A single trip on a vaporetto costs €7.50 (valid for 60 minutes), whether you take the boat for one stop or for a whole Grand Canal tour. Fortunately, there is a system designed for tourists that will help you save some serious money.

More Venice tips
• 10 Things to do in Venice on the cheap
• The most romantic hotels in Venice that won’t break the bank
• Roll With It: Venice is not going to ban rolling bags

Tourist Travel Cards

In recent years ACTV (Venice’s bus and boat system) realized that they had to come up with a tourist transportation card, so they created several different types of “time-limited travelcard,” each valid for a different period of time.

Travel cards are available for:

1 Day: €21
2 Days: €30
3 Days: €40
7 Days: €60

There is also a three-day youth card (for people between 18-29 years old) that costs €28. (Prices are accurate as of June 2022. Visit the ACTV website for current prices.)

With these travel cards you can hop on and off any vaporetto (including those to the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello) and on all buses traveling within the city of Venice (including to Mestre and Marco Polo Airport). These cards eliminate the need to queue every time to buy a ticket and to carry change with you.

The tickets are not exactly cheap, but considering you have unlimited use of the transport system, they are well worth it. Just think how much it would cost if you wanted to visit Murano-Burano and Torcello and you had to pay for every single trip!

To learn more about the tickets, including instructions on how to use them, check out this handy ACTV webpage in English.

Where to buy Tourist transportation tickets

You can buy these transport passes at any vaporetto stop (there are usually ticket offices at the stops, otherwise you can buy on board and they almost always speaks English), in Piazzale Roma (in the ACTV ticket office), or in any tobacco shop that displays the “ACTV” sign. Here’s a full list of ticket offices.

You can also buy them online.

Tip: Consider Venezia Unica City Pass

In 2009, the Comune di Venezia introduced a combined card, City Pass Venezia Unica, for transport, museums, parking, and even Wi-Fi connections and access to public toilets. The prices vary because you can create your custom combination, depending on your needs during your trip. However, you can save up to 30% on a variety of museum passes. The savings vary depending on the period (low season, high season, special events, etc.).

Unfortunately, the card can only be purchased online and must be purchased more than two days before your arrival date in Venice. So the earlier you book it, the greater the saving. Since there is an initial cost just to buy the card, this pass is ideal for frequent visitors or those coming for a longer stay. For more information and to buy a card, visit the official website.

The post Venice: Save on vaporetto tickets with a Tourist Travel Card appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Since the 2013 liberalization of a law preventing most long-distance bus service in Germany, the market for Greyhound-style travel around the country has been booming. Steep competition between new carriers has led to low fares on some routes starting at just €1 as well as a rapid expansion of service to both nationwide and international destinations. Much like the low-cost carrier boom a decade earlier, the uncertainty of the fresh bus market meant lots of cheap travel opportunities and exciting experimentation as these young companies attempted to maximize their profitability and market share.

At the beginning of 2015, the merger of FliXBus and MeinFernbus was announced. Together, these two companies carry 75% of Germany’s long-distance bus passengers. Their merger won’t be complete until August, but it offers both benefits and potential costs to travelers. Let’s have a closer look at what this merger could mean for this travel market.

Same service, more regular scheduling

While the two companies are still in the process of sorting out their overlapping schedules and destination maps, one of their top priorities is to eliminate simultaneous or close departures to the same destination. They have stated publicly that their intention in such cases is not to decrease the number of services to these destinations, but rather to spread them out to offer more regular service on the same routes.

Using a hypothetical example, if there were once FliXBus services between Berlin and Hamburg leaving at 9 and 10 am and MeinFernBus departures leaving at 9:15 am and 11 am, the new company would attempt to offer half-hourly service with the same buses at, say, 9, 9:30, 10, and 10:30 am. This gives the consumer more choice, reliability, and flexibility when it comes to selecting travel times.

More stable (read: higher) prices

At the same time, however, we can also predict that decreased competition between these two companies will result in fewer low-price seats, especially at popular times. Where once (like in the above example) there were two bus companies within 15 minutes of each other vying for passengers with cheap tickets, there will now only be one bus for the merged company to fill.

Price-sensitive passengers may be able to adjust their travel to less-popular times in order to score lower-cost seats, but those who are unable to pick a different departure time will more often find themselves paying a rate close to the “full price” of the ticket – often double or three times the advertised discount price. This upward price pressure will compound if the remaining 25% of the bus market has difficulty holding their share in the face of one behemoth competitor.

