But for many journeys by boat to and from Britain there are some credible alternatives which deserve a look. This week we explore shipping routes across the North Sea.

Dutch Flyer

Stena Line offer twice-daily sailings from Harwich to Hoek van Holland (a Dutch port that Brits still colloquially refer to as “The Hook”). One of the two services is by day, the other an overnight crossing. The ferry terminals at either end of this shipping route are well served by trains, so this makes an excellent rail-sea route linking London with Amsterdam, Rotterdam and northern Germany.

A Dutch Flyer ticket from just £39 allows you to travel from London Liverpool Street (or more than 160 other train stations in eastern England) to anywhere in the Netherlands. The fare covers the rail journey to Harwich, the 7- to 8-hour journey on the ship and then the onward train ride from Hoek van Holland to any train station on the Dutch network.

This really can be tremendous value. Rail fares in the Netherlands can be pricey, but with the Dutch Flyer ticket you effectively get onward travel within the Netherlands at no extra cost. Travelers using the overnight ferry option will need to pay a modest supplement for cabin accommodation.

Directly to Denmark

A prime choice for travelers bound for Scandinavia or the Baltic region is the DFDS service from Harwich to Esbjerg. The 18- to 19-hour crossing is a real chance to relax. Fast trains to Harwich from London connect with the late afternoon departure of the ship. From Esbjerg there are convenient same-day train connections on to Copenhagen and Hamburg.

One-way fares for the ship start at £49.

By ship from northern England

If you are based in Scotland or northern England, it is a long haul down to Harwich to catch a boat across the North Sea. But there are three long-established daily shipping routes direct from the North to the continent. All three are overnight services.

They are:

1. With DFDS at 5 p.m. every afternoon from Newcastle (North Shields) to Ijmuiden on the Dutch coast. DFDS lay on a connecting coach service which will speed you from Ijmuiden to the middle of Amsterdam.

2. A 6:30 p.m. P&O Ferries ship from Hull to Zeebrugge in Belgium, perfectly placed for access to Flanders. A bus collects foot-passengers from the ship in Zeebrugge for a shuttle transfer to Bruges railway station.

3. A second P&O Ferries daily departure from Hull, this one at 9 p.m. bound for Europoort in Holland. P&O offer real cruise-ferry luxury on this route. This route offers a choice of onward bus connections from the Dutch port of disembarkation: a direct express coach to Rotterdam and one to Amsterdam.  You can link onto the Dutch rail network in both cities with same-day onward connections to destinations across central Europe.

Our view is that these North Sea shipping routes offer an imaginative way to make journeys from many parts of Britain to the eastern Alps, the Rhine Valley, central European capitals and much of eastern Europe. They are all certainly a lot more fun than shuffling through long lines at airport security.

The post From Britain to the Continent: North Sea Ferries appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

From beach cruises to picnic pedaling, here are my “top five” alternative bike tours that are offered in and around Amsterdam.

Culinary bike tour
Cost: €32.50 (all inclusive)

Brought to you by Orange Bike, this three-hour tour tickles your palate with authentic Dutch snacks. Food ranges from classic Dutch cheese to the traditional herring plate, with fine drinks to wash it down at old cafes along the way. The real question is: Are your taste-buds up for the ethnic challenge?

Countryside bike tour
Cost: €22 (€19 for students and seniors, €5 off if you have your own bike)

Get out of the city and take in the relaxed atmosphere along the Amstel riverside. You’ll pass scenic fields and houseboats as the Countryside tour makes its way to an authentic clog and cheese factory (free cheese tastings included). As a bonus, a pit stop is made at a traditional windmill, just to round out the overall Holland experience. Brought to you by Mike’s Bike Tours.

Amsterdam beach tour
Cost: €22.50

That’s right, Amsterdam has a beach. Orange Bike offers four-hour tours along the Ij River towards Ijburg, a fun and energetic man-made beach full of city dwellers sunbathing and swimming. The tour passes through neighborhoods that offer interesting old and new architecture, and pedals around spots that are ideal for a dip, or just relaxing to cycle around. The tour ends with a drink on the terrace overlooking the sparkling Ij Lake.

