2 February 2012. Train times valid
from 11 December 2011 to 9 June 2012.
London to Budapest
by train...
Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest...
The train
journey from London to Budapest is safe, easy & affordable
and takes just 24
hours, by Eurostar to Paris and high-speed TGV
from Paris to Munich, then overnight sleeper to
Budapest. Or there are connections via Paris and
Munich, or via Brussels, Cologne & Vienna.
Timetables, prices and how to buy tickets for all these
options are explained below in a step-by-step guide.
Option 1: London to Budapest
by Eurostar to Paris, TGV to Munich & the Munich-Budapest
sleeper...
This is probably the easiest & cheapest way to reach
Budapest, with daily trains, a convenient mid-morning
departure from London and a breakfast-time arrival in
Budapest the next day, with all that sightseeing ahead of
you. If you'd prefer a departure from London later in
the day, see option 2.
Day 1:
Travel from Paris to Munich by 198 mph TGV on the
new TGV-Est high-speed line, leaving Paris Gare de
l'Est at 15:25 and arriving Munich Hauptbahnhof at
21:36. Cafe-bar available.
Day 1:
Travel from Munich to Budapest overnight on the
EuroNight sleeper train 'Kalman Imre', leaving Munich
Hauptbahnhof at 23:40 and arriving Budapest Keleti
station at 08:49 next morning (day 2). The Kalman Imre
has a modern air-conditioned Hungarian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with
washbasin), a modern couchette car (4 & 6 berth compartments) and
ordinary seats (not recommended).
Budapest ► London
Day 1: Travel
from Budapest to Munich overnight on the EuroNight
sleeper train 'Kalman Imre', leaving Budapest Keleti at
21:05
and arriving in Munich at 06:15 next morning.
The Kalman Imre has a modern air-conditioned Hungarian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed
compartments with washbasin), couchettes (4 & 6 berth
compartments) and seats (not recommended).
Day 2: Travel from
Munich to Stuttgart by high-speed
ICE, leaving
Munich Hauptbahnhof at 09:45 and arriving Stuttgart
at 12:01.
Day 2: Travel from
Stuttgart to Paris by high-speed TGV, leaving
Stuttgart at 12:54 and arriving Paris Gare de l'Est
at 16:35.
Day 2: Travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar,
leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:13 (19:13 on Saturdays), arriving London St Pancras
at 19:36 (20:41 on Saturdays).
On board the
TGV from Paris to Munich...
Designer interiors: The TGV
trains from Paris to Munich feature chic designer interiors by Christian Lacroix.
There
are sockets for
laptops & mobiles at 1st class seats, baby-changing
facilities and wheelchair spaces. The train
speeds through undulating open green countryside for
much of the way, past pretty French villages of the
Champagne region. After a brief stop at
Strasbourg you cross the border into Germany.
Sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the ride!
Watch the video -
inside a Christian Lacroix TGV...
Sleek, fast,
and up to 10 times better for the environment
than a flight. This is a TGV about to leave Paris
Gare de l'Est...
First class
seating. Tables for 4, tables for 2, solo
seats and dual side-by-side. All first
class seats have reading lights and power
sockets for laptops & mobiles...
There's a
cafe-bar car serving drinks & snacks....
Second class seating...
On board the Kalman Imre sleeper train
from Munich to
Budapest...
Above: Cosy & inviting, a hotel
on rails, this is the modern air-conditioned Hungarian
sleeping-car of the 'Kalman Imre' waiting to leave
Munich Hauptbahnhof on its overnight journey to
Budapest, across Germany, Austria & Hungary...
The sleeping-car has 10 compartments with
washbasin, each of which can be used as a 1, 2 or 3
berth room, with toilets at the end of the corridor.
The lettering above the windows
reads 'hálókocsi - schlafwagen - voiture-lits -
sleeping-car'. Under the windows, the logo 'Utasellato'
is the Hungarian railways sleeping-car & dining car
service. The interior photo shows the lower
berth of a 2-bed compartment, with the upper berth
just out of shot. The train also has more economical
couchettes with 4 & 6 berth compartments, but if your
budget will stretch just a bit, the sleeping-car is
the best way to travel. Exterior photo courtesy of István
Halász, interior photo courtesy of Mihai Ciobanu.
How much
does it cost?
Each train is
ticketed separately, so add up the price for each leg of
the journey.
Limited
availability, book in advance to get these fares.
Full fare £81 one-way, £142 return.
3.
Munich to Budapest
on
the Kalman Imre
In a
seat:
In a
couchette
In the
sleeping-car
6-berth
4-berth
3-berth
2-berth
single
Savings
fare
one-way:
€29 (£25)
€49 (£43)
€59 (£51)
€69 (£60)
€79 (£69)
€139
(£121)
Savings
fare
return:
€58 (£25)
€98 (£43)
€118 (£51)
€138 (£60)
€158 (£69)
€278
(£121)
Full
price
one-way:
€95 (£82)
€109 (£94)
€115 (£100)
€120 (£104)
€139 (£121)
€209
(£182)
Savings fare =
cheap fare, book in advance, limited availability,
no refunds, no changes to travel plans.
Full price = fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.
How to buy tickets online...
The best & cheapest way to buy tickets is online, because
there's no booking fee and all the special offers are there
for you to see.
It involves three stages on two websites, so it's best to
engage brain, jot down exactly what specific trains you want
to book on what dates, and do a dry run on both
sites to check prices and availability before booking
for real. Here's how to buy tickets online:
Bookings open 90 days before
departure, you
can't buy tickets before reservations open.
Step 1,
go to
www.raileurope.co.uk
and using the train times on this page as a guide, book the
train from Paris to Munich & back. Add it to your
basket.
Step 2,
still on
www.raileurope.co.uk,
click 'continue shopping' and book the Eurostar from London
to Paris & back. By all means take an earlier Eurostar
outward or a later one returning if it has cheaper seats
available.
Add it to your basket.
Step 3, go to
www.bahn.de and buy a
sleeper or couchette ticket from Munich to Budapest, looking
for the direct EN train with 0 changes, and looking for the cheap
'Savings' fares. You book online and print out
your own ticket in .PDF format using your PC printer.
Easy! I recommend registering when it asks you before
completing the purchase, so you can easily retrieve any
bookings.
How to buy tickets
by email...
If you'd prefer to have someone book it for you,
just click here and a booking form will appear which lists
all the
trains you
need to book for any of the options on this page. Fill
it in & email it to
sales@europeanrail.com. European Rail will make
the reservations and call you back to confirm the cost.
