If you’re traveling on a budget, there’s no time like the present to hop a flight to Dublin (with cheap airfare, of course!) and discover this fun city.

Once you’re on the ground and you’ve booked your Dublin hotel, use these five tips to keep your money where it belongs: in your pocket.

Dublin budget tips

1. Don’t waste money on transportation

It can be tempting in Dublin just to hop in a cab, but this is one way to empty your pockets very quickly. Instead of cabs, check out the local bus schedule. Dublin Bus is very affordable, and routes connect all different areas of the city.

Alternatively, Dublin’s bike share program, called Dublin Bikes, is a cheap and easy way to get around the city. And remember, Dublin is very small and manageable on foot, too.

2. Eat your dinner early

With Dublin’s current boom, there are more and more gourmet restaurants opening in the city. These same restaurants do have deals if you know where or when to look. One strategy to fill seats is offering heavily discounted “early bird” or pre-theater specials.

Take one of my favorite restaurants in Dublin for example — The Winding Stair. A meal here is usually a splurge, but early birds can enjoy an incredible 2-course meal for just €29. You will leave stuffed and your wallet won’t be nearly empty.

Related:  Five ways to save on dining in Dublin.

3. Make friends with the half-pint — And keep your change!

There’s no such thing as a discount on alcohol in Dublin — you won’t find any “happy hours” in the city. If you’re trying to keep your costs down on beer, order a half pint instead of a full pint. This way you can spread your money a bit farther between different pubs.

Also remember, if you order from a bartender, there is no need to tip. Keep all your change!

4. Seek out free entertainment

While you’re sipping on that half-pint, how about some entertainment? Many Dublin pubs are known for their live music, so check out pubs that provide some entertainment beyond the Guinness and Jameson.

For traditional music, check out O’Donoghue’s on Merrion Row. Another great option for live music is Doyles, right across the street for Trinity College. If you happen to be in Dublin on “match day” (whether it’s rugby, soccer, or the Gaelic games) be sure to grab a seat in the pub — both the game and the locals will provide the entertainment.

5. Research your ride to the airport

If there’s one thing visitors complain about when it comes to Dublin — it’s the lack of airport transportation. You won’t find a train or a subway system that connects Dublin Airport to the city center. Some visitors resign themselves to taking a taxi (this costs at least €20) but Cheapos will want to check out the buses.

There are two options: the local bus that is very cheap (but stops frequently, seriously lengthening your journey into Dublin) or taking the Aircoach, a 24-hour express bus service into the city. Purchase a return fare to save a few euros instead of paying for a ticket each way. (Read more on Dublin’s airport transportation.)

A little airport research ahead of time could mean a lot of money saved during a trip to Dublin.

Your Dublin tips

Do you have any favorite ways to save? Share in the comments below!

The post Dublin Budget Tips: 5 simple ways to save appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Founded in 2013 by three young entrepreneurs in Germany, Flixbus is a low-cost bus service (“coach” in Europe), whose initial mission was to provide a “reliable and green alternative” to carpooling and the Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s train system. However, the business quickly took off. In 2015, Flixbus expanded into the international market. Then in 2018, Flixbus acquired Megabus to add even more routes than ever before. Today, Flixbus travels to more than 2,000 destinations, offering more than 300,000 daily connections Europe-wide.

And prices are cheap: in some cases, less than €10 one way. The buses offer comfy seats, free Wi-Fi with plugs for your devices and an on-board bathroom. Although in most cases Flixbus doesn’t make any unnecessary stops, you can buy low-priced snacks and drinks on the bus.

The bus service also offers eco-conscious travelers the chance to help compensate for their carbon footprint. To help offset their individual CO2 emissions, travelers can opt to add 1-3% on top of their ticket price, which Flixbus donates to an internationally certified climate project.

Related articles:
BlaBlaCar: A Ride-sharing service for seriously cheap car trips
Flying Norwegian: 10 Tips for making your cheap flight to Europe more comfortable

Tips for riding (and saving on) Flixbus

Below we’ve gathered some tips for hitching a ride on Flixbus, as well as some ideas on how to save.

1. Book your ticket as early as possible

You can book Flixbus tickets about four to six weeks before your departure date. To do so, visit Flixbus’s website or download their app.

