Updated: 1/9/19 | January 9th, 2019
Traveling around Europe can be fairly expensive. Airline tickets, high-speed trains, overnight trains, ferries — they can all eat into your limited and precious travel budget.
However, a few recent trends that have helped travelers get around Europe cheaper: weaker currency exchange rates, the rise of the sharing economy, new bus options, and lots of new budget airlines. There are now tons of cheap ways to get around Europe because of all these changes.
I’ve been traveling Europe since I started backpacking there in 2006 and have seen so many things change over that time period. I’ve watched travel hacks come and go and prices change and change again. I can honestly say that it’s never been easier to get around Europe because there are so many new cheap ways to travel the continent.
And, in this article, I’ll lay out all cheap ways to travel Europe – and tell you when is the best time to use which transportation type:
The 7 Best Ways To Travel Europe Cheap
There are seven ways to get around Europe: bus, plane, train, car share, backpacker tours, Eurail pass, and hitchhiking.
1. Traveling Europe by Megabus
Megabus is a cheap way to get around the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales) as well as to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Tickets can cost as little as 1 GBP if you book at least a month in advance on popular routes. However, even if you don’t scoop up these amazingly cheap deals, you can still travel for a more reasonable price than on the national bus system, as fares rarely top 20 GBP.
I recently took a 5 GBP bus from London to Bristol. (The train? 45 GBP!) That ticket was only bought the day before too! Additionally, Megabus also operates trains to some destinations around the UK, starting at 10 GBP. Megabus is definitely the cheapest way to get around the UK and now is also the cheapest way to get to Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam.
2. Traveling Europe by Busabout
Busabout is a hop-on/hop-off bus service similar to the Oz or Kiwi Experience in Australia and New Zealand, respectively. A lot of backpackers use this method of travel to get around as well as meet other travelers. You can get on and off whenever you want along one of their set routes.
You can buy tickets that let you travel their whole network with a set number of stops, for example, a nine-day flex pass, which gives you nine stops from your starting city. The pass also comes with a guide and sometimes includes group activities. A two-week pass is $299 USD.
If you figure you can visit about six cities in two weeks, that’s $50 a trip. When you consider the soft benefits of a guide, included trips, and meeting people, Busabout becomes price comparable to trains and flights — though still more expensive than a regular public bus. Their unlimited passes for $1,499 for six months of travel is the best long-term transportation deal. The only downside to Busabout is that if you want to visit a city not on one of their routes, you have to make your own way there at an added cost.
3. Traveling Europe by FlixBus
Over the last few years, a new company has entered the market and totally changed the bus system in Europe! German-based FlixBus has routes in 20 European countries and thousands of cities, with prices starting as low 5 euros. Their buses include Wi-Fi, electrical outlets, up to three three free bags, and comfy seats. It’s essentially Megabus, but less sucky. It’s the best and cheapest way to get around the whole of continental Europe. FlixBus quickly became my favorite non-train way to get across Europe more cheaply.
Another option is to take Eurolines. Every country in Europe has its own national bus service, but for international long-distance bus routes, they sort of combine into the umbrella company Eurolines. While it serves more destinations than FlixBus, I prefer the comfort and prices of FlxiBus if I have a choice between the two. Eurolines prices usually start at around 20 euros for a 5-6-hour journey.
4. Traveling Europe by Budget Airline
By far one of the cheapest ways to travel long-distance in Europe is by budget airline. These airlines are hugely prolific on the continent, and this competition has led to incredibly cheap fares, often as cheap as 1 euro. When I need to go somewhere and I don’t want to take a long bus or train journey, I fly budget airlines. My favorite budget airlines are:
I use Skyscanner and Momondo to search for the best deals. They do all the legwork for ya!
It’s important to remember that these budget airlines make most of their money through fees, and the second you mess up, they whack you with a fee. They are very strict about baggage limits or forgetting to print out your boarding pass. Be sure to follow their rules to the letter. Sometimes these budget airlines cost more money because of all their fees, so if you’re traveling with a lot of bags, it may be cheaper to fly with one of the larger airlines (which have also lowered their fares in the face of tough competition).
