Interrail plan - would love to know your thoughts

[Drsatan]

Mods: please feel free to merge this with the previous thread I started.

I'm going on an interrail trip with three friends in September for a fortnight. I would appreciate your thoughts on it, and whether I'm cramming in too much into a fortnight. I've followed two routes listed in the latest edition of Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide for inspiration.

Day 1: Travel from St Pancras to Lille, arriving mid-afternoon. Explore the city centre, then travel to Bruges via Kortrijk

Day 2: stay in Bruges. Possible day trips I've found are Ghent, Knokke-Heist (for the beach) and Antwerp

Day 3: as above

Day 4: travel to Koln

Day 5: travel from Koln to Heidelberg

Day 6: travel from Heidelberg to Bodensee (Lake Constance). Potential destinations include Konstanz, Friedrichshafen, Lindau and Bregenz

Day 7: explore the Bodensee area

Day 8: as above

Day 9: travel from Bodensee to Salzburg

Day 10: day trip from Salzburg to Munich for Oktoberfest

Day 11: day in Salzburg

Day 12: travel from Salzburg to Prague

Days 13-16: stay in Prague before flying back to the UK

This is the first multi-country Interrail I have been on.

Please let me know if you think we should:

a)cut stopovers from the itinerary
b)spend longer or less time in any one place
c) daytrip recommendations from Prague.

Thanks in advance

 

[telstarbox]

Prague is definitely interesting enough for 3-4 days both for transport and generally. On a 2 week trip I would personally want a day in the middle for a nice meal / minimal travel / admin like laundry.

 

[Drsatan]

Prague is definitely interesting enough for 3-4 days both for transport and generally. On a 2 week trip I would personally want a day in the middle for a nice meal / minimal travel / admin like laundry.

Yes - I'm thinking a day in Bodensee could be spent doing things like that

 

[rvdborgt]

Belgium: stay in Gent and do a day trip to Bruges if you really want to go there. Gent is more interesting IMO and less of a tourist trap.
If you want to visit the coast go to De Haan (tram from Oostende or Blankenberge). Hardly any ugly high apartment blocks there.

 

[Fragezeichnen]

Germany:

• You probably thought of this already, but for the trip from Köln to Heidelberg I would recommend taking a train that runs via the beautifiul Rhine Valley route via Koblenz rather than over the high speed line to Frankfurt. For the ultimate experience you could take train EC9(departure 10:53) which has a Swiss panoramic observation car(I think you need a 1st class ticket for it though...).
• Between Heidelberg and the Bodensee you could take the spectacular Schwarzwaldbahn via Villingen with it's famous 37 consecutive tunnels and hairpin curves.
• Lindau is probably the most conventionally interesting city of those you mentioned(nice Altstadt etc.). Konstanz is bigger but has mixed reviews. Friedrichshafen is not super interesting unless you like airships - but has good transport connections as it's the main ferry port for crossing the lake. But ultimately they are all on the lake shore
• A "day trip" from Salzburg for Oktoberfest is something I would personally not be comfortable planning, because very heavy loading can be expected on public transport(I once had an experience heading to Munich on opening day where the guard forced people to get off the train because he considered it to be dangerously overloaded), and because you might not feel like the train journey back after a long day drinking Beer

 

[Drsatan]

Thanks for your replies everyone!

My personal preference would be staying in Lindau. I've discovered there is a direct train from Koln to Lindau (IC119 Bodensee), which runs via Stuttgart and Ulm

Alternatively, another option is to take the direct service (IC2005) from Koln to Konstanz, before changing onto the catamaran to Friedrichshafen and then boarding the RegioBahn service to Lindau. Another option is to get off at Radolfzell and board the RegioBahn to Friedrichshafen, again changing there for Lindau)

Which of these options would have the most scenic interest? My friends do enjoy travelling by train, but they are not railway enthusiasts, so they may prefer the direct train to Lindau.

 

[30907]

Thanks for your replies everyone!

My personal preference would be staying in Lindau. I've discovered there is a direct train from Koln to Lindau (IC119 Bodensee), which runs via Stuttgart and Ulm

Alternatively, another option is to take the direct service (IC2005) from Koln to Konstanz, before changing onto the catamaran to Friedrichshafen and then boarding the RegioBahn service to Lindau. Another option is to get off at Radolfzell and board the RegioBahn to Friedrichshafen, again changing there for Lindau)

Which of these options would have the most scenic interest? My friends do enjoy travelling by train, but they are not railway enthusiasts, so they may prefer the direct train to Lindau.

I would definitely go via the Schwarzwaldbahn, and to Salzburg via the Arlberg as already discussed.

In general lake steamers are a pleasant experience and definitely non-railway (usually!). The North side of the Bodensee isn't exciting, and the views of the Alps are the same by rail or ship.discussed

Salzburg to Prague I would do via Ceske Budejovice, engineering works permitting.

From Prague, there are various weekend excursions using old diesels and stock which are cheap and fun. I would suggest Cesky Sternberk castle (line 212, detour via the scenic line 210 optional) or perhaps Konopiste (30min walk from Benesov line 220). Ive not been to Karlstejn or Kutna Hora.
There's also Tabor, whence the historic electrified branch to Bechyne is a quirky side-trip.
Miht be worth checking for special heritage rail events in Sept too.

 

[Drsatan]

Good evening,


Thanks for all of your replies and suggestions everyone!


Our itinerary now looks something like this:

Day 1

Leave London and head for Bruges via Lille

Days 2 and 3

Stay in Bruges

Day 4

Head from Bruges to Cologne. A friend has recommended visiting Leuven along the way

Days 5 to 6

Stay in Cologne

Day 7

Head to Konstanz

Days 8 to 9

Stay in Konstanz

Day 10

Head to Salzburg via Munich (for Oktoberfest)

Day 11

Stay in Salzburg

Day 12

Head to Prague, potentially stopping at Cesky Krumlov

Days 13 to 14

Stay in Prague

Day 15

Travel from Prague to Vienna. Board the Nightjet sleeper from Vienna to Paris

Day 16

Head home from Paris

Seeing as this is the first Interrail I have been on, do you think I am trying to cram too much into this itinerary? I'm aware travelling to Vienna is a detour when one could get the direct train from Prague to Linz to board the sleeper, but at the same time, Vienna is a place I've always wanted to visit.

Please let me know your thoughts.

 

[30907]

Seeing as this is the first Interrail I have been on, do you think I am trying to cram too much into this itinerary?

No, it's quite gentle and you are making 2-night stops which is sensible.

I'm aware travelling to Vienna is a detour when one could get the direct train from Prague to Linz to board the sleeper, but at the same time, Vienna is a place I've always wanted to visit.

And you've been from Linz to Prague already On the leg from Salzburg.

Not sure whether the local train from Ceske Bud to C Krumlov is covered by your IR, but it's cheap enough (the daily Prague service is, but the times probably don't suit.)