I’m not sure a rail pass will be the best/cheapest way to get around Ireland. Check schedules and prices for point to point tickets on the Irish national rail company website. Google “Irish rover” to see about bus and possibly bus/train passes. http://www.buseirean… is the link for the bus company. http://www.irishrail… for the rail company.

You can get just about everywhere in Ireland by train and bus and there,s good local public transportation around the cities. It’s all relatively cheap. A guidebook dedicated to Ireland would be a good investment for this trip.

We like trains, but they don’t go everywhere, so sometimes we take a bus. Especially in rural areas, buses may run less frequently than daily, so you have to plan to go to X on a day that the bus will be running. Renting a car might cost more, but would give you a lot more flexibility.

One problem with planning is that the schedules are usually seasonal, and they don’t update their schedules until a few months before the changes, so if you looked now for a train in 2012, you might get a response that there is no train on that date, just because they haven’t yet updated their schedule. Try later and it will have been updated. Since schedules are usually the same from year to year, you could probably do an inquiry for 2011, and get good information for 2012, but be careful to select from days of the week rather than dates, as a May 5 could be a Sunday in 2011 and a Wednesday in 2012.

I had a nice day trip planned from Barcelona involving a train and a bus, but we were going in off season, and when I checked shortly before leaving, they had switched to off season schedules and the trip wouldn’t work in one day. I found a tour service that cost more, but enabled us to see all we wanted; and a bonus was that the guide was very good. While I usually don’t like tours, this was one situation that worked out well.

Incidentally, I noted that you are routing from Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris. It might give you more time to avoid going twice between Madrid and Lisbon. Perhaps a flight from Lisbon to Paris, or routing from Barcelona to Valencia to Lisbon to Madrid to Paris?

Thank you OL, I really rely on the rail for this trip for practically everywhere. however its not always the best option. Im glad you mentioned buses, I will look into that more, the ones i see mostly want you to tour with them and im not sure thats the best idea. im trying to spend as little as possible. to make it through this trip. Ive also been planning on it for almost 2 years now, but that only got me a itinerary in trip order and what i want to accomplish seeing on what days. now im just trying to figure out the ways to get there.

Do you have any good ideas to getting to Krakow, Poland from either Budapest or Bratislava or Prague? or best ideas for getting to budapest from any of the above listed cities without air travel?

LOL, I wish you could see how much I invested on books, I have a good amount, nearly 60 on the cities and countries and maps of it all, im just not sure i have the best concept of getting around once in the cities without spending alot of money.

lol very true, I feel like a travel agent, i been planning this for two years, and started late 2009, and have time tables for 09’ 10’ and now 11, and already see the changes. Its crazy guess i have to wait for the 2012 Eurorail book.

I love the ideas of tours, they take you where you have to go, tell you all about it, then take you home. what i dont like is the prices. lol. but i plan on taking a tour for 11 hours from Dublin to the Giants causeway and Belfast. just to keep it cheap. i think the tour is cheapest. Id love to find more like that. but one can dream right?

I LOVE this idea, im very concerned about the cost of flights. Mostly the booked luggage, as typical on this site, i’ll be backpacking, i just fear my pack might get heavier than the allowed 32kg. how are these flights? have you done it?

Krakow, Prague, Bratislava (or at least nearby Vienna) and Budapest all have good train service — relatively fast for the shorter distances and decent overnight trains for the longer runs. Use the German national rail company website for schedules anywhere in Europe (including UK and Ireland) http://reiseauskunft… If you don’t like overnight trains, then look into cheap flights for train rides over about 6 hours. I use www.whichbudget.com to see which low fare airlines fly which routes, but check the “cheap flights” forum for more links and search engines, plus tips and help.

The link I posted is the national bus company in Ireland. A google of the country +bus will usually find you similar sites in other countries. Eurolines in the major international bus company in Europe: www.eurolines.com Busabout is another option, but it’s a little more like a tour as it’s geared to carrying (mostly young) tourists between major cities. Hit the library, the used bookstore and the clearance bin at the regular bookstore before you invest in any more!!!! Getting around cities is usually very easy. Subways and trams are usually quickest and usually are cheap but there are always buses, too. I plan on 5 euros a day for local transportation and that’s probably way more than enough. In most cities you’ll do tons of walking so will probably only take 1 or 2 rides a day. Let me repeat that… You’ll do a lot of your “getting around” on foot. I spend a LOT of time looking for well located hotels and hostels, another situation where a guide book is very important. We generally take the subway to the farthest place we intend to visit each day and then work our way back toward the hotel through the other places we want to visit. Sometimes we walk all the way back. If we’re tired or it’s raining we may take the subway from our last stop to the hotel. One tour option is the hop-on/hop-off bus tour. These are usually a relatively cheap way to get oriented in a new city. The bus follows a set route stopping at all the major tourist destinations. There’s a recorded tour description (sometimes a guide, but often just a recording) about the city and each attraction along the way. If something interests you, stop off and visit then catch a later bus to continue the route. Tickets are usually good for 24 hours — sometimes for 48 hours.

Two BTW’s: Do you have a Schengen visa problem with a trip over 90 days? and 32 kgs is a huge amount of weight. Are you really planning on toting 75 pounds around Europe? Most of the low fare intra-Europe airlines have a 15 kg limit and the overweight charges can be huge.