Tighter network, more international destinations

Having quickly captured the overwhelming majority of the domestic bus market, these merged companies have the potential to do two things that will be great for bus riders. The first is the opportunity to differentiate their overlapped regular services slightly in order to reach an even greater number of destinations across the country. If we consider again the route Berlin-Hamburg, perhaps every four hours the bus detours from the direct route to also pick up and drop off passengers in Schwerin. Similar tweaks could fill out the map across the rest of Germany, bringing even more travelers into the bus fold and deepening the existing network substantially.

Second, the increased economy of merger means that resources will be freed up to expand its routes further outward, offering additional overnight and international bus routes, thereby expanding low-cost travel opportunities and improving competition (even with train companies) in bordering countries as well.

We’ll keep you posted on the further effects on low-cost bus travel as FliXBus and MeinFernBus finalize the details of their merger over the coming months. In the meantime, grab those cheap €1 euro fares while you can and let us know your thoughts!

The post Bus company mergers in Germany: What does it mean for budget travelers? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The Oldies

Berlin Linien Bus

Due to Berlin’s unique status as an enclave of the West, long-distance bus service from the city had been grandfathered into the aforementioned law, making bus travel to or from Berlin on Berlin Linien Bus the only available such option in the country. With ties to Deutsche Bahn and a well-established network, BLB is sure to survive, despite plummeting market share. It regularly offers restricted €9 fares on its routes to Hamburg or Dresden. Every few months, BLB offers a Berlin Groupon deal at the same low price, valid on virtually any bus on any day.

Eurolines

Having ended their relationship with German booker Gullivers, the transcontinental Eurolines bus service now sells tickets for international destinations from Paris to Riga directly. While this is definitely the place to look if you’re ultimately traveling outside of Germany, don’t overlook their extensive domestic offerings as well, especially if you’re traveling in the western part of the country. While new competitors have focused solely on building inner-German networks, you can expect growth and therefore more competitive pricing in the international bus market—especially in areas bordering France, Denmark, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic—in the coming years.

The Newbies

FlixBus

With a network spanning the entire country, Munich-based FlixBus is the most popular new competitor. Sale prices from Berlin start at €5 for Rostock, Leipzig and Dresden, and €15 for Braunschweig, Osnabrück, Münster, Würzburg, Amberg, Nuremberg or Munich. Also note the international lines connecting airports in Bremen, Memmingen and Munich to the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic.

MeinFernBus

With main north-south arteries running from Berlin to Munich or Frankfurt and beyond, MeinFernBus offers lots of unique travel options across the country at a low price. Berlin to Dresden or Rostock starts at €6, to Leipzig €8, to Hamburg €14 or to Munich €16. International connections are currently available to Zurich, Innsbruck and Luxembourg.

ADAC Postbus

These yellow buses are best for plying the well-worn western corridor between Dortmund and Frankfurt. New routes launching February 2014 will better connect the eastern and central regions of the country with the existing network. Tickets start at €8 between Berlin and Leipzig, €15 for Berlin-Hamburg. Purchase online or at any post office or Postbank counter in Germany.

City2City

With its limited network, consider City2City only if you’re traveling in the former West Germany.

DeinBus

This company offers routes in four distinct areas of Germany without connections between them (at present). It’s well worth a look, especially for regional travel in the southwest. They also offer international links to Prague and Maastricht.

ALDI/Univers

The German discount grocery chain has partnered with bus company Univers to offer fixed-price bus tickets for the most popular connections around the country. Book online with the ALDI Reisen website.

The post Riding the budget bus lines in Germany with fares from €5 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.

The post Deutsche Bahn’s new bus service connects Berlin with Krakow from €29 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

If nothing else, at €1.80 a ticket, riding the public buses is definitely the cheapest way to see Paris on wheels. And you can relax and watch Parisians doing their thing – itself a form of entertainment.

Here are seven lucky bus numbers to look out for if you want some no-frills sightseeing to tie together your itineraries.

(Note: Click on the maps below to see them in greater detail.)

Bus 89

Bus 89: Dancing through the Latin Quarter

The 89 weaves through the Latin Quarter, giving you a great look at the Jardin du Luxembourg, the Panthéon, the Jardin des Plantes, and the Mosque, where you can stop (at Buffon – La Mosquée) for a €2 glass of some seriously delicious mint tea.

