: – Moscow
It took about 3 hours to write this article, and the process of planning the route, searching and booking hotels took about a month. Looking through the same hotels for the fifth time was very tiring. But how nice it is when everything came together, fit together and all that remained was to carry out our plans!
I wrote this article a few months before the trip, but did not open it for reasons of... superstition. Now that everything worked out as well as possible and the only minor nuisance was a burnt-out light bulb, I decided to correct the text a little and finally open it for reading. Hope this turns out to be helpful.
Detailed report on the implementation independent travel published in France in 2015. Link to the first part:
