What is the best way to travel around Europe?

From old favourites, Paris and Rome, to lesser-known gems like Perast in Montenegro and Croatia’s Pag Island, Europe has a lot to offer. If you’re planning on exploring this continent, you’ll want to know the easiest way to travel.

Luckily, we’ve got some great advice for you…

Deciding your route

Make a rough plan of where you want to go, then work out the best (and most efficient) way to travel between all the destinations. There are even trip builder tools, like TripHappy, that can help you with this, mapping out a route for you. While some people prefer to leave their schedule open while travelling, if you don’t put any plans in place it’s likely to cost you a lot of time and money.

Top tip: If you’re on a budget, you will find travelling cheaper the further East you go.

Getting around Europe

Once you know where you’re going, it’s important to figure out how. From buses and trains, to ferries and flights, there are a number of different options at your disposal.

  • Flights can be super cheap if you book mid-week, off-peak, and early. However, they can be frustrating – you will be restricted to the flight times that are offered.

  • Buses are great for saving money and are convenient too. However, this is the slowest way to get around Europe. So, you need to decide what matters most to you – speed or cost?

  • Trains are not always the cheapest, although if you book in advance, you should be able to make some great savings. As well as being one of the quickest way to get about, train stations tend to be situated in central locations, so you won’t waste time getting to them.

  • You may also need to join the dots with a ferry or coach, especially if you’re going off the beaten path. Plus, these forms of transport may be preferable if you want to keep your eco-footprint down and avoid too many flights.

Activities, trips, and tours

Now comes the fun part… planning your activities. Check out Lonely Planet travel guides and Trip Advisor for great things to do wherever you are heading. But resist the urge to over-plan. You need to make sure you leave a good chunk of time spare so that you can just explore and enjoy your holiday. You’ll find yourself exhausted if you pack too much in.

Fitting in with the locals

It’s a good idea to do a bit of research on how locals travel in the different cities and towns you are planning on visiting. You’ll often learn about cheap ways of getting around and any local travel cards that are good for saving money¬ – travel and tourism websites are a good place to start. You should also make the most of Google Translate, so language doesn’t form an unnecessary barrier. Get the app on iOS or Android.

Staying connected in Europe

Don’t forget to pick up a great value Unlimited data SIM, with up to 12GB of EU roaming, unlimited calls and texts, so you never have to worry – wherever you are!

So, there you have it. That’s everything you need to know about travelling in Europe. All that’s left to say is… Auf Wiedersehen. Ciao. Arrivederci. Au Revoir. Doviđenja. Goodbye.

SMARTY Team
  • SMARTY Team
  • SMARTY
  • February 20th, 2020