If you're okay with the price you can give them your credit card details and
they will send you
the tickets. European Rail is an experienced agency
equipped with the German Railways reservation & ticketing
system, so they have access to all the cheap fares for travel via
Germany. They charge a £35 booking fee which includes
postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address
worldwide if you pay the courier fee. Seat61 gets some
commission if you buy tickets using this form.
How to buy tickets by phone...
If you prefer to buy tickets by
phone, call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open
09:00-20:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Sat & Sun, no booking fee), or www.europeanrail.com
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Mon-Fri,
09:00-13:00 Saturdays, £35 booking fee). Click
here for a list of
agencies and other useful information on how to buy
European train tickets.
Tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements...
If you want a compete tailor-made
trip with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and
good quality hotels arranged, UK residents can call
www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761. US
residents can call them on (646) 770 2894 (please
quote seat61) and Canadian residents on (416) 800 0732
(please quote 'seat61'). Australian residents can call
their Australian office,
www.railbookers.com.au on 02 8096 0550. Just tell them
what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains,
routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free. They get
very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.
Browse suggested holiday itineraries & prices.
Option 2: London to Budapest by
Eurostar, the Paris-Munich
sleeper & RailJet...
This is a good & affordable option, with a
departure from London later in the day if that's
important. Stop off
for a while In Paris if you like!
Travel from Paris to Munich
overnight by the City Night Line sleeper train
'Cassiopeia', leaving
Paris Gare de l'Est daily at 20:05 (20:20 at weekends) and arriving in
Munich at 07:10 next morning.
It has sleeping-cars (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments,
standard with washbasin or deluxe with shower),
4 & 6-berth couchettes & ordinary seats, see the photos & information
below or
click for more pictures & information about this City Night
Line sleeper train.
Travel from Munich to Budapest by air-conditioned
Austrian RailJet train, leaving
Munich at 09:27 and
arriving in
Budapest Keleti station at 16:49. A bar-bistro car
is available, so treat yourself to lunch. Watch
out for great views of the Salzburg citadel on the right
as you cross the River Salzach at Salzburg.
More pictures &
information about this RailJet train.
Map of Budapest showing Keleti station.
Budapest ► London
Travel from Budapest to Munich by
air-conditioned 'RailJet' train, leaving Budapest at 13:10
and arriving in Munich at 20:34. A bar-bistro car is
available, so treat yourself to lunch!
More pictures &
information about this RailJet train. If you
have a first class ticket, you'll find a business lounge
in Budapest near platform 9, open 06:00-21:30 daily open
for anyone with a 1st class international ticket to,
from or via Budapest (not open to railpass holders).
Travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Nord at
11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:30.
Introducing
the City Night Line Paris - Munich sleeper train...
The Paris-Munich overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent
City Night Line sleeper trains. Called the
'Cassiopeia', it has a modern 'Comfortline' sleeping-car
(1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe compartments with private shower and
toilet, 1, 2 &
3-berth standard compartments with washbasin. There is a shower at
the end of the corridor for passengers in standard rooms,
and all rooms have power-points for laptop computers),
modern air-conditioned couchettes
(choose between a berth in a 4- or 6-berth compartment),
and ordinary seats (not recommended).
Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus
sleeping accommodation. The sleeping-car fare includes
a light breakfast.
More
pictures and information about this train.
Travel tip: For a good meal in a classic
Parisian brasserie before boarding the sleeper train in
Paris, catch the earlier 14:04 Eurostar & dine at the
Brasserie Terminus Nord directly across the road
from the Gare du Nord. For a cooked breakfast in
Munich or evening meal before boarding the Paris-bound
sleeper on your return, try the typically Bavarian
Mongdratzerl restaurant, located in the hauptbahnhof
itself.
1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper:
The most comfortable & civilised option, standard
with washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.
4-berth couchettes:
Ideal for families, much more space per person than
6-berth couchettes.
6-berth couchettes:
A very economical option, far better than a seat for
just a few euros more...
Above: The
'Comfortline' sleeping-car of the Paris to Munich
sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare de l'Est...
RailJet is
Austria's brand-new high-speed train, linking Munich,
Salzburg, Vienna
& Budapest, also Zurich, Innsbruck &
Vienna. Designed to run at up to 230km/h (143 mph) on
sections of upgraded track, it currently reaches 200km/h on part of
the route, but in other parts snakes around beautiful
scenery at a more sedate pace. Look out for great
views of Salzburg citadel & castle on the right as you cross
the river Salzach approaching Salzburg. RailJet has
three classes, Economy (2nd class), First (1st class), and
Premium (25 euro supplement over normal first class).
It has a bistro car providing drinks, snacks and hot dishes,
which are served on proper china at your seat in first and
premium classes. TV screens in each car tell you the
train's speed, show a map indicating your location, and post a list of next station stops
and times. A great way to travel - simply order one of
the regional beers from the bistro, sit back and enjoy the
scenery... More
pictures & information about this RailJet train.
"The RailJet has landed..."
Train RJ 63, the morning RailJet from Munich has arrived spot
on time at Budapest's historic Keleti station, built
1881-1884...
Premium class costs
25 euro more than normal 1st class...
Economy class on
RailJet, comfortable open saloons with large picture
windows. Some seats are arranged around tables,
some are unidirectional.
Above: First class on RailJet to Budapest:
Cheers!
This is
probably the easiest way to book. Booking this way
involves two websites, so do a 'dry run'
first on both sites to check prices and availability before
booking for real.
Step 1,
go to
www.raileurope.co.uk
, and book the sleeper from Paris
to Munich.
Tickets can be sent to any UK address or can be collected at
the station. Only UK credit cards are accepted.
It's best to book the Paris-Munich sleeper
train first and double-check arrival an departure times before
booking the Eurostar connection, in case times vary from the
ones shown above. Also, for some reason it won't book
4-berth couchettes. If you've a child aged 4- 5 or
12-14 please read this note.
Step 2, after booking
the Paris-Munich sleeper train, add it to your basket & click 'continue shopping'.
Now book
the Eurostar from London to Paris and back. Use the recommended Eurostar times above as a guide,
but by
all means book an earlier Eurostar outward or a later
Eurostar on the way back if these have cheaper seats
available or if you'd like to stop off in Paris.
Step 3, now go to the German
Railways website
www.bahn.de, use the journey planner to bring
up the connecting Munich-Budapest RailJet train shown in the train
times above, and buy the ticket, looking for any cheap fares.
You then simply print out your own Online Ticket. I
recommend registering when it asks you before completing the
purchase, so you can easily retrieve any bookings.