I’ve avoided the low cost airlines in Europe, partly because the trains are more comfortable and let you watch some scenery, but mostly because we are not backpackers, and I have read too many horror stories of people running afoul of the strictly enforced baggage limits. Also, in comparing time and cost, the trains run from city centers, usually, so you save the time and cost of getting to an airport (low cost airlines often use rather remote airports), and I imagine there are security delays with the flights, but I’ve not seen any on the trains, yet.

I had the same thought about the Schengen visa, but the site I looked at said Ireland is not a Schengen signitory, so there should be no problem. I would suggest the op look it up to be certain, as I seem to have a knack for finding outdated websites.

Thank you again for all the great information. I truly think that EuroTrip should publish a book! I didnt know what a Schengen Visa was until i googled it. I was under the impression, that i can only stay 90 days in one country.

I was planning on entering in from dublin and flying out of Paris. Do i have the concept wrong? do i need a Schengen Visa?

And no, i do not plan on carrying that much, starting out, but towards the end i have no idea. This is my one opportunity to travel Backpack, europe before i need to settle down. but i do like my souvenirs. so i dont really know what it will weigh. and im a big guy, 6’5” 280, so clothes generally weigh more lol! I hope that its not more than 40 lbs. but who knows.

Have you ever backpacked for a long duration?

You should be fine on a regular tourist entry with 94 days because of your time in the UK. (I’m assuming that’s at least 4 days UK — correct?)

For Schengen, hopefully you did discover that it’s not 90 days allowed tourist entry per country, but rather, for the entire Schengen agreement border and it’s member states. 90 in/ 90 out — can’t just leave for a day and re-enter with a fresh 90.

I’d be staying 10 days in the UK, including my time in Scotland. However just so I know im reading you right, Its ok to Travel 94-96 days because its not all in the UK or does me having planned travel in Eastern Europe help with my 90 day restrictions?

I understood that you cant wait 89 days leave and come back a week later and get a new 90 days. Yet I thought that as long as i didnt spend 90 days in any one country i could stay longer. is this not true? i plan on going to 18 countries, (and now trying to squeeze in 3 days in Romania) how exactly does the 90s work?

My understanding (Don’s much more knowledgeable on this) is that you can spend a total of 90 days in a 180 day period in the Schengen zone — the entire membership is “1 country” as far as the Schengen visa requirements go. Your trip is no problem since the 90 days doesn’t start until you get to Belgium — I brought up the issue since I thought UK, Ireland and others were in the process of joining Schengen so it might???? be an issue by 2012. You have to be out of the zone for 90 days in order to get a new 90 days.

When you enter your first Schengen agreement border country (BE in your case?) that starts the clock ticking. You will be greeted probably with a question or 2 about the purpose of your visit, how long you plan to stay, and possibly where you will be staying. It’s when people aren’t clear with those plans, or if duration is not clear, that trouble can begin—in the form of further questioning, and possibly request for proof of onward travel (no problems in your case), first hostel reservation, etc. Once your answers are satisfactory you will be given a Belgian tourist entry stamp. This shows that date that you entered the Schengen border. (Note: not all countries have visa waivers like this; the stamp in your passport is technically your tourist entry visa, but some countries actually do need to pre-arrange a visa for visits, transits, and all non-Europeans need a actual visa for stays beyond tourist limits or purposes.

UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) is the UK border — totally separate from the Schengen border thing. US passport holders typically are allowed up to 180 days in the UK for tourist purposes. Republic of Ireland — it’s own border (90 days? for US citz—IIRC).

Once you’re in the Schengen border, you will typically not need to show your passport again for border crossings overland (or sea), but you will for flights. Each country reserves the right to spot-check, of course, but Schengen makes travel much easier among and between most countries of continental Europe.

Check Schengen for expected membership status of each country during your time of visit. A quick glance at your itin seems to me like you wouldn’t have any troubles. You’re not arriving Europe on a one-way ticket, are you? (if so, we need to talk, because that opens a whole new can of worms)

Wow your GREAT! Very knowledgeable! I was going to fly in on a one way from Orlando to Dublin, then fly out on a one way from Paris to Orlando. Is that still an issue? I havent booked yet obviously so i can change the plans at anytime.

As long as you have proof of onward travel within the allowed tourist days, you’re good to go. Now, on arrival in DUB, for example, you could be questioned for proof that you’ll be leaving Ireland (ferry, train or bus ticket to Belfast, flight to London?) but a quick run down of your itinerary, further supported with an e-ticket for Paris back to Orlando within a reasonable tourist allowance, should cause you no problems at all.

Since you haven’t booked the flights yet… compare one-ways with a site like Flights.com, vs. multi-city (also check with Flights.com, Mobissimo, Kayak, Fly, Cfares.com and some consolidators listed in the new user thread pinned @ top of our Cheap Flights forum next-door). And just for kicks and giggles, check Sanford airport’s webpage just to see if any obscure cheap flights to Europe are scheduled for summer. Last year there was a Brazilian(?) airline flying Sanford to Brussels, IIRC, and the flights were pretty cheap.