Contrary to your beliefs, the plane is often cheaper than the train and the train is often faster than flying. Between many cities in Europe, the train is faster. Any flight will take nearly 5 hours by the time you add in getting to/from airports (the airport bus usually leaves from the train station) check-in time, security time and actual flight time. Also, you can take the train virtually any time of the day (or overnight on longer routes) so you can arrange your train ride when it’s most convenient (leave Vienna in the early morning, spend most of the day in Salzburg and then continue on to Munich in the evening). A flight in the middle of the day kills the entire day for sightseeing.

Distance from airport to the center of town varies, but figure 45 minutes to an hour each way as typical. Some of the airports used by low-fare airlines are a 2 hour bus ride from the city they “serve.”

Train is more comfortable and less stressful — there isn’t the rush to the airport in order to wait in lines and sit around for 2 hours. I try to limit in-Europe flights to an average of 1 or 2 a week. Are you really going to take 7 to 14 plane trips in a month? That’s my idea of hell.

For most travelers, a combination works best. I’d look for flights to/from Spain and, if you can find cheap flights (unlikely) to/from Denmark. I’d take the train for the rest.

Thanks so much! I think we may end up doing a combination of train and plane. Plane to spain and greece and back to france — and then train betweeen France, Switzerland, Germany, Copenhagen.. then fly back from Copenhagen to London.

We found some flights to Copenhagen for only 28 euros with easy jet!