Bus 86

Bus 86: Bastille to St. Sulpice

The 86 lets you go from shabby to chic in no time while spanning both sides of the river. Hop on it over in the old furniture-making neighborhood near one of our favorite markets in the 12th, the Marché d’Aligre, and take it past the Bastille and towards the elegant Left Bank and end up at St. Sulpice. Look for the rear view of Notre Dame as you cross the Seine.

Bus 69

Bus 69: The Grand Tour(ist)

The 69 is especially popular with Americans, as the US travel writer Rick Steves promotes it in his ubiquitous blue-and-yellow books. Steves picked well, as the 69 hits almost all of the big tourist spots. Take it from Père Lachaise and look for the Bastille and the Louvre before crossings the river to St-Germain. You’ll get a glimpse of the Invalides, a view of the Eiffel Tower at the Champ de Mars, then back to Right Bank where you can get off by Notre Dame for a quick visit.

Bus 80

Bus 80: From Sacre Coeur to the Eiffel Tower

The 80 is a great ride after visiting the Sacre Coeur. Head south for a quick taste of the Grands Boulevards and the chic side of Paris near the Champs Elysées. You’ll pass by the Montmartre Cemetery and through the dicey yet lively Place de Clichy. Then you’ll cross the most beautiful avenue in the world (the Champs) before scooting down one of the ritziest shopping streets in Paris, the Avenue Montaigne. Get off at Ecole Militaire for a great eye full of the Eiffel Tower.

Bus 72

Bus 72: Right Bank straight shot

The 72 will take you all along the river, from the Eiffel Tower to Hotel de Ville, with a straight shot along the Right Bank. It also does a lap around the Louvre and the Tuileries before heading back to the riverside. It’s scenic, it’s simple, and it’s great for those who get carsick from lots of turning and weaving through traffic (guilty!).

Bus 38

Bus 38: Straight down the middle

As the 38 is on a north-south axe, this line beats the Metro line 4 (one of my least favorites) while traveling between Gare du Nord and the Latin Quarter.  Sights along the way include both the Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est train stations, the majestic Porte St-Martin, Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame, and the Sorbonne.  It hits a part of town through which you might not otherwise stroll, but it’s definitely worth checking out if it fits your travel plans while crossing the city.

Bus 22

Bus 22: Arc de Triomphe and Opera

The 22 will offer you some great sightseeing: views of the Tower, a trip through the shopping district of the Grands Boulevards, and a whirl around the Opera Garnier. But the best part is a trip through the roundabout surrounding the Arc de Triomphe (remember the Griswalds?). Only the craziest drivers in Paris dare the mass chaos that ensues in the circle of traffic, but you’ll be carefree in your bus, letting your driver do all of the work.

More Paris bus information

You can look up specific lines on the RATP website. Note that some lines extend out into zone 2, which means more expensive tickets. But we don’t think you’ll be going that far for any general sightseeing, unless it’s so peaceful that you fall asleep…

Also see our article on riding the bus in Paris, which includes information about hours, tickets and night buses. Also, if you’re planning a trip to Paris, be sure to check out our guide to the city’s best budget hotels. Our editors have inspected and photographed the best hotel deals in the center of the city.

Looking to flea market shop? See our post on the 95 connecting two flea markets.

Your favorite buses?

Have a favorite bus line in Paris? Agree or disagree with one of the lines above? Tell us about it in the comments section!

The post Paris: 7 public buses that are great for cheapo sightseeing appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Public transportation strikes are extremely common in Rome (there was one just a fortnight ago). They usually get called with a couple of days notice and have the potential to disrupt even the most carefully laid travel plans.

But you can avoid the headaches of “scioperi” (strikes) by keeping an eye out for upcoming strikes and making alternative arrangements to ensure you’re not left stranded and out of pocket.

How to find out about upcoming strikes

There are many websites that announce upcoming strikes in Italy, but not too many that do it in English. The website of your local embassy in Rome is a pretty good place to start. Other options:

• The British Embassy in Rome almost always announces upcoming strikes.

• A couple of other city-specific websites usually have info on upcoming industrial action, including AngloInfo and Wanted in Rome.

