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  #1  
Old Posted Mar 22, 2007, 10:07 PM
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Transportation between Spain, Netherlands, etc?

I'm planning on taking a trip early this summer to Spain, however while in the neighborhood, I figured I'll try to check out Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and possibly other cities that don't seem touristed to death. I was wondering though, can I get away with this by using a train, or whatever? Or will I have to pay the price of jet travel? Or is jet travel cheaper than train??

Thanks in advance.
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  #2  
Old Posted Mar 22, 2007, 10:48 PM
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Do everything in your power to go and check out Amsterdam. I was there for a week in '02 and though I dont remember a damn thing, in the pictures it looks like I was having a great time

We got our tickets from http://www.eurail.com/ BEFORE we left. Cheap, reliable, and a cool way to meet other travelers on the train.
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Old Posted Mar 23, 2007, 1:31 AM
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Hmmm, Spain to Amsterdam and Copenhagen? Might be better of going by plane.
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Old Posted Mar 23, 2007, 5:08 AM
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True, flying might be another possibility ... guess that would depend in part on the amount of time mthq has in Europe. I'm sure he would like to see as much as possible. So if he has lots of time: train; if not: plane. Unlike in the US where passenger rail service isn't very good, both modes of travel are abundant, pleasant and easy in Europe.

So where's Grumpy to extol the virtues of traveling by train?
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Old Posted Mar 23, 2007, 5:12 AM
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thanks for the link, thewatusi.

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm continuing to look into this, but I think the plane might prevail considering I don't have a month off.. rather just a week and a half or so. The last time I left the state was in 2004, so I really need to go!!

btw howcome Eurail.com has an image of Philadelphia? (click Eurail Countries to the right)
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Old Posted Mar 23, 2007, 9:44 AM
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Plane between Spain and Amsterdam. Train between AMS and CPH.

Try some low cost carrier if you wanna get away cheap - Ryanair, Easyjet or perhaps Transavia (that is based in AMS). Finding a train ticket between AMS and CPH should be no problem.

Don't forget to check out Malmö while in CPH.
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Old Posted Mar 23, 2007, 9:54 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mthq View Post
btw howcome Eurail.com has an image of Philadelphia? (click Eurail Countries to the right)
Silly mistake of them, but it's probably down to the X2000 in the foreground of that pic. That train only runs in Sweden (and HK-Guangzhou iirc!) normally so...
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  #8  
Old Posted Mar 24, 2007, 12:36 AM
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Oh I didn't knew the train also ran up there too. btw I was originally planning to visit the nordic countries exclusively, but my family really wanted me to see Spain thus a change in the other destinations. I'll get there soon though!

btw thanks for the tip, Staff
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Old Posted Mar 24, 2007, 2:29 AM
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but my family really wanted me to see Spain thus a change in the other destinations. I'll get there soon though!
are they from spain? or do they just really like it?
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Old Posted Mar 24, 2007, 5:14 PM
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Distances can be quite long in Europe, it's not as small as many people think. So train isn't always the best option. Generally, if the train journey is under 4-5 hours, it's a good way to travel. If it is over, it's best to be a long journey (10 hours plus) so you can book a private overnight sleeper and relax in comfort. Anything between 5 -10 hours is a bore.

Plane travel in Europe is extremely cheap. There are more budget airlines in Europe than the rest of the world combined (Well I read that a year ago, maybe it's changed now) And the prices can be very cheap, almost always cheaper than rail. But they often go to airports not to close to the city centers which adds more cost and time. For journey's where a train would take between 5-10 hours, I would recommend air travel.
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Old Posted Mar 24, 2007, 5:43 PM
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Oh I didn't knew the train also ran up there too. btw I was originally planning to visit the nordic countries exclusively, but my family really wanted me to see Spain
Spain is a little vague. Madrid, Barcelona, Andalusia ? It makes quite a difference.
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Old Posted Mar 25, 2007, 12:08 AM
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^oh Madrid.

bored guy: Yeah I figured I'll be taking one of those sleeper trains. I dunno if I really wanna do that though. I'm going to look at exactly where Easyjet, etc go to.

