Train or Airplane?

Posted by Josh (Baltimore) on 02/13/10 12:57 AM

I’m having trouble deciding which form of transportation to take between cities. I know it’s faster to fly but see more with taking the train. I’ve read that it depends upon the distance. Having said that, the hostels I’ll be staying at are booked back-to-back days.

Here is where I’m going in order: London (3 days), Edinburgh (2 days), Paris (3 days), Nice (3 days), Rome (4 days), Venice (2 days), Florence (3 days), Vienna (2 days), Salzburg (2 days), Munich (4 days), Berlin (3 days), Amsterdam (3 days).

If you guys see a simpler way of traveling in my itinerary, please tell me. I look forward to your expert advice.

Thanks!

Posted by Lee

Lakewood, Colorado

02/13/10 01:18 PM

19240 posts

Seems that Rome, Florence, Venice would make more sense since Florence is in between.

You sure wouldn't want to fly from Salzburg to Munich (the slowest train makes it in about 2 hours). Probably also not Rome-Florence-Venice, or Vienna to Salzburg or Munich to Berlin.

Posted by Scott M.

Dallas, TX, USA

02/13/10 01:20 PM

1170 posts

For traveling "in country", I would probably utilize the train as the distances will be shorter for the most part. For traveling between countries, if your destination cities are not that far apart, such as between Austria and Germany, I would also use the train. But, when the distance and time it takes to take the train makes it worth your while to do the airport thing (getting to the airport early, checking luggage, security...), then you would want to fly (Edinburgh => Paris, Nice => Rome, etc.)

Posted by Frank II

Freedonia

02/13/10 04:02 PM

16081 posts

Try this.....
London
Train to Edinburgh
Fly to Paris
Train to Nice
Train to Florence
Train to Rome
Train to Venice
Train to Vienna
Train to Salzburg
Train to Munich
Train to Berlin
Train or Fly to Amsterdam

Your itinerary had you backtracking in Italy. Backtracking wastes time.

Posted by Tim

Minneapolis, MN, USA

02/13/10 04:15 PM

8700 posts

I like Frank II's suggested itinerary.

When are you taking this trip? Booking well in advance online can get you discount fares on some of your routes.

To save the cost of a night in a hostel and have more daylight hours for sightseeing you could take direct night trains for London-Edinburgh, Paris-Nice, and Berlin-Amsterdam.

Posted by Josh OP

Baltimore

02/13/10 05:56 PM

28 posts

Thanks for all the advice.

I reworked my itinerary as you suggested, Frank. Thanks for taking the time out for determining the best way to see all the cities.

I'm gonna add a couple of hours to flying, Steve. I think I'm gonna take Tim's advice of taking the night train between a couple cities to cut down on daytime travel.

I'm leaving in April, Tim.

So my new itinerary is as followed:

Land in London,

Night train to Edinburgh,

Fly to Paris,
Night train to Nice,

Train to Florence,

Train to Rome,

Train to Venice,

Train to Vienna,

Train to Salzburg,
Train to Munich,

Train to Berlin,

Night train to Amsterdam,

Leave Amsterdam for home.

Does this look alright, or does it need more tweaking?