If you speak a little Italian, there are several more sources, including:

• The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport

• The Strikes Commission Website (yes, it really exists)

• For train strikes, see the Ferrovie dello Stato website.

Signs of a strike

If you’re in Rome, keep an eye out for any signs around Metro, bus and tram stops that might signal any upcoming strikes. The information is usually in Italian, and may not be very obvious to the passer by (the signs might only be a couple of A4 pieces of paper taped somewhere). The magic word is “Sciopero” – if you see this written anywhere (accompanied by dates and times) it might be a sign that strike has been called.

Another tip: Ask the receptionist in your hotel. They’ll definitely be able to tell you if any upcoming industrial action. They might also be able to help you arrange alternative transport on the day the strike is planned.

What to do when there is a strike

What you do in the event of a strike really depends on the length of strike, which services will be affected and what are your plans.

Unless the strike is a “general transport strike,” not all services will be out of action. Because of the different types of transport in Rome (and in Italy) it can actually be tricky working out what services will be out of action (e.g. sometimes buses are involved, but not Metro trains. Or Regional trains are frozen, but not the Metro). Private city tour buses will almost never be part of industrial action by city transport workers.

Hours: Strikes can occur on weekdays or weekends. They often go for 24 hours – from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, then again from 8 pm until the following morning. There is sometimes a break mid-strike to let commuters return home after work.

If you are planning to visit tourist attractions on the day of the strike, then you should travel by public transport before 8:30 am. Although limited bus services sometimes run during strikes, extensive cancellations should always be expected and you should expect to be “stranded” at least between the hours of 8:30 and 5:00 pm.

Wear your walking shoes, take plenty of water, and start your day somewhere within walking distance of Rome’s best attractions (I recommend Colosseum – Metro B).

Getting to the airport during a strike

Rome’s Leonardo Express service between Termini station and Fiumicino Airport often runs as normal, even in the case of general strikes. If you have to catch a plane, and had planned to take the Leonardo Express from Termini to Fiumicino Airport, you might need to catch a taxi from your hotel to get to Termini Station.

If the Leonardo Express is not running, then a private shuttle bus is probably the cheapest alternative. Your hotel or hostel will probably be able to recommend one – but beware – you could still spend €70 or more per person. (One option is: http://www.rome-airport-shuttle.it.)

Remember – your airline (or connecting bus or train company) will probably not care (or refund your ticket) if you miss your connection because of a public transport strike. Inform yourself the second you learn about an upcoming transport strike and begin considering your options.

If you’re in a jam, call your airline or connecting bus or train company and ask their advice as to what to do. They usually have English speaking staff that will be able to help you consider your options and minimize any major disruptions to your travel plans.

The post Rome Transportation Strikes: A survival guide appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

For most tourists, being charged over £4 for a single journey in central London is (understandably) a most baffling concept. While unfortunately I can’t tell you how to make travel on public transport in London cheap, here’s how to make it as cost-effective as possible:

1. Don’t rely on your walking shoes

If you’re planning to really explore all London has to offer, don’t make that common mistake of thinking it is a walkable city. It’s not and it never will be. With the exception of a few tube stops clustered around the area between Piccadilly Circus and Holborn, most stations are there because it would take a very long time to walk between them.

Just tap your Oyster card on the sensor and go through. Photo: Tom Pagenet

2. Make sure you have an Oyster card

The Oyster card is a small plastic card that can be topped up like a “pay as you go” phone (perfect for shorter visits), or used for weekly, monthly and annual Travelcards. Valid for travel on London Underground (The Tube), bus, tram, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), National Rail Service and London Overground, the Oyster card offers savings of over 50% compared to buying individual tickets.

You can get your Oyster card at Tube stops and Travel Information Centres by paying a £5 deposit. If you return your Oyster card when you are leaving London, you get this money back. However, if you are planning on returning regularly then it is worth keeping hold of your Oyster.

With “pay as you go,” a Zone 1 Tube, DLR or London Overground journey will cost you £2. Depending on how much you travel in one day, Oyster will cap your daily spend at £7 for off-peak travel and £8.40 for peak-time travel. Bus rides alone cost £1.35 each with Oyster. If you are staying in London for a week, save some pennies with a 7-day Travelcard to Zones 1 & 2 for £29.20.

Cheapo tip: Just remember to touch in and touch out on the yellow oyster card readers when you enter and leave stations – if you forget your Oyster card will be charged a penalty.

