All the incredible attractions, restaurants and nightlife hot spots are accompanied by lovely, spotless and affordable hotels that make our cheapo hearts sing. We’ve found some of the best cheap hotels in Cologne to make your trip planning easier.

Want more choices? Click to search for all budget hotel options in Cologne.

Planning a trip around Germany? Check out our favorite budget hotels in Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt.

More travel advice for Germany:

• 50 ways to save on your trip to Germany
• The best SIM cards in Germany to save on your phone bill
• How to explore the Black Forest on a budget

Which Cologne neighborhood should I stay in?

You know you’re headed to Cologne. But what part of town will be ideal for your stay? Here’s a quick overview of Cologne’s most central neighborhoods.

Altstadt-South

South of Cacilienstrasse and west of the Rhine River, Altstadt-South (Old Town South) is part of Cologne’s first district. The neighborhood’s St. Maria im Kapitol, on Kasinostrasse, is famous for its thousand-year-old door, among other treasures.

On a small island off Holzmarkt, the Schokoaden Museum tempts visitors with the craft of chocolate-making while the Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum entertains active participants with interactive bobsled and bike race exhibits.

Center: Altstadt-North

The inspiring northern end of Cologne’s Altstadt (Old Town), known as Altstadt-North, is located on the west side of the Rhine River. The Dom, with its soaring twin spires, is situated a block south of the train station and easy to spot from all directions. The iconic Roman Arch sits just west of the Dom on Trankgasse and next to the tourist office. Gross St. Martin, a block from the river, towers over the Fischmarkt with four turrets circling its own central spire.

Messe

This neighborhood, located across the Rhine River from Old Town, is a bit more commercial than other areas of Cologne, with trade fairs taking place throughout the year at the Kolnmesse complex.

The large Rheinpark, one of several green spaces in Cologne, is also found here. Cologne’s Old Town is easily accessible from the Messe by way of the Deutzer Bridge.

Neustadt-North

This large area to the north of Old Town includes several tourist attractions. The internationally renowned Cologne Zoo and aquarium are located along the Rhine River. Just west of the Zoo, there’s the Botanical Garden.

South of the Zoo, along the Riehler Strasse, the city’s Sculpture Park includes works from such artists as Tony Cragg and Rosemarie Trockel.

Neustadt-South

Located south of Old Town, this large neighborhood is home to the city’s university as well as the main university hospital. The Volkgarten, a little more than a mile from Cologne’s central Dom, offers boat rides and a beer garden. Some hotels in this neighborhood may be a bit far from the city center.

Top cheap hotels in Cologne, Germany

Here are our favorite affordable accommodations with convenient locations in the heart of the city.

The shared rooms at Art Rock Downtown Hotel are bright and clean.

1. Art Rock Downtown Hotel

Neighborhood: Altstadt-North
Beds from $27

With a location within a 20-minute walking distance to Museum Ludwig, Cologne Chocolate Museum and Wallraf Richartz Museum, the Art Rock Downtown Hotel provides accommodations for the most extreme Cheapos without sacrificing comfort or amenities.

The hostel rooms here are standard fare, with white bunk beds, provided linens, en suite bathrooms (for four to eight people per room) and air conditioning. There is also free Wi-Fi for connecting with your new friends on social media, plus an outdoor terrace for dining or chit-chatting with your fellow hostel-mates.

Although there’s no breakfast offered, there is a shared kitchen to whip something up from local foods. If sharing a room isn’t your style, the hotel does offer single, double or family rooms.

Stay in Cologne for super cheap at the Art Rock Downtown Hotel.

Ask ahead for a room overlooking the river at Hotel Drei Kronen.

2. Hotel Drei Kronen

Neighborhood: Altstadt-North
Doubles from $73

With a central location overlooking the Rhine, the three-star Hotel Drei Kronen is hard to beat with its low rates, spotless rooms and situation just a 7-minute walk from Cologne Main Station.

Guestrooms at Hotel Drei Kronen are rather plain with basic hotel furnishings, but you’ll find all the comforts of home here. Despite the low rates, there are still flat-screen televisions, coffee makers and free Wi-Fi. Be sure to ask ahead for one of the rooms that overlooks the river to get the most bang for your buck.

A continental breakfast is available each morning for an additional fee. There is also an Italian restaurant, Cosa Nostra, on-site.

Wine, dine and book a room over the River Rhine at Hotel Drei Kronen.

Staying at Hotel Engelbertz feels like staying with family.

