But don’t give up on your dreams of a Danish getaway just yet. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite budget hotels in Copenhagen. Before you make your reservations, take a look at these highly-rated and affordable accommodations in the center of the city.

Looking to save more money on your trip? Check out our blog with budget-friendly travel tips for Copenhagen.

Best budget hotels in Copenhagen

Here are five cheapo picks from our Copenhagen guide that all get high user ratings and offer low rates, especially when you consider that most hotel rooms in the city soar way above $200 per night.

Rooms at Annex Copenhagen are cheap and colorful. Photo: Booking.com

Annex Copenhagen

Helgolandsgade 15
Neighborhood: Central Station & Tivoli
User rating: 7.7
Doubles from $66

Located just a quarter mile from Tivoli Gardens and the central train station, the rates at this stylish hotel are a steal for Copenhagen. The colorful rooms come with flat-screen TVs, lounge chairs and free Wi-Fi. An included breakfast buffet sweetens the deal and shared (and newly renovated) bathrooms help keep prices low, even in the peak season.

Read our full review of the Annex Copenhagen here.

You’ll be greeted by friendly staff in a stylish reception space at Hotel Bethel. Photo: Booking.com

Hotel Bethel

Nyhavn 22
Neighborhood: Near Nyhavn
User rating: 9.0
Doubles from $133

If you want to stay in an area surrounded by picture-perfect postcards and colorful, 17th-century homes, then Hotel Bethel is the hotel for you. With a scenic location, a peaceful courtyard, stylish interiors, and friendly staff, there’s a lot to love about this accommodation.

Read more about the hotel here.

A spacious and sleek room at Hotel Saga. Photo: Booking.com

Saga Hotel

Colbjornsensgade 18-20
Neighborhood: Central Station & Tivoli
User rating: 8.2
Doubles from $94

The two-star Saga Hotel is a clean, comfortable, cheapo pick. Vintage art pieces add character to the rooms, and free Wi-Fi and breakfast are included in the list of amenities. Those looking to save even more money can book a room with a shared bathroom.

Read our full review here.

We recommend requesting a balcony room at 66 Guldsmeden. Photo: Booking.com

66 Guldsmeden

Vesterbrogade 66
Neighborhood: Frederiksberg
User rating: 8.5
Doubles from $108

With eco-friendly amenities and cozily decorated rooms, this is a popular and budget-friendly choice near Central Station. The café lounge is a unique benefit to staying at 66 Guldsmeden. When booking, request a balcony room for a place to kick back and enjoy the city views.

Read our full review here.

Enjoy a stylish stay at the swanky Hotel Tiffany. Photo: Booking.com

Hotel Tiffany

Colbjørnsensgade 28
Neighborhood: Central Station & Tivoli
User rating: 8.5
Doubles from $109

The three-star Hotel Tiffany is more of a splurge compared to the typical Cheapo pick, but it’s still a great deal when you keep in mind all the hotel offers. With plush, modern rooms, breakfast delivered to your room, and a courtyard, the Hotel Tiffany is a lot of bang for your buck. Plus, the hotel is powered by wind energy, ideal for climate-conscious Cheapos.

Read our full hotel review here.

More cheap Copenhagen hotels

Interested in seeing more cheapo hotel options? Check out our full list of recommended budget hotels in Copenhagen.

The post Top 5 budget hotels in Copenhagen for 2025 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

And sure, you’re always welcome to shell out a few euros to climb the stairs or hop an elevator for a bird’s eye perspective. But why would you when in most cases there’s a free option that’s just as good or even better?

More tips for traveling in Europe
• How to plan a European itinerary that won’t leave you exhausted
• Guide to buying a SIM Card in Europe

10 Best free views in Europe

Are you ready to soak in the spectacular views of Europe at no cost? Read on for our top tips on places to get a higher perspective in cities across Europe.

1. Paris: Parc de Belleville

For sweeping panoramas and some peace and quiet for a picnic, head to this 20th arrondissement park. Once you get there, climb to the summit of Paris’s highest park where there’s a 30-meter tall terrace. If you’re short on time, another great place for free vistas of the City of Lights are the steps of Sacre Coeur in Montmartre.

Related: 9 Budget hotels in Paris packed with old-world charm

2. Rome: Capitoline Hill

In the city of the seven hills, there are views all around when you visit Rome. For one of the best vistas at zero cost, we recommend Piazzale Caffarelli on Capitoline Hill. If you’re up for some refreshment, head to Terraza Caffarelli.