3. Ditch the tourist bus and take the RV1

When you’re out and about in London you may be tempted to give one of those open top sightseeing buses a go. Well, they’ll set you back a whopping £23.

So here’s an idea for Cheapos: One of central London’s public transport bus routes, the RV1, takes in an incredible number of sights and is a whole lot cheaper. Pay with your Oyster card (max £1.35 and less with a Travelcard) and bag a seat next to the window. This is a great option in the winter, as shivering in the rain on an open top bus is certainly not my idea of fun!

Starting in Covent Garden, the RV1 makes its way past Somerset House and across Waterloo Bridge onto London’s South Bank. It then stops at the Royal Festival Hall, the London Eye and the Oxo Tower before heading towards City Hall and the Tower of London. Spend the whole day hopping on and off and feel incredibly smug every time you see an expensive tourist bus pass by!

4. Cruise down the Thames with your Oyster

Another perk to using your Oyster card is that it includes discounts on Thames riverboat routes, meaning that you can opt for public transport and forgo the overpriced tourist boats along the Thames.

Oyster Travelcards will get you a 1/3 off any of the public boat services on the Thames, while Oyster “pay as you go” will get you a 10% discount just on KPMG Thames Clippers riverboats.

KPMG Thames Clippers are perfect for visiting some of London’s biggest attractions, from the London Eye and the Tate Modern, to cruising passed the Millennium Dome and enjoying a leisurely day out in Greenwich. Fares cost between £2.30-£5.40 depending on how far you wish to travel.

Also in our guide: Heading to London and looking for more ways to keep it cheap? Our editors have visited, reviewed and inspected great inexpensive hotels all over town. Read reviews and see photographs in our London guide.

The post London: 4 ways to save on public transportation appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The Eurolines network

The most convenient network of services for travelers looking to travel around Europe by coach is coordinated by Eurolines. This is not one company but a strong alliance of coach operators who coordinates their timetables and provide integrated ticketing for international journeys across Europe. This gives a continent-wide brand for marketing purposes and allows passengers to plan complicated itineraries that criss-cross Europe.

There are of course many long distance coach services in Europe that are not part of the Eurolines network. For example the Czech company Student Agency runs some two dozen routes from their hub in Prague. PolskiBus has a network of eight routes from Warsaw, the fledglng company’s growing network now also serving Vienna, Berlin, Bratislava and Prague. There are many itineraries where these non-Eurolines operators precisely fill a gap, but for its Europe-wide reach to over 500 cities, Eurolines has no serious rival.

Useful long-distance links

Eurolines does offer some intriguingly long routes. For example, service 350 operates thrice weekly direct from Amsterdam to Lisbon (“Lisboa” in Portuguese), a 36-hour journey that connects two cities some 1,500 miles apart. Even longer direct routes link cities in western Germany with provincial centers in the Russian Federation.

Good for shorter hops too

The Eurolines network thus often steps in with a convenient direct link on a routing that would require several changes of train. With Eurolines, you can board a bus in Switzerland and travel directly to Macedonia or Moldova.

But such long hauls may not be for everyone. And we find that Eurolines-affiliated services are also perfect for shorter hops, particularly in those parts of Europe where rail services are sparse. For example, comfortable long-distance coaches, most of them operating under the Eurolines umbrella, are far better than trains for journeys between the capitals of the Baltic States: Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius.

And there are times where it is just fun to travel by road for a change. There are several Eurolines coaches each day from London to Paris and other French cities. While most Eurolines schedules from London to France use the Eurotunel vehicle shuttle service, some are routed via the P&O Ferries link from Dover to Calais – always a great way to cross the Channel. And with return fares for the London to Paris run starting at just £39, the coach option can make good sense for budget travelers.

Book online

Bookings can be made online for most journeys, usually on the website of the Eurolines affiliate in your country of departure. But that does NOT mean that you need to know which particular company flies the Eurolines flag in each country. The organization maintains an excellent web portal, where you can click on the country of departure to be redirected to the relevant national site.