3. Hotel Engelbertz

Neighborhood: Altstadt-North
Doubles from $101

We love the sweet, family-run Hotel Engelbertz, which is located just a short walk from major Cologne attractions such as the cathedral, museums and the Cologne Opera plus the convenient Central Train Station.

Rooms and common areas feel a lot like a visit to a grandparent’s house, with floral sofas, wood furnishings and simple art framed on the walls. Most of the rooms have excellent views of the city, a welcomed bonus for these low rates. Additionally, there are private bathrooms with bathtubs, free Wi-Fi and televisions.

As if the low rates, central location and rooms with views weren’t enough, breakfast is included in the price.

Stay in the heart of Cologne for cheap at Hotel Engelbertz.

The stylish Motel One Köln-Neumarkt is located in Cologne’s shopping district.

4. Motel One Köln-Neumarkt

Neighborhood: Altstadt-North
Doubles from $106

The Motel One Köln-Neumarkt offers rooms with a chic, laid-back vibe located in a popular shopping district of the city and just a little over a mile away from the Wallraf Richartz Museum. It sits next to the city’s former cattle market, founded in 1076, that now serves as a fashion destination.

Teal and gray rooms are attractive, with crisp, white bedding and abstract art on the walls. You can rent an iPad from the front desk or take advantage of the free Wi-Fi on your own devices. Each room includes a flat-screen television and a private bathroom. Be sure to ask ahead for a room with a view of the city.

Breakfast is available for an additional charge.

Enjoy a fashionable stay at the Motel One Köln-Neumarkt.

Breakfast is included in the nightly rate at Hotel Glockengasse.

5. Hotel Glockengasse

Neighborhood: Altstadt-North
Doubles from $108

A friendly, welcoming spot, the Hotel Glockengasse lies in a central but quiet spot of Cologne just a 10-minute walk from the Central Train Station and a 10-15 minute walk from major sites including the Rhine promenade and the Cologne Cathedral.

The rooms here are standard fare: basic wood furnishings, crisp white sheets and small but spotless en suites. Free Wi-Fi and flat-screen televisions round out the list of amenities.

A delicious breakfast is served each morning in the cheerful dining area and is included in the already low nightly rate.

Get the rest and relaxation you deserve at the quiet Hotel Glockengasse.

Hotel im Wasserturm is located in a building that was once the largest water tower in Europe.

6. Wasserturm Hotel Cologne

Neighborhood: Altstadt-South
Doubles from $109

If you’re looking for a dose of charm, Wasserturm Hotel Cologne has it. Situated within a converted water tower (once the largest water tower in Europe, no less), this hotel will give you plenty to talk about when you return from your travels. The Cologne Train Station is a mile away, and the hotel is just a 10-minute stroll to the banks of the River Rhine.

In contrast to its exterior, the rooms are adorned in contemporary decor and complete with plenty of amenities: free Wi-Fi, private bathrooms, additional seating areas, flat-screen televisions and more.

The hotel also includes the Bar Botanik, a botanical bar and terrace with food and drinks available every night.

Breakfast is available for a (pretty pricey) fee.

Stay inside a piece of history at the Wasserturm Hotel Cologne.

The Koncept Hotel zum kostbaren Blut features modern decor and plenty of high-tech amenities.

7. Koncept Hotel zum kostbaren Blut

Neighborhood: Altstadt-North
Doubles from $109

The Koncept Hotel zum kostbaren Blut is an attractive, modern hotel with technology at the forefront of the guest experience. This hotel is located a short stroll from the Wallraf Richartz Museum.

Rooms are outfitted in sleek decor, and there are HDTVs, Apple TV boxes, free Wi-Fi and even turntables and vinyl records that — get this — can be controlled via Bluetooth on a smartphone.

There is a room to fit every type of budget, too. The smallest Nun’s Rooms are the most affordable, while Matron’s Rooms offer views of the city. Meanwhile, Prioress’ Rooms are spacious and include kitchenettes, and the most expensive Abbess’ Rooms are even larger, many with balconies.

There’s no breakfast here, but it is easy to make it yourself in rooms with kitchenettes or start exploring the city early for something to eat.

Find the perfect room for your budget at Koncept Hotel zum kostbaren Blut.

Every room at Ibis Hotel Köln Am Dom has views of the famous Cologne Cathedral.

8. Ibis Hotel Köln Am Dom

Neighborhood: Altstadt-North
Doubles from $112

The Ibis hotel chain is known for its affordable rates as well as its modern decor and amenities, and this location near the Cologne Cathedral and the Central Train Station is no exception. At the two-star Ibis Hotel Köln Am Dom, you can enjoy the cathedral views from every room.