Important: Prices go up the closer you get to the travel date, so to secure the best deals, we recommend booking as far in advance as possible. For most destinations, you have a wide range of options for departure times, and some long-distance journeys also offer a night bus where you can snooze as you go.

Related: Germany’s discount bus craze: How to score a €1 fare

2. Cancel or change your ticket through their website

If you need to make any changes or cancellations, it’s generally not a problem. Just go to Flixbus’s “change/cancel booking” section on their app or website and make the changes up to 15 minutes before departure. A cancellation fee of €1 will be charged per passenger and trip. And if you book a new trip with a higher ticket price, you will have to pay the difference.

Arrive at least 15 minutes early for a ride on Flixbus. Photo: MP

3. Board the bus with the right docs

On the day of your trip, Flixbus recommends you arrive at the designated station 15 minutes before departure. To board the bus, you need to show either a printed version or QR code of your booking confirmation. If your trip takes you across country borders, be sure you have all relevant documents with you, such as your passport or visa, as needed.

4. “Open Tickets” can save the day

If your bus is delayed or the trip has been canceled, don’t despair. It still may be possible to travel to your destination on an “Open Ticket.” All you need to do is hand your booking confirmation to another bus driver headed to your destination. Once you have done so, they will scan your ticket and re-book you if a free seat is available.

Please note there is no guarantee here. If no seats are available on the other bus or too many passengers wish to re-book, you might not get a spot. The Open Ticket can also only be used for direct connections, not trips where you’re required to transfer at another location.

5. Know the baggage policy

As far as baggage goes, for each bus ride, you are allowed one small carry-on and two pieces of luggage marked with your name and address. The carry-on should contain all your valuables and be no larger than 16.5 x 12 x 7 inches and weigh no more than 15 pounds. Normal luggage should be no larger than 26 x19.5 x 10.5 inches and each passenger is limited to 66 pounds of luggage in total.

Extra luggage: If you need to book extra luggage, you can do so for a fee of €5, provided you contact customer service at least 48 hours in advance and the bag weighs no more than 33 pounds.

Please note this does not include on-board baggage, which is always limited to one carry on. If you need to bring bulky baggage, such as ski equipment, musical instruments or bicycles, you can do so for an added fee of €9. Again, to arrange this, you need to get in touch with customer service at least 48 hours in advance. Learn more about the baggage policies on the Flixbus website.

6. Save even more with group discounts

If you’re traveling with others, Flixbus offers a group discount on their regular service for groups between 3 to 40 people. You can add on the group discount during the booking process as long as you book at least one day in advance. If you’d like a bit more flexibility or wish to travel in a group to destinations not normally covered by Flixbus’s normal schedule, it is possible to charter your own bus at charter.flixbus.com.

7. Riding with kids or limited mobility travelers

Children and minors (15 and under) travel at a reduced ticket price. If you’re traveling with a child aged three and under, you must bring a car seat along which can be secured by a two-point seatbelt provided on the bus. Children and minors between 10 and 14 can travel alone if they have written permission from a legal guardian, and as long as they do not cross any international borders. Adolescents 15 and above are free to travel alone with Flixbus, but be sure they have all necessary documents if they’re crossing into different countries.

To arrange travel for passengers with disabilities or limited mobility, contact Flixbus customer service two weeks at the earliest or seven days at the latest before the date of the trip.

A few last-minute notes about Flixbus

Although Flixbus is definitely an amazing travel option for travelers on a shoestring budget, the company has seen its share of controversy. The media has occasionally covered stories of Flixbus’s “unfillable contracts with sub-contractors” which has led to both “excessive working hours for drivers and low salaries.” However, official inspections have appeared to disproved this claim, demonstrating that the working conditions are better than previously assumed.

But recently there has been speculation that Flixbus’s rock bottom prices might soon be a thing of the past. When Flixbus acquired Postbus in 2016, they gained around 80% of the German long-distance bus market, creating more or less a monopoly, which the media has criticized. Because they now have far less competition, Flixbus’s prices could well go up in the future. Our advice? Book now and enjoy the cheapest deals while they last.

Looking for more ways to travel for cheap in Europe? Use CheapoSearch to find affordable flights and car rentals.

Your tips for riding Flixbus

Have you taken a ride on a Flixbus? Tell us about your experience and share your tips for a smooth ride in our comments section below, and thanks!

