By Car or Public Transportation?
Map: Point-to-Point Rail Tickets: Cost & Time
Fahrenheit and Celsius Conversion
Austria: US Embassy, Boltzmanngasse 16, Vienna, tel. 01/313-390, embassy@usembassy.at; consular services at Parkring 12a, daily 8:00-11:30 by appointment only, tel. 01/313-397-535, austria.usembassy.gov
Belgium: US Embassy, 27 Boulevard du Régent/Regentlaan, Brussels, tel. 02-811-4300—answered Mon-Thu 8:00-12:30, Fri 13:30-15:30, for after-hours emergencies call 02-811-4000 and ask to be connected to the duty officer, passport services by online appointment only, belgium.usembassy.gov; US Consulate next door to embassy at 25 Boulevard du Régent/Regentlaan
France: US Embassy, 4 Avenue Gabriel, to the left as you face Hôtel Crillon, Paris, Mo: Concorde, tel. 01 43 12 22 22, passport services by appointment, online appointments possible, france.usembassy.gov
Germany: US Embassy, Pariser Platz 2, Berlin, tel. 030/83050; consular services at Clayallee 170, Mon-Fri 8:30-12:00 by appointment only, tel. 030/8305-1200—calls answered Mon-Fri 14:00-16:00 only, online appointments possible, germany.usembassy.gov
Great Britain: US Embassy, 24 Grosvenor Square, London, Tube: Bond Street, tel. 020/7499-9000; for emergency 36-hour passport service, email LondonEmergencyPPT@state.gov or call general number; london.usembassy.gov
Italy: US Embassy, Via Vittorio Veneto 121, Rome, 24-hour emergency line—tel. 06-46741, non-emergency—tel. 06-4674-2420 answered Mon-Fri 15:00-17:00, passport services Mon-Fri 8:30-12:00, italy.usembassy.gov; US Consulate, Lungarno Vespucci 38, Florence, tel. 055-266-951, florence.usconsulate.gov
The Netherlands: US Embassy, Lange Voorhout 102, The Hague, tel. 070/310-2209, visits by appointment only, netherlands.usembassy.gov; US Consulate, Museumplein 19, Amsterdam, tel. 020/575-5309 during office hours: Mon-Fri 13:30-16:30, in case of emergency call after-duty officer at tel. 070/310-2209, passport services by online appointment only, amsterdam.usconsulate.gov
Spain: US Embassy, Calle Serrano 75, Madrid, tel. 915-872-240, after-hours emergency tel. 915-872-200, madrid.usembassy.gov
Switzerland: US Embassy, Sulgeneckstrasse 19, Bern, tel. 031-357-7011—calls answered Mon-Fri 14:00-16:00 only, after-hours emergency tel. 031-357-7777, passport services by online appointment only, bern.usembassy.gov
This section contains basic information on trains, driving, and flights.
If you’re debating between public transportation and car rental, consider these factors: Cars are best for three or more traveling together (especially families with small kids), those packing heavy, and those scouring the countryside. Trains, buses, and boats are best for an ambitious, multi-country itinerary, and especially so for solo travelers, blitz tourists, city-to-city travelers, and those who don’t want to drive in Europe. While a car gives you more freedom, trains, buses, and boats zip you effortlessly and scenically from city to city, usually dropping you in the center, often near a tourist-info office. Cars are an expensive headache in big cities like Rome and Paris.
A major mistake Americans make is relating public transportation in Europe to the pathetic public transportation they’re used to at home. By rail, you’ll have Europe by the tail. While many people simply buy tickets as they go (“point to point”), the various train passes give you the simplicity of ticket-free, nearly unlimited travel, and depending on how many trips you take, often offer a savings over regular point-to-point tickets. High-speed, long-distance, international, and overnight trains are more likely to require reservations; you can make your more critical reservations from home.
For a summary of rail pass options, objective advice for choosing among them, detailed tips for planning your train trip, and one-stop shopping for passes and any tickets and reservations you might need in advance, check ricksteves.com/rail. To check train schedules online, check bahn.com (Germany’s excellent Europe-wide timetable).
Eurail Global Passes offer you nearly unlimited travel on all public railways throughout most of Europe (except Great Britain and some of Eastern Europe). Choose between the consecutive-day pass (ranging from 15 days to three months) or the cheaper flexipass (any 10 or 15 individual days in two months).
