A Guide for Using Public Transport in Europe

You have planned for a trip to Europe for a long time but you might feel hesitant when thinking about transport fee. Europe is such an expensive area in the world so it is obvious to understand your concern. But don’t worry, there is a way you can save your money to spend on other activities. That is public transportation. However, not everyone knows some tips to wander around Europe by using public transit, especially for someone traveling abroad for the first time. Therefore in the following, we had collected several advices to form a guide for using public transport while traveling in Europe. It contains a number of steps and might take a quite long time, but please read the article thoroughly to become an expert in taking a bus or subway in Europe.

Step 1: Do some research at home

Everything needs preparation so it is great to do some searches on the Internet to have a visualization about the destination you are about to travel to. Take note some outline in the following:

Choose a country you want to visit. It depends on your interest, time, finances and your willingness to pay when having a holiday there

Decide how long you spend on enjoying your holiday: You should read some reviews on the internet first ( This website is recommended: https://www.tripadvisor.com/blog/) There are some people who did travel there and they can estimate how long is enough for complete the holiday in full of happiness. Then take those advices to decide yours

Do some research about transportation system in your destination countries to find out what kind of vehicles people usually use to travel in that country.

Get a list of must-see places in your destination country. Spend a little bit of time researching what to do and what should eat in those places.

Step 2: Plan a travel itinerary

Make your travel schedule at home first, actually being flexible is good but you should aim for a definite plan to be more proactive in any situation. The plan contains what you will do every day, how long will you spend on traveling, where you aim to sleep every night and which restaurant you will have lunch or dinner at.

Step 3: Prepare a map of your destination and study it

Study a little bit of your destination’s road is much better than knowing nothing before going somewhere. Although it is difficult to remember exactly how to commute from A to B, you can have a visualization of that location and also be able to recognize some street’s names which unexpectedly support you a lot in case you get lost.

Step 4: Research the transport options

This the most essential and complicated step so far that you should focus much on it if you want to have a less expensive transportation fee.

• First of all, check-in books or online for national rail services first. Rail is the fastest, easiest and also the most comfortable transport but also an expensive one compared to other transportations. Go to the website of national rail carrier or Eurail ( rail information provider system in Europe), check the major routes, lines, train schedule and print out that schedule.
• Try to book a train ticket as early as possible because of ticket price. For example The German rail (www.bahn.de) offer a few tickets at Euro 29 regardless of the distance, however, it is only available for a few days from the day they open booking (normally 2 months). So you should always be ready to save your pocket
• Make consideration on Eurail/ Interail pass at this website: http://www.eurail.com for several options on train ticket.
• Most countries require a train reservation which costs 7 euros and is compulsory for everyone especially in France so you should make a plan to take the best ticket price.
• Don’t forget bus services. This is more difficult to get bus route information than train but try to find some local bus website and translate web page to figure out how to read the cities and scheduled times at least.
• Don’t forget to check ferry services too, especially in Greece. Please be noticed that in the summer and winter, the service might be overloaded, so don’t be too upset if you aren’t served in those days.

Step 5. Find a fellow and ask them whether you can join them or share a ride

Some Europeans, especially in the South, are willing to give you a free ride but you must be brave enough to ask for a lift. However, you can offer to pay your share of you feel uncomfortable when using free.

Step 6. Be ready to walk anytime

Sometimes things don’t follow you well so be prepared to walk anytime. Bring along the best map of the area and try to talk to locals and sometimes it can be better to ask for a guide.

Step 7. Talk to the bus driver

As buses can go anywhere, drivers know the current area better than anyone else so ask them where to get off for some places, bus schedules or how you can recognize the bus station. If necessary you can draw a map yourself for not being lost while walking alone

Step 8. Plan your travel in detail with some potential types of transport

Make a list of great transportation followed destination that you think match each other. This way save both your time and money.

Step 9. Try to buy your ticket as early as possible

You must buy Eurail and Interail trains in your country of origin. Some bus systems allow customers to reserve tickets through the Internet. All you need to do is go to its website and find where to book for a ticket. Moreover, you can have your ticket bought online to be sent to your home or to the counter upon arrival where you can easily pick up anytime.

Step 10. Once in the country or have your friend living there, get much information as possible

Try to find out some popular airport, hotel/hostel and train station in the country. Besides, you can try to collect some flyers, posters promoting various spots, special tours and ride shares information. Summarize those data to use when necessary.

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