European Travel Skills: Part 1
See more travel skills tips excerpted from Rick's Europe Through the Back Door guidebook.
Hi I'm Rick Steves back in Europe...this time with a focus on practical travel tips! In this three-part special edition, we travel my favorite 2,000-mile loop through Europe, splicing in all the essential skills to help you travel on your own — smooth and smart.
The point of this special: If you can learn from my mistakes rather than your own, you'll have a better trip. How well you're able to enjoy the delights of Europe depends upon how well you plan and how skillfully you travel.
And there's a lot to enjoy. From the monuments of Paris to folk dancing in Portugal, from the markets of Sicily to new friends in Bulgaria, and from the scalps of the Alps to the wonders of Rome, you'll want to get the most out of every mile, minute and dollar you spend in Europe.
In this three-part travels-skills special we start in the Netherlands, venture through Germany, dip into Italy, sweep through Switzerland and France before finishing in England. In this first episode we start in Amsterdam, cruise the Rhine, visit Rothenburg and end in Munich.
The main tips this time: transportation — exploring Europe by train and car, changing money and arriving.
We landed at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. To get to Europe, Americans need only a passport, plane ticket and money — every airport has ATMs.
Notice how easy it is for English-speakers to step over the language barrier. Here in Amsterdam, everything's in two languages: Dutch for the locals and English for everyone else.
Train Guy: Hello.
Rick: Good Morning.
But even in the Netherlands where everyone seems to speak English...it's good to learn and use the polite local words.
Rick: Dank U wel.
Train Guy: Bye bye.
My hotel's in the city center. Getting downtown from airports on public transport is easy and inexpensive. If you're packing heavy, really tired, or with a small group, a taxi can be the best value.
When I'm on my own and packing light, public transit is the best choice. Many airports are on train lines. From Schiphol, there's a train into Amsterdam every couple of minutes.
Most train stations are designed to help visitors get oriented quickly. Stations are generally near the town center. Tourist information is usually in or near the station — here in Amsterdam it's just across the street. The transit information office is next door...
Rick: Hello, I would like to get a one-day transit pass please.
Most of Amsterdam's buses and trams fan out from the train station. In Europe, public transit is so convenient; many locals never get around to owning a car.
To be legal...stamp your ticket. This puts a time on it. A 24-hour ticket is good until this time tomorrow.
This brochure describes how handy circle tram number 20 does a made-for-visitors circular tour of Amsterdam.
It stops at the most important sights — and it just happens to stop one bridge away from my hotel.
Hotel Toren is near the downtown action...but peacefully situated facing a canal. I'll pay extra for the timesaving convenience of a central location.
Rick: Hello.
Hotel Clerk: Hello, sir.
Rick: Yeah, my name is Rick Steves, I have a reservation.
Hotel Clerk: Welcome Mr. Steves, may I have your passport please?
Rick: Sure.
Hotels often take your passport for a while...to do some necessary book work. While Americans are famous for worrying about giving up their passport, this is routine. Relax.
Rick: Thank you.
It's time for a welcome to Europe bike ride. This may seem crazy...taking a bike hike just after landing. But it's part of how I fight jet lag. Jet lag hates bright light, fresh air, and any kind of exercise.
Rick: I'd like to rent a bicycle.
Bike rental is popular throughout Europe. Countryside or big cities — wherever biking makes sense; you'll find bikes for rent. Many train stations rent bikes — handy for both local commuters and tourists.
While I'm not an avid cyclist, I love biking where it's flat and relaxing — like in the Netherlands. Bike lanes come with their own stoplights and signposts. In some countries you can rent a bicycle at one train station and leave it at another.
Here are my keys to fighting jet lag: Leave home well rested. To avoid a frantic last couple of days, be packed completely, long in advance. In fact, set a fake departure date on your calendar a couple of days before you're really flying. During the flight, try to rest — see if you can sleep through the in-flight movie. Drink plenty of liquids — but avoid caffeine and alcohol. And when the pilot announces the time in Europe, set your watch and your mind to that time. On your day of arrival, keep moving. See if you can stay awake until 10 p.m.
And after a decent night's sleep, you'll wake up...reasonably ready to go.
While credit cards are widely accepted throughout Europe, smart travelers use hard cash. The key: changing from dollars into that hard cash at the best rate.
I've changed my last travelers check. ATMs are everywhere. They offer great rates 24 hours a day — quick, easy, and in English.
