My RS tour ends in Vienna. Would like to travel to Haarlem, then to Brugge then end in Paris. Trying to figure out if a rail pass would be best or just do point to point tkts.
Trip is scheduled for Septemper. Any help with schedules or cost would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. I'm 57 and traveling solo for the first time
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1003 posts
Have you thought about flying from Vienna to Amsterdam on one of the cheap airlines? then you can easily to point-to-point trains between Haarlem/Amsterdam, Brugge, and Paris, which are all pretty short trips. If you're interested in a flight, plug in your cities and dates here http://www.skyscanner.net/ and it will give you the options, and for the trains you can use the Belgian railways site here http://www.b-rail.be/int/E/ (you can also search the Vienna to Amsterdam night train possibilities there, which appear to be anywhere between 14 and 17 hours, yikes). it looks like Skyeurope flies direct from Vienna to Amsterdam for anywhere between 30-80 euros plus tax, depending on your date and all - it's a 2 hour direct flight. I know which one I'd choose!!!!!
Posted by
Chandler, AZ, USA
112 posts
I too would take the flight. However, one has to measure the full cost of the flight. There is the possible cost of transportation to the airport. For some budget airlines, this can be a significant distance from the main airport (not in this case, however - SkyEurope uses Vienna's main airport as well as the huge Schiphol airport in Amsterdam). Some airlines require a fee for any checked bag (again, not SkyEurope). Departure and arrival times can really be unpleasant in many cases. There is the hassle of airport security, check-in, etc. Sometimes the long distance train journey can be interesting, it's a time to spend relaxing, writing or watching the scenery. With no security headaches!