For more information, here is a complete guide to finding cheap flights around Europe.
5. Traveling Europe with a Eurail Pass
I love traveling by train: sitting in a big seat, relaxing with a book, and watching the stunning landscape go by. It’s more comfortable than a bus and much less stressful than air travel. And the European rail system is one of the best and most extensive in the world.
If you’re going to travel by train, it’s hard to beat them on price and convenience for short city-to-city travel. For longer journeys (overnight journeys, between countries, or rides that require a high-speed line, like Paris to Bordeaux or Berlin to Munich), trains tend to be very expensive.
If you plan to travel around Europe in a grand tour or if you are going to be traveling across vast distances and don’t want to fly, getting a rail pass is your best money-saving travel option. Your cost per trip will be a lot lower than if you were to buy these tickets separately.
For more information, here is a complete breakdown of Eurail passes and when they should be used to save money.
6. Traveling Europe Using BlaBlaCar
The rise of the sharing economy has allowed people to hop a ride with locals going their way, and BlaBlaCar is the reigning king of this service. It’s hugely popular and widespread in Europe, and I’ve used this service many times. It lets you rideshare with people who have extra space in their car. You find a ride, they agree to take you, and off you go. You can find rides for as little as 5 euros.
This is the BEST paid way to get around Europe. You get to meet a local, have a friendly conversation, save tons of money over bus and train travel, and get off the highways and more into the countryside.
Alternatively, there are websites where you can ask for rides so long as you pitch in for gas. Gumtree is the most popular among backpackers.
7. The Cheapest Way To Travel Europe: Hitchhiking
The best way to travel Europe cheaply is to not pay for it and hitchhike. Hitching is quite common in Europe (and a lot safer than you think), and I’ve met a number of travelers who have done it and have been fine. I myself traveled this way in Bulgaria. But it’s important to use your head when hitchhiking. Always trust your instinct, and use common sense. If the situation feels unsafe, bail out as quick as you can.
The BEST Way to Travel Europe: Mix and Match Your Transportation
As you can see, there are a lot of ways to get around Europe on a budget. But the best way is to MIX AND MATCH YOUR TRANSPORTATION. The key to traveling around Europe on the cheap is to know when to use each one of the listed transportation methods. For short trips, I like trains and BlaBlaCar. For medium-length trips (half a day), I’ll take a bus, BlaBlaBla car, or train. For long distances, I fly or take a high-speed train or an overnight bus.
Too many travelers think it’s an all or nothing thing. Like one way is always better than the other. That’s not true. There’s no one way to travel Europe. There are a ton – and you need to know when to use which method. What’s more valuable? Time or money?
If you have more time, take the slower cheaper routes (except when flying is cheaper). If you have more money and a shorter trip, fly and take the train. In any given trip, I will take at least four of the above methods on how to get around Europe! It’s a mix and match method. One way isn’t good 100% of the time.
If you have no preference on how you travel — and you just want the cheapest option (which is usually what I do) — use a website like Rome2rio or Go Euro. All you have to do is enter where you are going and these sites will mix and match the various ways to get around the continent for the least amount of money. They will string together buses and trains and planes to construct the quickest trip for the least amount of money. I personally have a preference for Rome2Rio as I like the user interface better.
If you are looking for the best ways to travel Europe, use the transportation options above that suit your needs and you’ll always get the best deal! Remember: no one method works 100% of the time! Mix and match!
Do that and you’ll save tons of time and money.
Get All My Best Europe Tips in This In-Depth Book
Nomadic Matt’s Backpacking Europe
My detailed, 200+ page guidebook is made for budget travelers like you! It cuts out the fluff found in other guidebooks and gets straight to the practical information you need to travel and save money while backpacking around Europe. You’ll find suggested itineraries, budgets, ways to save money, on and off the beaten path things to see and do, non-touristy restaurants, markets, and bars, and much more!!