Eurail Select Passes give you a selected number of travel days in your choice of four adjoining Eurail countries, whether connected by rail or ferry (e.g., Italy, Switzerland, France, and Germany). Select Passes are fine for a focused trip, but to see the Best of Europe, you’d do best with a Global Pass.
With either of these passes (as with most rail passes), travel partners (2-5 people traveling together) save about 15 percent with the “saverpass” discount. Youths under 26 travel cheaper with second-class passes (for the rest of us, this pass is only available for first-class travel). Kids under 12 pay half the adult rate.
Choosing a Pass: For an at-a-glance break-even point, remember that a one-month Global Pass is a good value if, for example, your route is Amsterdam-Rome-Madrid-Paris. Passes pay for themselves quicker in the north, where the cost per mile is higher. Check the “Point-to-Point Train Tickets Cost & Time” map in this chapter to get a sense of what you’d pay in point-to-point train tickets, then compare it with the pass prices at ricksteves.com/rail. If it’s about even, go with the pass for the convenience of not having to wait in line to buy tickets (on trains that don’t require paid reservations) and for the fun and freedom to travel “free.” Even if second-class tickets work out a bit cheaper than a first-class pass for travelers over 26, consider the added value of a first-class pass: On a crowded train, your chances of getting a seat are much better if your pass allows you to sit anywhere on the train.
If you’re renting a car, bring your driver’s license. In some countries (including Austria, Italy, and Spain), you’re also required to have an International Driving Permit—an official translation of your driver’s license (sold at your local AAA office for $15 plus the cost of two passport-type photos; see aaa.com). While that’s the letter of the law in those countries, I’ve often rented cars in Europe without having this permit. If all goes well, you’ll likely never be asked to show the permit—but it’s a must if you end up dealing with the police.
As Europe’s internal borders fade, your car comes with the paperwork you need to drive wherever you like in Western and most of Eastern Europe (always check when booking). But if you’re heading to a country in eastern Europe that still has mandatory border stops, state your travel plans up front to the rental company when making your reservation. Some companies have limits on eastward excursions (for example, you can only take cheaper cars, and you may have to pay extra insurance fees). When you cross these borders, you may be asked to show proof of insurance (called a “green card”). Ask your car-rental company if you need any other documentation for crossing the borders on your itinerary.
For trips of three weeks or more, leasing—which includes taxes and insurance—is often the best way to go (for more information, see ricksteves.com/transportation).
When you rent a car, you are liable for a very high deductible, sometimes equal to the entire value of the car. Limit your financial risk with one of these options: Buy Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) coverage from the car-rental company, get coverage through your credit card (free, if your card automatically includes zero-deductible coverage), or buy coverage through a travel-insurance company.
Buying CDW insurance is the easiest but priciest option. Using the coverage that comes with your credit card is cheaper, but can involve more hassle in case of an accident. If you’re purchasing travel insurance, companies such as Travel Guard (travelguard.com) sell collision coverage as an add-on to their other policies. For more on car-rental insurance, see ricksteves.com/cdw.
I use the freeways whenever possible. They’re free in the Netherlands and Germany; you’ll pay about $5-9 per hour in Italy, France, and Spain; roughly $40 for the toll sticker as you enter Switzerland; and about $11 for a toll sticker in Austria. It costs about $25 a day to park safely in big cities, and there’s a $16 “congestion charge” to drive in downtown London.
Be warned that driving is restricted in many Italian city centers. If you drive in an area marked Zona Traffico Limitato (ZTL, often shown above a red circle), your license plate can be photographed and a hefty (€100-plus) fine mailed to your home without your ever being stopped by a cop.
If you’re considering a train ride that’s more than five hours long, a flight may save you both time and money. When comparing your options, factor in the time it takes to get to the airport and how early you’ll need to arrive to check in.
The best comparison search engine for both international and intra-European flights is kayak.com. For inexpensive flights within Europe, try skyscanner.com or hipmunk.com. If you’re not sure who flies to your destination, check its airport’s website for a list of carriers. Well-known cheapo airlines include easyJet (easyjet.com) and Ryanair (ryanair.com).
Be aware of the potential drawbacks of flying on the cheap: nonrefundable and nonchangeable tickets, minimal or nonexistent customer service, treks to airports far outside town, and stingy baggage allowances with steep overage fees. If you’re traveling with lots of luggage, a cheap flight can quickly become a bad deal. To avoid unpleasant surprises, read the small print before you book.