The clean and comfortable rooms feature air conditioning, televisions, free Wi-Fi and private bathrooms. Each room has its own views of the cathedral and the city, and those ready to explore will enjoy all of the restaurants, bars, cafes and museums near the hotel.

A buffet breakfast is available for an extra fee and is ideal for those who wake up extra early or late, as it runs from 4 a.m. until noon.

Get a room with a view at Hotel Köln Am Dom.

Eden Hotel Früh am Dom is located directly across from the cathedral.

9. Eden Hotel Früh am Dom

Neighborhood: Altstadt-North
Doubles from $130

Sitting directly across the street from the Cologne Cathedral, the three-star Eden Hotel Früh am Dom offers contemporary rooms for affordable rates right in the heart of the city.

Rooms feature bright pops of red with plenty of amenities to fit your needs. Each room has a private bathroom as well as a flat-screen television, minibar, iPads, free Wi-Fi and more. Many of the rooms also offer views of the city or the cathedral.

The hotel also gets bonus points for the included buffet breakfast, Hof 18 restaurant that serves local fare, brewpub, beer garden and outdoor terrace.

Grab a room and a beer or two at Eden Hotel Früh am Dom.

The Youth Hostel Cologne Pathpoint has several communal spaces for guests to socialize with each other.

10. Youth Hostel Cologne Pathpoint

Neighborhood: Altstadt-North
Beds from $38

If you’re looking for a super cheapo stay, check out the central Youth Hostel Cologne Pathpoint, located in a converted old church building just a 5-minute walk from the Central Train Station.

With wood furnishings and white linens, the rooms here are basic but comfortable. Each shared room has its own bathroom, and guests can enjoy free Wi-Fi. The hostel supplies lockers as well.

The real draw here (aside from the low rates) are the common areas. With a lounge, garden, barbecue area, shared kitchen, ping pong and pool tables and a terrace, there are plenty of places on-site to make new friends.

Learn more about booking at the Youth Hostel Cologne Pathpoint.

Looking for more cheap hotels in Cologne and beyond? Check out more budget-friendly accommodations in Cologne and Germany.

The post 10 Best cheap hotels in Cologne, Germany appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

But that’s not all. If you visit Germany, you can also check out the maritime magic of Hamburg, the world-famous university town Heidelberg, the chic old-school sophistication of Munich (served with a side of dirndls, pretzels, and lederhosen), and last but not least, the lovely jewels in the former East, like Leipzig and Dresden.

But you by no means have to stick to the towns and cities. Germany also has a lot to offer any nature lover. The country is home to the Bavarian Alps with quaint mountainside villages and the Black Forest of Brother’s Grimm fame. For great hiking in the former East, check out Saxony Switzerland, a lovely climbing area and national park southeast of Dresden.

If water is more your cup of tea, then be sure to take a boat ride down the Rhine river, enjoying a glass of local Riesling from Germany’s wine country. For a little seaside air, make your way to the Baltic Sea and treasure hunt for amber or stroll along the North Sea mudflats at low tide.

And did we mention castles and palaces? Germany has around 20,000 of them, including Potsdam’s San Souci palace and Neuschwanstein, the so-called “Disneyland” castle.

Related:

• 10 Day Germany Itinerary: Berlin, Potsdam, Hamburg, Munich and Neuschwanstein
• Planning a trip to Europe? Avoid these 10 costly mistakes
• Search for hotels across Germany

10 reasons to visit Germany in 2017

Still not enough? Below we’ve listed 10 more reasons why a trip to Germany is a must for 2017.

1. The dollar is strong against the euro right now

With plenty of free cultural offerings and cheap eats galore, Berlin has been an inexpensive tourist destination for years. However, many other places in Germany are usually a bit pricier, particularly Hamburg and Munich. Why not take advantage of a weaker euro and visit these places now when you’ll get more bang for your buck?

Air Berlin and Lufthansa fly direct to Germany from the US. Photo: BriYYZ

2. New cheap flights to Germany

AirBerlin flies direct to Berlin and Dusseldorf from several US destinations including New York and Miami. Sign up for their newsletter to stay on top of their latest deals that include round-trip flights from $499.

Norwegian Air gets you from the US to Germany for a very nice price with fares under $500. You can book tickets to several cities in Germany, including Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich.

Another airline to keep an eye on is Icelandair, which flies to Frankfurt and Hamburg with an optional stopover in Iceland.

Cheapo tip: Click here to sign up for newsletters for all the major airlines, to be the first to know about airfare sales.