Going somewhere specific? Chek out these guides:
Keep planning your trip to Europe with these other articles I wrote:
- Check out my Europe travel guide
- My 24 Favorite Hostels in Europe
- My Step-By-Step Guide to Backpacking Europe
Book Your Trip to Europe: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
- World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
- Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!
Lauren
I asked to see something like this just yesterday in your survey! I’m sure you already had this planned out long before, but what great timing! I’m leaving to backpack Europe with friends this Sunday and we know where we want to go within Europe, but just not how to get there. I will definitely be referring to this frequently. Thanks!!
Erica
Eurolines can be an awesome way to go, for a few Euros we went from Riga to Vilnius in the luxury back part, spacious, free wifi and a breakfast box! And they run on time!
Elle
The best way to get around in Europe for me is the budget airlines of Easy Jet and Ryan Air; they tend to be dirt cheap. The regional trains in each country also tend to much cheaper than the Eurorail trains. In Germany for instance, it is much cheaper to travel on the regional trains. I like your tips on the buses – never knew about those companies!
Jon
Chances are, when you add it all up, you’ll throw down as much on transpo on these “cheap” options as you could actually find a cheap car for if you’re spending any time there. Consider using gumtree, CL and the like to pick up a used car that runs well but you’ll feel no problem leaving behind at the end of your journey. You can also use couchsurfing.com friends as a local resource to fins something. I did this in Australia and it was a great investment. Went where I wanted when I wanted without having to plan around other schedules.
Charlie David
Yeah, I’ve definitely done the CL for a used car and sold it after my trip. Actually, I did this twice and saved all my money because I sold the vans for more than I paid. I did this once in SE Asia with a motorbike but lost a few hundred dollars. Still, it’s all a risk, so don’t chew off more than you can swallow!
Rob
What is CL?
Usually upto date on this stuff.
Sometimes it’s cheaper to fly with a regular airline by the time you pay for bus fair on both ends and extra fees for being overweight you pay the same
Jay
CL is craigslist if you haven’t figure it out by now.
Christina
We looked at taking megabus from London to Paris because we missed out on the cheap Eurostar tickets, but the bus takes 8 hours versus a 2 hour train ride. That sounded miserable, so we just went with the train.
Mathieu
How come you don’t seem to be talking about hitchhiking so much ? Not your thing ?
NomadicMatt
I mentioned it here but I personally don’t do it that often.
Sandra
In Germany try mitfahrgelegenheit.de for ride shares. Much safer than hitchhiking and cheaper than the train (quite often you’re also faster than the train), plus you meet locals.
Ashley
My favorite budget airline is Easyjet. Unlike Ryanair, you don’t need a stamp on your ticket in order to board (which can sometimes mean waiting an hour for check-in when you don’t even have baggage) and the plane ride is much less tacky (i.e. no pan-handling of smokeless cigarettes).
If I can fly Easyjet I hands-down choose it over Ryanair.
Caroline Achieng Otieno
I also prefer Ryanair, though there are some places it doesn’t go to..but it is relatively cheaper as I have observed..
Soph
check also SimplyBus and Polski Bus.
Lauren
This rocks! I’ve used Eurail passes as you’ve said, for long distances that would otherwise have been very expensive, it saved me hundreds. We had to hop on a Eurolines bus one day because of some sort of strike, but our seats weren’t too cramped, so it wasn’t so bad. Thanks for the information!
NomadicMatt
Same here.
Jennifer
Considering that I want to travel to Europe one day this really helps me. Who doesn’t want to save money especially when you’re already on a trip. Thanks for the tips.
Nat
Budget airlines are great when you go by the rules. We got a €39 flight from Milan to Budapest and got around the carry on weight limit (if you go over they make you pay to check your bag, more than the cost of the flight) by stuffing our jacket pockets with electronics and books. Even in the 40C heat, they didn’t question why we were both wearing tons of clothes.
