KOOL DOWN IN KOTOR
Getting around Europe is easy. Brian Johnston looks at the transport options that will offer the best experiences.
It would be difficult to nominate my favourite experience on the move in Europe. It might be the rack railway that clangs up Mt Rigi in central Switzerland, pressing your back against your seat as buttercup-studded meadows and snowy peaks grow ever more extravagant beyond the windows.
It might be sailing out of Santorini in Greece at sunset, the cliffs of the volcanic island turning to gold as drinks are served on the deck of a cruise ship. Or it might be driving along the back roads of the Dordogne region in France through half-timbered villages and apple orchards.
There are abundant reasons to love Europe as a travel destination, and certainly getting around is easier than anywhere else.
It has more transport options to more places than any other continent, and generally of high quality, reliability and safety.
Rail
The reach of Europe’s railways systems is impressive, and the variety of trains allows everything from panoramic meanders to efficient, high-speed hops between cities and jaunts on steam trains. Luxury services such as the Orient Express through central Europe or new Grand Hibernian in Ireland are increasingly popular. Some luxury trains now take you through the Balkans and beyond into the Middle East, or deep into Russia.
Some of the shortest train journeys, however, provide the most spectacular rides: Snowdon Mountain Railway in Wales, for example, takes you 7.6 kilometres from Llanberis to the 1065-metre summit of Snowdon, while the Diakofto-Kalavryta Railway in Greece runs 22 kilometres through the rugged Vouraikos Gorge.
Even better, though, is that you don’t have to take special trains to enjoy some of Europe’s most splendid landscapes. Even on regular scheduled services, you can journey through the vineyards above Lake Geneva, along France’s scenic Rhone Valley or through mountain-draped landscapes between Munich and Innsbruck.
Pros
Europe is knitted together by railway lines: you could have an entire holiday on the rails, from high-speed intercity trains to allstops services serving small towns and rack railways up mountaintops.
Without having to concentrate on the road, you can enjoy the scenery. Many stations are architectural marvels, and newer stations attached to airports (such as Zurich, Munich, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Vienna) allow seamless connections.
Trains are eco-friendly, reliable, safe, punctual and have improved enormously in comfort and value as national railways seek to compete with budget airlines.
Cons
The only real downside is that the endless combinations of tickets and passes are enough to induce a headache. Multi-destination or multi-day rail passes might attract additional payments, such as for mandatory seat reservations or for using high-speed trains.
Individual trips can sometimes be expensive. Rail travel is cheaper the more you go by train. Still, if you do your research, some passes allow you to travel as much as you want for about $20 a day, an impressive bargain.
Sea
Europe has its fair share of landlocked countries, but many of its most significant cultures and powers arose among seafaring nations. Its highly indented coastline now provides a lifetime’s exploration of ancient ruins, cliffclinging towns, battlemented islands, major cities and chic holiday retreats.
Europe’s coastal landscapes are magnificent too, with the Norwegian fiords, Italy’s Amalfi Coast, and Greek islands of the Aegean Sea among the most sought-after cruise destinations.
Arriving in historic ports such as Venice, Valletta and Istanbul would melt hearts of stone as centuries of fabulous architecture unfold. On the approach to Stockholm, ships tiptoe through myriad islands crowned with pine trees and cheerful yellow summer houses, before the city’s church spires and gabled old town emerge in the pale Nordic light. In contrast, the French port of Nice is all peacock-blue waters. A looming rocky crag is topped by gardens and a ruined castle, and rows of grand hotels and mansions nestle among palm trees against a backdrop of rugged hills.
Pros
A cruise is a fine way to avoid the tedium of travel practicalities, as you don’t have to book hotels, organise ground transport, heft and repack suitcases, or try to find decent restaurants.
On the whole, cruising is good value, depending on what your fare includes. It would be difficult to imitate the itinerary yourself on land within a budget that might be as low as $200 a person a day.
