Planes, Trains, And Automobiles

Rail Italy

     Who wouldn't want to take a leisurely ride down a canal in Amsterdam after visiting a charming, fairytale inspired castle in Germany.  Or have breakfast in a romantic cafe in Paris and later that day have afternoon tea in London.  This is one of the allures of traveling to Europe, the ease to visit more than one city or even country in a single trip.  But just what is the most effective way to do this? 

     Well, it truly depends on your itinerary.  If you are not in a hurry or you want to spend sometime in a specific area, then you should rent a car.  This is a great way to get acquainted with a particular region, and gives you the flexibility to stay and eat way off of the beaten path.  This is the optimal way of seeing The Ring of Kerry in Ireland or the rolling countryside of Tuscany in Italy.  However, renting a car can limit the scope of your trip.  You may only have the time to see a small portion of a specific country and you may have to navigate through those extremely narrow streets of towns that were not designed for cars.  Can you believe that architects in the middle ages didn't have the foresight to make roads wide enough to accommodate 21st Century traffic?  Also, it takes much longer to travel by car than by either train or plane.

     European trains on the other hand are fast, extremely efficient, and clean.  You can board a train in the morning and be in another amazing city by the afternoon.  This is true for Madrid and Barcelona, Venice and Florence, Vienna and Prague, and so many other possibilities.  The trains in Europe are so fast that it can be quicker to take a train from London to Paris, than it is to fly there.  This is true when you factor in the time it takes to travel from the airport to the city center.  The downside to taking a train is the cost.  Some train rides are more expensive than taking a plane, especially if you use one of the local air carriers to get you around the continent.  The other major drawback to taking the train is the travel time.  Trains are much quicker than driving and even quicker than short flights like Paris to London or Rome to Florence or Brussels to Amsterdam, but they still take much longer than flights that cross the continent, like a trip from Lisbon to Berlin.

     So what mode of transportation should you use to get between point A and point B.  Well, it truly depends on where you are going to.  For short distances and to remote locations it's advisable to get a car.  Intermediate trips should be made on the rails.  Finally, if you are criss crossing the continent, then take a budget flight and enjoy the extra time that you will save.  This should provide you with some idea on how to get around this extraordinary land.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, than contact us at The Thrifty Adventurer at thriftyadventurer1@gmail.com

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