Beatrix
Orangeways (www.orangeways.com) is absolutely a must if you travel in Central Europe from or to Hungary. They have budget prices especially if you book in advance.
You can organize your trip to several Central European countries with a base in Budapest. They are a Hungarian coaching company organizing international lines to Austria (Vienna only), Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic and Transylvania (was a part of Hungary, now is a part of Romania with a significant Hungarian community). The destinations can vary depending on the season.
Duncan
The Megabus tip is a good one, although you have to be one of the first 5 or so people to book a specific journey to get the 1.50$ deal.
Normally prices are around 5-10$ for a longer journey (for example London to Manchester!)
Duncan
Liz
Most of the options you listed also offer student discounts, which is great for anyone still lucky enough to be one!
Toeic
Great options of budget solutions when traveling in Europe. I would actually prefer Eurail Pass than ryanair if im moving trough Europe.
El Che
I’d recommend Wizz Air for those who want to fly to Eastern European destinations in Hungary, Poland, Romania etc. And as I know they’ll have new routes, Kiev and Tel Aviv. The bus can be cheap for the spirit I prefer trains.
NomadicMatt
Wizz Air is a great budget airline. Very good deals.
Sugan
Thank you. This is a great collection of bus companies.
Also, as “Elle of Solo Female Nomad” suggested the regional trains are also a good, and cheap choice for regional travelling.
Tuscany was quite tough about 5 years back – using their Blue Buses for most regional travel.
I prefer Bus travel for regional because you get to see so much more. Especially, when it you are going by the country side in Italy (surely true about most of Europe/UK as well)
Ora
Having used the air-lowcosters in Europe on a monthly basis, must admit that they are getting more and more pockets-thrashing – trying to squeeeze every cent from you, once you are at the counter. Especially this holds for Ryanair and Wizzair nowadays. Matt correctly suggests ‘doublecheck the conditions’, but things are often getting unpredictable with those two lowcosters – overbooked planes, bad color of the printed e-ticket, etc.
And of course, the space inside for an individual is computed according to a dwarf standars.
I am keeping away from using lowcosters currently, by trying my best to use car/bus/train oppotunities.
El Che
True, the low cost airlines has some special conditions. But on the other hand I choose them only for short routes within the EU. For me a 1-1,5 fly to Malmo, Rome or Brussels (I flew to these cities with Wizz) for 25-35 euros (to and back) is a good deal. Yes, these were only few day long visits, I didn’t needed extra luggage and so on, but for that money (I’d pay more for 3 hours long train ride inside my country…) I didn’t care too much about the legroom… Maybe somebody thinks it’s much more fun to drive for 10 hours on a motorway, well, I envy him. I did it for many times and didn’t enjoy that much. And just a story: for a Gothenburg trip we chose a “big”, not low cost airline. When we had to come back, there were some problems with the plane, we had to wait for hours, they took us home on a crazy route and the “compensation” was a free sandwich and a coffee…
Andrea
Matt, do you know anything about the InterRail? I know you have to have proof of residency for six months prior, but do you know much about how it stacks up the Eurail for long-term travels?
– Andi
NomadicMatt
If you’re American, just get RailEurope. Same thing. Interail is for Europeans, Rail Europe for everyone else. Same product.
Jackie
Matt,
If you and your spouse/friend had 10 days and $4000 dollars to spend on a trip from California to Europe–where would you go?
Since my husband and I are navigationally challenged–should we consider a group tour? If so, can you suggest any?
Is it possible for us to visit Venice, Rome, Paris, and London for $4000?
Thanks so much for your insight!
J & J
NomadicMatt
You can visit anywhere in Europe for that amount of money! For 10 days, I would stick to just one geographic area.
Mera
iv have no plan what so ever i want to travle europe as cheep as possible i am a student and my traviling partner is my LO(5/6years).