3. Berlin: The Reichstag

Not enthused about climbing up somewhere to get a bird’s eye view? Berlin’s got just the ticket. Visitors to the city can hop an elevator to the top of the German Parliament building, free of charge. There’s one catch though — you absolutely — must reserve in advance online (no phone calls).

4. Athens: Mount Lycabettus

Want to see the Acropolis from a distance in Athens? Climb up the highest hill in town, Mount Lycabettus. Standing at 277 meters above sea level, this is the best spot in town for watching the sunset or even spotting the Aegean Sea on a clear day. There’s a café in the vicinity, but prices are as high as the altitude, so you may want to bring your own food and drink.

5. Edinburgh: Arthur’s Seat

Believe it or not, this large hill in Edinburgh, thought to be one of the possible locations for King Arthur’s Camelot, is actually an ancient volcano. While you can hike up it from pretty much any direction you desire, locals advise taking the easy route from the east side straight on up to the top. Note that rock-climbing of any kind requires a permit.

6. Barcelona: MontjuÏc Cemetery

Barcelona’s most famous city of the dead has more to offer than the wildly creative funerary art — it also has sweeping vistas of the city and beyond. To get there you can either take the hour-long walk to the top from Plaça Espanya or hop the buses 107 or 125.

Related: 7 Tips for saving on your hotel in Barcelona

7. London: Parliament Hill

This 98-meter high hill was once attached to a manor given to Henry II’s butler. Today it is part of Hampstead Heath, one the most popular parks in London. From up on Parliament Hill, snap a few shots of the London skyline, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the famous Gherkin building.

Related: The 5 Best cheap hotels in London

Stroll through these beautiful gardens for a stunning view of Lisbon. Photo: Jorge

8. Lisbon: Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara

Walk uphill from Chiado and find your way to this garden overlooking Baixa for panoramas of all of Lisbon, including views of its iconic castle, St. George’s. While you’re there, explore the garden itself with its classical statues of heroes and gods from Greek and Roman mythology.

Related: 10 Ways to save on a trip to Portugal

9. Copenhagen: The Tower at Christiansborg Palace

See Copenhagen from an entirely different vantage point for free. Stroll through The King’s Gate near Palace Square and take the elevator to the top of the city’s tallest tower. You may have to wait in line, especially during high season, but it’s worth the wait to look down on the rooftops of the entire city free of charge. Just be advised that Tårnet, the restaurant at the top, is pretty spendy and probably best avoided by folks on a budget.

Grab a seat and enjoy the view from the Amsterdam library. Photo: Ellen F.

10. Amsterdam: Openbare Bibliotheek

East of Amsterdam Central Station, the largest library in the Netherlands is home to more than a massive collection of books. The top floor at Openbare Bibliotheek is the best spot in town to see the Dutch capital from a higher perspective. There’s even a restaurant with a terrace if you prefer to take in the views from outside.

Related: The 10 Best cheap hotels in Amsterdam

Do you have a favorite spot to enjoy a view of Europe for free? Tell us in the comments below.

The post 10 Breathtaking views in Europe — for free! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Another thing Copenhagen is famous for? Very expensive prices on everything from restaurants to taxis. However, you can still find some deals. For example, exploring the city by bike doesn’t have to cost a fortune for a tourist. With the city’s new bike share program, Bycyklen, it’s possible to get around like a local for only a few Danish crowns a day.

Before the new bike share system launched in 2014, visitors could rent bikes for free thanks to a system called Copenhagen City Bikes, the world’s first-ever bike share program that started in 1995. (We took it for a spin back in 2008.) Those freebie days might be long gone, but if you plan on biking more than once during your visit, it’s still possible to keep your bike rental budget in check with the new system.

Related: Keep it cheap with the Copenhagen Card

How it works

Just like other bike share programs, you only need a credit card to get started, and the first step is to create an account online with a username and password. Make sure to write this down, because this is how you will access your bike. You can rent up to two bikes on the same account.

When you are ready to go for a ride, find one of the 30 docking stations, and just use the tablet that’s built into each of the 450 bikes near the handlebars. There’s no kiosk to visit before you hop on a bike like in London, New York’s CitiBike, or Velib in Paris. Simply log in with your information and start pedaling.

According to Bycyklen officials, the program will be expanding soon, and the goal is to have 1,860 bikes at 105 stations by October 2015.