Top tip:
If you want to stop off in Vienna for (say) a day, when
booking the Munich to Budapest train at bahn.de simply look
for the 'Via (1)' box and enter 'Vienna', then enter '24:00'
in the 'hh:m stopover' box. It'll then book you a 24
hour stopover in Vienna, but still let you buy a cheap 39
euro fare from Munich to Budapest (if it's available,
obviously). You can even spend a few hours in Salzburg
on the way as well, by entering 'Salzburg' in the via box
and (say) '04:00' in the stopover box, then clicking 'add
another stopover' and entering 'Vienna' & '24:00'. All
still for 39 euro!
Sometimes
www.raileurope.co.uk
has the cheapest fares for the
Paris-Munich sleeper, sometimes
www.bahn.de
is cheaper, so it's worth checking both sites.
Bahn.de can book all accommodation, including 4-berth
couchettes, though for some reason never offers solo
travellers berths in 3-bed sleepers (but raileurope.co.uk
will!). If you book using the bahn.de site,
children under 6 go free, children under 14 can get the
child rate.
However, if you book the Paris-Munich sleeper using
www.bahn.de you'll need to book the
Eurostar separately at
www.eurostar.com, so do a 'dry run'
first on both sites to check prices and availability before
booking for real.
Step 1,
go to
www.bahn.de, the German Railways website, and book the
direct overnight CNL sleeper train from Paris to
Munich & back. The search results will show cheap 'savings' fares
(if available) and
fully-flexible fares for each type of seat, couchette &
sleeper. You pay by credit card and print out your own
tickets. Easy! The prices shown on
www.bahn.de are in euro, and are the total cost for all
passengers selected, not per person. I recommend
registering when it asks you before completing the purchase,
so you can easily make the next booking and retrieve all bookings
later. Always book the
sleeper train first and check its exact arrival & departure
times before
booking the Eurostar connection, as times can vary.
Allow at least 90 minutes on the outward journey and 1 hour
on the return to make the connection in Paris.
Step 2, still on
www.bahn.de,
now use the journey planner to bring
up the connecting Munich-Budapest RailJet train shown in the train
times above, and buy the ticket. It will show if any
cheap special fares are available. You simply print
out your own Online Ticket.
Top tip:
If you want to stop off in Vienna for (say) a day, when
booking the Munich to Budapest train at bahn.de simply look
for the 'Via (1)' box and enter 'Vienna', then enter '24:00'
in the 'hh:m stopover' box. It'll then book you a 24
hour stopover in Vienna, but still let you buy a cheap 39
euro fare from Munich to Budapest (if it's available,
obviously). You can even spend a few hours in Salzburg
on the way as well, by entering 'Salzburg' in the via box
and (say) '04:00' in the stopover box, then clicking 'add
another stopover' and entering 'Vienna' & '24:00'. All
still for 39 euro!
Step
3, go to
www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar
tickets between London and Paris, using the Eurostar times
above as a guide. By all means book an earlier
Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if
this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop
off in Paris for a while. Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK
address, self-printed or collected up at the station.
How to buy tickets
by email...
If you'd prefer to have someone book it for you, just
click here and a booking form will appear which lists
all the
trains you
need to book for any of the options on this page. Fill
it in & email it to
sales@europeanrail.com. European Rail will make
the reservations and call you back to confirm the cost.
If you're okay with the price you can give them your credit card details and
they will send you
the tickets. European Rail is an experienced agency
equipped with the German Railways reservation & ticketing
system, so they have access to all the cheap fares for travel via
Germany. They charge a £35 booking fee which includes
postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address
worldwide if you pay the courier fee. Seat61 gets some
commission if you buy tickets using this form.
How to buy tickets by phone...
If
you'd prefer to book by phone, just call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday,
09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no
booking fee, 2% credit card charge, no charge for debit
cards), or a booking agency such
as
European Rail
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Mon-Fri,
09:00-13:00 Saturdays, £35 booking fee).
Tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements...
If you want a compete tailor-made
trip with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and
good quality hotels arranged, UK residents can call
www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761. US
residents can call them on (646) 770 2894 (please
quote seat61) and Canadian residents on (416) 800 0732
(please quote 'seat61'). Australian residents can call
their Australian office,
www.railbookers.com.au on 02 8096 0550. Just tell them
what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains,
routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free. They get
very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.
Browse suggested holiday itineraries & prices.
Option 3: London-Budapest via the Cologne-Vienna
sleeper...
This runs daily, and also avoids any walk between stations if
that's important to you.
London
► Budapest
Travel
from London to Brussels by
Eurostar,
leaving London St Pancras at 12:57 and arriving in
Brussels Midi
at 16:05.
Travel from Brussels to Cologne by high-speed
Thalys
train, leaving Brussels
Midi at 17:28 and arriving in
Cologne Hauptbahnhof at 19:15.
Travel
from Cologne to Vienna by daily EuroNight sleeper
train, leaving
Cologne Hauptbahnhof at 20:05 and arriving in Vienna
Westbahnhof at 08:52. This Austrian Railways
sleeper train has
sleeping-cars (1 & 2 berth compartments, plus two
1, 2 or 3 berth 'deluxe' sleepers with shower & toilet), 4 &
6-berth couchettes and seats.
The sleeper & couchette fares include a light
breakfast with tea or coffee in the morning. The train travels along the famous Rhine Valley
between
Koblenz and Frankfurt, so if you are in a sleeper and
your compartment happens to be on the left-hand side
of the train, switch off the lights and watch the
Rhine pass by, mountains and castles lit by moonlight,
while sipping a glass of Riesling.
Wonderful!
Click for
more pictures & information about this EuroNight train.
Travel from Vienna to Budapest by air-conditioned
Railjet
train,
leaving Vienna
at 09:54 and arriving Budapest Keleti station at 12:49.
Watch out for the crossing of the Danube just before
arrival in Budapest.
Map of Budapest showing Keleti station.
Budapest
► London
Travel
from Budapest to Vienna by
air-conditioned
Railjet
train, leaving Budapest Keleti
station at 15:10 and arriving Vienna Westbahnhof at
18:00.
More pictures &
information about this RailJet train. If you
have a first class ticket, you'll find a business lounge
in Budapest near platform 9, open 06:00-21:30 daily open
for anyone with a 1st class international ticket to.
from or via Budapest (not open to railpass holders).
Travel from
Vienna to Cologne by daily EuroNight sleeper train, leaving Vienna
Westbahnhof at 19:48 and arriving at Cologne at 08:42 next morning.
This modern Austrian sleeper train has a sleeping-car (1
& 2 berth sleepers with washbasin plus two 1, 2 or 3
berth deluxe sleepers with private shower & toilet), couchettes
(4-berth & 6-berth) & ordinary seats.