The post Riding Flixbus: Tips for riding Europe’s largest budget bus service appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Note: This article is part of our budget travel guide to Iceland.

Golden Circle Tour

The Golden Circle Tour takes you on the greatest hits of Iceland landmarks in one day including the Geysir geothermal region, Gullfoss waterfalls, and Thingvellir National Park. The cost isn’t cheap, but at 10,500 ISK (about $90), you’ll get a full day of sightseeing at four must-see attractions. It’s not a bad deal when you consider gas alone on a rental car would cost a small bundle.

Northern Lights Tour

For about $55, you can book a three-hour excursion to see the Northern Lights in person. The Northern Lights Tour runs from September through April, when sightings are most common. And if you don’t catch a glimpse of this wonder in the sky, you can book another tour to try again at no extra cost.

Regional Bus Passes

Another budget option for getting out into nature is purchasing a bus pass. You won’t have the flexibility of having a car, but you’ll still be able to get around the island and will never have to worry about getting lost! There are several bus pass options from Reykjavik Excursions.

Our guide to budget travel in Iceland

Read more in our guide to saving in Iceland:

• Airfare: Finding cheap flights from the US
• When to go to Iceland
• Budget hotels in Reykjavik
• Renting a car in Iceland
• Budget tips for visiting Reykjavik
• Saving on restaurants, bars and nightlife in Reykjavik

The post Bus tours from Reykjavik appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

More recently, Germany started loosening rules on how bus companies could operate, resulting in incredibly cheap fares for international bus travel. The latest development here happened just weeks ago, when two of the country’s big budget bus companies announced they were merging together.

So how is Germany’s national railway, the Deutsche Bahn (DB), reacting to the current travel landscape? What does this mean for the other rail operators in Germany? And what does this mean for your upcoming travel plans?

Unfortunately, it mostly means cuts to service. Read on…

Good Night, Nachtzug

Germany’s night train service, the “Nachtzug,” saw dramatic cuts in the new train schedules which went into effect last December. DB no longer offers overnight trains from Germany to Paris, Copenhagen, or Vienna, and decreased overnight service to Amsterdam.

The company has also reduced their Autozug offerings, which allow passengers to travel with their car to their vacation destination without driving it there.

The company claims that these routes have been losing millions of euros for years, despite the apparent popularity of certain routes (I’m looking at you, Berlin-Paris sleeper train!). However, the rising costs of right-of-way, the company’s lack of high-speed, long-distance locomotives (which required expensive rentals from the French and Danish), and the unwillingness to invest in improving their aging fleet of sleeper cars are among the reasons DB cites for the decision. They’ve promised to reexamine the issue for travel in 2016 and beyond.

Passengers’ rights and environmental groups see this development as a major setback and are looking into ways to support cooperation between rail companies and the growth of investment in European-wide night train networks as a carbon-friendly alternative to flying.

One bright development, as reported last week by hidden europe: Russian Railways (RZD) plans to begin operating a Paris-Berlin service this June.

Bye Bye, InterConnex

The December schedule change ushered out another familiar train route: the InterConnex ran its last trains between Leipzig, Berlin, and Rostock. The independent carrier rode the eastern German rails for more than a decade, offering steeply discounted train tickets on its dedicated routes and schedules. A subsidiary of the larger transportation company Veolia, InterConnex was the first private long-distance competitor of the near-monopolistic DB.

In its announcement that it was ceasing service, InterConnex explained that it was squeezed between the market pressures of the DB, whose control of the railways allows it to demand increasingly high prices from its competitors for access, and new low-cost bus services. When forced only to compete with DB, InterConnex carved out a discount segment that was quite successful. Yet, the overhead of running a train (even a version as slimmed-down as theirs) was so much higher than a bus that it simply could no longer compete.

Hamburg-Cologne Express cuts back

Germany’s other independent long-distance rail operator, HKX (Hamburg-Cologne Express), has also suffered under the new financial pressures and responded with a two-fold strategy. First, it decreased long-distance service to once per day per direction in order to function primarily as a regional connector (thereby increasing its eligibility for German state funds).

Secondly, it’s cooperating with the former enemy, allowing passengers with DB tickets to travel on its trains, as well as allowing DB to sell HKX-branded tickets at a higher price directly to its passengers.

