European Escapes
Unlike earlier, it’s really essential to plan and prepare your next trip to Europe. The old days of hopping on trains at will, arriving in town, searching for a spot in the hostel and visiting museums on a whim are past. Europe today, may have places where that is possible, but the hot cities and popular towns are packed, hostels are booked in advance through the Web, trains need reservations, buses are limited and some of the best museums require advanced booking. Here are a few basics that you need to keep in mind while planning your next trip to Europe:
Learn to tell time
Learn to tell time and have a clear concept of what time is actually 20:15. People who don’t know this difference can actually miss a train, bus or their watching their favorite show.
Have a plan
Instead of planning your daily schedule in the morning, it’s better to plan your trip way in advance.
Taking the train? You might need a reservation
Even with a Eurailpass, every train is not available for jumping on and off at will. The superfast trains in Germany, France, Spain and Italy need reservations. Many night trains also need reservations.
Plan ahead if you’re taking the bus
In Europe, buses are luxurious with video entertainment systems and TVs and refreshments. And they are crowded. Make sure to make reservations at least a day in advance to get on the bus you want.
Warning: ferries fill up fast
Where the land ends and the water starts transport shifts to ferries. These must be booked at least a week ahead of time to insure space.
And so do the top museums
Most of the top museums including Michelangelo’s David, the Uffizi, Villa Borghese, the Alhambra that now require advance reservations.
Hostels: reservations required
Today the hostel reservation system has met the Internet. Now it is the traveler that plans ahead and makes an early reservation that gets the best hostel spaces. The popular cities like Venice, Nice, Barcelona, Stockholm and Copenhagen get booked up weeks in advance.
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