The eight-day two-country bike tour
Cost: €900 (including meals and lodging for eight days)

Feeling adventurous? This eight-day voyage by Bike Sherpa begins in Bruges, Belgium (also known as the “Venice of the north”), makes a stop in Ghent and reaches Amsterdam as its final destination. The 205-kilometer path goes through the wetlands of Zeeland in South Holland, and offers a scenic escape of windmills, castles, and beautiful pastures. If that wasn’t enough, accommodation is included on a canal barge.

The Beerbike tour
Cost: €350 for two hours, €430 for three (for 10-22 people)

Cycling through the city on a bike that holds 10 to 22 people along with a 30-liter beer keg? Only in Amsterdam. Beer Bike is a bar on wheels where everyone pedals together while sipping Dutch brew. (Luckily, the tour includes a non-sipping driver responsible for steering.) This fun and social bike tour lasts two to three hours, and turns heads throughout Amsterdam as it cycles forth.

The post Amsterdam Bike Tours: 5 tours with fun themes appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Suddenly, you could be almost anywhere in the city within a leisurely 10–15 minute pedal. With clearly designated bike lanes, cycling in the city is safe and simple. While many commuters use a db every day, travelers can also take advantage of this (almost free) program, too.

The Basics

There are 44 db stations in Dublin’s center. Stations are never too far away from one another, and are located right near some of the top attractions including the National Gallery of Ireland, St. Stephen’s Green, and Grafton Street.

If you are unfamiliar with the layout of Dublin, you might want to consult a map before heading out on your db. Each station also has a map providing details on where to return the bike.

How to Rent a Bike

This is where it gets a little tricky. Local residents who use the db program have an ID card that is connected to their credit card for security purposes (to make sure you don’t ride off for good with the bike!). Travelers don’t need the annual card, but they do need a credit card to use the bikes. MasterCard and Visa are accepted, and your card could be charged a hefty fine if you don’t return the bike.

Travelers can purchase a three-day pass right at the db stand. (Note: Not all 44 stands have credit card capabilities–consult dublinbikes.ie to find one that does). A three-day pass costs just €2, and provides free 30-minute rentals. If you go beyond 30 minutes without returning the bike, you will be charged .50 for an hour, €1.50 for two hours, and so on.

Cheapos should know that there is no limit to the number of free 30-minute rentals you can enjoy in one day. Thus, to avoid the service fees, simply return your bike to a station and rent a new one.

The Specifics

After you rent your first db, you’ll be a pro. Unlike other countries where you have language to cope with, in this instance it’s English all the way. When you approach a db station, have a credit card ready. After you’ve selected a three-day pass, you will be asked to select a four-digit PIN code. This number is important, as it will help to identify you and confirm that you’ve returned your bike (avoiding the €150 fee for “stealing” or not returning a bike).

Renting is simple: Approach the station, enter your PIN, select an available bike, press the “release” button and you’re off. Returning the bike is just as simple, and detailed directions are available at every station.

Where to go with a bike rental

Dublin is a compact city, and once you have your three-day pass, it’s all at your fingertips. Some fun bike excursions include going for a ride in Phoenix Park, the largest city park in Europe, or riding along the water of Dublin Bay along Sandymount Strand.

Best of all, your free bike rentals let you avoid expensive taxis and see more of Dublin. Have fun!

The post Dublin: Hop on the city’s bike-share program for €2 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Many of us underestimated Londoners’ enthusiasm for such an idea and predicted the public bikes would fall victim to abuse after Paris’s Vélib’ scheme experienced some teething problems in the form of theft and vandalism. It’s still the early days for London, but so far there have been positive reports, and a surprising number of these clunky, heavyweight machines are to be seen daily on the roads and in public parks.

How the program works

You currently need to register online for an access key before you can hop on a bike. You’ll receive a slim blue key in the mail, which you then take to one of the 315 docking points across central London, shown on this map. Slide the key into one of the docking points, and the bike, which comes with lights and a small basket at the front for your belongings, is released. When you’ve finished your journey, you need to return the bike to a secure docking station, and once you get the green light you’re off the meter and free to go about your business.

Your account is charged according to usage at the end of your access period (see below), and if your bike has suffered damage you can report a fault at the terminal.

What it costs

TFL plan to implement a casual use system in the near future for which you’ll be able to pay your access fee by credit or debit card at the terminal. For the moment, you need to register as above, and the membership key will set you back £3.

