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Europe on a budget: Take public transportation

by Anna Brones (RSS feed) on May 28th 2008 at 5:00PM

It really shouldn't come as a surprise, but when you are trying to save those euros this summer, you are going to want to spend your time discovering cities by way of public transportation. Buses, street cars and metros are what the European continent is known for, and this article in the New York Times highlights how many good deals you can find aboard different forms of transportation.

The article lays out how much you'll have to pay and where public transportation can take you in five European cities: London, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin and Rome. Any budget conscious traveler will most likely already be well versed in the variety of modes of public transportation and how to pay for them -- the constant "single tickets vs. multi-day pass" question -- but what I do like about the article are the recommendations for day trips, all accessible by main Metro, Tube or U-Bahn lines, and that take you to some off the beaten path destinations.

The budget basics:

London: The Tube. Invest in a pay-as-you-go Oyster Card to save some money, you have to pay a 3.50£ deposit to get the card, so make sure not to lose it so you can get your money back.
Paris: Le Metro. One trip passes are 1.50€, but the Times recommends that it's probably cheaper to buy a pack of ten than invest in a multi-day pass.
Barcelona: Metro. Single tickets cost 1.30€, but it makes more sense to buy a ten trip pass which starts at 7.20€.
Berlin: U-Bahn. Single ticket fares start at 2.10€ and a one day pass starts at 6.10€.
Rome: Metropolitana. It's super cheap: single-ride tickets start at 1€ and one-day passes at 4€!

Read the whole article here.

Filed under: Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Transportation, Budget Travel

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

D P May 28th 2008 6:08PM

An even better deal for small groups in Berlin is a group ticket (Kleingruppenkarte) which starts at euro 15.90 for up to 5 people traveling at the same time. It's good the entire day up to 3 am the next day.

Anna Brones May 28th 2008 9:34PM

Thanks for the tip! This goes to show that it's definitely worth doing some research on all the passes that are available in the city that you are visiting.

Owain May 29th 2008 5:58AM

London: The Tube. Invest in a pay-as-you-go Oyster Card to save some *euros*, you have to pay a 3.50£ deposit to get the card, so make sure not to lose it so you can get your money back.

Pounds, dear boy, pounds

Anna Brones May 29th 2008 10:01AM

Thanks for catching that, I've now fixed it!

Owain May 29th 2008 5:59AM

I mean, my lady, of course...

Owain May 29th 2008 11:19AM

Thanks Anna. Sorry, I'm a real pedant sometimes. I'll add Valencia's "zone A zinger" BonoMetro (€6.10) to your list by way of an apology ;?)

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