The sleeper & couchette fares include a light
breakfast with tea or coffee in the morning. The
train runs along the Rhine Valley in the morning, past
castles and the legendary Lorelei Rock.
More pictures & information about this EuroNight train.
Travel from Cologne to Brussels by high speed
ICE
train, leaving Cologne at 11:43 and arriving
Brussels Midi
13:35.
Travel
from Brussels to London by
Eurostar,
leaving
Brussels
Midi at 14:56 (14:52 at weekends) arriving London St Pancras at
16:03.
Introducing the Austrian Railways EuroNight train from Cologne to
Vienna...
This was originally a German Railways' City Night Line train, but
in December 2009 it became an
Austrian Railways (ÖBB) 'EuroNight' sleeper train,
with sleeping-car, couchettes & seats. The
sleeping-car has compact 1 & 2 bed
compartments with washbasin, plus two deluxe
compartments with 1, 2 or 3 beds
plus private shower & toilet. The
sleeper berths come fully made up with sheets and
duvets, and all sleeper passengers get mineral
water in the evening and a light breakfast served
in their compartment next morning. Towels & toiletries are
provided, including shampoo and shower gel in the
deluxe sleepers. In the more economical
couchettes, you can book a couchette in a cheaper
6-berth compartment or a less-crowded 4-berth
compartment. Each couchette is provided with
sheet, blanket and pillow, and couchette passengers get
a small bottle of mineral water and a light
breakfast in the morning with tea or coffee. When waiting for
the northbound sleeper train at Vienna
Westbahnhof, if you have a sleeper ticket (as
opposed to couchette or seat ticket), you can use
the first class ÖBB Club Lounge, with
complimentary drinks.
More pictures & information about this EuroNight train.
1 or 2 bed sleeper:
The most comfortable option. Standard
sleepers have a washbasin, deluxe sleepers a private shower & toilet.
4 & 6-berth couchettes:
The economy option, ideal for families. Couchettes are basic padded
bunks with rug & pillow. This is a 6-berth
couchette.
Above: The
Austrian sleeping-car or 'schlafwagen'.
Sleeper & couchette
passengers receive a complimentary light breakfast
with tea or coffee in the morning.
Anyone from any country can book a London-Budapest journey
in either direction using
a combination of the Belgian Railways website
www.b-europe.com and the German Railways
website
www.bahn.de.
Bookings open 90 days before departure, you can't book
before reservations open. As this method involves two
websites, do a dry run on both sites to check prices and
availability before booking for real. Before starting to book, I
recommend noting down each specific train you want to book
using the train times recommended above, and the date of
departure. Obviously, remember that your date of
travel from Cologne back to Brussels will be the day after your departure from Vienna to Cologne!
Step
1, book
your London-Cologne ticket: Go to
the Belgian Railways international website
www.b-europe.com and book a ticket from London to Cologne
and back using the
train times on this page as a guide.
You print off your own tickets. B-europe.com can book
both Eurostar+Thalys and Eurostar+ICE, and their booking
system handles this two-leg journey well, usually seeming to
find the cheapest prices.
Make sure you allow plenty of time for the connection in
Cologne, preferably at least an hour when connecting with a sleeper train.
It's obvious, but remember that your return departure date from Cologne will
be the day after your departure date from Vienna!
By all means take an earlier train from London to Cologne,
or a later train returning from Cologne to London, if this
has cheaper fares available or if you'd like some time in
Cologne.
Booking tip: You can also try the German
Railways website
www.bahn.de for booking your London-Cologne tickets, as they
offer 'London Spezial' fares from London to Cologne from
just 49 euros each way. However, you'll only
find these fares on journeys which involve the two or three
German ICE trains between Brussels & Cologne, not on
those involving Thalys. In the outward direction that
means leaving London much earlier (around 08:27/08:57) and
spending some time in Cologne, in the return direction it
means spending the morning in Cologne and leaving Cologne at
14:43 arriving London at 19:03.
Step 2, book from Cologne to Budapest & back:
Now go to the German Railways website,
www.bahn.de, and use the journey planner to book
from Cologne to Budapest, looking for the option that
corresponds to the train times above, with 1 change using
the EuroNight (EN) train from Cologne to Vienna and the
RailJet (RJ) connection from Vienna to Budapest.
You print out your own ticket. Booking from Cologne to
Budapest all in one go is cheaper than booking separate
Cologne-Vienna and Vienna-Budapest tickets, as
Cologne-Budapest can be the same price as Cologne-Vienna.
Stopover in Vienna? If you'd like a stopover of
anything up to 24 hours in Vienna, simply enter 'Vienna' in
the 'via' box and the number of hours in the 'stopover' box,
and you'll get the same cheap fares (if available) but with
a stopover in Vienna. If you want a longer stopover,
this mean buying separate tickets Cologne-Vienna and
Vienna-Budapest.
I find bahn.de the easier site to use, but you can also book
the Cologne-Vienna sleeper train using the Austrian railways website
www.oebb.at.
Click 'Englisch' at top right. Now click
'Online-Ticket' top left. Now look for the bottom left
'EURO-Night' square and click it. On the enquiry form,
enter departure station as 'Cologne' and arrival station as
'Vienna', your age and dates of travel. Click 'search
for offers'.
On the results page, you'll see a long list of possible
fares. Ignore the 'flexible' open tickets at the top.
Instead, look down the list of fares shown as 'valid on a
specific train' until you see one for 'Ticket to Wien
Westbahnhof TRAIN EN 421 from 20:05 to 09:04, for the type
of seat, couchette or sleeper that you want. Select
it, don't bother reading about their 'thrift tip'. You pay by credit card and print out your own
tickets. Easy! The prices shown on
www.oebb.at
are in euros, and are the total cost for all passengers
selected, not per person.
If you live in the UK, the easiest way to book train tickets from London to
Budapest
is at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
because all the trains can be booked as a single
transaction on one UK-based website. If you don't live
in the UK, or want to book 4-berth couchettes (which
for some reason raileurope.co.uk can't do) book using
www.eurostar.com &
www.oebb.at
instead, see the section above. Bookings open 90 days
before departure, you can't book before reservations open.
Before starting to book, I recommend noting down each
specific train you want to book using the train times
recommended above, and the date of departure.
Obviously, remember that your date of travel from Cologne
back to Brussels will be the day after your departure
from Vienna!
Step 1, go to
www.raileurope.co.uk,
but resist the temptation to enter 'London' & 'Budapest' as this won't find you the cheapest fares.
