Eurorail Train Pass
Do It By Boat
These days, it seems that everyone traveling around Europe is either trying to do way too much in a short amount of time, or is being confined to a small number of cities due to said time constraints.
Limiting oneself to one or two places may not be such a bad idea. Certainly, you can get a much more in depth picture of the landscape then you would running through it at breakneck speed. The major downside is that you don’t get to see anywhere near the number of sites you might like. So instead, many people with a limited amount of time, instilled with a desire to see everything they possibly can, try and squeeze everything into a few days. This creates some very serious travel concerns. For Europe, the reigning strategy seems to be to get a Eurorail pass and shoot everywhere across Europe.
Now, while this does get you to all of those destinations, people fail to realize that it means that 75% of your trip is going to be stuck on a train. This isn’t some romantic ideal of the steam trains of the American frontier circa the late 1800’s, where a train journey really was the best way to see the countryside. Modern European trains can reach speeds of 300 km/h, often shooting in and out of tunnels. You aren’t really going to see much of the European landscape, instead, your entire trip will be a giant, nondescript blur. It is also very stressful, making sure you don’t miss Train “X” every day, getting off at certain stops but not others for transfers, being impeded by the language barrier, etc. What was supposed to be a vacation has now become a chore.
One option that people forget about is the boat option. This cannot be done everywhere in Europe, to be sure. But, for example, visiting the Rhineland is a fantastic way to see a good deal of Germany. Here is an example of a Rhine River cruise where, in 9 days, you can get all the way from Amsterdam to Colmar, France…..seeing lots of famous sites in Germany along the way! If you can afford it, I would definitely recommend it as a preferred method of travel. Hop on and off the boat as it peacefully meanders through the sleepy, forgotten European countryside. Here you will get a snapshot of the old Europe that many travelers feel has gone by the wayside. This view that old Europe no longer exists is reinforced by the method of travel most tourists are forced into partaking: being crammed into the major cities, smack dab in the chaos and turmoil of modern urban life. It is difficult, expensive, and time consuming to go off the beaten path, and as such most people don’t. The boat affords a wonderful opportunity to explore rural Europe, without the hassle, without the worry, at a relaxed pace.
Furthermore, 9 days at a slow pace really isn’t a whole lot of time. It is the sort of vacation most of us can swing once a year, the 1.5-weeker. More difficult are the “I have one month to see all of Europe” trips. Most of us don’t have the luxury of that much time. But a trip down the Rhine, ending in a wine route tour of Alsace, France, is a surefire way to get the most bang for your buck out of a short Europe trip.
About the Author
I’m a world traveler and recent Columbia University graduate. That said, I’m older than your usual grad…. because I took off tons of time to travel extensively!