3. Cheap transportation between cities

Once you’re in Germany, you no longer have to rely on costly train tickets to get around Germany. Although there are some important ways to save on train tickets, you can also try the bus. Budget bus services like Flixbus offer cheap tickets between cities starting as low as €7 one-way.

Also, car sharing services like BlaBlaCar are sometimes even cheaper than the bus with the added bonus of chit chat with a local as you barrel at top speeds down the Autobahn.

Related: Tips for driving the Autobahn in Germany

4. Luther 2017: 500 years since the Reformation

500 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. His action marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, which changed the face of Christianity and the world forever.

Throughout 2017, exhibitions, concerts, and festivals are taking place across Germany to celebrate Luther 2017: 500 Years Since the Reformation. If you’d like to follow in Luther’s footsteps, we recommend you check out the three cities that were important to this event: Wittenberg, Mansfeld, and Eisleben, his birthplace. These three towns are not only historically interesting, they’re also extremely beautiful, so much so that the area has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

But you don’t have to stop here: Germany has over 2,000 kilometers of Luther trails where you can hike and learn about the life, work, and legacy of this important historical figure.

Cologne Carnival brings parades and parties to the city streets. Photo: Marco

5. Cologne Carnival

Known to locals in Cologne as “the 5th season of the year,” Cologne Carnival (Kölner Karneval) officially starts on November 11 at 11:11 am. However, the party gets really wild on Fat Thursday (Weiberfastnacht) on February 23rd, the week before Carnival Monday (Rosenmontag). During this time, residents give themselves Narrenfreiheit; in other words, license to do as they please because, as they say, “what happens at Karneval stays at Karneval.”

From Weiberfastnacht on, it’s all play and no work for the city, with round-the-clock costumes parties on the streets and in the pubs, and no one at school or the office. Toss back a cold Kölsch, Cologne’s most famous beer, dress up and watch the parade on Rosenmontag where you’ll hear the locals singing merry Carnival songs at the top of their lungs. Festivities continue until Ash Wednesday (March 1).

Although the Cologne Carnival celebration is the largest and most famous one in Germany, Carnival is also celebrated in Düsseldorf and Mainz.

Spring brings beautiful flowers and festivals to Berlin. Photo: visitBerlin

6. Free festivals in Berlin during June

While Berlin is well worth a visit at any time of the year, our favorite month to explore Germany’s capital is June. Not only does June usually bring the best weather — warm, but not too hot, with plenty of springtime flowers — the month is also famous for its free festivals. Here are a few to check out:

Carnival of Cultures – June 2 – 5
This gigantic street festival and parade celebrates multiculturalism in Berlin and is dedicated to highlighting world cultures.

Fête de la Musique – June 21
This summer solstice celebration features live music of all kinds at hundreds of venues and street locations across the city.

48 Hours Neukölln – June 23 to 25
Taking place in Berlin’s hippest neighborhood, this art festival highlights local artists and community art projects across Neukölln.

Long Night of the Sciences – June 24
Laboratories, scientific institutions, and libraries open their doors to the public for the “smartest night of the year.”

Bergmann Street Festival (Bergmannstraßenfest) – June 30 to July 2
This jazz festival presents three days of live music in the “multi-kulti” atmosphere on Kreuzberg’s well-known Bergmannstraße.

7. Berlin Marathon

On September 24, 2017, the 44th Berlin Marathon will take place, curving through the city center. If you’re a runner, there’s no better way to experience the city than to run in this world-class race. Just be sure to register soon before it’s too late.

If you’re not a runner, it’s still fun to watch the marathon. Get up early and watch the top runners rip up the asphalt when the race begins at 9:15 am. If you’re in the mood to sleep in, you can cheer on the runners (some in costume!) until the mid-afternoon.

If you can’t make it out in September, but still want to get in on the sporty fun, the Berlin Half Marathon takes place on April 2.

Related: Berlin hotels under $100 per night

Beer fans travel from all over the world to Munich’s famous Oktoberfest. Photo Christian

8. Oktoberfest

Dirndls, lederhosen, brass ensembles, and gallons of beer: That’s what most people imagine when they think about Oktoberfest (and probably Germany in general, for that matter). But don’t let yourself be fooled. Except for a few celebrations around the country designed to trap clueless tourists, Oktoberfest is really only celebrated in Munich. And contrary to its name, the festival starts in late September.

