How to Get Around Europe
There are a lot of ways to get from point A to point B, especially in Europe where train travel is fast, efficient, and relatively cheap. Particularly compared to the mediocre quality of train travel in the United States, trains are fast, freeing and fun in Europe. In this post, we’ll cover when to hop on a train, bus, or metro, when to take a plane, when and how to rent a car, and how not to be lulled into an Audrey Hepburn fantasy of riding a Vespa in Rome.2fast2foto: the TGV from Lyon to Paris
Trains
If you’re an American reading this (and you probably are) and you’ve never had the joy of riding a European train, you’ll probably be like, “oh those Amtrak things that only leave once a day and take 12 hours to get to a place that could take me 3 hours to drive to? Those trains?” Hahahahahaha no.
TIP: I tend to buy my tickets online from the national train company of the country I’m visiting. Here are a few to check out:
UK - Ireland - France - Spain - Germany - Italy
Trains are an absolute godsend in Europe. In France, the TGV can take you from Paris to Lyon in a little under two hours. In Italy, the Frecciarossa can zip you from Milan to Rome in under four hours. In fact, the Frecciarossa is so fast and efficient, it legit put Alitalia, the Italian airline which counted on in-country commuter flights for its bread and butter, out of business. Trains in Europe are efficient, hassle-free, and in most places, leave/arrive multiple times per day.
Anyways, enough of how great European trains are. You’re probably wondering when you should take a train as opposed to flying or driving or taking a bus or a scooter or a mule train or whatever. The answer is: I normally opt for trains when the timing will be less than four hours by train to get from point A to point B. That way I still have time on either end in wherever I’m leaving or arriving, and I don’t waste an entire day on the train.
TIP: If you opt to buy your tickets at one of the ATM-like kiosks at the train station, watch out for hustlers. If a rando comes up and asks if you need help buying tickets, always say no, or they will demand payment for their “services.”
Another thing to keep in mind is that while trains can be a beautiful way to travel, in some countries—Italy in particular comes to mind—because it’s so hilly, you spend a lot of time going very fast through tunnels. (Where your ears pop incessantly.) So if you’re taking a train as opposed to flying for the scenery, a lot of times you just don’t get to see that much because of the tunnels.
One thing to keep in mind with trains is that like restaurants, it’s almost a necessity now to reserve your train tickets in advance. Back when I was traveling with the college kids, I would just show up at the train station and buy tickets for wherever I wanted to go about 15 minutes before I wanted to leave. That is mostly a thing of the past. Tourists ruin everything.
Planes
Flying is a hassle, it’s true. But there are times in Europe when it just makes sense to fly. For me, it’s whenever I’m looking at a travel time of over four hours via train, bus, or driving. You can fly for relatively cheap in Europe if you abandon the thoughts of reserved seating and checked bags. (Don’t check your bags.) (Seriously.) (Don’t check bags.) (I can’t stress this enough.) European airlines like easyJet and Ryanair still offer relatively cheap flights on the continent, but beware: they can be an unholy nightmare to deal with if there are delays or any other issues. I tend to fly major airlines to avoid the uncertainty of the budget airlines, where I pay a little more but have a better chance of getting where I’m going kind of on time. Probably.
Right now, though, airports are kind of a disaster all over Europe. Traditional stalwarts of efficiency like Schipol in Amsterdam have been delighting travelers with four-hour long waits to even get into the airport as folks wait lines that snake out into the parking lot. Sometimes undercover! Such luxury. Honestly, it’s a crap shoot these days due to airport corporate offices being unable to think an hour in the future, laying off 3/4 of their employees during the pandemic, then rushing to panic-hire new employees for as much paltry pay as they did pre-pandemic and failing miserably because READ THE ROOM, corporate overloards, my god. (I have thoughts about this.) So anyway, plan accordingly and did I mention don’t check bags.
Automobiles
Sometimes, renting a car is the most convenient way to get around in Europe. If you’re anything like me (Chaney here), you are intimidated as hell by the idea of driving a car in a foreign country - especially if that country is the UK. However! I’m here to tell you it’s survivable and can even be, dare I say, enjoyable?
Car rentals are best when you are going somewhere rural, like Tuscany, the Scottish highlands, French wine country, etc. These places can be served by transit or tourist bus tours, but you’re likely to want the flexibility to be able to get yourself around.
I typically prefer to rent from American agencies (all of whom have a presence at the major European airports), usually because I have some kind of membership or loyalty status with them that reduces my chances of some kind of problem or conflict with the rental. If that doesn’t work for you, or the cost is prohibitive, Europcar and Sixt are popular companies in Europe.
TIP: Beware of rental companies that appear to be much cheaper than the others. You’ll end up paying that cost one way or another.
I have rented from both airports and off-airport locations, but the one thing I plan for is being able to get easily outside of the city from my rental pickup location. For the love of all that is holy, do not drive your rental car in a major city. You won’t know the traffic codes or the driving etiquette, and even if you don’t end up running anyone over, it will be stressful AF. Use the car to get around the countryside, and if you’re taking it to a city, park at the outskirts and take transit in. This is especially true in Italy, where the other drivers are genuinely out to kill you.
TIP: Double-check with your car rental company that you’re getting an automatic transmission - they are less common in Europe than in the US. Even if you can drive a stick shift, you don’t need the extra cognitive load.
I was surprised at how easy I found it to drive in the Italian countryside, primarily because my biggest fear on the roadway is not hitting something or hurting someone, but inconveniencing them. In the US I hate it when drivers tailgate me as I try to figure out where I’m going or find a parking spot. In Italy, they will just go around you. Problem solved.
Other things to keep in mind when it comes to car rentals:
If you have a ban on backseat driving, waive it. Collaboration is key. Pretend your passenger is your Formula 1 navigator and is helping you make it to the end of the course in one piece.
Some countries have a blood alcohol limit for driving that’s lower than in the US, and you might end up with a DUI that wouldn’t be one back home. Look this up and be very mindful of it. If you’re going out wine- or whiskey-tasting, make arrangements for a tour or driver, unless you’re traveling with a teetotaler.
You’ll likely come across some one-lane roads. Go as slowly as you need to, pull over frequently to let local drivers pass you, and drive as far to your side of the road as you can to increase your visibility.
Roundabouts! They are intimidating to Americans but are much safer and more convenient than intersections. It’s never a bad idea to do a quick YouTube search on “driving in [name of country]” to see what the tips are. They can vary a bit; for example, in most countries the rule is that traffic entering the roundabout yields to traffic already in the roundabout, except in Greece, where they like to do it the other way just to mess with you.