A weather-proof tablet with GPS is built right into the bike. Just log in to check your bike out. Photo: Tony Webster

Pay by the hour or month

There are two pricing options with Bycyklen, and choosing the best one for your needs depends on how long you will be in Copenhagen and how much you want to bike. Checking out the bikes costs 25 kr per hour. At just under $4 per hour (at current exchange rates), it’s not a bad deal for those looking to hop from place to place on a flexible schedule.

However, another option that might just save you money is to get a monthly plan for 70 kr (a little it over $10). Every ride under 30 minutes is free on this plan, so you if think you’ll be using your bike as a main mode of transit for quick trips, this is definitely a better deal than the hourly plan. Note: It’s 6 kr/hour after the free 30-minute period.

If you really want to go for a serious five-hour bike ride around the city, it’s cheaper to rent a bike from a local shop, which costs around $20 for a 24-hour period. There are several shops that offer all kinds of bikes and even tours around the city.

Note: When you first sign up, they take an initial deposit of 200 kr on your credit card that you will get back after a few days. Also, many of the bikes are equipped with electronic locks that let you park it anywhere you please. Again, just use your log-in information to lock and unlock the bike, but be aware that you are still being charged while the bike is parked.

High-Tech bikes with built-in maps

The new system features easy-to-use electric rides from Gobikes. For tourists visiting the city, there is one other big feature that should be very appealing. Built into each bike is a weather-resistant tablet with GPS capability. There’s no need to pull out your iPhone (and maybe rack up charges!) or guidebook to see where you are going.

There’s a map right between your handlebars that tracks your exact location, and it can help guide you to popular landmarks, restaurants, and sights. When you are ready to return your bike, just use the tablet to find the nearest docking station.

Is it worth it?

Even if Bycyklen might not save you a lot from renting a bike from a shop, we think many visitors will find it a great option, because of the convenience. You can explore the city with ease on your own schedule, take spontaneous trips at any time of day or night, and don’t have to worry about where you will lock it. Plus, using the built-in tablet is a fun way to discover new places.

A free alternative

If you are an extreme Cheapo, the most affordable bike rental option in town won’t cost you a single Danish crown. Copenhagen Free Bike Rental is an organization that fixes up broken bikes and rents them out to visitors for no charge.

Participating, however, takes a bit of advance planning. First, fill out a form on their website at least seven days before your bike rental. Next, someone from the organization will meet you in Trianglen Square in Østerbro. They do ask for donations to keep the service going. It may not be as simple as checking out a bike from Bycyklen, but for the intrepid traveler, you can’t beat the price!

The post Copenhagen: How to use bike share as a visitor appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Budget travelers get understandably nervous when visiting Copenhagen. As is the case with many other northern European capitals, prices for food, lodging and shopping can be stunningly steep.

But Cheapos should not steer clear of this city of Danish design, busy bicyclists and curvaceous canals. Visitors on a tight budget can enjoy several days in Copenhagen, made much easier by the credit card-sized Copenhagen Card, the city’s tourism card. When we visited, we clutched ours at all times, which allowed us to stroll about town, into museums, and onto trains.

But is the Copenhagen Card a good fit for your trip? Read on…

The cost of the card

The Copenhagen Card makes sense if you plan to keep busy with the city’s (and area’s) museums and attractions. If you’re the type of traveler who wants to hit all the sights, dash through art museums and castles, and climb high towers overlooking town, the card is clearly a good investment. If, however, you’re content to wander the streets and canals, hang out in coffee shops, and watch the tourists bustle by, it may not be worth all those Kroner.

The pass is available in four types:

24-hours: DKK 359 — about $58
48-hours: DKK 499 — about $80
72-hours: DKK 589 — about $95
120-hour: DKK 799 — about $129

Prices for children aged 10-15 are significantly lower: DKK 189/249/299/399.

While the price might initially seem steep, consider what it offers: free access to more than 70 museums and attractions in and around Copenhagen, discounts at restaurants and other activities, and free transportation on the area’s network of buses, trains, the Metro and even to and from the Copenhagen Airport (zone 4).

When calculating whether or not you should buy a Copenhagen Card, don’t forget to include the savings in transportation costs—or the peace of mind it affords, as you’re free to simply hop on and off buses and trains at will. (Do note that you should always carry the card with you on the city’s transportation, as inspectors do pass frequently and will ask to see your “ticket.”)

