Places in Europe
By maximax8
@maximax8 (31046)
United Kingdom
August 15, 2012 9:12am CST
I visited Greece when I was 14 years old with my mom and we had a wonderful time. I love to travel by train and when I was 18 years old I traveled around Europe by train. Yesterday I was reading some of the website Man in Seat 61. I was shocked to see that Greece is not running any international trains anymore. It would be very hard for a person traveling around Europe by train to reach Greece this year.
I was reading how to reach Albania and it would be a bus and a taxi or two taxis. That country's train system is cut off from the rest of Europe. There is also a way to reach Albania by getting a cheap flight to the island of Corfu and then taking a ferry over to Albania. It is also possible to take a ferry to Albania from Italy.
I really like Eastern Europe and would in the future like to visit countries in it which I haven't yet been to like Ukraine. I think Eastern Europe has much cheaper prices than Western Europe and it is very interesting.
What do you think about the situation with Greek trains not linking up with other European destinations?
Which places in Eastern Europe do you fancy visiting?
Have you ever traveled by train, ferry or air to a cheap destination?
9 responses
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
15 Aug 12
I love trains but the way it's going in THIS country, people will be split between the rich and the poor. The rich being able to afford to travel on them and the poor who can't. Should be re-nationalised.
They should do away with First Class as well. Empty seats everywhere, it's scandalous.
In order to answer your question though lol...erm..I would travel on public transport in the countries you describe, whenever possible..as it's cheaper than here for a start!
A friend of mine couldn't even be bothered travelling to Barcelona with me on the train and we were staying in Calella, only a few miles away. She refused not once, but twice, as we visited the resort two years in succession.
This is why I would love to go there with my hubby at some point..oh, and I love Corfu too although it might be a bit too hot for him there.
In order to answer your question though lol...erm..I would travel on public transport in the countries you describe, whenever possible..as it's cheaper than here for a start!
A friend of mine couldn't even be bothered travelling to Barcelona with me on the train and we were staying in Calella, only a few miles away. She refused not once, but twice, as we visited the resort two years in succession.
This is why I would love to go there with my hubby at some point..oh, and I love Corfu too although it might be a bit too hot for him there.@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
15 Aug 12
I love traveling by train and know ways to get cheaper fares in my home country. One way is to book in advance and as early as the day you wish to travel comes around on the website. I have a Friends and Family Railcard. It gives discounts for me and my kids off in the off peak hours. In my younger days and when I was a full time student I had a Young Person's Railcard. Yes, they should get rid of first class.
It was lovely that you visited Barcelona. It was a shame your friend didn't want to travel by train in that area of Spain. You and your husband might like a spring or autumn trip to Corfu. At this time of the year we have hot weather and the highest prices.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
15 Aug 12
I'm really upset about Virgin Trains losing out on the West Coast Mainline franchise.
Have you ever been on a First Group train? Think "Third World" and you're not even close.
Thanks for the info..is it possible to book European train journeys online? I used to do this a lot when I commuted from Preston to Carlisle on Fridays and bought a lot of my tickets in advance online. It saved me hundreds of pounds every month buying them all at once lol.
Have you ever been on a First Group train? Think "Third World" and you're not even close.
Thanks for the info..is it possible to book European train journeys online? I used to do this a lot when I commuted from Preston to Carlisle on Fridays and bought a lot of my tickets in advance online. It saved me hundreds of pounds every month buying them all at once lol.
@yugasini (12893)
• Secunderabad, India
15 Aug 12
hi maximax,
now itself i have stated that at the age of 20 itself you have started visiting countries, but now i know that you have started visiting countries at the age of 14 only, can you count the nations you have visited ,still how many countries pending in your list to visit, Greece is old and ancient country and every body have learned about Greece and about Alexander the great,have a nice day.
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
15 Aug 12
The way my traveling began was trips with my family to France when I was a child. Then traveling to Greece at age 14 with my mom, traveling to the Netherlands at age 17 with a friend and then my first experience of traveling alone at age 18 which was my trip around Europe. My trip around the world happened when I was 20 to 21 years old.
Yes, Greece is a fascinating country with all its old buildings.
Have a lovely day my friend.
Have a lovely day my friend.@yugasini (12893)
• Secunderabad, India
15 Aug 12
hi maximax,
thanks for the response, there may be lot of stampings in your passport with different countries visas, why don't you send your name to Guinness book of records, the highest countries visitor in the world, i have asked you to disclosed the countries you have visited,but you have not written, have a nice day.
@sanjay91422 (2725)
• India
21 Aug 12
That is another one from you, I am having some feeling for your feeling about the traveling. What can I call this feeling? I don't know.
I wanted to reply to your discussion so I wrote these lines. I never went to foreign but I think I will visit it soon. I have no plans yet.
I know you will say that without plans I will not go anywhere, so now I will ask you that how you manage to do so much traveling? What you do for the living/earning?
@deazil (4730)
• United States
16 Aug 12
Many years ago I traveled half way across America by train. I love trains and have always been fascinated by them. I went from Massachusetts to Denver, Colorado. It was beautiful. I traveled in a sleeper car with my son who was 9 at the time. We passed the Mickey Mouse train on another track. They were going cross-country celebrating Mickey's 50th birthday. The scenery was incredible and the whole trip was very exciting. It must be wonderful to travel around Europe by train. The only thing I know about European train travel is the Orient Express from days gone by.You are very lucky to have traveled so extensively at such a young age.
You are very lucky to have traveled so extensively at such a young age. 
@mybranko (56)
• Croatia (Hrvatska)
16 Aug 12
I live in Croatia (in a country where Nikola Tesla was born). So many beautiful islands have few countries in the world. Next year it will become part of European Union. So many tourists come this summer... One of the beautiful countries in the world. You need to see...
@bdfreelancer (518)
•
19 Aug 12
It is so convenient to travel across Europe from within the Continent by rail network and road. However, few countries are excluded from this direct network. Yet it is still convenient to travel those countries because of the presence of good transport links. I would really like to visit Romania and Hungary one day as I have met many people from these two countries and a few of them are my friends now. I also would like to visit Russia and Poland. I have traveled by air most of the time to cheap destination. Greece is going through a difficult time and it might take some time before the linking up with the other European destinations by direct trains.
@bhanusb (5709)
• India
15 Aug 12
Hi Maxine,
as far as I know Eastern Europe is much different than Western Europe. There are some similarity between Eastern Europe and Asia. I think your troubled tour to Greece and Albania will enjoyable. I don't think Eastern Europe is cheaper. After breaking of Soviet Union the economic condition of the countries of former Soviet Union is not good . The countries are facing many problems.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
15 Aug 12
I didn't know that Albania's train system was cut off from the rest of Europe, but I remember from the time when I bought my interrail pass that Albania was one of the few countries that wasn't included in the interrail pass. I think that I would catch the ferry from Italy if I decide to visit Albania, because I would like to go back to Italy anyway so I could visit some places in Italy before I go to Albania. I want to visit Ukraine and I know that there is a train from Warsaw to Kiev, and I thinking of going to Poland and catching the train there. Kiev sounds like an interesting and beautiful city and and I hope to visit it in the future.
@Luluq0423 (13)
• China
16 Aug 12
Travelling across Europe is one of my dream. I like reading the tips about travelling. Hope I can make this dream happen in the short future.
