On Apr 16, 2:10=A0pm, "Jen C." wrote:
> On Apr 16, 4:07 am, Giovanni Drogo
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Tue, 15 Apr 2008, Jen C. wrote:
> > > day trip to Europe at the end of June. =A0 We are flying into London a=
nd
> > > riding the Eurostar to Paris, after than we mostly wanted to visit
> > > Germany.
> > > 5.) =A0If you must switch trains on your Night Train, are you going to=
> > > get cabins on the connecting train also?
>
> > Night train (with sleepers), in the countries which still support them,
> > are a great way of saving time and hotel expenses. However it depends on=
> > your route whether they are really useful.
>
> > I used sleepers on stretches like Milano-Rome, Milano-Bari,
> > Milano-Paris, Milano-Munich, Milano-Darmstadt, Milano-Amsterdam,
> > London-Edinburgh, London-Penzance, Hamburg-Copenhagen, Goteborg-Luebeck
> > and Vasteras-Lulea. =A0You can check on a map the length of such stretch=
es
> > and compare with your plans.
>
> > Sleepers are not worth if the (uninterrupted) trip is short. Say that
> > for your comfort you should depart not earlier than 18:00 (and arrange a=
> > packed lunch or make sure the train provides catering) and not later
> > than 23:00. And arrive in the morning around 8:00-9:00 and then find an
> > hotel to drop your luggage and stay for the next night.
>
> > And of course choose trains that ensure an uninterrupted trip (and
> > sleep). Do not consider changing trains in the middle of the night. It's=
> > too much of an hassle.
>
> > You might accept an earlier arrival (it happened to me to arrive even at=
> > 06:30 but I had a place where proceed for work), but it would be
> > difficult to find an hotel at such hour. It might make sense if you
> > consider changing to another train.
>
> > You might accept a change BEFORE you board the sleeper (it happened to
> > me to catch the Munich sleeper at Verona near midnight, but it is sort
> > of a pain), particularly if this is necessary to catch the sleeper (when=
> > I wanted to travel Stockholm-Narvik all trains were booked, so we moved
> > to Vasteras and caught a sleeper from there at 21:00).
>
> > You might accept a change in the morning or a longer trip in particular
> > cases (my Stockholm-Narvik implied a change of car at Lulea, which was
> > booked for, they attached non-sleeper cars there). In some cases the
> > attendant will make up the sleeping compartment for the day instead.
>
> > But I doubt you'd need such long trips on a reasonable route in Germany.=
>
> > --
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>
> Thank you Hatunen, Giovanni, and Tom,
>
> =A0That information has helped out a lot!
>
> I really wanted to do the rail, but I think for a family of 5 it just
> doesn't make financial sense. =A0 It will cost around $1000 to $1500 to
> rent a full-size wagon or van with all the insurance buffs. =A0It looks
> like the train solution would cost us $2700 just for 8-day Eurail
> passes, and then about $500 per night train if we wanted a double +
> triple cabins. =A0Then on top that, there would be endless planning
> involved to avoid having to change trains in the middle of the night
> etc. =A0Then there's the danger if we get delayed and miss a train that
> I have reservations for...
>
> In looking at the map more carefully, Germany doesn't look much bigger
> than New York State, so the amount of driving shouldn't be excessive.
>
> Thanks again for all your help.
>
> -Jen- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
With the car you can save even more money on accomodations in rural
areas instead of expensive cities. You could also stay in an
apartment or holiday dwelling for a week and save even more. Certain
areas of Germany have many of such accomodations. There is more than
enough excellent places to visit and things to do in and around any
place in Germany for your short vacation time (Germany has over 30,000
palaces and castles alone), there really is no need to drive all over
to visit a distant place and pass by better places to visit along the
way. One thing to be careful of if renting a van, some will be too
high to use parking garages and may also be too long or wide to use
places on the street or in parking lots especially in major cities.
Suitable parking places probably won't be signposted. Inquire with
the rental agency if their vans will have such problems.
To me, the most enjoyable sights in Germany are rural, and a car is
best suited to visiting them. Most rental companies will also allow
you to return the vehicle to another of their locations within Germany
without any extra charge, so you don't necessarily have to return to
your rental point.
George |
