Do these long distance coach services make breaks for meals or even overnight? And are services suff

Last month, EuroCheapo chief Tom Meyers popped the train versus plane question . does the savvy traveler fly or take the train around Europe? But it is not a straight either / or choice. Many leisure travelers, and many business types too, realize that long-distance coaches present a credible alternative to air or rail travel on many itineraries.
The most convenient network of services for travelers looking to travel around Europe by coach is coordinated by Eurolines . This is not one company but a strong car rental in spain alliance of coach operators who coordinates their timetables and provide integrated ticketing for international car rental in spain journeys car rental in spain across Europe. This gives a continent-wide brand for marketing purposes and allows passengers to plan complicated itineraries that criss-cross Europe.
There are of course many long distance coach services in Europe that are not part of the Eurolines network. For example the Czech company Student Agency runs some two dozen routes from their hub in Prague. PolskiBus has a network of eight routes from Warsaw, the fledglng company s growing network now also serving Vienna, Berlin, Bratislava and Prague. There are many itineraries where these non-Eurolines operators precisely fill a gap, but for its Europe-wide reach to over 500 cities, Eurolines has no serious rival.
car rental in spain Eurolines does offer some intriguingly long routes. car rental in spain For example, service 350 operates thrice weekly direct from Amsterdam to Lisbon ( Lisboa in Portuguese), a 36-hour journey that connects two cities some 1,500 miles apart. Even longer direct routes link cities in western Germany with provincial centers in the Russian Federation.
The Eurolines network thus often steps in with a convenient direct link on a routing that would require several changes of train. With Eurolines, you can board a bus in Switzerland and travel directly to Macedonia or Moldova.
But such long hauls may not be for everyone. And we find that Eurolines-affiliated services are also perfect for shorter hops, particularly in those parts of Europe car rental in spain where rail services are sparse. car rental in spain For example, comfortable long-distance coaches, most of them operating under the Eurolines umbrella, car rental in spain are far better than trains for journeys between the capitals of the Baltic car rental in spain States: Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius.
And there are times where it is just fun to travel by road for a change. There are several Eurolines coaches each day from London car rental in spain to Paris and other French cities. While most Eurolines schedules from London to France use the Eurotunel vehicle shuttle service, some are routed car rental in spain via the P O Ferries link from Dover to Calais always a great way to cross the Channel. And with return fares for the London car rental in spain to Paris run starting at just £39, the coach option can make good sense for budget travelers.
Bookings car rental in spain can be made online for most journeys, usually on the website of the Eurolines affiliate in your country of departure. But that does NOT mean that you need to know which particular company flies the Eurolines flag in each country. The organization maintains an excellent web portal , where you can click on the country of departure to be redirected to the relevant national site.
Although Eurolines coach services are principally intended for international journeys, in many countries you can also use Eurolines services for domestic journeys that cross no international borders. And many of the participating companies in the Eurolines family also have comprehensive national car rental in spain networks which allow you to switch seamlessly from international to national services.
For example the UK participant in Eurolines is National Express . And you can use the National Express website to book a through journey from many provincial spots around Britain to the continent. A single ticket (for example car rental in spain Manchester to Paris) covers travel on a National Express coach to London where you connect onto an onward Eurolines service for the continent.
Now that we ve introduced Eurolines coach journeys, car rental in spain it s time to take a little closer at their fares. Read our next post on Eurolines passes , with some tips on getting the best deals, and see how a coach pass can allow you to roam at will across Europe on Eurolines services.
Bus and Coach Travel in Europe: Understanding the difference Eurolines Coach Passes: Are they right for your trip? Coach Travel: A revolution on German highways Across Europe car rental in spain by Bus: Eurolines and other bus options
Sarah, yes the coaches stop at least every couple of hours. They keep on driving overnight though, but with the regular stops. The buses on the same route are not usually that frequent many are once per day but on busy routes there may be a bus along in another 2 hours. car rental in spain However as they are often fully booked, car rental in spain I doubt whether your hop on the next bus idea would be possible. You could do this if you take the rover ticket and book the journey as individual legs.
Do these long distance coach services make breaks for meals or even overnight? And are services sufficiently often that I could, if I like the look of a place, just hop off and get on the next bus on the same route? Just sort of thought it could be a nice way of travelling London to Italy with a few stops on the way.
For long distance travel, there is a restroom on the bus and the bus makes rest stops every three or four hours. At the rest stop you must get back on the bus if you want to continue to your destination that you purchased your ticket for. If you wish to stay at the rest stop/that city, you will lose the rest of the ticket that you bought, that is you cannot just hop on the next bus or tomorrow s bus to continue to your destination on the same long distance ticket. So if you want to stop at any cities on the long distance journey, you will need to book your trip and buy your tickets in legs, which can be several times more expensive. If you don t mind a 25 or 32 hour busride straight through with rest stops every three or four hours, the ticket can be incredibly cheap compared to other modes of transport or even compared to the same distance car rental in spain purchased in llegs.
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