There’s an access fee per cycle, based on specific time periods, and then a usage charge on top. Access fees start from £1 a day, rising to an annual fee of £45. In terms of usage fees, if your journey lasts less than half an hour it’s free, up to an hour is a mere £1, and then prices escalate up to £50 for 24 hours. Clearly, £50 a day on a borrowed bike isn’t a particularly sensible option, so the scheme is better suited to short journeys.

Whatever you do, don’t exceed the 24-hour rental time: the late return fee is punitive at £150. Also be sure to wait for a green light and a clicking noise when you re-dock your bike. If it doesn’t register as returned, your timer will keep ticking and you’ll face a nasty extra charge.

Drawbacks

Bear in mind that there are no locks on the bikes, and there are light-fingered folk around. Therefore, you can’t stop off for lunch and leave it anywhere except a docking point. If the dock at your destination is full, you need to find a space elsewhere, which isn’t ideal if you’re in a hurry; a map at each terminal shows you where the nearest available racks are, and you can add a free 15 minutes if you’re running out of time. Interestingly, registered users of the scheme outweigh the number of bikes by several thousand, so it’s yet to be seen whether there will be enough bikes to go round at peak times.

Also note that until the “casual access” program has launched, non-UK residents will not have an easy time participating in the program. The official Web site doesn’t give specifics on the timing of opening up the program to those without a UK address. It simply says, “coming soon.”

So far, “Boris’s bikes,” named after our much-caricatured mayor, seem to be effectively encouraging a greener lifestyle, are affordable at the very short-term end of the scale, and will hopefully provide a good sightseeing tool for tourists. One controversial talking point is that the mayor should have pushed for cycle helmets to be obligatory; in many people’s opinion, you’ve got to be stark raving mad to ride without one on London’s frantic central streets.

The post London: The city’s new bike-share program pedals forth appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

We’ve been fans of Paris’ Vélib’ bike program since it debuted in July 2007. But how’s it faring three years later?

In many respects it’s been a big hit with both locals and tourists (at least those lucky enough to have the right type of credit card). Read on to get our Cheapo assessment of the city’s bike share program.

Getting a bike

A Vélib’ station. Photo: Tom Meyers

The Vélib’ system, which until 2011 required a credit card with a puce (a special microchip), was mostly unattainable to Americans since it launched in 2007.

However, that changed in spring 2011 when the program opened, at least online, to a wide-range of cards (including MasterCard, Visa and American Express). Tourists can now register for a one or seven-day subscription on their Web site with these credit or debit cards. You will then be given a code to tap into the kiosk at any of the city’s 1,200 Vélib’ bike stations.

Note that a €150 “hold” will be placed on your card when you subscribe. This will be in place until your subscription expires. Read more on the Vélib’ Web site.

After purchasing a daily or weekly pass (one-day subscription costs €1.70 and a seven-day subscription costs €8), riders take a bike from any stand and can ride for 30 minutes before parking at another station. Additional time is billable in half-hour increments.

Improvements to the Vélib’ program

Thanks to an initiative by the mayor’s office passed in June 2010, improvements in bicycle parking, traffic signals and paths are on their way. The biggest change, however, has been the legalization of bikes riding on a one-way street.

One-way streets that had permitted only one-way bike traffic are now also painted with bicycle paths going against automobile traffic, opening up the city’s meandering and confusing network of streets and alleys. According to Le Monde, about 90 percent of streets are now accessible in both directions for cyclists. (Granted, my heart flutters a bit when a truck comes barreling down what its driver feels is a one-way street. But at least the police won’t stop and fine me for breaking the law while riding my Vélib’.)

The downsides of using Vélib’

While the streets are opening up to bikers, the Vélib’ system still has its faults, starting with finding a bike. Popular stations often lack sufficient functional cycles.

A seat turned backwards is a sign from a friendly rider that a bike is faulty. Always check the tires, breaks, gears and handle bars before riding. In addition to being an inconvenience, a bike with wobbly handle bars and poor breaks is a hazard. Fortunately on the road, cars are surprisingly respectful of cyclists (even though Parisians are known for their erratic driving).

Finding a parking spot can also be difficult. All too often, major stations in popular neighborhoods are full, forcing riders to wait for a spot to open up. Fortunately, you can obtain a 15-minute extension from the terminal in order to find another station. The map on the terminal’s screen will locate the closest free spot.