In 2017, Oktoberfest runs from Saturday, September 16 to Tuesday, October 3 (German Reunification Day). If you do decide to go “Auf der Wiesn,” make sure to plan your trip well in advance. The festival gets extremely busy, especially on the opening weekends, so head over to the beer tents nice and early to avoid the crowds. For more tips, check out our article 10 ways to save time and money at Oktoberfest.

Fireworks light up over Freiburg on New Year’s Eve. Photo: Orest

9. Silvester, a.k.a. New Year’s Eve

If you want to live dangerously, try spending New Year’s Eve in Germany. On New Year’s Eve, Germans don’t just drink, eat and make merry. They also add explosives to the mix — fireworks — and lots of them. To play it safe, check out the major fireworks display close to midnight, which you’ll find in every town and city across the country.

But for the true Silvester experience, go to Berlin to set off bottle rockets and light up firecracker after firecracker with hordes of people who have already tossed back far too many drinks. But beware: On this night, the city gets a little crazy, so come prepared.

10. Wonderfully Weird Festivals

Last but not least, Germany is also a great place to visit for weird festivals, some truly bordering on the surreal and bizarre.

Tübingen Duck Race
On October 7th, check out the Tübingen Duck Race, where locals get together and race 7,000 rubber duckies down the Neckar River.

German Deer Calling Competition
Listen as hunters go horn to horn in the traditional German Deer Calling Competition, held every fall during deer mating season.

German Bus Pulling Championship
If you’re more in the mood to see some brawn, check out the annual German Bus Pulling Championship, where 16 five-person teams from around the country compete to see who can pull a 14-ton bus the furthest and fastest. Scheduled for June.

Wave-Gothik-Treffen
And for lots of black and graveyard fashion, be sure to hop over to Leipzig for the Wave-Gothik-Treffen, the world’s largest goth festival which takes place this year from June 2 to 5.

Affordable hotels in Europe

No matter where you’re off to in 2017, you can search for hotels on EuroCheapo. Check out our expert hotel reviews to start planning your trip!

The post 10 Reasons to visit Germany in 2017 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Not all 38 listings are exclusive to Germany—some are shared with other European countries. Many include multiple sites within one region of Germany or more widely across the country.

Protect and preserve

The GNTB Chief Executive Petra Hedorfer is busy telling the world about Germany’s “political obligation to protect and preserve” the World Heritage on its territory. “Looking after these World Heritage sites in a sustainable and responsible manner is therefore of great importance,” says Frau Hedorfer.

So GNTB staff are keen to play the UNESCO card. And rightly so, for Germany does have a fabulous range of sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. They include historical town centers such as Lübeck, Quedlinburg and Bamberg; the cradle of German Classicism in Weimar; and many architectural sites such as the Bauhaus legacy (mainly in Dessau, but in a more limited way in Weimar too), the Fagus factory in Alfeld and the Modernist housing estates of Berlin.

Old town in Quedlinburg is a World Heritage Centre that dates back to the 900s. Photo: Stefan Munder

Castles and palaces, parks and gardens

There are castles and palaces such as those in Eisenach and Potsdam; cathedrals aplenty, among them those in Cologne, Aachen and Hildesheim; and a feast of wonderful garden landscapes including Muskauer Park (a cross-border landscape park in the Lausitz region that extends over the River Neisse into neighboring Poland).

Among Germany’s World Heritage sites are two very distinctive natural landscapes: the tidal flats of the Wadden Sea and several areas of ancient beech forests, mainly in eastern Germany. The country’s industrial heritage is also very well showcased on the UNESCO List with old mines in the Harz Mountains and the Ruhr region getting a mention. The Völklingen Ironworks in Saarland also feature on the list.

Download the app

Each of Germany’s 38 World Heritage sites is worth a journey in its own right. And you can discover all of them with one free app available on the iTunes site.

GNTB’s current campaign to foreground UNESCO World Heritage is truly impressive. But perhaps we should contextualize this development. Germany is the only country in Europe to have suffered the ignominy of having a site deleted from the UNESCO List. Dresden secured a place on the coveted list in 2004—but has since been deleted.

The Dresden affair

The inscription cited the cultural landscapes of the Elbe Valley which preserve key elements from Saxony’s early industrialization. But the Dresden authorities mightily annoyed UNESCO by building a new bridge over the Elbe through the very heart of the World Heritage site. This was probably not quite the sort of action that Petra Hedorfer has in mind when she talks of the “political obligation to protect and preserve.”

The intrusive bridge opened last year, shaming Dresden and indeed the whole of Germany. Yet tucked away in the debate over the rights and wrongs of the bridge were some intriguing issues about the nature of heritage and the responsibilities of communities that buy into the heritage agenda.

