I am interested in travelling through parts or Europe (itinerary is flexible) from Budapest or possibly Bucharest to Amsterdam - and I wanted to know if this is easily done by train - or rented car - (we are seniors) or if I should look for a bus tour. We are looking to board a cruise in Amsterdam so the end date is not flexible.
thank you
Posted by
San Diego
552 posts
As one who would choose a night train over a flight in most instances, since this would require two overnight legs (Budapest-Munich, Munich-Amsterdam, seems the most efficient) I would suggest looking into flight options. Renting a car would require a $500+ fee for the one-way drop off.
Posted by
San Diego
552 posts
P.S., Gayle -
I don't know how your question ended up in the review section, but you'd probably get more local responses by posting something like this in the Q & A section.
Posted by
San Francisco
14507 posts
Hi,
The route is easily done by train. Easy by night train as pointed out. The 2 night train options are certainly one way of going from Budapest to Amsterdam, giving you the extra time. Or, you could add another pause at Frankfurt, ie, doing one night train ride instead of both of them. Budapest-Munich on the night train, a day or two in Munich, then day train ICE to Frankfurt, overnight in Frankfurt, take the early morning ICE Frankfurt to Amsterdam.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
22 posts
Hi Gayle! You don't give a travel time frame to move from Budapest -Amsterdam, but my husband and I made this same journey as part of a 4 month European road trip 2013-14. We leased a car ( cheaper than renting if you keep it more than 3 weeks) in Barcelona and traveled from place to place, arriving in Budapest for the Christmas holidays. Amazing! Left early January and spent several days at Lake Halstatt, then to Baden-Baden for several days, on to Reims for several days of champagne/birthday celebrating. Spent several days in Bruges then up to Amsterdam where we dropped off the car, enjoyed the city for three days then flew home. This journey lasted 16 days and each leg was an easy drive. It can be done in a shorter time but we planned a more leisurely trip to enjoy our stays, which were shorter than the earlier travels.
We are leaving mid-April for another European road trip for over 3 months and will be leasing another car. We too are "seniors" (only in age!) and love the freedom of traveling and exploring wherever we want to go, whenever we want! If you have the time try it! Have a great experience,
Pat
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I'm not sure if you can find a bus tour from Budapest/Bucharest to Amsterdam at all, much less one that arrives in Amsterdam at the time your cruise departs.
However, you can certainly go by train or rental car. There will be a fee (probably substantial) for renting a car in one country and dropping in another, but you may feel it's worth it.
To find train schedules, use the Bahn (German Rail) website http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en, following Rick's tutorial: http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/online-schedules
To find driving times and estimated costs, use ViaMichelin: http://www.viamichelin.com/
If you state how much time you have for this trip and when your cruise leaves Amsterdam, others can give ideas. Recommendations would vary considerably based on how long the trip is, and what time of year it is. They will also vary based on your interests, whether or not you have been to Europe before, your budget, etc. The more details you give, the better and more useful will be the answers.