I use several apps to find the best and cheapest way to get from point A to point B in Europe.
My first go-to App is ‘Rome2Rio’. It shows all of the transportation options to get from here to there, be it by bus, train, airplane, taxi, or car or even a combo of them all.
But even though, many times, Rome2Rio can display and even ticket routes, many times it fails miserably, and says ‘no tickets found’ or suggests a price but then can’t find it. But it’s a good starting point.
If my trip will be mostly by air, Rome2Rio will many times show the 1, 2, or 3 stops (connections) that must be made to get there. I admit, I don’t like multiple stops because waiting for a connection in an airport just stinks. So, in case it’s not a direct flight, I make note of the locations of the layovers, and then go to my ‘Airwander’ app.
Airwander allows me to pick a number of days for a layover, so instead of just going to the final destination, I make a whole tour out of it. That allows me to visit cities, that I may have only had a 3-4 hour layover, for 3-4 days instead.
Ok, what about when Rome2Rio can’t find bus tickets, easy, I either go to the Busline’s site or to ‘Busticket4.me’ where I can book the tickets I need.
I do a similar thing if Rome2Rio can’t find train tickets. I use the ‘Railplanner’ or the ‘Trainline’ app to land the tickets I need.
Sometimes Rome2Rio suggests a private driver, but usually don’t specify who. In that case I first check both ‘Uber’ and ‘Lyft’, but before I book, I also check ‘Blablacar’. I have gotten great rides on that app, and have saved hundreds of buck’s, but you must remember that Blablacar is just helping someone share the expense of their normal route, don’t expect the same kind of pickup or drop-off that you would get from Uber. You may even have to taxi to or from the ride endpoints.
In general, I like the trains better than any other mode of transportation. They are more comfortable, relaxed, and sometimes cheaper, and tend to be more of an experience in themselves.
If you have other methods of transportation that I missed, please say so in the comments below. You have to setup a free account to be able to comment.
