There are many ways to travel in Europe while maintaining a low-cost profile without using planes: hitchhiking, trains and applications linked to the sharing-economy concept (such as "Blablacar" to share car journeys). But why not consider the bus option? Some may turn up their noses at the long journey times, but surely both the environment (everyone's) and the wallet (ours) will benefit.
In fact, sometimes some airlines offer great discounts but perhaps with the drawback of having to make multiple stopovers or having to travel at an extremely precise time and date, not to mention the drawback of having to book well in advance. Shall we talk about it?
Choosing a cheap bus instead all this does not happen. The problem of having to book conspicuously in advance is eliminated given that in most cases the rates will remain unchanged without dramatically increasing in price as in the case of planes, an important mention for the flexibility allowed by such a choice.
Here is a quick guide to the most comfortable solutions for low-cost travel without taking your feet off the ground.
Flixbus
Flixbus is without a doubt the main solution that every traveler full of adventurous spirit and lover of long land crossings should always keep in mind. He began to present his routes in Germany at bargain prices and then spread like wildfire throughout the European continent, let's see why.
Pro
1 – Travel throughout Europe: It arrives from Palermo to Milan and from Italy it reaches all the capitals and practically every large city of the European continent: for 2 years it has even arrived in Ukraine and for a year it has also been made throughout Sweden. Let's say that with Flixbus wherever you want to go, in and around Europe, you are on the safe side.
2 – Good flexibility: With Flixbus you can enjoy great flexibility as the reservation can be canceled up to 15 minutes before the departure of the bus and then receive a voucher to be reused for a subsequent ride, however the amount of money received back will depend on how long before you decide to make the change.
3 – Economical and comfortable: It is extremely cheap and remains so even a few days before or even on the day of departure, except for holiday periods of great interest. All the seats are reclining and very comfortable, on some buses there are even tables where you can study or work and a Wi-Fi connection is almost always present.
Cons
1 – Excessive popularity: In recent times it is being chosen by the most and for these reasons the prices are slowly starting to rise and there are more and more border controls that can last even hours sometimes in the worst cases, especially on the border with Germany and all the Scandinavian states in general.
2 – Variability of travel conditions: Flixbus does not always maintain the same car standards, i.e. in most cases you could get a bus with Wi-Fi, power sockets, reclining seats and the possibility to buy food on board, while in the worst case you could find yourself in a bus without all the comforts listed above.
regional jet
A viable alternative especially for Czech Republic and Slovakia and also for some important European cities (they are completely cut off from Spain and Portugal) it is represented by the Regiojet company. Sometimes their buses are even cheaper than Flixbus as they are less popular and offer many more benefits. Let's go and discover them together.
Pro
1 – Enormous flexibility: All tickets are fully refundable and modifiable up to 15 minutes before departure! Exceptional!
2 – Free hot drink: Coffee or tea is always offered to each passenger for free, which will make you feel pampered.
3 – Multimedia entertainment: Still free on each Regiojet bus you will be given headphones and with these you will be able to listen to a vast selection of music or watch a film with subtitles on the small screen positioned on the back of the seat in front of you.
4 – Economical and comfortable: Each bus in the Regiojet fleet has reclining and comfortable seats and the prices are contained and within the reach of the most low-budget travellers, furthermore for the resolution of any problem you can contact a kind stewardess.
Cons
1 – Does not travel throughout Europe: Regiojet unfortunately does not travel indiscriminately in every European country covering the main cities as Flixbus does, instead it prefers the Czech Republic, Slovakia and some cities in: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England (London only), France, Germany, Holland, Poland, Switzerland, Ukraine.
Ecolines
Excellent company for the countries of Baltic Republics, and for many other Eastern European countries it is Ecolines, not counting the many destinations to Germany and Holland. Here's everything you need to know about it.
Pro
1 – Fair flexibility: It is possible to cancel your trip by obtaining a voucher that you can use again for a new trip, however if the cancellation is made on the same day of departure, only 50% of the trip will be refunded, and cancellation is only possible up to one hour before departure. race.
2 – Wide choice of food and drinks: On board the Ecolines buses it is possible to buy different types of food and drinks. This can be very useful in case you have to sustain long crossings.
3 – Multimedia entertainment: The Ecolines Company also offers Wi-Fi and entertainment mediated by music, films and it will even be possible to play some classics from the world of video games on the screen of the seat in front.
3 – Economical and comfortable: Each bus in the Ecolines fleet has reclining and comfortable seats and boasts very low and convenient prices. As in the case of Regiojet, here too a hostess will be able to meet your requests.
Cons
1 – Does not travel throughout Europe: Even Ecolines does not cover the whole European continent, preferring the Baltic Republics and Eastern European countries with the exception of Germany, Holland and some destinations in Denmark, Switzerland, only Paris for France, Greece and Austria. Still nothing for Spain and Portugal. Italy is completely cut off from its routes.
Omnibus
In last place as regards a cheap trip by bus in Europe we find Onnibus, also extremely cheap but unfortunately limited to Finland only, also for Onnibus let's check the list of pros and cons:
Pro
1 – Economic: you will certainly save a lot of money by choosing to travel with this company in the extreme north of Finland.
Cons
1 – Total lack of flexibility: Once the ticket has been purchased, it is not possible to change it or receive any type of refund.
2 – Only travel in a single state: Unfortunately Onnibus will only come in handy in Finland.
3 – Poor comfort: It is not possible to recline the seat and there is no reclining table placed on the seat in front.