Instead, first enter 'Cologne' & 'Vienna' and your dates
of travel, look for the direct overnight train from Cologne
to Vienna, book the type of seat, couchette or sleeper you
want, do the same for the return journey, add these tickets
to your basket and click 'continue shopping'. Thanks
to the vagaries of the French reservation system,
www.raileurope.co.uk
won't book 4-berth couchettes only 6-berth ones, so if you
want 4-berth couchettes simply
book using
www.oebb.at instead, see the next section.
Step 2, still at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
now book the train from Brussels to Cologne & back, using
the train times above as your guide. Add this ticket
to your basket and click 'continue shopping'.
Step 3, still at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
now book the Eurostar from London to Brussels & back, using
the train times above as a guide. By all means take an
earlier Eurostar outwards, or a later one back, if it has
cheaper seats available or if you'd like to stop off in
Brussels. Add this ticket to your basket and click
'continue shopping'.
Step 4, still at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
now buy a ticket from Vienna to Budapest and back. Add
to your basket and proceed to the payment stage.
Tickets can be sent to any UK address (£2.25 fee) and
normally arrive within a couple of days.
There's a 2.5% credit card fee, so use a debit card if you
can. Only UK credit cards are accepted.
Booking tip: You can save a fiver or so each way
by buying the Vienna-Budapest ticket at www.oebb.at,
the Austrian Railways website, printing out your ticket in
.PDF format. As well as flexible tickets, there is
often a 19 euro (£17) special fare available (no refunds, no
changes to travel plans at this price). Simply select
'English' top right, then click 'Online-tickets' top left,
then click 'international tickets' and
make your booking.
Booking tip: It's worth comparing prices for the Cologne-Vienna
EuroNight train at both
www.raileurope.co.uk
&
www.oebb.at (see the section below)
as they can differ. It's also worth checking prices
from London to Cologne & back at
www.eurostar.com, as sometimes this is cheaper than
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Cologne is shown as 'Koln' on the Eurostar site.
Booking tip: You can also try the German
Railways website
www.bahn.de for booking your London-Cologne tickets, as they
offer 'London Spezial' fares from London to Cologne from
just 49 euros each way. However, you'll only
find these fares on journeys which involve the two or three
German ICE trains between Brussels & Cologne, not on
those involving Thalys. In the outward direction that
means leaving London much earlier (around 08:27/08:57) and
spending some time in Cologne, in the return direction it
means spending the morning in Cologne and leaving Cologne at
14:43 arriving London at 19:03.
If you'd prefer to have someone book it for you, just
click here and a booking form will appear which lists
all the
trains you
need to book for any of the options on this page. Fill
it in & email it to
sales@europeanrail.com. European Rail will make
the reservations and call you back to confirm the cost.
If you're okay with the price you can give them your credit card details and
they will send you
the tickets. European Rail is an experienced agency
equipped with the German Railways reservation & ticketing
system, so they have access to all the cheap fares for travel via
Germany. They charge a £35 booking fee which includes
postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address
worldwide if you pay the courier fee. Seat61 gets some
commission if you buy tickets using this form.
How to buy
tickets by phone...
The best agency to call
to book this trip is probably
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday,
09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no
booking fee, 2% credit card charge, no charge for debit
cards). Alternatively, call www.europeanrail.com
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Mon-Fri,
09:00-13:00 Saturdays, £35 booking fee, but may have more time to
help).
Click
here for more information on how to buy European train
tickets.
Option 4: London to Budapest by
daytime trains with overnight stop in Munich...
If you prefer to travel on daytime trains rather than
sleepers, you can travel very affordably from London to
Budapest with an overnight hotel stop in Munich.
London ► Budapest
Day 1: Travel
from London to Paris by
Eurostar,
leaving London St Pancras at 10:24 & arriving
Paris Gare du Nord at 13:47.
In Paris, it's a
10 minute walk
to the Gare de l'Est.
Day 1:
Travel from Paris to Munich by 198 mph TGV, leaving Paris Gare de
l'Est at 15:25 and arriving Munich Hauptbahnhof at
21:36. Cafe-bar available.
Day 2:
Travel from Munich to Budapest by air-conditioned
Austrian RailJet train, leaving
Munich at 09:27 and
arriving in
Budapest Keleti station at 16:49. A bar-bistro car
is available, so treat yourself to lunch. Watch
out for great views of the Salzburg citadel on the right
as you cross the River Salzach at Salzburg.
More pictures &
information about this RailJet train.
Map of Budapest showing Keleti station.
Budapest ► London
Day 1: Travel from Budapest to Munich by
air-conditioned 'RailJet' train, leaving Budapest at 13:10
and arriving in Munich at 20:34. A bar-bistro car is
available, so treat yourself to lunch!
More pictures &
information about this RailJet train. If you
have a first class ticket, you'll find a business lounge
in Budapest near platform 9, open 06:00-21:30 daily open
for anyone with a 1st class international ticket to.
from or via Budapest (not open to railpass holders).
Day 2: Travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar,
leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:13 (19:13 on Saturdays), arriving London St Pancras
at 19:36 (20:41 on Saturdays).
Alternatively, if you don't mind an early start,
a direct TGV train leaves Munich at 06:26 arriving Paris
Gare de l'Est at 12:35. Walk to Paris Gare du
Nord. A Eurostar leaves Paris at 15:13 arriving London
St Pancras at 16:39.
On board the
TGV from Paris to Munich...
Designer interiors: The TGV
trains from Paris to Munich have chic designer interiors by Christian Lacroix.
There
are sockets for
laptops & mobiles at 1st class seats, baby-changing
facilities and wheelchair spaces. The train
speeds through undulating open green countryside for
much of the way, past pretty French villages of the
Champagne region. After a brief stop at
Strasbourg you cross the border into Germany.
Sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the ride!
Watch the video -
inside a Christian Lacroix TGV...
Sleek, fast,
and up to 10 times better for the environment
than a flight. This is a TGV about to leave Paris
Gare de l'Est...
First class
seating. Tables for 4, tables for 2, solo
seats and dual side-by-side. All first
class seats have reading lights and power
sockets for laptops & mobiles...
There's a
cafe-bar car serving drinks & snacks....
Second class seating...
On board the
Railjet from Munich to Budapest...
Railjet first class, with black leather seats...
Premium first...
The Railjet bistro...
"The RailJet has landed..."
Train RJ 63, the morning RailJet from Munich has arrived spot
on time at Budapest's historic Keleti station, built
1881-1884...
Economy class on
RailJet with large picture
windows. Some seats are arranged around tables,
some are unidirectional.
More pictures &
info about RailJet
How much does it cost?