The Thalys is safe

Perhaps the best-known private rail service in Germany is the international Thalys train, which runs between Cologne, Brussels, (Amsterdam) and Paris. The Thalys, however, is a brand unlikely to be negatively impacted by the same pressures outlined above.

Why? A high-speed train like an ICE or TGV, the Thalys offers a higher quality of service between these European capitals. The majority of its European business passengers are unlikely to switch to lower-cost international bus services, even as these services develop between the same destinations.

The post German train service cuts back, under pressure from cheap flights and buses appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Transiting around Turkey is a relatively stress-free and economical experience. For all the money I spent on travel, I could probably have bought myself only a one-way train ticket in France!

In order to get around, you have several options:

Turkey by air

Domestic flights in Turkey are generally very budget-friendly due to competition between various Turkish airlines. There are several airports that serve the country, and you can fly with:

Atlasjet: www.atlastjet.com
Onur Air: www.onurair.com.tr
Pegasus Airlines: www.pegasusairlines.com
Sun Express Airlines: www.sunexpress.com.tr
Turkish Airlines: www.thy.com

Prices can range from as low as €30 to around €100… not bad!

Turkey by rail

The Turkish railway system is generally considered to be outdated, but things are slowly improving. Take the train if you’re after a more calming, scenic travel experience, because the railway is certainly not the most direct way between Turkish destinations, but it sure can be beautiful. The high speed train between Istanbul and Ankara is becoming quite popular, taking only 3.5 hours and costing around €33.

For more information, I recommend visiting Seat 61’s page on Turkish trains.

Related: Turkey’s rail revolution

Turkey by bus

Traveling by bus is the most popular and developed form of travel in Turkey. A bus trip in Turkey will most likely be a highly enjoyable experience! I was extremely impressed with the efficiency of all parts of my bus trips, from the planning and purchasing of the tickets to journey itself. Here’s the low-down: almost every Turkish town and city will have a bus station, called an “otogar”. You can buy your bus ticket (“bilet“) there either in advance or just before your trip, depending on the popularity of the route. Here are some of the major bus companies you will find at the otogar:

Kamil Koç: www.kamilkoc.com.tr
Ulusoy: www.ulusoy.com.tr
Varan: www.varan.com.tr

For more information on bus routes, visit Turkey Travel Planner, an amazing source of information.

I purchased a one-way ticket from Fethiye, a small city on the southwestern coast, to Istanbul for €33 with Varan, which was comparatively expensive, due to the fact that I was traveling during a major Turkish holiday. I arrived for the journey 10 minutes early and had plenty of time to spare. By 7 PM, the bus was on its way, right on time.

The seats were big and comfy and relined back to an almost horizontal state. Other perks included the air conditioning, which was a huge comfort in the 100-degree weather, the service of tea, coffee, soda and snacks every few hours, and the mini-TV with Turkish-dubbed films. My bus did not have Wi-Fi, but many do.

As we drove north, the bus stopped twice at rest stops, where it seemed there were thousands of other buses and travelers mid-journey. At the stops you can get out, walk around, purchase some snacks (there are, of course, kebab restaurants) or stay in the bus snoozing. With no appetite at either 11 PM or 3 AM, I stayed in my comfy seat. When I opened my eyes again, it was 7 AM, and we were nearly at our destination. By 8:30 AM, I had arrived at Istanbul’s main bus terminal, Büyük Otogar.

Related: Istanbul budget tips from transit tickets to nightlife

From there, I wearily searched for a Varan mini-bus (“dolmus”) with the words “Taksim” on the window to bring me to my final destination. Sure enough, there was a bus waiting for me, and I enjoyed a free trip into central Istanbul.

Taking the overnight bus in Turkey was a great experience. I was comfortable, safe, well-fed and my wallet was happy. Sleeping on the bus meant not having to pay for another night in a hotel or hostel. If you’re considering visiting Turkey, don’t be thrown off by the idea of a long bus trip—you might just enjoy it!

The post Budget Travel in Turkey: A journey on the overnight bus appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Yes, Devon has a wonderful trawl of place names. Over the last year or two we’ve roamed from King’s Nympton to Eggbuckland, from Nymet Rowland to Weare Giffard.