There’s always the pleasure and time saving of letting someone organise on your behalf, and, of course, some European destinations really should be seen from the sea: there’s no better way to admire the Norwegian coast, Svalbard islands or the approach to Kotor in Montenegro.
Cons
You have to stick to coastal destinations, leaving much of Europe unexplored. Big-name cities such as Rome, Paris, London and Berlin, although visited on shore excursions, are often distant from cruise ports.
Another downside is that you seldom see ports in the evening, or have the chance to enjoy the atmosphere and regional cuisine of local restaurants.
River
No continent has more river cruises than Europe and, given the importance of rivers to trade over the centuries, few riverbanks are as dense with towns, villages, vineyards, castles and assorted cultural assets.
Ports such as Dresden, St Petersburg, Bordeaux, Paris, Vienna, Venice and Budapest rank among Europe’s most beautiful cities. Distances are usually short, time spent off ships long, and there’s plenty to see and do.
The Amsterdam-Budapest route, largely along the Rhine and Danube rivers, is the popular river-cruise highway, but you can cruise dozens of European rivers, including the Douro in Portugal, Elbe and Oder in Germany, the Meuse in Belgium and a handful of rivers in France. A journey along the Volga waterways between Moscow and St Petersburg is Europe’s magnificent cruise marathon. Top for landscapes are the Rhine Gorge in Germany and the Iron Gates, a gorge on the border of Serbia and Romania. Further down the lower Danube, splendid views of snow-capped Bulgarian mountains are magnificent.
Pros
Value for money and ease of travel are what attract many to river cruising which, much more so than ocean cruising, provides almost everything as part of the package deal. River cruising has also become incredibly varied, offering ultra-luxe and budget ships, long and short itineraries, packages for families and solo travellers, and cruises themed on special interests such as music, wine, cuisine and culture.
Cons
Europe imposes size restrictions on river-cruise vessels thanks to locks and low historic bridges.
Space is tight in cabins, and public areas and amenities are limited, although cruise itineraries generally have you off the ship most of the day. Communal dining requires sociability. Shore excursions often focus on run-of-the-mill sights.
Some companies also offer additional-charge excursions of a more varied nature. Last-minute deals are now rare, and you really have to book up to a year in advance to get a good price and the cabin category you want.
Road
If you want to speed from A to B, Europe has quality motorways. If you want to explore the byways, it features country lanes and impressively engineered roads that loop over remote mountain passes. This is the way to enjoy Europe in the slow lane, puttering around Ireland’s coastal Ring of Kerry, along the French Riviera or dizzying Amalfi Coast in Italy, or around the hairpin rollercoaster of a road that winds up Norway’s Trollstigen mountain road, where clouds cling to the cliffs and waterfalls plunge.
What’s more, many routes have been planned out and well signposted to suit tourists, and will lead you around a region’s highlights, whether it’s the Route Napoleon through the French Alps, the Romantic Road through Bavaria, or the Route of the White Towns through the village-topped hills of Andalusia in Spain.
Most of all, though, travelling by car allows the sort of spontaneity you just can’t achieve on cruises or railways, allowing you your own adventures.
Pros
Self-driving is generally the most flexible transport option of all, because you can depart when you like, drive to your hotel, and go where you want, although some city centres, such as London, restrict traffic through tolling. Parts of the European countryside and many villages and sights such as castles are often inaccessible any other way.
Many of the continent’s rural roads also provide glorious scenery and unexpected, out-ofthe-way finds.
Cons
You won’t need to ask what the downside of European driving is if you’ve ever tried navigating around Paris’ Arc de Triomphe. Driving on the wrong side of the road doesn’t help, and you have to contend with local traffic rules.
Most European towns and city centres feature narrow, historic streets and difficult parking, so hire a compact car.
Mountain roads can also be hair-raising for the unpractised. Some countries have tolled motorways, and car drop-off in another country attracts hefty surcharges. – Traveller