Europe trip

Hello, I am planning a three week trip in Europe. Being a poor student it has to be cheap. I am thinking of getting a flight to Prague and then using rail travel/hostels to see something of Eastern Europe. Can anyone here advise please? We (6 of us) will probably travel down through CZ to Slovakia but from there on, it gets a bit fuzzy. Are there any rail packages? Travel to CZ by rail is another option. Oh and .. I live in England.

The cheapest way to get from London to Eastern Europe is on low-cost airlines like Ryanair or Skyeurope. Book at least 2-3 weeks in advance for the best fares. The train from London will be much more expensive.

You don't need a rail package - train tickets in Eastern Europe are cheap and you should just buy them as you go along.

Given that there are six of you, you might prefer to share rooms in cheap hotels rather than stay in hostels. You won't save much by staying in hostels, and you'll have a lot more privacy and quiet. Hostels squeeze as many as ten people into a room, and people will be coming and going at all hours of the night and morning, making it difficult to sleep.

What time of year do you want to go?

After the Czech Republic, you could go up to Poland and the Baltic States, or go down to Hungary and then either to Romania or to Croatia and Slovenia. Berlin and Vienna are very rewarding destinations if your itinerary and budget permit.

If they book as a group, research hostels in advance, and request a group room they can be lodged just with each other, in most places that have group rooms. And these days most hostels have smaller rooms.

The advice about checking hotels applies in some places and not in others. You'll need to research.

Why not visit www.hospitalityclub.org for meeting the real people and cutting down hostel expenses? Great idea and everyone can join and help. Have a nice trip.

Where you reach from CZ to Slovakia is Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, Belarus.

Check www.seat61.com

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