After my post on how to find Airbnbs, which you can view here, I thought it might be useful to talk about public transport whilst travelling full-time in Europe. I think I have probably made more mistakes than most in this area, so you are learning from the worst full-time older nomad. WFTON – has a certain ring to it.
In this post, I will be looking at buses, trams and ferries in local areas. I may well look at local and international trains in another post.
What this post will cover:
Research needed.
Buying tickets
Local customs regarding public transport(ation)
Public transit and where to look for accommodation
Bus and tram apps
Discounts for seniors and others
Other suggestions from the world’s worst senior nomad.
Research needed.
I tend to only do research on local transport if I am staying in a place for more than a week. Under that time I will not usually think of travelling very far (to the supermarket or an attraction) and most times these are walkable (I will arrange my accommodation accordingly) or I will take a taxi / private hire if need be.
I always do research if I am staying long-term. Staying outside of city centres is not only cheaper, but usually means that the area will be quieter and without the crowds. The downside is that getting to those centres will mean a longer journey.
What research is necessary? Is there reasonable public transport at the times you want it? (I sometimes need late night stuff – others may want early morning, that is rarely a need for me.) How frequent are the buses / trams – every 10 minutes, every hour? Bear in mind that if a bus frequency is 10 minutes and one is cancelled it’s no great hardship, but if the bus is once per hour, you could be in for a rather long 2 hours in the freezing cold (or burning heat!) Do the buses go to where you want to go? I went to Aveiro, Portugal, planning to make frequent train trips but the buses did not go from my digs to the railway station! So think about your accommodation location. Have an alternative plan … usually taxis – be clear if they are available (especially late at night) and what the charge is likely to be to ensure you are not being ripped off or laying yourself open to some nasty surprise. Always make sure you have enough cash on you for a taxi ride home, even if you are thinking you will take the bus /tram
Buying tickets.
This not only varies by country, but by city … so don’t assume that if you paid on the bus in one place it will be the same 50 miles down the road. On a few occasions I have been able to download an app and load it with fares before I get to the city. This has the advantage that you don’t need to struggle with this when you first arrive somewhere and have so many other things to think about. Usually though, the websites of the transport companies will explain what tickets are available, where you can buy them from and if the price varies depending on where you purchase. Often tickets bought before hand (at a Tabac or newsagents) will be cheaper than buying on the bus or tram. You should also find out if your ticket needs to be validated and how to do this – usually via a machine on the bus, but sometimes on the platform for trams.
Local customs in public transport.
Where to validate the ticket might be one of these. Also where to get on a bus (trams are more straightforward, normally through any open door.) With buses I have seen some where you have to get on at the front by the driver, others where you can only get off at the front and you get on by the other doors. Also in some cities you can walk down to a second bus if two pull up together. In Vienna, Austria, this was a no-no and you had to wait until the first had cleared the stop before you could get on the 2nd one. In Bordeaux, France … if you were walking on a bus route late at night (I think after 10pm) you could flag down a bus without having to be at an actual stop. This was brought in as a safety feature so that people didn’t have to run down darkened streets and I think is a great idea that should be rolled out to other cities.
Public transport(ion) and accommodation.
Obviously, if you are reliant on public transport and you are in a city for a long time, it makes sense to be as near as you can to a bus or tram stop. But the other thing to check is which route your nearest bus is on and the frequency of the service. I once stayed at an Airbnb (in Zagreb, Croatia) which showed a bus stop situated nicely next to the tower block I was going to be in … what I didn’t check was the route and frequency, which was one bus a day in each direction. (Amazingly I did managed to catch it, just once in the month I was there, such a pleasant change from the 15 minute walk to the more frequent tram stop.) Another point is to check the length of time you will be on the bus to places you might want to visit frequently. My cut-off is 30 minutes, but you may be happier being further out. Again, the advantage of being further out is that (usually) accommodation is cheaper and you are in a quieter neighbourhood, but again this might depend on personal preference.
