The Surprisingly Affordable Way To Get From City To City In Europe

If you are planning your first trip to Europe on a tight budget, don't feel like you have to limit yourself to one city, or even one country, to save money. While it might not be the most luxurious travel experience, if you're willing to rough it a little, taking a bus from city to city can save you a lot of money. Flixbus is a low-cost line of neon green buses which go to a variety of destinations around the continent, from Venice, Italy, to Warsaw, Poland.

This isn't necessarily a fun way to travel, when compared with aesthetic train trips or first-class flights, but it will get you from point A to point B. People looking to see a lot of destinations in one trip can take advantage of this no-frills method of transportation to save a significant amount of money. While you won't technically be sleeping for free in Europe since you do have to pay for a bus ticket, if you book overnight buses, you can sleep through the trip without needing to pay for hotel rooms on your travel days.

There's no denying it: Traveling Europe by bus is an inexpensive option, and Flixbus is among the cheapest companies for bus travel. Rates vary depending on how far you want to go, but in many cases, if you book well in advance and are flexible about the time you leave, you can book popular routes for as little as $30 — far less than the price of flights on even the best budget-friendly airlines.

You almost always save money by planning the details of your vacation early, but that's not always possible. If you don't have time to book in advance, you might end up paying significantly more — but probably still less than you would for a flight. For instance, you can book same-day tickets for a 15-hour ride from Paris to Barcelona for about $100, a four-hour trip from Rome to Florence for around $30, or a 10-hour trip from Amsterdam to London for around $65. Note, however, that prices can change depending on the day, route, and demand.

Often, taking a bus is the cheapest way to get between two European cities — but what is it actually like on board? Waking up as you pull into a new city is thrilling, but trying to get comfortable in a bus seat at 3 a.m. while your seatmate scrolls through their phone at full brightness is less exciting. However, there are a few amenities on board that elevate these long-distance bus rides beyond your usual city bus trips. While the quality may be spotty depending on the location, you can expect there to be free Wi-Fi during your trip. And though it might get a little nasty like any other public restroom, there is usually a bathroom available on board. Best of all, you won't have to cram your suitcase into your limited leg room. There is space under the bus to store your luggage.

You should also know that Flixbus has a reputation for leaving anywhere from a little early to quite late, depending on the traffic the bus encounters along the way. Fortunately, it's easy enough to log into your account and reschedule your bus trip, even on the same day (as long as you do so more than 15 minutes before you are supposed to leave), so if something goes wrong, you can always push the trip later.