London to Paris starts at £39 one-way, £69
return.
Paris to Munich by TGV starts at 39 euro (£35)
each way.
Munich to Budapest starts at 29 euros (£25) each
way.
Buy your Munich-Budapest ticket as a second
transaction at
www.bahn.de.
Option 5: London to Budapest by
daytime trains, with overnight stop in Zurich. The
scenic route!
This option not only keeps you on daytime trains with an
overnight hotel in Zurich, rather than using a sleeper,
it's the scenic option, as it takes you right through
the fabulous Arlberg Pass route through the Alps between
Switzerland and Austria hugging the valley wall with the
mountaintops high above and the valley floor way below.
You then travel on right across the Austrian Tirol.
This option uses a new direct Railjet train between
Zurich and Budapest.
Day 1: Travel from
Paris to Switzerland by high-speed Lyria TGV, leaving
Paris Gare de l'Est at 18:23 arriving in Zurich at 22:26. A cafe-bar is available on
board.
Spend the night in a hotel in Zurich.
Zurich hotels at Hotelscombined.com.
Zurich hotels at Venere.com. For something
special, look no further than the superb
Hotel Schweizerhof, located right next to Zurich
station. One of my favourite hotels, they'll even
send a uniformed commissionaire to meet you at the
station and carry your bags across the road.
Day 2:
Travel from Zurich to Budapest by air-conditioned
Austrian RailJet train, leaving
Zurich at 10:40, travelling via the Arlberg Pass
through the Alps and across the Austrian Tirol, pass the
citadel at Salzburg and via Vienna to Budapest,
arriving at
Budapest Keleti station at 21:49. A bar-bistro
car is available, so treat yourself to lunch.
More pictures &
information about this RailJet train.
Map of Budapest showing Keleti station.
Budapest ► London
Day 1: Travel from Budapest to
Zurich by
air-conditioned 'RailJet' train, leaving Budapest Keleti at
06:05
and arriving in Zurich at 17:20. A bar-bistro car is
available, so treat yourself to breakfast and lunch!
More pictures &
information about this RailJet train. If you
have a first class ticket, you'll find a business lounge
in Budapest near platform 9, open 06:00-21:30 daily open
for anyone with a 1st class international ticket to.
from or via Budapest (not open to railpass holders).
Travel from Zurich to London
using any of the services suggested on the
London to Switzerland
page. For example, leave Zurich at 07:34,
arriving Paris at 11:37, change trains in Paris (with a
10 minute
walk between the Gare de l'Est & Gare du Nord),
and the
13:13 Eurostar from Paris Nord will get you
back at London St Pancras at 14:36. Or have a lie in
and take a later option
On board the
TGV from Paris to Zurich...
Designer interiors: The TGV-Lyria
trains from Paris to Zurich have chic designer interiors by Christian Lacroix.
There
are sockets for
laptops & mobiles at 1st class seats, baby-changing
facilities and wheelchair spaces. Sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the ride!
Watch the video -
inside a Christian Lacroix TGV...
Sleek, fast,
and up to 10 times better for the environment
than a flight. This is a TGV-Lyria about to leave Paris...
First class
seating. Tables for 4, tables for 2, solo
seats and dual side-by-side. All first
class seats have reading lights and power
sockets for laptops & mobiles...
There's a
cafe-bar car serving drinks & snacks....
Second class seating...
On board the
Railjet from Zurich to Budapest...
Railjet first
class, with black leather seats...
Premium first...
The Railjet bistro...
"The RailJet has landed..."
A Railjet from Austria has arrived spot
on time at Budapest's historic Keleti station, built
1881-1884...
Economy class on
RailJet with large picture
windows. Some seats are arranged around tables,
some are unidirectional.
More pictures &
info about RailJet
How much does it cost?
London to Paris starts at £39 one-way, £69
return.
Paris to Zurich by TGV starts at £23
each way in 2nd class, from £73 in 1st class.
See the
Switzerland page for full details.
Zurich to Budapest starts at 48 euros (£42) each
way in 2nd class, 78 euros (£68) in 1st class.
How to buy tickets...
UK residents can book London-Paris &
Paris-Zurich tickets at
www.raileurope.co.uk
Alternatively, anyone from any country can buy
the London-Paris Eurostar ticket at
www.eurostar.com (with self-print tickets) then the
Paris-Zurich ticket at
www.tgv-europe.com (with either self-print tickets or
ticket collection in Paris).
Currently, you cannot buy the Zurich-Budapest
ticket online, except at
www.raileurope.co.uk
which only has access to expensive full-price
fares costing over £100. So here's the
clever bit: Book the 10:40 Railjet
(Railjet 165) from Zurich to Vienna from just 29
euros at the Austrian Railways website
www.oebb.at.
You print your own ticket. Now use
www.oebb.at
again to book Vienna to Budapest on exactly the
same train (Railjet 165, leaving Vienna at
18:54). Returning, you want Railjet 162 at
06:05 from Budapest to Vienna, then Railjet 162
again from Vienna to Zurich leaving Vienna at
09:14. Total cost from 48 euros (£42) each
way! Why can't
www.oebb.at do
the whole Zurich-Budapest trip in one go?
It's something to do with it only being set up
for journeys to and from Austria. You
won't get the same seat for the whole journey,
if you want to avoid switching seats you'll need
to book by phone and pay extra fees, possibly
without access to the cheap fares. It's
your call!
London to Amsterdam by 'Dutch Flyer' train &
ferry... A train takes you from
London's Liverpool Street station directly to the
ferry terminal at Harwich. You walk off the
train, into the terminal, get your
boarding card & cabin key at the Stena Line
check-in desk and walk straight onto the overnight
ferry to Hoek van Holland. The new superferry
'Stena Hollandica' is the largest ferry of its kind in
the world. See the
Netherlands page for more details...
Cosy cabins: The overnight Harwich-Hoek ferry is a
floating hotel. All passengers travel in a cosy private
cabin with
en suite shower & toilet and satellite TV. This is the
cheapest 2-berth
cabin...
A Captain's Class cabin with double bed...
If you want to avoid the Channel Tunnel, perhaps if
problems are affecting the Eurostar service or if you
suffer from claustrophobia, you can travel by train and ferry instead.
