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that's the question...Part 4 - Continuing from "Traveling within Europe" - By Anne-Marie D
Of course, just when you're hooked on Europe's comfy (inter)national trains, you end up in a country where the bus is usually the best option!
For travel in Spain, I recommend buses over trains. The network is pretty old, with plenty of single-track sections which, with the frequent cargo train schedule, just screams 'delays' which is of course exactly what happens. Luckily for us travelers', Spanish transportation companies have seized up this opportunity and offer frequent, cheap, reliable bus services between all major and not so major cities in Spain. The only inconvenience is that the different companies have as of yet not decided to support one all-encompassing website, so you need to refer to your good-old guidebook to see which companies run services to the town you want to travel to.
On the topic of buses, there are several international bus lines much used by backpackers, such as Eurolines, which offers cheap travel between most capital cities in Western and Eastern Europe. The trouble with that company is that they are very subject to passport- and drug-controls at the borders which can lead to significant delays and uncomfortable situations (such as unpacking your backpack in the middle of the night at the Czech border).
Concluding, when I travel distances that can be done by train in less than 5-6 hours, I usually end up doing that. However, when you can plan well in advance and you travel outside of busy seasons such as summer and Christmas time, you can snatch up some really good deals through one of the many budget airlines that operate in Europe. Especially from the UK and Germany there are many routes offered. Giving an up-to-date overview is nearly impossible but this site has been a useful starting point for me. Here
Gute Reise/ Bon Voyage/ Happy Travels/ Goede Reis/ Buen Viaje/ Buon Viaggio!
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