Has anyone ever backpacked across Europe...

using the inter-rail ticket?

I'm planning it for this summer and advice would be welcomed regarding sleeping, where not to go, etc.

Cheers

 

plenty of info here -

http://www.backpackingeurope.com/linkstravelinfo.asp

 

cheers

 

I did interail 4 times a few (cough) years ago. Fabulous experiences and very hairy ones as well. I took a tent and managed to find a site near the railway most times but there's nearly always a cheap hostel available as well. If you are really stuck and you want to stay in a place then you can kip overnight on a return journey! (I did this to stay at the Octoberfest in Munich for 3 days - Mannheim is 4hrs so setting off at 11pm from Munich could get back by 9am with a couple of long snoozes).
Places to avoid? Marseilles, Brindisi, and absolutely not Tangiers (used to be able to do Morrocco on interail - don't know if you still can)

 

I would endorse that

But dont know how much it has changed.
Can you still pog a compartment to yourself by looking rough / smelling strong and then snooze your way across Europe?

 

I did it (15 years ago now), and most nights we paid a little for the upgrade to a couchette (sp?) which folded out into a bed on the train. We did stay in a hostel/cheap hotel in certain places, but mostly places we wanted to see at night (Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg) or places where we were stuck overnight (Morocco). There were some nights when we just slept on the carriage floor though.

We went for quantity though and hit 20 cities in 16 countries in 26 days before one of my friends mistakenly spent £600+ on rugs in Morrocco and had to get home quick to beg some money before his cheque bounced

If I did it again, I'd pick some places I wanted to see and spend more time in each place, but doing it as we did meant that I have a list of European cities that are worth revisiting!

 

As for recommendations, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Stockholm, Vienna, Rome and Venice are all worth a visit - and if you end up in Southern Europe, head towards the Med for a couple of days sunbathing/letching before you come home.

 

Cheers guys.

I'm going with a Wednesday fan, so here's hoping we go up and they go down, too!!


I reckon we're scaling down the tour and spending more time in certain places (amsterdam, (blaze) ) but the plans changing hourly. Might be best to just go and decide when there!

 

Don't waste too long in Amsterdam, you can fly there from Leeds for 20 quid. Get the Ice Train from Amsterdam over the border into Germany, and head down to Italy via Austria and Switzerland. Then to France, Spain and Portugal. Before going right up to Northern Europe - beware its not cheap in some Northern European countries. If you manage to get to Greece then its a fab country. A novel way ro get home is yo use your pass on a boat train from France to Ireland, then you can travel on the Irish trains to Belfast, before flying to Leeds with Jet 2 for 99p if you book in advance.</p>

 

Always found France ultra-dull but Italy, now where to start! You have to do :-
Venice
Florence
Sienna
Urbino
Mantua
Rome
Naples (Hire a car here and drive down the Amalfi coast)
Catch the train through the Brenner pass to Innsbruck and then on to Salzburg and Vienna
Prague next and then onto Munich. Avoid Frankfurt, there's not much left of the old parts after the RAF did a job on it a few years back.
Finish up with a nice relaxing two weks in Margate.

 

I know E.I.Addio has backshafted across Europe!

He said he got sore feet. But people don't walk like that when they've got sore feet!

 

1990

Use the opportunity to see places off the beaten track.  You can visit France, Spain, Netherlands any time so head further east and see something a little different.  When I did it there was an iron curtain, well, a blind at least, and we most enjoyed Berlin, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria.  Scandinavia was good but expensive.  </p>

As my trip was so long ago I can't offer specific advice as it will be out of date, but my general recommendation would be to see this as the perfect opportunity to seek out those parts most holidays don't normally reach.  When you reach my age and become a bloated, middle aged, family man trapped in a dull job that sucks all the life-energy out of you, and having kids means you have to book 2 weeks in August paying astronomical prices surrounded by thousands of other dull people just like me, you will look back on your inter-rail adventure, so make it a memorable one.</p>

By the way, I know I was in Berlin just after the wall had come down so it was a special time in its history, but it was the most amazing place.  The coolest bars, and from someone who has a pathological hatred for night clubs, the coolest night clubs in the world.  Oh yeah.</p>

As for planning an intinerary, we didn't, we just took trains almost randomly.  You will meet people who will tell you stories/adventures and if you are on a fixed route you'll begin to feel frustrated.  </p>

Get on the freedom bus to nowhere Zadok and ride baby ride.</p>

 

It really does piss me off

When poeple slag off scandinavia!


Not very nice!

 

RE: It really does piss me off

I didn't slag it off, I said it was 'good'.  You silly c'nt.

 

Where did you go in Scandinavia?

Probably Sweden i guess!

 

No

Denmark

 

That is flat and boring

to be honest. The only decent place is Copenhagen.

Good pub life tho!

Gammel Dansk, did you try it?