Car-free Devon

If you really want to make the most of any stay in Devon, leave the car at home. The slow train on the Tarka Line to Barnstaple and the market day bus to Chagford tell more of the county than the nose-to-tail traffic on the Exeter bypass — which captured the public imagination in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s as a highway that each summer boasted fabulous traffic snarl-ups.

The bypass has been tamed, and these days the cars no longer splutter in a stop-and-go procession of exhaust fumes. But many of Devon’s roads are still crowded and, in a county that boasts a wonderful range of public transport options, it just makes sense to take the train… or the bus… or even a boat.

The 319 Hartland to Barnstaple bus. Photo © hidden europe

Devon by rail

For rail travel, the Devon Day Ranger ticket affords unlimited travel by train around Devon for a day. It costs just £10. On some routes there are restrictions on its use on weekdays prior to 9 a.m., but elsewhere you can set off at the crack of dawn — even on the first train of the day from Exeter to Barnstaple. Early birds who take the 5.50 a.m. train on the Tarka Line stand a better chance of seeing the famously elusive otters that frequent the banks of the River Taw.

The Devon Day Ranger rail ticket is superb value. Roam from Axminster (on the Dorset border) to Gunnislake in Cornwall — one of two stations in Cornwall to which the ticket may be used. The other is Calstock.

For travelers who fancy a summer evening roaming Devon by train, there is a half-price version of the Devon Ranger ticket generally valid from 6 p.m. It’s predictably called the “Devon Evening Ranger” ticket.

Devon by bus

Devon is blessed with an excellent network of local bus routes. The Cartogold website has a bang-up-to-date network map, where you can use a simple menu (in the left sidebar) to reveal route details and call up the latest timetable for any bus service in the county (and for services from Devon into the three neighboring counties of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall).

Two of our favorite year-round Devon bus routes are:

1. The 93 from Plymouth via Kingsbridge to Dartmouth, a 2hr 15min journey that takes in some of south Devon’s finest scenery.

2. The 319 from Barnstaple via Clovelly to Hartland, a 80-minute roller coaster of a ride that runs out to the bleak and beautiful coast of northwest Devon.

Bus maps and timetables

Check timetables carefully, as some routes run only in the summer season or on certain days of the week. Among the seasonal routes that are really worth making time for are the 82 Transmoor Link service from Exeter to the granite wilds of Dartmoor and Service 300 which plies the coastal route from Ilfracombe to Lynton and beyond — taking in some fine Exmoor landscapes along the way.

If you are planning to spend a few days exploring Devon by bus, it is worth getting hold of the excellent printed timetables prepared by Devon County Council’s public transport team. The timetables and the accompanying map are free.

Boats, too

Devon’s wonderfully indented south coast, where great inlets cut well into the heart of the county, is tailor-made for exploring by boat. The little ferry that shuttles across the mouth of the Exe (from Starcross to Exmouth — connecting conveniently with rail services at both ends) is a delightful ride.

But make time too for the network of routes from Dittisham, Totnes and Dartmouth operated by Greenway Ferry. Last month we used the company’s service from Totnes to Dartmouth. It’s a relaxing 95-minute trip down the River Dart (and half an hour longer if you opt to travel upstream from Dartmouth to Totnes), and the one-way fare of just £3.75 will appeal to budget-minded travelers. The same company also operates services from Torquay to Brixham.

Slow Devon

Many of Devon’s coastal communities have been shaped by their maritime links — and that’s especially true of both Dartmouth and Brixham. The best way to arrive in either town is by boat. Devon is, in short, perfect for devotees of slow travel. Public transport links of the kind mentioned here give an insight into local communities. Take time for Devon. And take Hilary Bradt’s excellent Slow Devon book with you on your travels.

Travel writers Susanne Kries and Nicky Gardner have penned warm words about Devon twice this month here on EuroCheapo. See their comments on Devon’s serenity (13 November) and their article on Exeter cathedral (20 November).

The post Explore Devon by bus, boat and train to get closer (and save) appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

In this, the first of two articles covering Berlin’s public transportation, we’ll be looking at ticket options.

Which ticket type?

Tourists will only need to consider two types of tickets for purchase: Berlin AB, which covers the entire city including Tegel airport, in- and outside the ring; and Berlin ABC, which covers the above, but also includes the city of Potsdam and Schönefeld airport.

