Dana

Hi, everyone.
I'm trying to find a cheap way to get to Amsterdam from Frankfurt. The
cheapest I've found so far is the Eurolines overnight bus, (no, I
can't get passes as I'm only staying in Europe for the weekend). But
then I've read bad things about it (*crowded*, *hot*, *smoky*..) and
am wondering. Is it really so bad? Anyone that had so-so experience
out here? Also, does anyone know any other cheap way to go?

Thanks.

Dana.

Lucky Ntl Customer !

"Dana" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hi, everyone.
    > I'm trying to find a cheap way to get to Amsterdam from Frankfurt. The
    > cheapest I've found so far is the Eurolines overnight bus, (no, I
    > can't get passes as I'm only staying in Europe for the weekend). But
    > then I've read bad things about it (*crowded*, *hot*, *smoky*..) and
    > am wondering. Is it really so bad? Anyone that had so-so experience
    > out here? Also, does anyone know any other cheap way to go?
    > Thanks.
    > Dana.

Have a look at http://www.skyscanner.net/
Helpful when looking for low cost airlines in Europe.

Cheers - Brownz

J Quick

"Dana" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hi, everyone.
    > I'm trying to find a cheap way to get to Amsterdam from Frankfurt. The
    > cheapest I've found so far is the Eurolines overnight bus, (no, I
    > can't get passes as I'm only staying in Europe for the weekend). But
    > then I've read bad things about it (*crowded*, *hot*, *smoky*..) and
    > am wondering. Is it really so bad? Anyone that had so-so experience
    > out here? Also, does anyone know any other cheap way to go?

Eurolines is better than walking, but only marginally so. I've taken
Eurolines from London/Brussels and Brussels/Munich. I doubt that I would
ever take Eurolines again just because I think the comfort and convenience
of rail, particularly high speed trains, is worth the extra cost. I would
rather travel second class on a train than first class on airline, much less
the iron maiden seats on the bus. I would only recommend Eurolines if you
can't afford any other option. When I got off the bus in Munich, I dreaded
the thought of taking another bus again. Fortunately, I only planned to use
Eurolines on that trip just long enough until I was ready to validate my
Eurail pass for the remainder of my travel.

From purely a business point of view, Eurolines performed their side of the
contract. The bus showed up on time. I always had a seat waiting for me
when I got on board. My luggage didn't get lost. They arrived on schedule.
They had reasonable stops on the long travel segments. The buses were
usually filled near to capacity. The drivers were competent. I don't
recall any problem with smoking--I think it was prohibited on the bus.
Ventilation on the bus leaves much to be desired, so it did get a bit muggy,
but no more so than any other full bus I've ever taken. All in all, they
performed better than some airlines I've traveled.

By contrast, I traveled from Berlin to Paris in one day, traveling on the
ICE and Thalys high speed trains. What a difference! Space. Room.
Stretch. Walk around. Have a bit to eat. Enjoy the view. Stretch some
more. Have a nice drink. Read a little. Look at the beautiful scenery
fly by smoothly at more than 200km/h. Even 2nd class in a regional train
isn't bad, so long as you have a seat for a long segment.

Robert

Hi,

If you are travelling on a Saturday or Sunday, you can use Schoenes
Wochenende ticket to travel by train anywhere in Germany, up to the
Dutch border (probably Venlo in this case). The ticket costs 28 EUR
and can only be used during one day, either a Saturday or a Sunday (it
can't be both). The 'catch' is that you can only take regional trains,
so your total trip will take about 9-10 hours. But it's very cheap! Of
course, you will need to buy another ticket from the Dutch-German
border to Amsterdam. For timetables, check www.bahn.de and choose
"ohne ICE/IC/EC".

Hope this helps.

Robert