ATMs provide cash at the very best bank-to-bank rates. But each ATM transaction comes with a fee. Minimize these fees by taking fewer and bigger withdrawals.
There are two kinds of cards: Using a credit card is like borrowing money and comes with high interest. A debit card withdraws money from an existing account and is interest free. By the way, European ATMs use 4 digit numbered PINs — the keypads have no letters. The banks have all the details.
If changing cash or travelers checks, be careful. Understand how both the rates and the fees work. Places advertising no commission have lousy rates. And if the rates seem too good to be true...they come with a big commission. You'll generally do better at banks rather than touristy exchange bureaus.
The Euro — introduced in 2002 — is the one currency used throughout most of the Continent.
The Euro helps Europe trade more efficiently. Now, people can easily compare prices on similar items from Spain to Germany. For instance, if gas costs more in one country, you'll know it. This helps keep prices down. Also, with no more exchanging currency between so many countries, travelers save both time and money. It's great news.
Every corner of Europe comes with a unique flavor and cultural surprises. Small-is-beautiful Holland feels quintessentially European. It's charming, clever — curbside web access...and occasionally shocking. Prepare for some differences. Imagine, curbside urinals...Travel with an open mind — and you'll have more fun at the European party.
We're heading off on our swing through the best of Europe. Our first stop is the Rhine and we'll be riding the rails.
We're leaving from Amsterdam's central station. Beware, many cities have more than one station — Paris and London must have five or six each. We're leaving from Amsterdam Centraal as opposed to Amsterdam Sloterdijk. Remember, stations and tickets are clearly marked so, if you know to check, it's no big deal.
Using Europe's train system may feel daunting, but if you take things step by step, you'll do fine.
Ticket windows handle your ticket, reservation, and sleeping car needs. If you're traveling with a railpass, stop here to validate it before your first trip.
Rick: I need to validate my railpass — can you do that for me?
Train Lady: You have your passport with you?
Rick: Yeah.
Many faster trains require reservations. It's smart to ask.
These boards list all the trains departing today from Amsterdam, grouped by destination: Brussels, Paris, London...and Germany. Our train's leaving at 8:55...to Köln.
The big, constantly changing "trains departing imminently board" is the centerpiece of most stations. Whatever the language, departure boards always have the same columns: departure time, destination, which track, and if it's late.
This board is more accurate than the printed schedules because it tells you exactly what's actually happening in the next hour or so. If a train which was supposed to be gone is still here, you can jump on. If your train's late it tells you how much time you have to kill.
There's our train: 8:55, Köln, track 4B and on time.
Charts on the platform show which cars are going where for the longer trains. Find your train...we're leaving at 8:55...and you'll see the order of the cars, starting with the engine. On the same train you can see which cars are first class and which cars are second. You can see where to get a bite to eat or drink, and most importantly, which cars are going where. This car's going to Hannover...not Köln.
Most trains pick up and drop cars throughout their journey. Destination plates are posted both outside and inside.
And now we find our seat. Reservation panels tell which seats are reserved. At a glance I can see we have six seats and six reservations. I don't want to sit here, they'll be full in a matter of minutes. In this compartment there are two people and two reservations, and if you look carefully you can see these show for which segments of the journey these seats are reserved. This is first class, we've got plenty of room to stretch out, in general. I'm going to look around till I find a compartment all to myself. Here's a compartment that's completely empty and I can double check by seeing there's nothing reserved — this compartment's all mine.
Cars are marked: 1st or 2nd class...smoking or no smoking. Many trains have open seating like this. Some still have the traditional compartments.
If you're on a budget, remember, nearly every train has both first and second-class cars...each going precisely the same speed. My Eurailpass comes in first class only...forced luxury. Cars come with plenty of rack space to store your bag.
Every train has a thief...at least that's what I assume. Rather than worrying about locking my bag, I simply clip it, like that. Then if a thief comes in and grabs my bag and it doesn't go, he's not going to say, "Pardon, how is your bag attached today?"
You'll spend a lot of time en route. Do what you can on the train to save time off the train...read, study, write your postcards, eat, and sleep.
No more windmills. I think we're in Germany now but in today's Europe, it's hard to know when you've crossed a border.
We're heading for a village on the Rhine, but first we have to change trains in Köln.
Köln's station is busy. But clearly posted departure times and platform numbers make transferring trains easy.