Here are some sample travel times (with the travel time of the fastest direct train shown for comparison):

• Brussels to Zürich: 9h 45m by Eurolines (train 8h 19m)
• Berlin to Prague: 4h 30m by Eurolines (train 4h 30m)
• Zagreb to Munich: 8h by Eurolines (train 8h 25m)
• Copenhagen to Stockholm: 9h 45m by Eurolines (train 4h 20m)
• Paris to Amsterdam: 8h by Eurolines (train 3h 19m)
• Vienna to Budapest: 2h 55m by Eurolines (train 2h 55m)

National partners

Although Eurolines coach services are principally intended for international journeys, in many countries you can also use Eurolines services for domestic journeys that cross no international borders. And many of the participating companies in the Eurolines family also have comprehensive national networks which allow you to switch seamlessly from international to national services.

For example the UK participant in Eurolines is National Express. And you can use the National Express website to book a through journey from many provincial spots around Britain to the continent. A single ticket (for example Manchester to Paris) covers travel on a National Express coach to London where you connect onto an onward Eurolines service for the continent.

More on Eurolines

Now that we’ve introduced Eurolines coach journeys, it’s time to take a little closer at their fares. Read our next post on Eurolines passes, with some tips on getting the best deals, and see how a coach pass can allow you to roam at will across Europe on Eurolines services.

Rail pass options

Interested in seeing a full list of rail pass options? Visit our booking partner, Rail Europe, to compare rates, destinations covered and see their latest promotions.

The post Eurolines: International coach journeys in Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Several coaches each day speed from Riga to Tallinn in less than five hours. Just once a day there is the option of doing the journey by train. You change trains at the Estonia / Latvia border and the whole rail journey takes over eight hours. You can see why coaches have cornered the market in traffic between the two Baltic capitals.

“Bus” versus “coach”

Yet we stumble already. Bus or coach? In American English, the word “bus” tends to prevail and may refer to any form of public transport by road, be it a short ride through New York City or a coast-to-coast marathon with Greyhound Lines.

Things are a little different in European English. A “bus route” is essentially a local service, geared to local traffic. You cannot normally reserve seats in advance. A “coach service,” by contrast, is usually a longer-distance service, often one where advance booking is recommended (even if often not absolutely necessary) and usually operated by a vehicle that has more comfortable seating than you would find on a local bus service.

Buses stop often, express coaches less so

Buses stop frequently: usually at every bus stop along their route. But coaches stop infrequently, often only once in any particular city and then more commonly at the central coach station (or near the train station). Note that in some European cities the “central coach station” may not be particularly central.

This distinction between buses and coaches (as defined above) must be something in English genes. When an Englishman says “I took the Oxford to Cambridge bus” he means he took the X5 Stagecoach which is not a whole lot faster than the horse-drawn carriages that once plied between the two university cities. Okay, slightly faster, but the X5 still takes 3 hours 20 minutes for the 80-mile ride.

And he means a bus, not a coach, even though the vehicles used by Stagecoach on their X5 service are pretty comfortable single-deckers with leather seats, free Wi-Fi and air conditioning. This is luxury stuff for what is essentially a limited-stop local bus service, albeit one that plies a longish route – and, a little improbably for a “bus,” it does not actually stop at every stop along the way. So, yes, the X5 is a little unusual. It’s frequent (half-hourly, every day of the week), you don’t need to pre-book, but it has coach-like qualities with its propensity to skip stops.

Linguistic subtleties

Shift to other European languages and the fine distinction made by Brits between bus and coach may not be sustained. Germans refer to a bus to allude to the short ride to the shops or the 24-hour journey from the Rhineland to a Mediterranean sunspot.

Horses for courses

Local bus services come into their own for shortish journeys within cities or into the rural hinterland of a city. They serve small villages and rural areas that are often well beyond the nerve ends of the rail network. Many routes are done and dusted in just an hour or two. That Oxford to Cambridge run is unusually long for a bus service.

Many buses are short on creature comforts. Don’t hop on a London omnibus and ask the way to the rest room. There isn’t one. Yet these local bus services fill a niche in the market, and there is even a new travel guide for Britain that celebrates the merits of such local journeys. (Yes, yes, we have to come clean here and admit that we edited the book. It is published by Bradt Travel Guides).

By contrast, long-distance coaches can be very comfortable indeed. Reclining seats are the norm. Some offer the chance to buy coffee or snacks. On some premium services, such as the new Eurolines Business Class network, you’ll find a level of comfort that begins to match first class on a train. But of course you just don’t have quite the chance to move around. That’s the big plus of rail.