Indeed, if you need to travel at very short notice when cheap
Eurostar tickets are unavailable, the rail & sail option may
still be affordable. I don't recommend travelling via
Dover & Calais,
because bus transfers are now required between station and
port in both Dover and Calais, and you can no longer buy
combined train & ferry tickets this way. Instead,
I recommend using the excellent integrated rail & sail service
via Harwich & Hoek van Holland, because trains arrive right at
the ferry terminal in both Harwich and Hoek, through tickets are available from London
to any Dutch station. This is also a handy option if you
live in East Anglia. After a day exploring Amsterdam,
take the sleeper to Munich and onward Railjet train to
Budapest. Here's how:
London, East Anglia & Harwich ►
Budapest
Day 1:
Travel
overnight from London to Amsterdam by 'Dutch Flyer' train &
luxury ferry. You leave London's Liverpool
Street station at 19:32 on a train to Harwich International. At
Harwich, the station is right next to the
ferry terminal and you walk off the train into the
terminal, check in at the Stena Line desk and walk straight onto Stena Line's
luxurious overnight superferry 'Stena Hollandica' to Hoek
van Holland. All passengers travel
in cosy private cabins with en suite toilet & shower,
free WiFi & satellite TV.
Deluxe 'Comfort class' or 'Captains class' cabins are also
available, with complimentary minibar. You
can get on board the ferry around 9pm, have a late
dinner in the restaurant and settle into your cabin.
The ferry sails at 23:15 and arrives at Hoek van Holland
at 07:45 Dutch time next morning. At Hoek, the
station is right next to the ferry terminal. Take
the next available local train to Rotterdam and change
for an InterCity to Amsterdam Centraal, arriving around
10:14. This 'Dutch
Flyer' London-Netherlands train & ferry service is a
fully-integrated service with special fares from London
to Any Dutch Station which cover the train to Harwich, the
ferry and onward train to anywhere in the Netherlands,
see the Netherlands page for
full details. The same special fare from London is valid from any National Express East Anglia station,
for example Norwich, Cambridge, Romford, Ilford or Ipswich.
Day 2:
Spend the day in Amsterdam.
Left luggage lockers are available, and all the
sights are easy walking distance from Centraal station.
Day 2:
Travel overnight from Amsterdam to Munich by
City Night Line sleeper
train, leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 20:34 and arriving
Munich at 07:10 next morning (day 3 from London).
Seats, couchettes and sleeping-car are available,
including some sleepers with en suite toilet and shower.
Day 3:
Travel from Munich to Budapest by air-conditioned
Railjet train,
leaving Munich at 09:27 and arriving Budapest at 16:49.
Bistro-bar available.
Budapest ► Harwich,
East Anglia & London
Day 1: Travel from Budapest to
Munich by air-conditioned
Railjet train, leaving Budapest at 13:10
and arriving in Munich at 20:34. A bar-bistro car is
available, so treat yourself to lunch. If you
have a first class ticket, you'll find a business lounge
in Budapest near platform 9, open 06:00-21:30 daily open
for anyone with a 1st class international ticket to,
from or via Budapest (but not railpass holders).
Day 1: Travel from Munich to Amsterdam by
City Night Line sleeper
train, leaving
Munich daily at 22:47 and arriving in Amsterdam at 08:56
next morning. The trains has ordinary seats,
couchettes (6-berth & 4-berth) and sleeping-cars (1, 2
or 3-bed rooms, deluxe with shower or standard with
washbasin).
Day 2,
evening: Travel overnight from Hoek van Holland to London by
'Dutch Flyer' train & luxury ferry. Take the 18:46
InterCity to Rotterdam and change for the local train to
Hoek van Holland Haven. Check in at
the Stena Line desk, then walk
onto the luxurious superferry 'Stena Britannica' and sail overnight
to Harwich in a snug private cabin with shower, toilet,
satellite TV and free WiFi. The ferry sails from Hoek at 22:30
Mondays-Fridays or 22:00 Saturdays & Sundays and arrives at Harwich
International at 06:30 next morning (day 3), UK time.
Take a train on to London arriving 08:45-08:59 (day 3).
See the Netherlands page for
full details about the 'Dutch Flyer' train & ferry service.
How much does
it cost?
London to
Amsterdam starts at £39 per person each way,
plus the cost of a cabin. Cabins start at £30 for
a single berth cabin or £43 per cabin for a 2-berth, and
are compulsory on the night sailing. The fare
covers the train from London to Harwich, the ferry, and
onward Dutch trains from Hoek van Holland Haven to any
station in the Netherlands, see the
Netherlands
page for full details of fares and cabin types and
costs.
Amsterdam to Munich by City Night Line
sleeper train starts at 59 euros one-way with a couchette in
6-berth, 69 euros with a couchette in 4-berth, 99 euros with a
bed in a 2-bed sleeper, 139 euros with a bed in a single-bed
sleeper.
Munich to
Budapest starts at 39 euros one-way.
How to
buy tickets...
Step 1, buy a 'Dutch Flyer' train & ferry ticket from London to
Amsterdamas
shown here.
Step 2, book your
trains from Amsterdam to Budapest:
Go to the German Railways website
www.bahn.de.
You will need to book in two separate stages to see the
cheap fares. First book Amsterdam to Munich looking
for the direct CNL train with 0 changes. Then book
Munich to Budapest looking for the direct RJ train with 0
changes. If you prefer you can book by phone, call
DB's UK office on 08718 80 80 66, lines open
09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 at weekends.
DFDS Seaways 'Princess of Norway' about to sail
overnight from Newcastle to Amsterdam...
A Commodore deluxe cabin with minibar, satellite TV,
shower & toilet.
See the video...
A standard 'Seaways' class cabin with shower & toilet on
DFDS 'Princess of Norway' from Newcastle to Amsterdam.
Naturally, one option is to take a train up
to London, then travel to Hungary as described
above. You can buy special connecting train tickets
from most UK stations to
London International,
see advice on buying
connecting train tickets to London. But
DFDS Seaways (www.dfds.co.uk) run an excellent daily
cruise ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam overnight,
and
P&O Ferries (www.poferries.com)
sail overnight from Hull to Rotterdam. After a day in Amsterdam, take the
excellent City Night Line
sleeper train from Amsterdam to Munich with connections to
Budapest. So why not
by-pass London, and have a day in Amsterdam into the
bargain?
Scotland & the north of England ►
Budapest
Day 1, Take an afternoon train from your local station
to Hull or Newcastle, whichever is most
convenient for where you live. Transfer to the ferry
terminal.
Day 1, sail
overnight by cruise ferry to Holland, with bars, restaurants
& comfortable en suite cabins, arriving next morning.
DFDS Seaways operate Newcastle-Amsterdam (the port is
actually IJmuiden), and P&O operate Hull to Rotterdam Europoort. For details of
ferry timetables, station-port transfers, fares & how to buy tickets for
travel via each of these ferry routes,
see the UK-Netherlands page.