With the exception of a ticket purchased directly from a bus driver, all tickets in Berlin can be used at any time and must be validated in a ticket stamping machine either before boarding (on train or subway platforms, usually at the top of stairwells and next to ticket machines) or upon boarding of buses and trams (typically located near doorways).

Important: Traveling with an unstamped ticket is the same as traveling with no ticket – tourist beware! Each single ticket must be stamped before use, but multiple day passes need only be stamped before the first ride.

Valid for all public transit

The ticket you purchase from any machine or counter is valid for all means of transit in the city: bus, S-Bahn, U-Bahn, tram, ferry, and even regional (but not IC or ICE) trains within the zones of your ticket.

Regional trains, which stop only at major train stations, can be a boon when trying to get quickly to Schönefeld airport, or across the city between Ostbahnhof and Zoologischer Garten, shaving anywhere from 10-20 minutes off your travel time at no additional charge. Further, these trains also have toilets, if you’re in desperate need of a pit stop!

Hours of service

• Sunday nights through Thursday nights, S- and U-Bahn service ends around 1 a.m.

• A select number of Metro bus and night bus routes run every 30-60 minutes throughout the night at no additional cost. Note that day tickets lose their validity at 3 a.m., so if you are still out after this point, you will need to purchase an additional ticket.

• Friday and Saturday nights, reduced S- and U-Bahn service continues all through the night, with the same limitations noted above.

If you’re traveling with your smartphone, download Berlin’s local transport app here. It can be a real lifesaver when trying to navigate unfamiliar areas or on nights and weekends.

Traveling without a ticket

You might be surprised at how easy it would be to “travel black,” as ticketless travel is known here – the city has no turnstiles, and passengers show valid tickets when boarding at the front of a bus, but at no other time than during random ticket checks, usually performed by teams of three plain-clothed men who’ll fine you 40€ on the spot if you haven’t paid. Save yourself the hassle – even a 7-day ticket rings up 12€ cheaper than being fined for not paying!

In my next post I’ll break down the savings by ticket type and number of travelers, as well as a discuss whether tourist card options may be right for you.

The post Berlin: Transportation tickets explained (and why you should never go ticketless) appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

But in fact very few people take the Eurostar to Calais-Fréthun, which is about nine minutes by local train from Calais itself. Just three Eurostar trains stop at Calais-Fréthun each day in both directions on the London-Lille-Brussels route. On my day trip journey, I was one of just three passengers to alight.

And 12 hours later, when I boarded a train back to London, there were just six of us. The security and immigration staff arrived about a half hour before departure to open up the tiny check-in facilities and process our tickets and passports. The small post-security waiting room might be able to seat a few dozen passengers – in a pinch.

I hadn’t scheduled my day trip journey to see Calais, however. I was in France to see Dunkerque (Dunkirk), in particular to visit an ecologically sustainable housing development, Grand Large du ZAC, part of a long-term reorientation of Dunkerque towards the ocean. I’d chanced upon photos of the development’s gabled multi-storied dwellings months ago and waited until a free week and low fares materialized. The sustainable development received a special mention from l’Équerre d’Argent, the French architecture awards, in 2010.

There is no train service between Calais and Dunkerque, so I made the 40-minute journey by local bus; prior to this I had almost three and a half hours to wander Calais before my early afternoon bus departure.

Calais itself is a handsome little city, with very well kept parks and canals and seemingly omnipresent frites stands, its sea air fresh and invigorating. I breakfasted on a delicious apricot tart and wandered along side streets, and then via the center of town, ending up at the beach.

The bus to Dunkerque was packed with students. The final stop, Pôle Marine, is about a 10-minute walk to the housing development, which is more magnificent than photos make it out to be. Afterwards I took a very leisurely wander through Dunkerque’s core and stopped by the tourist office to learn more about the immediate region.

One interesting local attraction is the Dunes de Flandre regional project, which groups Dunkerque with the neighboring towns of Leffrinckoucke, Zuydcoote, and Bray-Dunes as a region of natural beauty. It is a candidate for “Grand Site” status; the French “Grand Sites” are meant to designate extraordinary landscapes that are both geographically and culturally significant and physically fragile.

There are buses from Dunkerque to Bray-Dunes, which borders Belgium, and across the border itself, making it easy for visitors to combine Dunkerque with a visit to the dunes.

