EuroCheapo's Alternative Transportation Articles

Excursions from London on the Paddle Steamer Waverley

The Waverley near Ilfracombe, North Devon. Photos © hidden europe
The Waverley near Ilfracombe, North Devon. Photos © hidden europe

Sep 12 London’s summer of sporting and regal frolics draws gracefully to an end, and all the post-Olympiad talk is of legacy. Londoners can ponder these issues at leisure over the coming weeks while enjoying a fine piece of Britain’s maritime legacy. The world’s last sea-going paddle steamer The Waverley is coming to town. Cast back to » Read more

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Boats, hidden europe, London, Trip Planning, United Kingdom

Taking the Train: Berlin to Cádiz in five days

Taking the Train: Berlin to Cádiz in five days

Mar 21 We could so easily have opted for the plane, taking a direct flight from Berlin to Málaga and then traveling onward to Cádiz by bus. And it would have taken 12 hours door-to-door. That would have been too simple. Why pass on a chance to catch a glimpse of parts of Europe that we had » Read more

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Berlin, France, Germany, hidden europe, Practical Info, Seville, Spain, Train, transportation

No Trains to Greece… and Other Tales of Rail Woe

No Trains to Greece… and Other Tales of Rail Woe

Jan 18 Back in fall 2010, we highlighted some of the key missing links in Europe’s rail network. These are those frustrating gaps, where even the most dedicated rail traveller must switch to a bus: Poprad (Slovakia) to Zakopane (Poland), or the hop south from Narvik in Norway to reach the rail route south to Trondheim at » Read more

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Bus, Europe, Greece, hidden europe, Italy, Lisbon, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Train, transportation

London: 4 ways to save on public transportation

London: 4 ways to save on public transportation

Jan 10 By Nina Derham in London— London is a costly city in many ways, but public transport prices are really ludicrous. For Londoners and commuters alike, January is an especially sore point and outrage spreads on an annual basis when the January 2nd price hikes come into force. 2012 is no exception, as this year the » Read more

Posted in Alternative Transportation, City Transportation, London, Practical Info, transportation, United Kingdom

Train Travel in Europe: The substitute bus

Train Travel in Europe: The substitute bus

Nov 16 Rail travelers through Germany who have no great aptitude for languages usually manage to pick up the bare essentials after a few days. Among those essentials is the marvelously Germanic compound tongue-twister Schienenersatzverkehr (“SEV” for short). It’s not a word you’ll want to use a lot. And it’s not a word you’ll want to hear too » Read more

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Bordeaux, Bus, Finland, France, hidden europe, Practical Info, Train, transportation, Travel Smarts, United Kingdom

Florence by Bike: Rentals and bike tour options

Florence by Bike: Rentals and bike tour options

Oct 24 By Marc Justin in Florence— Unless you’re that guy I see once in a while on his unicycle circling the Duomo, chances are you ride a bike. And since you’re reading this, chances are you have some remote interest in visiting Florence. So why not combine the two? Join a bike tour before it joins » Read more

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Bikes, City Transportation, Florence, Italy, transportation

Island Flights: Flying around Scotland and Ireland

Island Flights: Flying around Scotland and Ireland

May 18 Last week, we looked at multi-sector hops across Arctic Norway and beach landings on Barra in our review of unusual European scheduled flights. Now we follow up with comments on some of the really small aircraft used on regular island flights around Scotland and Ireland. Shetland Several of the smaller islands in the Shetland archipelago » Read more

Posted in Airlines, Airports, Alternative Transportation, Budget Air Travel, hidden europe, Ireland, plane, Scotland, transportation, United Kingdom

Paris: Cheap bike rentals, when Velib’ won’t do

Paris: Cheap bike rentals, when Velib’ won’t do

May 10 By Bryan Pirolli in Paris— (Updated June 28, 2011 to reflect new Velib’ policies) Tourists coming to Paris look with desire at Vélib‘, the city’s public bike-share program. Until recently, when tourists asked me how to rent one, I was forced to dash hopes. For, until recently, you couldn’t hop on a bike unless you » Read more

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Bikes, City Transportation, France, Outdoors, Paris, Sports, transportation

Dublin: Hop on the city’s bike-share program for €2

Dublin: Hop on the city’s bike-share program for €2

Mar 11 By Jessica Colley— In 2009, the streetscape in Dublin changed for good. Almost overnight, the bicycle lanes were filled with splashes of bright blue – the Dublin Bikes (or simply “db”) bike-share program had launched. A development like this in a city as small as Dublin caused quite a stir. Suddenly, you could be almost » Read more

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Bikes, City Transportation, Dublin, Ireland, Practical Info, transportation

European Ferries: 4 interesting new options for 2011

European Ferries: 4 interesting new options for 2011

Mar 09 Europe’s ferry schedules are famously fluid, and it’s often devilishly hard to keep pace with new route developments. Here is our choice of a quartet of interesting ferry options for spring and summer 2011. 1. St. Peter Line to Russia The news last week that over 60 ships were trapped in thick ice in the » Read more

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Estonia, France, hidden europe, Ireland, Malta, Russia, Scotland, Spain, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Sweden, Tallinn, transportation, Trip Planning, United Kingdom