A final thing that might be worth mentioning for folks who are less mobile is trying to check if you accommodation is on the same level as the transport stop. You may find yourself a place that is 10 minutes from a bus stop – which is fine on the flat, but less positive if it is up a steep hill. Reviews on the booking sites may tell you this, alternatively (if you know your destination is hilly) just ask.
Travel apps worth having.
Google maps is your friend. If you are lucky, it will have all the up to date bus and tram information for the city your are going to and all the stops will be shown on the map. Sadly though this might not always be the case. Some cities do not allow google to have this information. Some do, but do not keep it updated (can be worse, because you think it’s correct when it’s not.) In places where there the public transport is run by a mix of private providers you can have the situation where only some of the information is shared, so you miss out on alternative bus routes. Still it’s a good starting point and I always have google maps on my phone, so I can follow my journey from start to finish. Hopefully it will help you to check if you are going in the right direction (although some routes are a bit circuitous) and also where you need to connect if you are changing buses / trams, again don’t always assume that the connection is going in the same direction or that the stop is the same when there are multiple ones in the same area.
There are other local bus apps such as Busbud and Moovit. I haven’t had a lot of success with these as they seem to be full of ads and constant reminders to pay for the premium service. Having not found the basic service to be that good (and I have been left stranded more than once) I have never tried their next tiers so I would be interested in hearing from those that have. Also these apps do rely on information gained from the bus companies and not all will allow this, so you may have incomplete information.
Discounts for seniors and for other reasons.
This can be a real money saving hack, but does need some research. I always check what the rate for having a pass for the amount of time I want to be in an area is, compared to the rate per bus; sometimes the difference can be massive. I think the biggest saving was getting the vaporettos (water buses) in Venice. A single ticket cost 9.50 Euros .. Yes you read that right. One journey is nearly 10.00 Euros or £9.00 … a 7 day ticket will cost 65 Euros, which still sounds a lot (it would pay for about 3 months travel here in Thessaloniki, Greece) but it is a big saving, especially if like me you enjoy travelling by boat and seeing the sights flow past you.
The best bargain for Senior travellers is in Prague, Czechia as over 65s can travel for free on all city wide buses and trams just by showing their passport. Over 60s can get half price travel as well. I believe the same may be true in other cities such as Budapest, but I have not done the research.
Getting a Senior pass (or even a monthly pass for all ages) may take a bit of effort. Usually a photo pass is needed and here in Thessaloniki you had to bring your own passport photo, whereas in most other cities they just take a photo there and then.
Finally, check if a pass for a wider area might be worth your while. In Sheffield in the UK you can buy a city-wide bus and tram pass for a week for £21.60, but for £37.70 you can explore the much wider area of South Yorkshire and that will include local trains as well. Really good value as long as you get to use it.
Other things to take into account from the world’s worst world traveller!
Check which direction your bus is going in. Sounds easy enough, just check the destination board … BUT in some places there are no boards, they expect the locals to know. See my Brussels post for example Sometimes the destination is written in a different script and sometimes the destination varies (if a bus is only travelling part of the route for example.) Google maps may help with this, but I have ended up in a odd outlying residential area when I should have been in the centre of the city. Buying a monthly pass is usually worth it, although as the world’s worst full-time traveller, I did purchase a monthly pass in Osijek, Croatia and then found that everywhere I needed to go to was within walking distance.
So there you have it. As the world’s worst full-time traveller, I have made most of the mistakes I have alluded to above. Yes I have caught a bus in the wrong direction, only realising miles later and having to wait an hour or more for the bus back. I have waited forever for a bus only to realise I was at the wrong bus stop. I will also post a blog about my trip to Arberobello, Italy, which has to be my most difficult bus journey and will be a warning to some about what not to do. Fun indeed.
Comments
It’s worth knowing that in the U.K you can buy a Railcard. There are several types but if 2 of you are travelling together, then the ‘Two Together’ card offers substantial savings, plus other travel benefits. They are available to overseas users and can be purchased online.
https://www.railcard.co.uk/
Really interesting.
Thank you.
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