Europe's express trains — like the one we caught this morning — make the big city leaps quickly. The little local trains — like this one — take it from there. It's only lunchtime and we're already in Germany's castle country. Spindly towns and the hulks of ruined castles fill the Rhine gorge with legends and history.
Today's goal: tour a great castle, cruise the most scenic hour of the river, and check into a hotel in my favorite medieval Rhine village. For a busy itinerary like this, use schedules smartly.
The old town of St. Goar sitting under the river's mightiest castle is the departure point for our Rhine cruise.
When sightseeing between hotels, I leave my luggage at the train station. Nearly any station has safe, coin-operated lockers or a baggage check desk.
It's about 3 p.m. and our boat leaves at 17:05. Remember, schedules in Europe use the 24-hour clock: anything after noon, subtract 12 and add p.m. 17:00 minus 12 equals 5 p.m.
That gives us about two hours to see the castle before we catch our boat.
The formerly fearsome Reinfels castle, with its commanding view of the Rhine, once withstood an attack by nearly 30,000 French troops. This castle was like a town of 600. Here in the main courtyard you'd find livestock, a bakery, and even a brewery.
Here comes our boat. I'm cruising free with my railpass. Many railpasses come with great extras...like bus rides and boat rides. Today, we're cruising just the best hour of the Rhine.
The Rhine's always been busy with trade. Back when roads were too dangerous, merchants shipped their goods to market down rivers. These castles were built to levy tolls. Guidebooks make the sights meaningful.
Guidebooks also recommend memorable places to stay — like Hotel Kranenturm.
This hotel was the Kranenturm — that means crane tower. About 500 years ago boats, loaded down with kegs of wine, couldn't pass the rapids out here. So, with the help of cranes, they loaded and unloaded their ships, carried their kegs around and continued their journey.
And Rhine wine is still worth the trouble. Wherever grapes are grown, vintners like Fritz Bastian are eager to show you the wonders of their wine. Herr Bastian, is famous for his educational wheel of white wines. Rhine wines are generally white, made from the Riesling grape.
Rick: Okay, this is important, trocken is dry, halb-trocken is half-dry, and süss is sweet. So those are the three key words to know when you're tasting wine in Germany.
Activities like this are easy ways for travelers to make new friends on the road.
We're leaving the Rhineland for Bavaria. Europe is compact and well organized — with an efficient train system hard for most Americans to imagine.
European railpasses come in many versions. While expensive, if you know your options, they can be a great value. Passes give you unlimited train travel through anywhere from one to 17 countries. They're valid for from three to 90 consecutive days, or for any particular number of individual days spread out over a two-month period. Some passes give discounts for youth, seniors, and couples, and some even let you mix rail travel days with car rental days. Most passes are not sold in Europe. Buy yours before you leave home.
To cover this three-week, 2,000-mile trip, we chose a train pass covering just the countries we're visiting. It gives us 10 rail travel days — to be used within a two-month period — plus vouchers for two days of car rental.
Our destination today: Rothenburg. It's pretty remote, so getting there requires two train changes. If you're ever confused or uncertain, ask for help. Conductors are used to tourists. In Germany, many connections are synchronized. Changing trains is often just a matter of following the signs to the next track and hopping into an awaiting car.
How to figure all this out: maps and timetables. The Thomas Cook timetable — which "A" students find worth packing along — lists virtually all the train connections in Europe. But the free schedules you'll get with your pass or at stations also work great.
Rothenburg is Germany's medieval wonder town. Even with tourist crowds turning it into a half-timbered theme park in the summer, I love this place.
During the day the town is over-run with tour groups and the tour bus parking lot is packed.
But, at the end of the day — as with other popular towns — the tour groups retreat to the predictable plumbing of their big city hotels and those who spend the night enjoy the medieval magic in relative peace.
To stretch your sightseeing day and mix in some information at the same time, catch a night tour. The Night Watchman's tour goes each evening at 8 o'clock and all's well.
Night Watchman: This was a hard kind of life the Night Watchman had and it was dishonorable — his profession. Only two people had lower jobs — guess who was under him. That's right, gravedigger — and who else? Who was the very last? The executioner, you got it.
Germany's Romantic Road is the next leg of our journey. It's best explored by rental car. We'll have this car two days and drop it in Munich.
One-day car rentals are normally expensive. But my rail-and-drive pass lets me mix car and train economically by including several one-day car rental vouchers with the train pass. The Romantic Road — small town Germany at its best — is most fun by car.