The bottom line

For Parisians, having their own bike is preferable to relying on the Vélib’ system. After two years, fed up with daily Vélib’ hassles, I purchased a used bike. Still, I kept my subscription to the Vélib’ because many occasions call for a one-way bike ride. (For example, you get to a bar and then enjoy a few too many glasses of Bordeaux.)

With nearly 20,000 bikes and inspiring programs from London to Mexico City, Vélib’ remains the world’s most successful biking system. While not perfect, it still may be one of the most magical experiences available in Paris for just a few euros.

Bonus: This fun little video gives you a feel for the Vélib’ experience.

The post Paris Vélib’ Update: How’s the bike share program working out? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Since late 2008, BikeMi has operated stations around the city, allowing locals and tourists to explore the city on two wheels for just a few euros. BikeMi currently boasts over 100 pick-up and drop-off stations throughout Milan, with around 1,400 bikes in total. The program is set to expand to well over 200 stations and 5,000 bikes by the end of 2010.

How it works

To hop on, you’ll first need to register. On the BikeMi Web site, choose a temporary or annual subscription and provide your credit card information. Once your card is approved, you will be e-mailed a user code and password to be used at any bike station.

Simply type in your code at the station keypad and take a bicycle. And don’t forget to watch the time—bikes must be returned to any BikeMi station no more than two hours after they’ve been checked out. (Exceeding the limit three times will get your subscription cancelled.)

The daily rate for using a BikeMi bike is €2.50. A weekly subscription costs €6. On top of these flat fees, you’ll be charged €0.50 for every 30 minutes (following the first free half-hour).

All in all, we think BikeMi provides plenty of incentive to slip off the D&G stilettos and get riding through the streets of Milano.

The post Milan: Get moving with the BikeMi public bike share program appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Europe’s car train network

Car trains don’t usually feature in the regular train schedules, and are often not so easy to find out about. Europe’s largest operator is DB Autozug, a division of Deutsche Bahn, which this year celebrates 80 years of operations. Apart from a network of routes within Germany, DB Autozug operates services from seven bases in Germany to ten destinations in France, Austria and Italy.

Other car train operators to bear in mind are:

• ÖBB (Austrian Railways): Six routes within Austria plus international services to Germany and ItalyAustria plus international services to Germany and Italy
• Trenitalia: Six routes within Italy
• SNCF Auto-Train: Some two dozen routes within France including some very useful cross-country links, such as from France’s Atlantic coast to the Riviera or Brittany to Alsace
• Optima Tours run the Optima Express which makes a big leap across the Balkans from Austria to Turkey.

In addition, there are useful domestic services in Croatia and Finland, plus of course a large number of short-hop car trains that transport vehicles and their passengers through Alpine tunnels, under the English Channel or to offshore islands linked by rail causeways to the mainland (as in the case of the German holiday island of Sylt).

Car train fares

Car train services can be pricey, but at the top end they offer a very high level of comfort with overnight journeys in modern sleeping cars, along with a good on-board restaurant where you can enjoy dinner before retiring for the night. It is possible to board a train in northern Germany mid-afternoon and wake up next morning on the shores of the Mediterranean, having traveled a thousand miles but without having spent a cent on fuel.

Some operators offer discount options for travelers prepared to book very early or last minute. Early bookers with ÖBB, for example, can pick up a one way ticket for car and driver from Vienna to Hamburg from just €133, a journey which by road would take about 11 hours and cost (depending on vehicle size) upwards of €80 in fuel.

National and international services: DB Autozug

DB Autozug has a great one-way special for inner-German route, offering fares of €99, which covers car transport and couchette accommodation for the driver. For international journeys, there is a €149 fare (similarly for vehicle plus driver with couchette).

Regular fares for international journeys for those not wanting to book well in advance start at €179 for car with driver or €319 including car transport plus couchettes for up to five passengers. Not cheap, we know, but really an amazing way to start or end a European car tour. And, once your car rental company has told you that their one-way drop charge from Germany to the Med is over €400, the idea of using a car train to return to your point of origin begins to look like a decidedly attractive proposition.

Car train services are also a credible option for British travelers looking for southern sunshine who want to avoid the long grind south on continental motorways.  The DB Autozug terminal at Düsseldorf is less than a three-hour drive from Channel ports.

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