Whats the best zone to InterRail?

Chris P Duck

Me and a few friends are planning on going interrailing in the summer, but we dont know which zone to go to. We can only go for 16 days so we are sticking to one zone.

I was just wondering what is the best zone to visit and when is the best time to travel (i.e Month).

Chris P Duck

We are caught between Zone C which is Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark, and Zone D which is Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Croatia

jetsonx

Zone D should not be on the IR map... you do not need a pass for it at all. A 50km train journey in Slovakia can be got for around the same price as an average taxi fare in Dublin. Poland same - expect do expect to pay a bit more. Croatia has 1 or 2 "war damaged" lines which are painfully slow therefore almost everyone takes intercity coaches. Hungary is also very cheap. Only good thing about a ticket for Zone D is that you do not have to q for tickets at the station.


If travelling in any of Zone C ....a IR ticket becomes indispensable because of €€€ tickets.

best time....IMO mid-june - end of july. go earlier than this and accomodation will be more limited,(uni. dorms are turned into hostels in e.europe during summer) go later than this and you will have to contend will packed trains, hostels etc.

Rcuomo

i dont know about the ticket prices and that cos i was getting them all free due to an acquintance, but anyway i'd say e. europe is your best option, start in prague, work your way through hungary to croatia and back up to poland, its inexpensive in most these areas, great fun and e. european women are fine... croatia is amazing as well

limbovski

Eastern europe definitly. i haven't been to switzerland or austria I reckon it'd be well worth going but went to berlin and a few other places in germany berlins unreal. Denmark didnt really impress me when i went. Croatia and hungary are great places.

I went last year for a month on a global pass and thought croatia was the best place we went to (mostly because i was in the mood for a bit of beach at that point in time)

Depends on what you wanna do really.

Its cheaper in eastern europe by far, and probably better weather. lets face it you dont wanna go the whole way to copenhagen to se the little mermaid (its about the only thing up there) in the rain...

Faltermyer

Zone D definitely. I did a 2Week Zone D in 2003 and it was great.

Make sure to get to Budapest in Hungary, and Krakow in Poland(not just for Auswich, its a great city anyway, much better than Warsaw).

Get to Croatia too-dont go to Rijecka, v quiet, and kinda expensive in comparison. Pula (north west croatia) is very nice. Its awkard(slow trains or else long bus-rides) but try get down the coast of croatia to Dubrovnik, Split or Zadar. Stay off Cres Island(south of Rijecka, Croatia) - lovely island, but its full of German/Austrian family holiday-ers so its all middle-aged, and under 16s.

Prague is good, but over-rated. Get to Czesky Krumlov in the south of Czech Republic, Tiny little town but very nice, and you can go canoeing/rafting on the most picturesque river I have ever been on. Hostel99 there is good too - busy and attached to a bar. Do not go to Brno.

And get to Bratislava in Slovakia. Fairly small for a capital but lots of nice restaurants and a reasonable night life too. And its among the cheapest capitals in Eastern Europe.

I agree on the timing too - go in July.

Just one suggestion- be careful of staying in what are normally student dorms. They tend to be very big and not have a cosy feel to them so its more difficult to meet and chat with fellow travellers which is where most craic while travelling starts. That said, they are cheap.

Hostels:
Krakow or Warsaw - Nathans Villa - Do not go anywhere else, this hostel is the business.
Prague - Clown&Bard is cheap-ish, has a bar downstairs and very rowdy. However, not the most comfortable of hostels.
Czesky Krumlov - Hostel99 - nice, fantastic views, bar& restaurant attached. Free mini keg every Wednesday. Just dont piss off the Brazilian guy who runs it... has a temper

Faltermyer

Oh, and as for buying the Interrail ticker or not?
Afaik, its €216 for 16 days.
Work out how many journeys youre gona make.
if you plan on moving every 2days/less then it may be worth getting the pass simply for lack of hasle.
If you are only gona make maybe 5journeys, then yes, it will probably be cheaper to not bother.
That said, it really is handy to just hop on the train without thinking.

Oh, and check out www.bahn.de -just change it to English.
It is the most indepensible website ever when travelling Europe.
Train times for EVERYWHERE in Europe, never mind the Thomas Cooke guide(though this may still be handy to have, but there are internet cafes everwhere)
it will even work out what connecting trains you need to take, and it shows you all the T&Cs for each journey - there are certain trains you have to pay a small subsidy for on top of your interail pass, or for which you may have to reserve in advance.

Ruu_Old

mmhm dont miss Germany, Austria or Switzerland

Faltermyer

Berlin is pretty cool(Heart Of Gold Hostel - fairly central, 24hr bar, pool table, big screen, fairly nice and clean, think it was €18/night), but I would not choose that Zone simply for it.

Padraig Mor

Definitely the 'Eastern Europe' zone (D?). Polans, Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia - all highly recommended. Would avoid Bratislava due to tourist-targetting tram police (just my experience). Would echo the post above re Pula in Croatia - there's a great hostel/campsite just out of town where you can pitch your tent right on the beach in a beautiful peninsula! - can check the name if you want. Warsaw - found the 'Agrikola' hostel a great place to stay. It's a student dorm during term. Agree with previous poster re not meeting fellow travellers but it's nice to have a bit of (relative) luxury! Prague - grab a hostel from the hawkers in the train station or, if staying more then 3 or so nights, book an apartment with www.marys.cz.