Save money by arranging your car rental before leaving home. Prices vary dramatically from month to month, country to country, and from company to company. To find the best deal check the websites or call the 800 numbers and compare. Or, let your travel agent do the work. Even if you don't plan on driving, bring your license and a credit card. It's easy to rent a car on a whim.
A car gets you remote in a hurry. Some special places — like the monastery at Andechs, south of Munich — are easily accessible only by car...and that means fewer tourists and more locals. The monks here are famous for brewing a heavenly beer. And it's served by the liter.
The hearty meals also come in medieval proportions. Like many beerhalls, the food's perfectly Bavarian.
When I'm far from home, I become a cultural chameleon. In England I actually fancy a spot of tea. But here in Germany, it's big pretzels, beautiful radishes, kraut, knuckle of pork — check this out — and great beer. By the way, in Europe, don't drink and drive. I'm done driving for today. Permissible alcohol levels are extremely low and penalties are severe.
There's nothing exotic about driving in Europe. The roads are great. And in most countries, your American drivers license works just fine.
Filling the tank here is like filling the tank at home — except it's Euros and liters rather than dollars and gallons — figure four liters per gallon. Don't overreact to Europe's high cost of gas. Cars get great mileage and distances are short.
Invest in a good road map. I mean a real good map. They're easy to find over here and cheaper in Europe than in the States. And take some time to really learn the key. There's all sorts of valuable sightseeing information hiding in the key.
Throughout Europe road numbers change a lot and can be confusing. Study your map and navigate by city names.
Cars come with a basic insurance policy. But bringing back your car with a dent is very expensive unless you paid extra for a Collision Damage Waiver supplement. While CDW seems overpriced, I get this zero deductible policy just for the peace of mind. It's less expensive through travel insurance companies, and sometimes it's free with certain credit cards. Your travel agent has details.
When driving, to cover long distances in a hurry, use the freeway. This is Germany's autobahn. Like most of Europe, Germany's laced with super freeways. Fit in with the local drivers. On the autobahn, you'll learn quickly...the fast lane is used only for passing. Cruise in the left lane and you'll have a Mercedes up your tail pipe. The right lane is less frantic.
Here and throughout northern Europe the autobahn is toll free. In France and countries south of Germany these super-freeways usually come with tolls.
Learn some navigation basics: Throughout Europe signs lead both into and out of town . Zentrum means center. Stadmitte: town center. Alle Richtungen: all directions. Color-coded signs point you to the nearest autobahn. And while many travelers here go through their trips thinking all roads lead to the town of Ausfahrt...ausfahrt is German for exit.
Entering a new town — this is Dinklesbuhl. It's safe to assume the church spire marks the center and the tourist office is just across the street. Drive as close as you can and find a place to park.
But park carefully. I've had several cars towed. Confirm you're parked legally. This sign means no parking any time.
Many countries use these little cardboard clocks, you can get them at gas stations — you set what time you arrive, toss it in the window and they know how long you've been there. I'm good for an hour.
Know the key road symbols. They're the same everywhere: no traffic allowed, wrong way...don't enter, no passing, and you know this one [stop]. And make educated guesses: this town wants quiet at night: no motorcycles from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Each town welcomes you with a name sign and tells you when you're leaving. Speeds and distances are in kilometers. A kilometer is 6/10 of a mile.
To change to miles, cut the kilometers in half and add back 10% of the original. 80 kph = 40 plus 8...that's 48 mph.
Avoid wasted car rental days by picking up and dropping off your car in two different cities — like Rothenburg and Munich. You can generally do this anywhere in the same country for no extra charge. While dropping a car a different country comes with a fee, it can be a great convenience.
We're at the Munich train station and it's about time to say "auf Wiedersehn" to Germany. Our next stop is Venice. To get there, I like the romance and efficiency of a night train.
By taking on the night train you do miss a little scenery. But you more than make up for that by gaining an entire extra day for sightseeing. I'd take an extra day exploring Venice over any train ride.
Sleeping cars require reservations. A conductor checks your ticket as you board.
For half the cost of a simple hotel bed, you get your own bunk with clean linen, a locking door and an attendant who monitors who comes and goes as you sleep.
Attendant: Have a good night.
Rick: Bye bye.
In the morning we'll be cruising the Grand Canal in Venice. Thanks for traveling with us, and join us next time for part two of our three-part travel skills special. Until then, I'm Rick Steves. Keep on travelin'...and gute Nacht.
See more travel skills tips excerpted from Rick's Europe Through the Back Door guidebook.