Rick Steves Best of Europe 2015 is one of many books in my series on European travel, which includes country guidebooks, city guidebooks (Rome, Florence, Paris, London, etc.), Snapshot guides (excerpted chapters from my country guides), Pocket Guides (full-color little books on big cities), and my budget-travel skills handbook, Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door. Most of my titles are available as ebooks. My phrase books—for Italian, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese—are practical and budget-oriented. My other books include Europe 101 (a crash course on art and history designed for travelers), Mediterranean Cruise Ports and Northern European Cruise Ports (how to make the most of your time in port), and Travel as a Political Act (a travelogue sprinkled with tips for bringing home a global perspective). A more complete list of my titles appears near the end of this book.
Video: My public television series, Rick Steves’ Europe, covers European destinations in 100 shows. To find local airtimes or watch episodes online, visit ricksteves.com/tv.
Audio: My weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, features interviews with travel experts from around the world. I’ve also produced free, self-guided audio tours of the top sights in London, Paris, Florence, Rome, Venice, Amsterdam, Vienna, Salzburg, and the Rhine. All of this audio content is available for free at Rick Steves Audio Europe, an extensive online library organized by destination. Choose whatever interests you, and download it for free via the Rick Steves Audio Europe app, ricksteves.com/audioeurope, iTunes, or Google Play.
• Europeans write a few of their numbers differently than we do: 1 = 
, 4 = 
, 7 = 
.
• In Europe, dates appear as day/month/year, so Christmas 2015 is 25/12/15.
• Except in Great Britain, commas are decimal points, and decimals commas. A dollar and a half is $1,50, one thousand is 1.000, and there are 5.280 feet in a mile.
• When counting with fingers, start with your thumb. If you hold up your first finger to request one item, you’ll probably get two.
• What Americans call the second floor of a building is the first floor in Europe.
• On escalators and moving sidewalks, Europeans keep the left “lane” open for passing. Keep to the right.
A kilogram is 2.2 pounds, and l liter is about a quart, or almost four to a gallon. A kilometer is six-tenths of a mile. I figure kilometers to miles by cutting them in half and adding back 10 percent of the original (120 km: 60 + 12 = 72 miles, 300 km: 150 + 30 = 180 miles).
| 1 foot = 0.3 meter | 1 square yard = 0.8 square meter |
| 1 yard = 0.9 meter | 1 square mile = 2.6 square kilometers |
| 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers | 1 ounce = 28 grams |
| 1 centimeter = 0.4 inch | 1 quart = 0.95 liter |
| 1 meter = 39.4 inches | 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds |
| 1 kilometer = 0.62 mile | 32°F = 0°C |
Europe takes its temperature using the Celsius scale, while we opt for Fahrenheit. For a rough conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, double the number and add 30. For weather, remember that 28°C is 82°F—perfect. For health, 37°C is just right.
Whether you’re traveling for five days or five weeks, you won’t need more than this. Pack light to enjoy the sweet freedom of true mobility.
5 shirts: long- & short-sleeve
2 pairs pants or skirt
1 pair shorts or capris
5 pairs underwear & socks
1 pair walking shoes
Sweater or fleece top
Rainproof jacket with hood
Tie or scarf
Swimsuit
Sleepwear
Debit card
Credit card(s)
Hard cash ($20 bills)
Money belt or neck wallet
Passport
Airline reservations
Rail pass/train reservations
Car-rental voucher
Driver’s license
Student ID, hostel card, etc.
Photocopies of all the above
Hotel confirmations
Insurance details
Guidebooks & maps
Notepad & pen
Journal
Toiletries
Medicines & vitamins
First-aid kit
Glasses/contacts/sunglasses (with prescriptions)
Earplugs
Packet of tissues (for WC)
Daypack
Sealable plastic baggies
Laundry soap
Spot remover
Clothesline
Sewing kit
Travel alarm/watch
Smartphone or mobile phone
Camera & related gear
Tablet/ereader/media player
Laptop & flash drive
Earbuds or headphones
Chargers
Plug adapters
Flipflops or slippers
Mini-umbrella or poncho
Travel hairdryer
Hat (for sun or cold)
Picnic supplies
Water bottle
Fold-up tote bag
Small flashlight
Small binoculars
Insect repellent
Small towel or washcloth
Inflatable pillow
Some duct tape (for repairs)
Tiny lock
Address list (to mail postcards)
Postcards/photos from home
Extra passport photos
Good book