We shall return to the question of long-distance coach travel in Europe in further posts over the winter. Sometimes it’s a credible alternative to rail travel and it is often great value. In the next post on this theme (in December), we’ll look at those areas of Europe where canny travelers know that the express coach is the top choice.

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Traveling about Rome can be an adventure at times. With over 100 bus lines, tram routes and two metro lines, it’s no wonder that maneuvering Rome’s public transit system can leave a visitor utterly confused.

As many visitors are only stopping through Rome for a short while, there’s no real need to “master” the system and learn all the lines. In our hotel guide to Rome we have an article about Rome’s transit system. But this post is a quick-and-friendly guide to how to use the bus and metro system–and where to go!

Buying a bus or metro ticket in Rome

The first thing you’ll need to know is where to buy a bus or metro ticket. A ticket or biglietto can be bought at any tobacco shop (tabacchi) in Rome. Simply look for the big “T” sign. Tickets can also sometimes be purchased at newsstands and in machines at some bus stops and in all metro stations.

Some buses and street trams are also equipped with ticket machines, though this is risky: I wouldn’t wait to get on the bus to figure out whether you’ll be able to buy a ticket. Unlike in other cities, the bus drivers in Rome do not sell bus tickets. Therefore, it’s best to secure a ticket before hopping on a bus.

Penalties: If caught without a ticket, you will be fined by a bus inspector who hops on and off buses at random. If busted, you’ll pay €51 (if you pay on the spot) or €101 (if you pay later). It may seem like they never check tickets, but believe me they do. So don’t get caught without one!

Ticket prices

A single ticket costs €1 and is good for 75 minutes on buses and trams and one trip on the metro line.

If you plan to ride public transportation all day, consider buying a biglietto giornaliero (a day ticket) for €4.

A weekly pass (biglietto or tessera settimanale) costs €16 and is good for unlimited use on the buses, trams and metro lines for one week.

Note: Keep in mind when buying your tickets that a good chunk of the sights you’ll be seeing can be covered on foot as most of them are located in the centro storico (the historic city center).

Important: You must validate your tickets once you are on the bus or tram. Stick your ticket into the little yellow machine on the bus or tram. It will print the expiration time on your ticket, then spit it back out. If you fail to validate your ticket, you can be slapped with that hefty little fine mentioned above.

Major Transportation Hubs

Figuring out which bus or metro to take can be a little tricky, especially if you don’t have easy access to the Internet. Never fret. There are several major transportation hubs (or terminals) throughout Rome where there will be at least one bus or metro line that will get you to where you need to go. These hubs include:

1. Termini train station

Termini train station is the city’s main train station and largest hub. Many buses and trams leave from here. It’s also where both Metro lines (A & B) connect.

Favorite lines from here:

Bus 40 leaves from Termini and will take you into the city center and near some pretty major sights such as: Piazza Venezia, Largo Argentina (near the Pantheon), Chiesa Nuova (near Piazza Navona) and St. Peter’s Square.

Bus 90 will take you near the Italian University- La Sapienza.

Bus H will take you to Trastevere.

Metro A line, dubbed the “linea turistica” (the tourist line), passes through Termini train station and heads to important sights such as: Spagna (Piazza di Spagna and Villa Borghese), Barberini (Piazza Barberini, Palazzo Barberini and the Trevi Fountain), Ottaviano – San Pietro (St. Peter’s Square and the Vatican Museums), Cipro (the Vatican Museums), San Giovanni (the street market on Via Sannio and the San Giovanni in Laterano church) and Flaminio (Piazza del Popolo).

Metro B line will take you to Colosseo (the Colosseum) and Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus).

2. Piazza Venezia

Piazza Venezia also has several buses that will get you where you need to go. These include:

Bus 87 and 571 will take you to the Colosseum and the San Giovanni area.

Bus 44 will take you near the Gianiculum hill and there are several buses that will take you along Via del Corso and Via dei Condotti (two famous shopping streets in Rome) and towards Piazza del Popolo.

ATAC – Rome’s public transportation website

Rome’s public transportation system, ATAC has a pretty decent website. Go to the upper right hand corner to change the site into English. Insert your point of departure (street name) and your point of destination (street name) and it will give you the best route to take, including which buses to take and where to get off. It also gives a friendly little map that you can print off showing you where the bus is supposed to let you off.

Happy travels roaming about Rome!

The post Rome: A practical guide to Rome’s bus and metro system appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.