Back on track for 2014

So we certainly applaud the GNTB mission for 2014 in giving a boost to Germany’s World Heritage sites. It may include a touch of atonement for having fluffed the Dresden issue, but it certainly also sends out some very positive messages about the country’s renewed commitment to the heritage agenda.

The post Celebrating UNESCO World Heritage in Germany 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.

Change trains in Cologne and, even with just a dozen minutes between trains, you have a strong sense of having experienced something of Cologne. The German city’s landmark cathedral towers over the station platforms. And the chances are that, whether upon arriving or leaving Cologne, you’ll cross the River Rhine which flows just east of the station. The trains edge slowly over the Hohenzollern Bridge, a place where a thousand couples have sealed their love by fastening padlocks to the railings. Below is the Rhine, and there are views of Cologne’s handsome Old Town on the west bank.

Changing trains in Cologne thus makes for a perfect interlude in a long journey. And that cathedral is so close to the station that, even with just 20 minutes between trains, you’ll still have time to pack in a quick visit and gaze up into the Gothic recesses of this magnificent building.

Related:

• 11 best cheap hotels in Cologne, Germany

Rational, not Renaissance, dominates Florence’s SMN station. Photo © EuroCheapo

Venetian variety

While changing trains in Cologne can be a happy occasion, the opposite is true for Venezia Mestre station. It is a natural point to change trains on many European itineraries. Believe us, it can be a dispiriting experience and you’ll not have any sense of having been anywhere near Venice.

Far better, if time allows, to change instead at Venezia Santa Lucia station. That way you’ll cross the Ponte della Libertà (not just once, but twice) and while at Santa Lucia you can pop out to the front of the station and see Venice’s famous Grand Canal.

Architectural surprises

Other cities have perfectly fine stations, but they somehow fail to capture the spirit of the city they serve. We happen to be great fans of Santa Maria Novella (SMN) station in Florence. It is a first-class piece of Italian Rationalist architecture, but if you arrive in Florence with your mind full of heady images from the Florentine Renaissance, then SMN comes as a mighty shock.

Heidelberg packs a similar surprise. New arrivals are on the lookout for castles and all the insignia of Romanticism. But what do they get? Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof is an assertive piece of 1950s architecture — very graceful, and very fit-for-purpose. It is a lovely space, and boasts some very fine details — like the modern sgraffito in the Haupthalle. But it’s not what new arrivals expect of Heidelberg. And it’s inconvenient for the city centre, so anyone changing trains there will hardly catch the spirit of Heidelberg.

The good, the bad and the ugly

There are however other railway stations in the Cologne league. Antwerp Centraal, Madrid Atocha, Limoges and Valencía Nord all boast wonderful architecture (with nothing whatsoever in common), and the location of each is such that you can get a sense of the surrounding city.

As to the worst places in Europe to change trains, well there the choice is endless. Calais-Fréthun and Warsaw Wschodnia compete for a prime place on “the bad list.” And we have not even mentioned Birmingham New Street. It is just plain ugly.

Your favorite stations?

Have a beloved (or not not-so-loved) train station to add to our list? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

The post Train Connections: Europe’s Best and Europe’s Worst appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Too often we hear folk complain that buying international train tickets from the UK is difficult, and too often that supposed difficulty is adduced as an argument in favor of flying. Our experience in buying train tickets has however generally been positive. Buying train tickets from Britain to the near-Continent (and even to spots further afield in Europe) is pretty easy.

Fast and easy with Rail Europe UK

For straightforward journeys to France originating in London a very good choice is Rail Europe UK. A simple easy-to-understand user interface allows for painless online bookings from London (or Eurostar’s two other points of call in south-east England: Ebbsfleet and Ashford) to many stations in France.

Journeys from London booked with Rail Europe always start with a journey on Eurostar. Rail Europe UK gives the convenience of being able to purchase, with just one transaction, tickets from London right through to your final destination (which will often involve a change of train in Paris, Lille or — though only occasionally — Calais).

If you move off the main routes, or search for itineraries with multiple changes of train, you may find that the online booking system will advise you to call the Rail Europe UK booking center (0044 844 848 4064) to finalize your booking. A booking fee of £8 (that is per booking, not per ticket) applies to bookings made by phone. You do need a credit card registered at a UK billing address. Our experience is that the quality of telephone service offered by Rail Europe UK is first class (although at busy times you may have to just be a little patient).

