Anyone done this? Next summer I'll probably need to take a train from Prague to Berlin, then Berlin to Amsterdam, I'm trying to figure out what to expect, prices, etc. just share your experiences i guess, good or bad, what are trains in europe like in general? I'm a noob, last train i road was probably when I was 8.

I found this site

http://www.raileurope.com/us/index.htm

if i'm looking at the US version of the site, are the prices they have in USD?

going next summer

[Edited on August 8, 2008 at 9:41 PM. Reason : fdsfd]

8/8/2008 9:41:36 PM

when i was there last year, i bought a 8-day (travel days over 2 months) select pass (~$400) for sweden, norway, denmark, and germany from:

http://www.eurail.com/

honestly, if you're only making a couple of train trips and you feel comfortable with it, just buy the tickets as you go when you're over there...you'll probably end up saving money (though try to map out your schedule before you go and make the decision)

if you go with the pass, it's pretty easy - you bring it on the train, show them your passport, and they'll stamp it (or not...i used all of my 8 travel days and only had 5 stamped )...the german mp-looking guys on the train are kinda scary with their guns and military uniforms, but it was all good

8/8/2008 9:54:14 PM

if you're just going from Prague to Berlin, and then to Amsterdam, don't waste your money on a eurorail pass. Just pay your way through Die Bahn (german railway - cheaper prices than most others)

8/8/2008 11:12:00 PM

I had a 15 day Global Eurail pass when I was there in May. I would agree with the previous posters that you probably won't need a pass. I made good use of mine, though (travel within Germany, then to Switzerland and within, then to Italy, then Barcelona to Paris).

The German railway system is the best in Europe. I'd make the claim best in the world but I don't know enough about some of the Asian countries. The ICE trains are so awesome.

Oh, and don't buy 1st class. It's pretty much the same thing as 2nd.

8/9/2008 12:12:46 AM

cool, thanks!

8/9/2008 2:46:54 AM

I just went from Prague-Berlin and back and a one way ticket is about 68 Euros.. a little over $100...

The most important thing if you're traveling in the Czech Republic is that they don't offer a flexible pass for it... The only pass for travel in the Czech is one between Germany/Czech or Austria/Czech...

Just look at the eurorail website and it will give you the details...

I got the three country pass and it ended up saving me a lot of money... and I just bought the tickets b/w czech and germany when I got there.

The pass is DEFINITELY worth it, even if you just get a simple two country pass....

8/9/2008 4:22:13 PM

Quote :

"if you're just going from Prague to Berlin, and then to Amsterdam, don't waste your money on a eurorail pass. Just pay your way through Die Bahn (german railway - cheaper prices than most others)"

8/9/2008 8:09:52 PM

I read this as time traveling in europe.

8/9/2008 8:18:31 PM

for your situation it will be better to just fly

8/10/2008 11:47:54 AM

that might be true...

check out http://www.smartwings.com (Czech airlines, I flew them and it was nice)

or http://www.ryanair.com

http://www.easyjet.com

I got a one way ticket from Prague to Rome for about 130 bucks from Smartwings... the only problem with they they only fly to certain destinations

8/10/2008 12:46:21 PM

Why not go farther east than Prague?

Budapest is incredibly beautiful and VERY affordable
I can recommend a fantastic hostel there run by British expats that like to party... in fact 2 of the 3 employees there are also pub guides and the other one showed up at a sketchy club just to make sure our group was doing alright

Budapest is only a 4 hour ride or so on the train too and it was fairly cheap

a word of warning about Prague - it is fairly expensive and touristy (less so than Amsterdam, I'd imagine)
however the bars are open forever and nobody complains if you smoke pot

8/10/2008 12:52:32 PM

Prague is one of the LEAST expensive cities in Europe!!!!

Especially on beer, it's cheaper than water....the exchange rate is not too bad either on Korunas.

