Interrailing (yes that is an unofficial verb) is a great way to see a lot of places in a very small space of time; it's relatively cheap (compared to air travel) and definitely very speedy (compared to driving/ boats) and on the whole is a rather stressless way to cover lots of ground.
1. Eating in capital cities, in Western Europe in particular, is expensive. Seems obvious I know but I had visions of myself sipping on red wine and chomping on fresh pizza until the wee hours of the morning on the cobbled streets of Florence for instance but in reality, unless it was a treat, I found myself joining the masses in a busy fast food joint or getting another cheese and baguette combo from the super market. If you want to try local food then your best bet is to go slightly out of the main tourist areas to find restaurants that don't hit the budget too hard.
2. Plan as much as you can. It's great to 'wing it' sometimes when you're travelling and go with the flow but this can sometimes mean that you miss out on important dates/ events. For example visiting the Louvre in Paris will normally cost you 15 Euros but if you visit on the first Sunday of every month in the off season (Oct- Mar) it is free to all visitors or on Friday evenings it is free if you're under 26. It's great to plan your trip around festivals and markets too so that you don't miss out.
3. You will sometimes have to reserve tickets on certain journeys or pay extra for fast trains. You may also have to pay extra for a bed on an over night train.
4. That being said, paying for a bed on an overnight train is a lot cheaper than a bed in a hostel so try and not waste entire days on a train when you can save yourself some money by travelling at night time.
5. Be aware of pick pockets at major tourist attractions, especially in Paris, it's not a problem as long as you make sure you don't leave your camera, phone or wallet on a table/ hanging out of your pocket.
6. If you want to party then I personally wouldn't sign up for some god awful wacky hostel pub crawl because a. they are expensive b. they say that you get 'free shots' which is basically 1 thimble sized shot of watered down vodka c. the free gift that you get usually consists of a one size fits all t-shirt that you'll never where again d. it's usually full of douchebags. Try and find your own bars to drink in that don't replicate Vodka Revs on a Saturday night in any town in the UK.
7. I did this trip at the grand old age of 21 and quite frankly had little idea of what I was really doing. I stuck to the most obvious route and did the most obviously touristy things which was 100% fine at that time (I also would have signed up to plenty of pub crawls a la No. 6 on this list which again was totally fine at the time) but my tip for anybody going now would be to explore the lesser known places in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia and save the obvious places for weekend trips (especially as they're so close to the UK).
Right that's the sensible 'tips and tricks' bit out of the way. Here's a little run down of the places that I visited on my trip:
Paris:
Summary: This was the second time that I had been to Paris having visited it 5 years prior with my family. The second time around I saw it in a different light, it was much more romantic and beautiful, and seemingly a lot more expensive. A coffee at a cafe in the city centre was a rare treat but walking down and sitting by the Seine with a flask of instant coffee from the hostel somehow seemed just as magical. The area of Montmatre is definitely my favourite and if I ever go back I will ensure that I stay/ eat/ never leave that area of the city.
Must see: The Shakespeare and Co bookshop on the river opposite Notre Dame.
Amsterdam:
Top Tip: Be aware of bicycle lanes in Amsterdam. We have these lanes in London but in Amsterdam they are on a whole other level, if you walk out onto one of these lanes without checking to see if it's clear first you will get your toes run over by an angry local and most likely get tinnitus from the aggressive use of their bell- you have been warned!
Berlin:
Summary: Much like Paris, I had already been to Berlin having visited a few years prior on a school trip. On this trip I stayed in the old communist sector and although it was not the most aesthetically pleasing part to stay in it was a lot cheaper and there were quirky second hand clothing shops and cheap cafes aplenty.
Must do: A free walking tour around the city. These tours are available in most major cities and you simply pay your guide however much or little as you want. I also did one of these walking tours in Amsterdam but I would say that Berlin was my favourite by far. It was great to contextualise the buildings to the history of the place as otherwise I fear one parliamentary building may have merged into another one and another one and another one.
Prague:
Must do: Sounds kind of geeky but make sure you catch the city's Astronomical Clock in the Old Town which goes off on the hour every hour.
Vienna:
Summary: To be perfectly honest, I only stayed in Vienna overnight on my way to Venice from Prague so I can't comment too much on it. I did visit an art gallery to see Klimt's The Kiss however which really was quite impressive.
Venice:
Top Tip: Hiring a private gondola is ridiculously expensive but you can't visit Venice without sitting on one at least once, therefore I would suggest getting a ride on 'Traghetto' which is basically a gondola taxi type service which is insanely cheaper.
Pisa:
Top Tip: Literally stay for the day, take your totes hilarious photo pretending to hold the tower up, get on a train and leave again.
Florence:
Top Tip: The first Sunday of every month means free admission (usually around 24 Euros) to the Accademia Gallery with the main attraction being Michelangelo's David (although the statue itself is impressive his erm...equipment is significantly less so).
Must do: Get Gelato at the shop just outside The Vatican. I can't remember the name of it but I got Nutella and Ferrero Rocher ice cream for about 2 Euros!
Hello and welcome to This Ruth Is On Fire, a UK blog which is a haven for random thoughts and sarcastic observations.
I'm also into books, clothes and visiting places too.
