As part of our ‘big trips’ Bev loves to ‘crunch numbers’ to check out how much we spend and how far we travel. She also likes to make maps of where we’ve been.
28 days away, 6,322 miles (according to Polarsteps app) visiting 6 countries: France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Italy
32 trains [1st class seats with the Interrail Global Pass], 3 long distance buses [Greece], 1 long distance taxi [Greece]
City taxis [Athens], water bus [Venice], U-bahn/Trams/Trolleybus [Vienna & Zurich], Metro/RER [Milan & Paris]
1 overnight train [2-berth cabin on Nightjet: Stuttgart to Venice]
2 overnight ferries [2-berth cabin on ANEK Superfast service crossing the Adriatic/Ionian Seas between Bari, Italy & Patras, Greece]
6 hotels (12 nights): London [1], Venice [3], Delphi [3], Florence [3], Milan [1], Paris [1]
3 apartments (10 nights): Athens [4], Vienna [4], Tirano [2]
1 stay with family (2 nights): Zurich
ITINERARY for x10 Interrail Travel Days plus three extra days not included in the Pass
Home to London used cheap advance tickets in order to get early Eurostar from St Pancras.
1. London – Paris – Venice (inc. Nightjet overnight)
2. Venice – Bari – Patras (inc. overnight ferry 30% discount)
To Athens by bus/train (not included as a Travel Day).
Athens to Delphi by bus – no trains available.
Delphi to Patras by private taxi for return ferry to Bari (not included as a Travel Day).
3. Bari – Florence
4. Florence – Vienna via Brenner Pass
5. Vienna – Zurich via Innsbruck
6. Zurich – Tirano via Chur & St Moritz
7. Tirano – St Moritz (day out on the Bernina Line)
8. Tirano – Milano Centrale
9. Milano Centrale – Lugano [beware 4 minute interchange!] – Zurich – Paris
10. Paris – London – Home
This trip was obviously very different from going away in the van and not really comparable at first sight.
Clearly, one of the biggest differences is cost of train travel vs. diesel, motorway tolls etc. and overnight accommodation in hotels & apartments instead of a few euros on a camping ground. We also spent more eating out with fewer options for self-catering.
However, given the distance travelled it hasn’t turned out to be excessively expensive and we did treat ourselves to some quite ‘up market’ places to stay! Being in cities also had additional costs in terms of public transport and we went to more galleries, museums and ‘sites’ than we generally do when we’re in the van.