Beyond France

Rail Europe UK is a top choice for journeys not merely to France. Depending on your itinerary, it is a good option for journeys through France and beyond. For example, it makes perfect sense to try Rail Europe first if you are planning journeys to:

1. Central and southern Germany where you particularly wish to travel via Paris rather than Brussels and Cologne;

2. Western and central Switzerland routed via Paris rather than Brussels and Cologne;

3. Spain via Paris, then continuing onward by daytime TGV trains or with the comfortable overnight services from Paris to Barcelona or Madrid run by Elipsos;

4. Belgian Flanders where you wish to connect at Lille (rather than Brussels) onto SNCB local services;

5. Luxembourg via either Brussels or Paris;

6. Aachen or Cologne in Germany if you wish to travel via Paris and then continue with a Thalys train (rather than taking the more obvious and faster route with Eurostar to Brussels and then on to Germany);

7. Northern Italy via Paris.

London to Paris, Brussels, or Lille

For simple point-to-point journeys from London to Eurostar’s direct destinations (eg. Paris, Brussels, Lille, etc), Rail Europe UK is a good choice, though for these straightforward bookings we would also recommend booking your tickets on Eurostar’s own website.

Leeds to Lille, Peterborough to Paris

Where the Eurostar website is superb is in allowing through bookings from over 450 stations in Britain via London and the Channel Tunnel to the continent. You can thus book from many provincial stations in England, Wales and Scotland right thru to any Eurostar destination on the Continent — and even to stations beyond the tentacles of the Eurostar network. You can book online thru tickets to any station in Belgium or the Netherlands, to hundreds of stations across France and to five Swiss cities.

Deutsche Bahn UK

Deutsche Bahn (DB) is our clear first choice for online bookings from London on all journeys to Germany routed via Brussels and Cologne. Online bookings are only possible if you use one of DB’s four daily ICE trains on the cross-border hop from Brussels to Cologne (rather than the more frequent Thalys services). Stick to one of those DB trains, book three months in advance, and you’ll find some mighty bargains for journeys from London to the remotest corners of Germany. If you have any problems booking online, just call the DB UK booking center at 0044 8718 80 80 66.

The Brussels-Cologne route makes perfect sense for journeys from London to northern Germany. If you are heading for Munich or elsewhere in the south, you may secure a faster journey time via Paris (in which case Rail Europe UK is the obvious booking portal).

Through Tickets to Holland

We have from time to time used other sites for booking journeys from London to the near-Continent. For journeys from London to the Netherlands, the NS Hi-Speed site has served us well.

And we are great fans of journeys that combine rail and sea and thus like the Stena Line site which allows us to book thru rail-sea journeys from any one of over 150 stations in eastern England to any railway station in the Netherlands from as little as £39 one-way. Look for the dutchflyer Rail and Sail fares.

Spoiled for Choice

Well are we aware that there are many other vendors who offer tickets in the UK to the Continent, and some will perhaps cry foul that we have not mentioned them here. We have heard folk speak well of new start-up Loco2 (for online bookings) and we have received many good reports of the first-class customer service provided by four long-established agents: Ffestiniog Travel, TrainsEurope, International Rail and Rail Canterbury. We have no reason to doubt those reports — in this article we have merely foregrounded those vendors with whom we have ourselves had positive experiences.

Just in case you wondered, none of the companies mentioned in this article offered any incentive to secure a mention. We review these issues of ticketing in more depth in our book Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide for independent Travellers (published by Thomas Cook).

Finally, we must put in a good word for Mark Smith, the marvelous Man in Seat 61, whose website gives wise counsel on all matters relating to the high theology of European rail ticketing.

The post Train Tickets: Britain to Continental Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Remember, of course, that local and regional train services are often bookable but not reservable. So, although you can book tickets, you’ll not be able to reserve a seat.

The three-month-rule

There are minor variations in how that three-month-rule is interpreted. For Thalys train services, linking Brussels with Amsterdam, Cologne and Paris, tickets become available three months to the day before travel. For bookings on the Deutsche Bahn website, each new day’s wave of bookings is released at midnight (Central European Time), 92 days before travel.

Eurostar services: Four months ahead

For services linking London with Lille, Paris and Brussels, Eurostar accepts online bookings four months in advance of travel. But if you want to use Eurostar’s direct services from London to Avignon in the south of France, you’ll find that Eurostar is already accepting telephone bookings for journeys up to September 10, 2011.

Looking east

For journeys to and from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, trains are usually bookable 60 days in advance, although we have noted that for journeys within those countries, the forward booking window may be only six weeks.

