Traveling by bus/train in Europe? Please help!!?

My friend and I are backpacking Europe this summer and need help with transportation between the cities and countries. We have at least 5 flights booked from Easyjet, and are planning to take a bus from Madrid to Barcelona and to Toulouse. I personally wouldnt mind booking cheap flights through Easyjet or other inexpensive airlines but after all of the taxes and luggage addons - it comes out to be kind of expensive.

And booking train tickets though Eurorail (for US citizens) is insanely expensive. Would you recommend buying a train or bus ticket when we arrive to a specific city before you head to next destination??

The following are the cities that we need to find cheap bus or train tickets to: bus or train

Toulouse to Paris

Paris to Berlin (will probably buy air tickets as I think it would be cheaper due to large travel distance between two cities. Any thoughts?)

Berlin, Germany to Warsaw, Poland

Warsaw to Krakow, Poland

Krakow to Prague, Czech Republic

Prague to Vienna, Austria

Vienna to Budapest, Hungary

Please help we leave in 6 weeks and I have searched all over the internet and still have no idea about the prices, time tables, which is cheaper: bus or train and etc.

Thank you!Traveling by bus/train in Europe? Please help!!?
For all long distance train travel you best buy your tickets 3 months before traveling, or if less far in advance, as soon as you are sure you want to take that train. You can not change the travel time or date with these tickets.

Most people are not willing to tie themselves down that much. But as you have fixed several of your travels for flights, I think you might be willing to do it.

Bus tickets are often cheaper on a shorter notice, but travel times are longer and there are fewer options per day. They can not be changed either or at a cost.



http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.e鈥?/a>

Is a good site for getting travel information, they also sell, through the automated system, tickets for travel in Germany and for some destinations when traveling into or out-of Germany.

Paris to Berlin and Berlin to Warsaw are likely to be sold on the site.



For train tickets, in many cases you can buy ahead and find cheaper prices for that, the longer you wait the higher your prices will be.

On this site you find a list of countries on the left, click on the one for the country you will be in, for border crossing travel, check either one, and in the top of the new page you will find a line 'buy train tickets in ...' where they explain the system and how to get tickets. Sometimes they will give a link to an international seller, sometimes it is instructions on buying the tickets from the national rail company:

http://www.seat61.com/

For travel within France, use the train, much quicker, there is hardly no long distance bus travel because the train system is so good, but do buy ahead.

Mostly Eurail passes are not good value for money, buy you might consider a 3 country pass for your time in France, Germany and Poland, if they do that one, as you do several long distances on a relative short notice. Do check what the reservation costs will be for the fast trains.

The seat 61 site also has info on that, click on rail passes in the heading of the page and select from the options that are in the top part of the new page. Or use the search function on 'three country Eurail passes'.



International bus travel can be done with this company: http://www.eurolines.com/

There are sometimes more options, so also google on the names of the cities you want to travel and bus or coach.

In case of Vienna-Budapest there also is a river ferry that will take a few hours, more expensive than train or bus, but fun to do and no more expensive than rail travel in other countries.

Again, use a search engine to find it.



As you have your travel schedule so much fixed, with the flights you already have and likely more with the train tickets you might buy soon, also make sure you will have hostel or hotel reservations, so you are not caught without a place to stay.

Google for hostel and the name of the city, that way you will get individual hostel sites but also hostel reservation sites, the hostel reservation sites are also useful as they mostly have reviews. And on booking ahead those are very important. Do not just go for the cheapest but read what people have said about them. Some of the cheapest places have a very poor reputation and deservedly so. Most hostels are good quality.
If you want to check everythink about travelling by coach or bus go to this useful website:



http://www.EuropeBus.co.uk

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Traveling by bus/train in Europe? Please help!!?
Prague to Vienna: take a bus. Clean, safe, fast. As to the Paris to Berlin leg, taking a plane is tough because the airport in Berlin is well outside the city and it's a difficult shift from the airport to the city. You'll be able to manage, but it isn't the easiest airport to get to/from. Vienna to Budapest I'd say take a bus. Can't help you with the rest as I'd rather answer about those trips that I'm familiar with.