8/10/2008 12:57:57 PM

i would have to say it depends on where you go in prague. there are some tourist trap places that cater mainly to tourists and they can be expensive, but if you find some of the more out of the way places to eat or whatever then its not as bad. beer on the other hand is always cheap as hell, even cheaper at grocery stores ('albert' - some are in the metro stops). but to the op, flying might be better than trains for some legs of your trip. europes airline system, specifically the budget airlines someone posted are awesome. some are almost as cheap as some trains or cheaper if you look hard enough, and you make the most of your time depending on how long the flight vs train ride would be. sometimes though it isnt as convenient with bags/airport lines though so you would have to weigh the different options. for instance, i flew from rome to prague for 7 euros plus a 20 euro fee or something like that, on smartwings. it helps since the CR isnt on the same rail system as the rest of the eurail countries.

also - read ALL the details for whatever airline you go on. there ARE hidden fees for extra/overweight bags.

8/10/2008 2:01:51 PM

* add to my topics *

8/10/2008 2:03:00 PM

If Train 1 starts in Prague going 120 kilometers per hour and train 2 starts in Amsterdam going 140 kilometers per hour, where will they collide and what is the magnitude of the force of the collision?

[Edited on August 10, 2008 at 2:41 PM. Reason : s]

8/10/2008 2:19:30 PM

look Prague was very expensive on my trip there
but I went to Brno, Budapest and Belgrade after that

yeah, the beer is really cheap
but if you drink enough of it you'll still go broke

8/10/2008 3:07:30 PM

there's never been another europe thread...ever

8/10/2008 3:18:16 PM

fuck you

europe is big enough to warrant more than a few threads

more threads than miley cyrus, at least

8/10/2008 4:08:43 PM

^ agreed. God forbid people have helpful and intelligent conversation.

It is true that it depends on where you go in Prague. There are hideaway places where you can get beers for 15Cz, which is about one buck.

One huge thing to remember is KNOW THE MONEY SYSTEM. They will definitely try to rip you off because they think you're a stupid tourist that doesn't understand the exchange rates. This also happened a LOT to people who tried to exchange money at the exchange points...

8/10/2008 5:25:13 PM

i think you missed the point sweet pea

8/10/2008 5:42:59 PM

I live in Prague most of the year, and Prague has become quite expensive over the last few years. The Czech Koruna has become the fastest appreciating currency in the world, gaining 22% over the last 12 months. http://www.radio.cz/en/article/106358

I'll tell you it's cheaper to live in Raleigh - but granted I live in the center of Prague. If you come to the Czech Republic, I would suggest checking out some of the smaller towns. You can check out the center of Prague and most of the tourist sites in a single day. Take a bus or train to Kutna Hora or Karlovy Vary or even to Brno or to Ostrava (very close to the border with Poland). My girlfriend is from Ostrava so I'm there quite often, and it's much cheaper than Prague and the "party scene" is a lot more laid back. If you make it to Ostrava, check out Stodolni street.

And even though beer is cheap (about the cheapest I've seen it in the center is 27 Kc for 0.5 liters - you can get down to 20 - 24 Kc toward the edge of the city), I second the recommendation of the grocery store (Tesco, Billa, Albert, etc) if you're on a very tight budget and looking for extremely cheap beer - you can get a big bottle of beer there for 9 Kc (if you return the bottle).

Overall, Prague is becoming very expensive.

8/10/2008 9:30:24 PM

Well see, Prague is a definite. I'm going on a trip with the U of Miami for film, and it is supposed be the hollywood of europe or something and we're taking some classes there i think, I'm going to be there for the majority of the trip starting in late june.

Then I figure I'll stay in europe a week after the film trip is done. I know someone in Berlin so i figured I'd visit them, and amsterdam is supposed to be really cool so I figured I'd go there but I'm still slightly open to changing that. I figure a week might be enough to have a good time in a couple places, but i really have no idea, and i'm not entirely sure how long i'll be able to stay with school starting soon, we'll see.

I'll check out Budapest, I don't know much about it at all.

thanks for all the replies!

[Edited on August 13, 2008 at 5:04 PM. Reason : fhsd]

8/13/2008 5:02:59 PM