Day 2, spend
some time
in Amsterdam, all the sights are easy walking distance from
Centraal station.
Left luggage lockers are available
at Centraal station, 4-6 euros for 24 hours, paid for with
Maestro or Visa cards.
Day 2:
Travel from Amsterdam to Munich overnight by excellent
City Night Line sleeper
train
leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 20:34 and arriving Munich
at 07:10 next morning (day 3 from London). Seats,
couchettes and sleeping-car available.
Day 3:
Travel from Munich to Budapest by air-conditioned
Railjet train,
leaving Munich at 09:27 and arriving Budapest at 16:49.
Bistro-bar available.
Budapest ►
Scotland & the north of England
Day 1: Travel from Budapest to
Munich by air-conditioned
Railjet train, leaving Budapest at 13:10
and arriving in Munich at 20:34. A bar-bistro car is
available, so treat yourself to lunch. If you
have a first class ticket, you'll find a business lounge
in Budapest near platform 9, open 06:00-21:30 daily open
for anyone with a 1st class international ticket to,
from or via Budapest (but not railpass holders).
Day 1: Travel from Munich to Amsterdam by
City Night Line sleeper
train, leaving
Munich daily at 22:47 and arriving in Amsterdam at 08:56
next morning. The trains has ordinary seats,
couchettes (6-berth & 4-berth) and sleeping-cars (1, 2
or 3-bed rooms, deluxe with shower or standard with
washbasin).
Day 2, late afternoon/evening: Travel overnight by cruise ferry from
Holland to Hull or Newcastle, whichever is
most convenient for where you live, arriving next morning (day
4). Transfer to the station and take a train home.
For full details of train & ferry times and how to buy tickets
for each of these routes, see the UK-Netherlands page.
To book
Amsterdam-Munich-Budapest trains, go to the German Railways
website
www.bahn.de.
I recommend booking in two stages. First book
Amsterdam to Munich looking for the direct CNL train with 0
changes. Then book Munich to Budapest looking for the
direct RJ train with 0 changes. If you prefer you can book by phone, call
DB's UK office on 08718 80 80 66, lines open
09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 at weekends.
If you want a holiday to Hungary
by train not plane, but want someone else to organise all the
train tickets & hotels for you, two specialist companies can
do just that. Railbookers offer tailor-made individual
holidays with departure on any date you like, whereas Great
Rail Journeys offer escorted tours with specific departure
dates.
Railbookers can
tailor-make a flight-free holiday to Budapest for you, with
train travel & hotels, for however long you like, leaving on
any date you like. Why not combine a visit to Budapest
with Prague and Vienna, 6 nights from around £689 per person.
See their Hungary page for details...
GRJ offers
a 13-day tour to Vienna, Budapest & Prague from £1,750, with 1st class train
travel and 5* or 4* hotels.
Great Rail Journeys also offer
holidays by train to other European countries. Check
the tour details online, then call 01904 527120 to
book or use their
online
booking form.
The Thomas Cook European Timetable
The
Thomas Cook European timetable
has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency
& climate
information. Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.
It's essential for any serious traveller
and an inspiration for armchair travellers. Still
not convinced you need one? More information
on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains. You can
buy the latest monthly edition online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or
buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the
bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings
Cross stations in London.
Or
buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with
laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:
Winter/Spring 2011/12 edition (Dec 2011 to June 2012) or
(when available)
Summer/Autumn 2012 edition (June to Dec 2012)
The Thomas Cook Rail Map of
Europe is the best and most comprehensive
map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the
west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland
in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south. High speed
&
scenic routes are highlighted. Highly recommended!
Buy online
at
www.amazon.co.uk
(worldwide delivery).
See an extract from
the map.
Paying
for a guidebook may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's a tiny
fraction of what you're spending on your whole trip. You will
see so much more, and know so much more about what you're looking at,
if you have a decent guidebook. For independent travel, the best
guide is either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide. Both are
excellent. The Lonely Planet range offers an in-depth guide for
Hungary or a guide covering all the countries in Eastern Europe. You
won't regret buying one..!
My own book, an essential
handbook for train travel to Europe based on this website called "The
Man in Seat 61", was published in June 2008, and
is available from Amazon.co.uk with shipping worldwide.
www.hotelscombined.com
is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia,
Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and
others) to find the cheapest hotel rates. Set up in
2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any
hotel online in any country, worldwide.
Other hotel sites worth a try...
www.tripadvisor.com
is the place to find
independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.
www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system
(Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system). It
has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries
worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and
decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras
such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one
price, then charge you another!).
Backpacker
hostels...
www.hostelbookers.com: If you're on a tight budget,
don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelbookers
offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in
Budapest and most other European
cities at rock-bottom prices.
Travel insurance & health card
Get travel insurance, it's essential...
Never travel without insurance from a
reliable travel insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover loss of
cash (up to a limit) and belongings, and cancellation. An annual
multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip
policies even for just 2 or 3 trips
a year (I have an annual policy myself).
Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed
connection, but European international rail conditions of
carriage (known as the 'CIV') contain consumer protection
provisions that entitle you to travel forward by the next
available train if you miss a connection because of a delay to
the first train, irrespective of who operates which train, and
even if your ticket is in theory train-specific and
non-changeable.
Feedback from using
insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome. Here are some suggested insurers.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these
links.
If you're a
UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free
European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or
reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in
many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with
the NHS. This replaced the old E111 forms
as from January 2006. The EHIC card is available from
www.ehic.org.uk. It doesn't remove the need for
travel insurance, though.
Get a spare credit card, one designed for foreign travel with no currency
exchange loading & low or no ATM fees...
It costs nothing to take out an extra credit card.
If you keep it in a different part of your luggage so you're
not left stranded if
your wallet gets stolen, this is a form of extra travel insurance in itself. In addition,
some credit cards are significantly better for
overseas travel than others. Martin Lewis's
www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which
UK credit cards
have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something
overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when
you use an ATM abroad. Taking this advice
can save you quite a lot on each trip compared to using your
normal high-street bank credit card! You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a
Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or indeed the
multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card,
find out about these cards & sign up here.
Get an international SIM card
to save on mobile data and phone calls...
Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're
not careful you can return home to find some huge bills
waiting for you. I've known people run up over £1,000 in
data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a
simple trip to Europe. However, if you
buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company
such as
www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and
limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid. Go-Sim
cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide,
and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries. It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills
when you get home. It also allows cheap data access for laptops
& PDAs. A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't
expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some
others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone
number' for life.
In
the UK, try
If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the
EU, try
If you live in the USA or Canada, try