Museums and attractions covered

The 72 sights covered by the Copenhagen Card include most of the city’s most famous and visited attractions. They include:

Amalienborg Palace (DKK 70, without pass)
Arken Museum of Modern Art (DKK 95)
Designmuseum Danmark (DKK 100)
Hans Christian Andersen’s Museum (DKK 95)
Statens Museum for Kunst (DKK 110)
Copenhagen Zoo (DKK 170)
Tivoli Gardens (DKK 99)

…and about 65 more. See the Copenhagen Card’s Web site for a full list of attractions covered by the card.

Out of town, too

The card offers admission to attractions outside the city’s limits, as well, which is especially attractive for those purchasing a three- or five-day pass. For example, you can take a day to explore the celebrated castles (including Kronborg, famous as the setting for Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”) in the Kongernes Nordsjaelland area. And again, don’t forget that transportation is covered by the card!

Purchasing the card

For further information about the card’s benefits and to purchase it online, visit the Copenhagen Card’s website. Buying your card before arrival is convenient for those arriving by plane, as the card covers transportation into town from the airport. (If you haven’t bought it ahead of time, you can always purchase it at the service center in Terminal Three of Copenhagen Airport.) Note that there is a postage and handling charge of €8 (about $10) for each card bought online.

You can also buy the card at Central Station (the main train station), at large hotels, and at the Visitor Centre (located across from the entrance to Tivoli Gardens).

Finding affordable hotels

Aside from the admission charges to the city’s top attractions, your hotel bill is going to be a huge part of your trip budget, and accommodation prices can be strikingly high in Copenhagen. Fortunately, our editors have hunted down plenty of one- and two-star central hotels for our Copenhagen hotel guide, many with rates under DKK 650 (about $105 a night).

The post Copenhagen: Keep it cheap with the Copenhagen Card appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Do note a common misunderstanding. Just because a train styles itself as being a hotel train does not necessarily mean that it is any better than any other overnight train. So much depends on what grade of accommodation you opt for.

On most night trains in Europe, travelers have a choice of three grades of on-board accommodation: seats, couchettes and sleepers.

Night trains: what to expect

That’s the norm, but the situation does vary from train to train. Here are some exceptions. The services from France to Russia are very much top-of-the-range and there you’ll find only sleeping cars. On some other routes (eg. Paris to Rome, Prague to Copenhagen and Munich to Milan) there are couchettes and sleepers, but simply no regular seated accommodation. The night train from Berlin to Malmö consists exclusively of couchette cars – no seats or sleepers on that one. Move to Spain and many domestic overnight trains wholly within Spain have seats and sleepers, but no couchettes.

Even within the three broad-brush categories (ie. seat, couchette and sleeping berth) you will encounter great variations.

Take a seat

The seats on the Vienna to Venice overnight train are in classic six-seat compartments in a corridor coach. If you are lucky enough to travel on a quiet night, then two travelers might manage to bag a side each and stretch out in some comfort. But this is a train where seats are often in great demand, and a night spent sitting up in a regular seat in a full compartment just ain’t a bundle of fun. Believe us.

By contrast, the seated accommodation on the night trains from Zurich to both Berlin and Prague are spaciously arranged in an open-plan carriage. The seats recline and offer a measure of privacy – perfect for snoozing.

Opt for a couchette

Move upmarket to couchettes, and the key choice is between a four-berth or six-berth couchette option. Our view is that couchettes make sense for families traveling on a budget. A four-berther is a fun solution for parents traveling with a couple of children.

Take our advice. We’ve done the couchette deal, enduring long hot nights in stuffy couchettes shared with strangers traveling with mountains of luggage (and in one case a double bass). It does not make for peace and rest. You deserve more.

Enjoy sleeper carriages

So, if you possibly can, opt for a sleeper. Night trains were made for sleeping. And that requires quiet, privacy and crisp, clean sheets. An overnight journey in a comfortable sleeper is hard to beat. On some journeys (eg. Venice to Munich or Nice to Warsaw) there are even double beds on offer.

Even sleepers are infinitely variable, ranging from pokey little cabins to spacious compartments with en suite facilities. Russian Railways (RZD) have some very well-appointed sleeping cars on the routes to Moscow from Paris and Nice. But at a price.