Finland works on a sixty-day-rule for services into Russia but domestic trains may be bookable longer in advance. For example, they are presently accepting bookings thru late April. Finland is unusual in that its online booking system closes down at night.

Early birds get the deals

Remember that for long-distance trains in Europe, it really pays to book just as soon as you can firm up your plans after bookings open. That one-way fare from Salzburg to Amsterdam for just €39 may be there for the taking 92 days in advance, but a week later may have crept up to €69. Leave booking till just one month prior to travel and you may have to pay €99 for the same journey. Early birds get the best deals.

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 When Should You Buy Train Tickets in Europe? The three-month rule appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

We took a day out from our regular work with hidden europe magazine last week and conjured up a tempting palette of trips criss-crossing the continent. And then we compared the ticket prices on a national rail website (that of the Deutsche Bahn) with the prices offered for those journeys by rail ticketing agents based in Britain and North America. We took care to ensure that the tickets we purchased were in every case for exactly the same trains.

So a straight comparison, comparing like-with-like. Same class of travel, same comfy seat, same scenery slipping by outside the window – for all five routes in our basket of European rail trips.

The five routes we tested
1. Berlin to London single (by day, depart after 9:00 AM, any route) on September 3: one adult, 2nd class.
2. Amsterdam to Salzburg single (by day, no more than one change of train) on July 14: one adult, 1st class.
3. London to Cologne via Brussels single (depart at 8:00 AM or later) on September 10: one adult, 2nd class.
4. Berlin to Zagreb single via Hamburg (2 night stop) and Munich (2 night stop) on August 20: one adult, any class.
5. Nuremberg to Dresden same day return (direct trains only) on June 20 for a family of five, 2nd class.

For each of these five journeys, we thought that the German Railways (viz. Deutsche Bahn) website at www.bahn.de would offer some reasonable fare advice, and so it did. Indeed, all five journeys could be booked online through their website.

Then we turned to agents selling rail tickets in North America and Britain to get quotes for precisely the same journeys. This was done first by online research, often followed up by telephone calls to check precise details.

The results

And guess what? The leading agencies specializing in European rail tickets always charged at least twice as much as would the Deutsche Bahn for exactly the same journey.

The key point here is that in most of Europe, rail operators have a whole raft of special promotional fares that massively undercut the regular tariffs (often with discount of more than 80% on the standard fare). But agents rarely offer those discounted fares, preferring to safeguard their hefty commission fees by selling only the full fare.

Comparing the fares

Now take a look at how those fares compared. Listed below are the Deutsche Bahn (DB) fares that were available for purchase around midday of Friday, June 12, 2009 followed by the cheapest fare quoted the same day by a leading North American or British agent (all sterling and dollar fares have been converted to euros just to make things clearer).

1. Berlin to London (2nd class) DB: €49 / Agent Fare: €209
2. Amsterdam to Salzburg (1st class) DB: €79 / Agent Fare: €255
3. London to Cologne (2nd class) DB: €49 / Agent Fare: €106
4. Berlin to Zagreb with stops in Hamburg and Munich (2nd class) DB: €29 / Agent Fare: €322
5. Nuremberg to Dresden day return for family of 5 (2nd class) DB: €37 / Agent Fare: €705

Helpful advice?

We found one leading British agent who was extremely helpful on the phone, going to some lengths to suggest that for certain routes it might be wiser to get the tickets from a German source (but declining to give the specific name of the company or website).

A well-known North American agent emphasized that their dollar fares on offer would undercut anything we might purchase in Europe – a claim which is patently undermined by the results of our survey. The North American agent suggested that a rail pass might be a better bet for some of our journeys, and hinted that we would encounter a range of problems if we attempted to purchase directly from the Deutsche Bahn website.

Booking tickets in advance

The reality is that booking train tickets on www.bahn.de is pretty easy, even without a knowledge of German. The site has a decent English language interface, though in some instances you will find additional functionality on the German language website.

Also, it really helps to have a good knowledge of European patterns of service and railway geography. A good place to start is by studying the latest edition of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable and the same company’s Rail Map of Europe.

Booking well in advance is often the key to finding cheap fares, but our research found that plenty of discounted promotional fares are still available for travel this summer. And we did not cast around trying to dig up the cheapest possible travel dates, having fixed our palette of routes and travel dates before embarking on our research. If you would like the see the full results of our survey, just click here.

And, oh yes, just in case you were wondering, we were paid not a cent by the Deutsche Bahn to publish this!

The post European Rail Tickets: Deutsche Bahn fares better than rail agents appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.