Transportation
1. Train
Cost: 20 to 80 euros for standard train, 80+ euros for bullet trains
Time: 4 to 10 hours
Here’s Why:
Easier than flying because you don’t have to arrive hours before, don’t have to go through security or check in. Another benefit is that the trains usually take you close to the city center rather than flying where you will always have to take public transportation from the airport to the city center. Surprisingly though, flying with a budget airline is usually cheaper than taking the train.
2. Plane
Cost: 45 to 150 euros
Time: 2 to 4 hours
Here’s Why:
Flying is usually the cheapest and quickest option, however transportation from the airport to the city takes time and money so check to see if they cost of a train would be more efficient for the extra time it adds. For my flights visiting 10 countries while abroad the average plane ticket pricing for budget airlines was around 60 euros.
Websites for cheap flights:
eDreams: https://www.edreams.com/
Easy Jet: https://www.easyjet.com/en
Ryan Air: https://www.ryanair.com/us/en/
Wow Air: https://wowair.com/
Google Flights: https://www.google.com/flights/
3. Bus
Cost: 25 to 40 euros
Time: 6 to 12 hours
Here’s Why:
To save money and leave from the city center. In my opinion spending 15 extra euros on a flight rather than a bus, to save 6 hours is 100% worth it. But if your budget can’t afford it, then buses will be your cheapest option.
If you can sleep in public transportation then doing an over night bus is a great option to save money on transportation and on a night not in a hostel. But if you are like me and can’t sleep in public transportation then you are going to be awake for 12 hours in a bus through the night to arrive in a city you have no energy to explore. Spending an extra 15 euros to fly instead of bus was so worth it for me because it gave me roughly 10 hours more in the city, and I got there awake and ready to wander rather than feeling like a zombie ready to sleep. Also if you do choose to do an overnight bus or (train) you have the worry about watching your stuff the entire time so somebody doesn’t hop out of the train with your bags.
4. Uber
Before leaving for your trip, check to see if there is Uber in the city you are headed to. If your options getting home from a bar are Uber, taxi, or walk and I wouldn’t recommend the latter when your in a foreign country. I would recommend Uber over a taxi because if you haven’t had time to exchange currency then you don’t have to worry about that awkward moment when you try to pay in euros in a country that doesn’t use them.
5. Taxi
If you can’t figure out public transportation and don’t have data or wifi to call an Uber, calling a taxi is your last option before walking. Spend that little bit of extra money to call a taxi rather than walk home alone, please for safety sake! Look up the taxi numbers BEFORE arriving in the city and write them down somewhere or put them into your phone notes.
Other Transportation Tips
Using Google Maps
Did you know that you can download maps on cities onto your phone while you have wifi, so that if you are out of service you still have your map!? I prefer printing out maps with my steps of how to get from point A to point B in the city and keeping them with my itinerary.
Public Transportation Tips
Before arriving in a city Google their public transportation methods, most big cities will have passes for a few days in the city which is cheaper than buying multiple individual tickets.
For example Paris has the Navigo Pass for metros, buses and RER lines. They have options for 3 days, one week, one month and one year.
This link answers a lot of Navigo Pass Questions:
Like for one week it costs 22.80 euros for all zones.
https://www.ratp.fr/en/titres-et-tarifs/navigo-monthly-and-weekly-travel-passes
This is a link which shows the “zones” of Paris:
If you are getting a pass for your time in the city and aren’t planning on going to Versailles then you will only need a pass for zones 1 and 2. Chateau de Versailles is in zone 4 and can be reached by taking the RER C5.
https://parisbytrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/zones.pdf
When to Travel
In the Mornings People!
My favorite time to travel is in the mornings, but not too early because then you arrive feeling exhausted. Early enough that you avoid lines in the transportation locations and so that you have the day to explore. The cheapest tickets will be early in the morning or late at night, but I would hands down say to do the early ones rather than the later.
Safety
It’s safer to travel in the day time; I do not recommend traveling at night especially if you are alone. Upon my solo arrival in Rome at 11pm, I took a taxi from the airport to my Airbnb. The taxi driver drove me into the center of the city then stopped in front of a huge and beautiful church and said, “This is where I leave you bella!” I asked him “Are we here?” Which he then explained he couldn’t take me any further because the streets got too narrow for cars to drive down. Needless to say I did make it safely, my host came to find me, but had I traveled during the day I wouldn’t have had to wait around an old church alone at midnight waiting for someone to come collect me.