Overnight comfort with City Night Line. Photos © hidden europe magazine
February 8, 2012
hiddeneurope
The great majority of our many rail journeys across Europe work perfectly. Most trains really do arrive punctually. But from time to time Europe’s railways do have bad days, particularly when bad weather rolls in and plays havoc with schedules. When winter strikes In three of the last five winters, we have had at least » Read more
Posted in Belgium, Berlin, Brussels, Europe, France, Germany, Hamburg, hidden europe, London, Practical Info, Train, transportation, United Kingdom
February 1, 2012
hiddeneurope
Okay, chances are you know quite a bit about the fabulous range of rail passes which are available for exploring Europe. From Eurail and InterRail to BritRail and a great range of locally sold passes within individual countries, those keen to roam the rails are spoilt for choice. But for bus fiends, devotees of road » Read more
Posted in Alternative Transportation, Barcelona, Bus, Edinburgh, France, hidden europe, London, Spain, transportation, Travel Smarts, United Kingdom
January 25, 2012
hiddeneurope
Cast back to just 18 months ago, and the departure boards at Thessaloniki railway station were rather interesting. The city boasted direct train services to ten different European countries. In those days, one could hop aboard a train in Thessaloniki and travel, without once having to change trains, to distant Prague and even-further-distant Moscow. No » Read more
January 18, 2012
hiddeneurope
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
January 10, 2012
Nina Derham
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
January 5, 2012
hiddeneurope
Last month, EuroCheapo chief Tom Meyers popped the train versus plane question…. does the savvy traveler fly or take the train around Europe? But it is not a straight either / or choice. Many leisure travelers, and many business types too, realize that long-distance coaches present a credible alternative to air or rail travel on » Read more
Posted in Alternative Transportation, Amsterdam, Bus, hidden europe, Lisbon, London, Macedonia, Paris, Riga, Switzerland, Tallinn, transportation, Trip Planning, United Kingdom, Vilnius
December 28, 2011
hiddeneurope
Travel is all about surprises, about serendipitous discoveries and transcending expectations. And, yes, we’ve been surprised in 2011. We were startled to move so quickly from serene and sunny spring back to deep midwinter when in March we traveled by train from the shores of the North Italian lakes to eastern Switzerland. The little train » Read more
December 21, 2011
hiddeneurope
Eurostar’s flagship services linking London’s magnificent St Pancras station with Paris and Brussels have been an overwhelming success, transforming London’s relationship with two close continental capitals. So much well-justified praise is heaped on Eurostar’s capital city links that it is easy to overlook that the rail service through the Channel Tunnel is good for more » Read more
Posted in Britain, Brussels, France, Germany, hidden europe, London, Nice, Paris, Switzerland, Train, transportation, United Kingdom
December 19, 2011
Tom Meyers
By Tom Meyers— A few months ago I had to make a key decision while planning a trip from Paris to Berlin. Plane or train? I could take a €50 budget flight on easyJet and be there in about two hours. Or I could take the TGV to Germany, and then board an ICE train » Read more
Posted in Airlines, Ask the Cheapos, Berlin, Budget Air Travel, France, Germany, Italy, London, Paris, Practical Info, Spain, Train, transportation, Trend Update
November 30, 2011
hiddeneurope
Europe’s new rail schedules come into effect on Sunday December 11, 2011. And these new schedules will, for the most part, apply through December 2012. The latest monthly edition (dated December 2011) of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable has just landed on our desks, and we’ve been taking a peek at what rail travelers » Read more
Posted in Belarus, Budapest, Copenhagen, Denmark, France, hidden europe, Madrid, News, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Train, transportation