I was wondering if any one had a way of working out the best ways of finding the cheepst deals, i just wanted to look at a website and go “thats the cheepst deal” and just go there, and so forth
(although i might form a bit of an advance plan in that ill decided where we are traviling via the cheepest destions when booking in advance.)
im sorry if iv made this confusing im hoping that someone might be able to help….
N. Cordelia
Hi, Thank you for all the useful information.
But I have some questions. I’m from Iran and as you might know, our banks don’t have any kind of relations whatsoever with the banks in other countries, so we can not use our ATM cards or credit cards in other countries. And because of that, if I want to travel to any foreign destination, I’ll have to carry cash with me. And I can not book my ticket online. I really love to travel, and so far, I have only traveled with the tours provided by the travel agencies in my country. But as you may know, these tours can be really expensive. I always dream about traveling to Europe on my own, but I don’t even know how I should start. Believe me, for us Iranians, even getting the visa is a really hard job to do!
kris
there’s also a car share service where you tell people you’re going from city a. to city b. and you chip in for the petrol money for the driver!… you also get to meet some lovely locals …
i cant remember the name of the website sorry..
Paul
We were thinking of driving from Spain, through France and into Italy. Besides your normal hire car agencies, is there any cheap van or backpacker vehicle hires we could look into??
Richard
I think you mean gumtree ? It’s like craigslist
Lauren
I knew about Megabus but not Busabout so thanks for the heads up.
L Shreffler
I am a disabled individual. I am trying to plan a trip from California to Europe in mid June 2014. Our trip would be 14 days, We would like to see at least England, France, and Italy. What kind of itinerary would you suggest and what would be the best and safest way to get around being I am disabled Thanks for any info you could provide. We would want to spend no more than $5000. I am trying to use my timeshare network for lodging.
Peggy
Great tips, Matt, but from my experience flying budget airlines can sometimes cost much more than anticipated after you add in all the extras – check in fees, costs to check a bag, the hour long bus rides to get from the regional airports that Ryanair flies into… much better to sign up and wait for cheap train tickets, plus you get to see some of the countryside too!
Tine
As said above the car-share website mitfahrgelegenheit.de is worth checking for Germany and its neigbourcountries. Blablacar.com for all other countries (and germany too)
Samantha
I love transportation posts – when you don’t have a car and you don’t want to be wasting cash on taxis all the time, you gotta use public transportation and it’s not something anybody would know all the details unless they live there/travel there. So when I finally go to Europe I’ll definitely be referring to this, thanks!
Yves
Anybody here ever take Vueling? I read some horrible reviews on this airline online and very few positive ones. That sucks because they have a decent price from Alicante via Barcelona to Lisbon from which Portomaio is not very far by train or bus. Believe it or not going from Alicante (Spain) to Portomaio (Portugal) is either a 20 hour bus ride or a train via Madrid for 200 euros and I am only in Seville. Unbelievable!!??
Mark
The budget airlines are probably the cheapest way to get around Europe. Book around 3 weeks in advance and a two hour flight should never be much more than 30 Euros if you’re a bit flexible with your dates/times. Wizzair are another one that are pretty cheap if you’re going to Eastern Europe.
Kanishk
Which airline is good among Ryanair , Transavia or EasyJet? The wikipedia article of Ryanair has a long “Criticism” section citing bad customer service, unnecessary charges and even duping the passengers. I am not expecting any frills but at least customers should not be harassed even if the airline is a low cost carrier.
NomadicMatt
I like EasyJet the best but Ryanair is cheaper.
Ryan Lindsey
Very well said Matt, I used Eurolines a lot when I traveled through Europe and Megabus is without a doubt very very cheap if you book it at the right time!
I also tried hitchhiking through Austria, Germany and France which was the first time I done it and to be fair I’d say it was because of this that I managed to travel around Europe for two months on less than £1,000 and of course met some amazing people that you never would just on trains and buses!!