Costs & tips

My Eurostar fare was £69 ($111). This appears to be the lowest fare for the roundtrip journey. The bus between Calais and Dunkerque runs €9 ($12.25) each way. My costs were in general very low. For example, a delicious cheese baguette along with a drink and pastry cost €4 at a small boulanger close to the center of Dunkerque.

Visitors from London interested in visiting Dunkerque and the nearby dunes who are not also interested in exploring Calais should consider taking the Eurostar to Lille and continuing on to Dunkerque by train from there, allowing for time to transfer. Lille’s two train terminals are a short walk from one another.

The post Dunkerque: A daytrip dash from London appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Think Before You Go Unlimited

The Paris Visite pass is an unlimited pass designed for tourists that offers all-you-can-ride passes of 1, 2, 3 and 5 days as well as local/airport bus combos.

But Paris is a very walkable city, and you might end up resorting to public transport less than you think. Be sure to do the math before you go for this easy option as you may end up spending more than necessary for convenience.

Buy a Carnet

If you don’t need an unlimited pass but expect to make at least 5 round-trips during your visit, plan ahead to save money by purchasing a carnet of 10 tickets (€13.30) that you can buy in any Métro station, a considerable savings over the regular €1.70 ticket price. These tickets are good for rides with one transfer within a 90-minute period on the Métro, bus, or bus/tram.

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to use them for a combined Métro/bus or Métro/tram transfer. Use this handy tool for planning your route ahead of time to make the most of the transfer bonus.

Never Buy Your Tickets on the Bus

You can buy single tickets on the bus for €2, and unlike, say New York City bus drivers, Paris bus drivers will give change, and happily make the rest of the bus passengers wait while they do.

But in addition to paying about 30% more for a single ticket, tickets bought on the bus are good for one leg only; you are not allowed to make transfers, which means you could end up paying €4, or more than double the price of a regular ticket, if you need to transfer.

The post 3 Ways to Save Money Riding the Bus in Paris appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Transit time from Berlin to Kraków (or vice versa) is 8 hrs 14 mins. This is faster than any rail connection between the two cities — and since the last remaining direct train was axed last December, the bus has the advantage of not requiring an en route change.

Bus versus train

Whether one wants to spend eight hours on a bus, even one with all mod cons like the IC Bus, is a good question. We’ve never been inclined to rush, so we would most likely still opt for the train, even if it does involve a change and take an hour or more longer.

The fact that the bus beats the train is less a comment on the niftiness of the bus than a reflection of how woefully slow the cross-border trains are. In the 1930s, the fastest trains sped from Berlin to Wroclaw in less than three hours. Now they take almost twice that time.

Train tickets for the bus

The new bus link is fully integrated into the DB ticketing system. So the great-value “Europa-Spezial Polen” fare can be used to book a through journey from anywhere on the DB system to Kraków, allowing travel to Berlin by ICE train to connect there with the bus to Poland.

Tickets go on sale three months in advance, with one-way fares from principal German cities (including Frankfurt, Cologne and Hamburg) to Kraków starting at €39.

If all you are looking to do is ride the bus from Berlin (with no connecting train to Berlin), then look to pay €29 one way — provided of course you book in advance. If you hold a DB BahnCard 25, then you’ll get 25% off all fares on cross-border journeys on the new IC Bus.

First IC Bus within Germany

Also in April, DB launched a domestic bus service between Munich and Freiburg im Breisgau. This is a key link between Bavaria and the Upper Rhine Valley and connects two cities where the rail journey would be circuitous. It can certainly be handled by train, but you’ll always have to change on the way, usually at Mannheim or Karlsruhe.

The new IC Bus is no faster than the train, but it wins out on convenience. It is direct. And it can be very much cheaper. One-way fares start at €19 (with a discount for BahnCard holders). There are six journeys a day. The transit time is 4 hrs 35 mins.

More routes to come

The DB website suggests more routes will be launched in the future. IC Bus looks like a brand that’s set to grow.

DB already has two other bus routes linking Nuremberg and Munich with Prague in the Czech Republic. These were launched to compensate for the relatively poor cross-border rail connections between Bavaria and neighboring Bohemia. It will be interesting to see whether these two routes are in time assimilated into the new IC Bus brand.

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