Even those on more modest budgets can however enjoy stylish overnight travel on some City Night Line (CNL) services. The upper deck sleeping compartments on selected CNL trains are very spacious and have a small bathroom (with toilet and shower). There is space to stretch out and watch the evening scenery slip by beyond the window. You’ll find these luxury compartments on, among others, the CNL Aurora (Basel-Copenhagen), the CNL Sirius (Zurich to Berlin) and the CNL Comet (Zurich to Hamburg).

The great thing about the three trains mentioned here is that they all have a full-service restaurant car. Now that really is travel as it should be. A relaxed dinner on board, before retiring to bed, to awake refreshed and relaxed at your destination.

The post Night Train Travel: A guide to snoozing across Europe by train appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

“When I was a lad, there must have been more than a dozen folk on Stóra Dímun,” explains a Faroese man who, like us, is watching from the deck of the boat. “But they’ve gone. Just as they are leaving Mykines. And Fugloy too.” And then the man was silent, and the last Dímun was swallowed up in the mist.

The harbour of Nólsoy, a village located half an hour by boat from Tórshavn. Photo © hidden europe

Life beyond Tórshavn

If you want to get to the heart of what it means to be Faroese, you have to get out of Tórshavn. The capital is a pretty enough place, to be sure. Indeed, there is probably no other European capital that comes close to matching Tórshavn for its homespun village-like charm. Unpretentious and sleepy Tórshavn with its lovely jumble of black-tarred cottages on rocky Tinganes, the promontory that juts out into the harbour, is a wonderful introduction to the Faroes.

But the soul of these islands lies elsewhere. Ask the men working on the dockside in Tórshavn where they come from, and they will tell you they are from Funningur or Kirkja, from Saksun or Sumba, all wee slips of places where grass grows on the roofs of long-abandoned barns, where the church is more often locked than open, and where each winter the snow drifts deep.

“I’ve not been back to Kirkja for over twenty years,” admitted one man from the remote northern island of Fugloy, evidently oblivious to the fact that the remote bygd where he was born and lived the first fifteen years of his life is only half an hour from Tórshavn by helicopter.

Faroese connections

Go to the Faroes. They are so easy to reach and it’s well worth it. At this time of year Smyril Line sails on Saturdays and Tuesdays from Hirtshals (Denmark) to Tórshavn. The crossing takes about 32 hours. Winter sailings are just once weekly and take up to 40 hours.

The Faroese airline Atlantic Airways flies year round from Copenhagen to Vágar (usually twice daily). This summer the airline is also offering twice-weekly flights from Bergen and London Gatwick to Vágar. The seasonal link from Norway operates until the end of August. The service from Britain runs till mid-September.

Once in the Faroes, make time to visit the smaller islands in the archipelago. The islands have well-integrated bus and ferry services that make it very easy to get around. For those in a rush, there is also the inter-island helicopter service run by Atlantic Airways.

The post Faroe Islands: Exploring beyond Torshavn appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

But now that the (absentee) voting is done, the question becomes: How to observe the election from Copenhagen? Right now I can think of three ways about it:

Option one: Tune out, then tune in on November 7

I’ll be visiting Copenhagen’s many sights with a group of other American travel writers on Tuesday, November 6. Certainly the subject will come up, but our attention will be happily focused on Nyhavn, the National Gallery and the city’s palaces.

We’ll be gleefully six hours ahead of any action back home. Even tuning in at midnight will mean that almost no polls will have closed. (Indiana and parts of Kentucky close at 6 PM EST, but those states aren’t really nail-biters.) I might as well go to sleep at a normal hour, and wake up refreshed to find out about the results. Yeah, right…

Option two: Stay up all night in a bar

A drastically different option would be to pull an all-nighter in a local bar that’s showing the event. Perhaps it will be the hotel’s bar, or we will undoubtedly hear about spots in Copenhagen to watch the event. This would surely attract visiting Americans, as well as interested Danes and travelers from other parts of the world who are likewise wound up about the election.

I find this option, in theory, to be quite attractive. It’s always fun to watch big events with others, allowing your energies to build. All of that waiting (and all of that commentary) goes down a bit easier with a few beers and new-found friends. And, hey, if things go south for you, you’re already in a bar!

The reality, of course, can be less ideal. If the election is mostly decided when major swing states in the east close (Florida at 7 p.m., Ohio at 7:30 p.m.), we’d find out in Copenhagen around 1 a.m. That’s doable… but what if it’s close in those states? What about western swing states? This thing could go late in the US, which means it could go really late in Europe.

And, of course, there’s that 9 a.m. airberlin flight we’ll be catching to Vienna the next morning.