Amrita K
How was the experience on Eurolines, did you take any overnight journeys? I got my younger brother to book tickets with them for this summer for 4 looong journeys, and now I’m a bit apprehensive after reading some pretty bad reviews. Should I get him to cancel and take flights?
swanny
I definitely prefer the Eurail Pass. Whilst its more expensive than buses, it takes less time and is more comfortable and more scenic. (Some of the mountain pass trains in Switzerland and Austria are amazing!)
Also Budget Flights are a pain in the as*! Whilst on first look they are cheap you then realise that you have to pay extra for luggage etc and also as Airports are mostly well out of the city the costs to get there need to be added up.
Also when you think about it if you add the time it takes to get to the Airport, Check In, get through security, board and flight time a 1 hr flight can easily turn into 4 hrs plus and then you realise that you could have got there in the same time by train anyway where you just hop on and go and watch the countryside go by!
Cos I am under 25 a Eurail pass is by far the best deal for me!
Eddie
Yeah agree with you. Trains are definitely the best way to travel around Europe.
Budget flights are a nightmare, I only use them for getting to more out of the way places such as Iceland.
You miss so much scenery from the sky!
On the continent I prefer trains. Buses are often cheaper but take far longer so it depends what you prefer.
seat61.com is the best website for overland travel, it gives great advice on how to get to literally anywhere in Europe by train. It also tells you how to find the super cheap fares. If you book ahead you can find amazingly cheap fares.
If you are under 25, a Eurail pass works best as you can get a 2nd class one. For some reason Eurail won’t sell 2nd class passes to people over 25 and 2nd class is absolutely fine for most people!
I generally just buy 2nd class tickets at the station as it usually works out much cheaper than a 1st class pass. Only in France do you really need to book ahead and only in peak season.
Thats the other great thing about train travel, it is super flexible, you can literally “go where the wind takes you”.
Niko
If I am planning to travel for over 4-month in Europe, will it be better for me to buy a car for $2000 range and then sell it at the end of my trip? Any rules or regulations about buying a car and drive it through Europe. Is it easy to sell it at the end?. What is the best country in Europe to buy a cheap reliable car? Can I sell it in any country in Europe or I have to sell back at the same country, I bought it from? So many questions I tried to place in here but I hope you get what I am trying to do and your insight/expert advice will be appreciated.
Marius
Hi Niko , yes it’s easy to buy a car.. but selling it might take time , unless you go to a garage and sell it at a loss.. insurance can be expensive if you’re not a resident .. on the other hand it’s the best way to travel as you’re not depending on anyone else. In UK cars are cheap, £1000 gets you a decent diesel, cheap to run.. easy on ebay, gumtree, friday-ad.
Laurie Sundin
Im a 53 year old divorcee that has been an empty nester for a few years and am desperately wanting to roam throughout Europe but unfortunately im on a budget… any kind of info that would help me with my bucket list progress I would be forever grateful…
Don Nadeau
The Europass & individual tickets are not your sole train options.
You can also buy one country passes, two (adjacent) country passes, and regional groups of country passes, which can reduce your costs.
Of course, as always, you need to compute how the prices of these compare to buying separate tickets and also importantly factor in the flexibility to change that you gain with passes, which are based on time and not on specific places within your pass area.
Check Rail Europe to see what’s available. I am NOT saying that this is necessarily the cheapest place to buy them.
Nita
How do i become your travel buddy? Haha.
Great article. I love eurail but will look into your other suggestions.
Johnny
I am also a big fan of hitchhiking. Because Europe is such a densely packed continent there’s always something to explore, even if you’re on foot.
Anyways, if you decide that you want to explore Europe through hitchhiking you should remember to bring a few essentials with you:
You need to take some ID, such as a passport. An ATM card so you can withdraw local currency, or some cash to change. Some rain gear is a good idea, though many just decide to sit out the rain. Sometimes you might not be anywhere near a hotel or inn when it’s getting dark. That’s why you should bring a small tent and sleeping bag with you.