AJphx - our family originated from Spain generations ago so yeah there's sort of a connection.
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Old Posted Mar 25, 2007, 12:43 AM
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Transavia is the only LCC that flies both the Madrid-Amsterdam and the Amsterdam-Copenhagen route.

http://www.transavia.com/en
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Old Posted Mar 27, 2007, 4:59 AM
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Depending on how flexible you want to be I would go with plane... especially on the Amsterdam-Copenhagen stretch...

With a plane it'll take 2h max... but almost a hole day by train!

Plane is also much cheaper unless you go that Euro rail thingy - but there you'll still need to spend money on seat reservations unless you wanna risk standing for hours...

Sure you can see stuff from the train - but our countries are pancake flat and kinda boring... certainly not enough to get you going on the 5th hour

Renting a car might be a good option - just be adviced it's not cheap and there are speed traps and high gas prices



Here's a few pics incase you are looking for some
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=120363
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=121788

For Copenhagen info feel very free to contact me...

Last edited by FREKI; Mar 28, 2007 at 7:28 PM. Reason: Man my spelling sucks!
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Old Posted Mar 27, 2007, 9:31 AM
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^thanks very much guys. I ruled out renting a car a looong time ago It looks like I might take out taking the train as well. A full day is definently not what I have considering my short vacation. Every day will count.

I'll be checking out the links provided
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Old Posted Mar 27, 2007, 12:47 PM
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www.vueling.com (low-cost)

MADRID-AMSTERDAM
BARCELONA-AMSTERDAM
VALENCIA-AMSTERDAM

www.clickair.com (low-cost)

BARCELONA-AMSTERDAM

www.ryanair.com (low-cost)

MADRID-EINDHOVEN
GIRONA (80km from Barcelona)-EINDHOVEN
GIRONA-MAASTRICHT
MADRID-BILLUND (Denmark)
MADRID-GOTHENBURG (Sweden)
MADRID-MALMO (Sweden)
MADRID-OSLO
GIRONA-AARHUS (Denmark)
GIRONA-GOTHENBURG
GIRONA-MALMO
GIRONA-STOCKHOLM
GIRONA-OSLO

You can get very cheap flights in these airlines.



Inside Spain:

I recommend you Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla (all very nice cities, each one with its own charm)
If you have time enough you can choose too Salamanca, Segovia, Toledo (historical cities not far away from Madrid, Toledo is indeed very close) and San Sebastian (northern coast, beautiful city in the Basque Country seaside)
It's up to you tu decide.

www.renfe.com (train)
www.iberia.com (lots of flight connections from Barcelona and Madrid mainly to other spanish destinations, you can get cheap flights too, as an example I took Valencia-Madrid for 75 euros go and come back, just 5 euros more than the train)

Hope to have helped you

Last edited by UNRAVEL; Mar 27, 2007 at 12:53 PM.
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  #17  
Old Posted Mar 28, 2007, 9:23 PM
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^Thanks very much UNRAVEL. I really appreciate that
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Old Posted May 8, 2007, 4:16 AM
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Okay it looks like I got a plan together now. I will leave Anchorage in early July on Condor to Frankfurt. From Frankfurt, I will buy a $300+ pass (dunno what that is in Euros) for EuroRail which is suppose to be good for up to five countries. For a three week vacation, I suppose rail sounds acceptable, though I might skip long rides and take Ryanair instead.

Does this sound acceptable?

*edit* oh, and what are your thoughts on hostels? much input will be appreciated, guys.
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  #19  
Old Posted May 8, 2007, 8:55 AM
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^ Use http://www.hostelworld.com. Look at the overall ranking and pay most attention to the cleanliness and location scores. I wouldn't settle for anything ranked less than 85%. Make sure you'll have 24-hour access too. Almost all of them do but check just in case.
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  #20  
Old Posted May 8, 2007, 3:23 PM
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I second that recommendation. AND try to get a room with a private bathroom or one in which a bathroom is shared with relatively few people. You DO NOT, and I repeat DO NOT want to have to share a bathroom with 12 poeple when everyone needs to use the bathroon and get out in the morning. If you know exactly which city you will be visiting, let me know and I'll let you know if I've ever stayed in a hotel/hostel there.
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