Option three: Early to bed, early to rise

The last, and perhaps most responsible, option is to go to sleep early-ish, and wake up early (say, at 5 a.m.) to figure out what happened, or even catch the tail-end of the event itself.

This sounds perfectly reasonable, but is it possible to fall asleep early on election night? Maybe for some, but as a political junkie, I’m pretty sure that even if I do fall asleep, I’m certain to wake up at 3 a.m. knowing that I could turn on the TV and see the first big results coming in.

Or a messy mix of all three

What will most likely happen, of course, is a big, messy mix of all three. I’ll probably intend to go to sleep early, but first grab a beer with some of my traveling companions. This will lead to “just one more” before the first results come in. Despite the excitement around those first numbers, I’ll force myself to sleep, only to wake up a few hours later in the middle of the night, flip on the TV and half-dream about Wolf Blitzer for the next few hours.

When you factor in a 7 a.m. trip to the airport, it sounds a bit grim. But, hey, even if we’re all exhausted, it will be over. If “my guy” wins, it will be a happy, relieved exhaustion. If he doesn’t, well, I’ll be headed to Vienna.

I guess traveling during an election has its benefits after all.

Are you watching the election from abroad?

If you’re traveling or living abroad and excited about the election, how do you plan to watch it? Will it be an all-nighter, a middle-of-the-night wake-up, or a wait-and-see? Tell us about your plans in the comments section.

The post How to watch the US election results while traveling in Europe 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.

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

Dutch Flyer

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

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

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

Directly to Denmark

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

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

By ship from northern England

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

They are:

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

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

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

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

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

Discontinued services

First the bad news. A number of services have been axed, notably:

1. The overnight trains or through carriages from Munich to Copenhagen, Warsaw and Moscow.

2. The overnight services from Prague to Zagreb and Zürich via Linz (although the long established City Night line service from Prague via Dresden to Zürich continues just as now).

3. The once daily direct train from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Szczecin in Poland.

New links and improvements

But in a Europe where rail travel is becoming ever more popular, there were many notable improvements to services that came with the introduction of the 2011 schedules last Sunday. Some of the highlights include:

1. Dramatic improvements to services between St. Petersburg and Helsinki using sleek new Allegro trains that trim about 90 minutes off the journey times between the two cities.

2. More trains and faster journey times between Paris and Geneva, as the Haut-Bugey high-speed link through the Jura came into operation.

3. Increased frequency and faster travel times on daytime services linking Warsaw with Berlin.

4. More frequent direct services between Brussels and Calais on the French coast.

5. An additional daily service on the busy Paris to Amsterdam route.

6. Entirely new services linking Prague and Dresden with Szczecin in Poland.

7. New direct trans-Alpine trains from Venice to Basel (via the Gotthard route) and to Munich (via the Brenner Pass).

8. Better links from Hamburg with a new overnight train to Paris, and a new daytime service from Hamburg to Vienna via Hannover and Passau (complementing the existing daytime service via Berlin and Prague which continues just as in 2010).

9. An extra daily fast train on the Budapest to Bratislava route.

10. A new direct daytime train between Warsaw and Budapest (complementing the existing overnight service which continues as in the past).

In the weeks ahead

While most of the 2011 schedules came into effect this week, there are a small number of outstanding changes that will be introduced  in the weeks ahead. They include:

Effective December 19: An entire new Spanish high-speed route opens linking Madrid with both Valencia and Albacete. This will dramatically transform travel in eastern Spain, slashing the travel time from Madrid to Valencia by more than half.

On the same date a new high-speed link across the French-Spanish border will open, initially with just twice daily TGV trains from Paris to Figueres, where passengers must change for onward travel to Barcelona. With much reduced journey times, the new link will give much improved daytime connections between Catalunya and cities such as Geneva and London.

Effective January 7: New direct ski season services from Belgium and Luxembourg to the Tarentaise region in the French Alps and to resorts in both the Tyrol and the Salzburg regions of Austria.

You can review all the main 2011 rail schedules in each monthly edition of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable.  The December edition, which is already available, contains over 500 pages of the 2011 schedules.  The January edition (published next week) includes the full schedules (including late changes which were not available when the December issue went to press) and a useful fares supplement.  That comes as standard fare in each January edition of the timetable, and we find it especially useful as it gives indicative costs for journeys within most European countries as well as for international routes.

The post European Train Update: 2011 rail changes appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.