Looked at KLM and €870 for 2 single tickets ,even 2 returns are €527 for the 31st July.

Does KLM drop their prices nearer to the date ??.

Anyone know any other operators with more economical prices.

Have also been looking at the train with possibility of breaking up the journey stopping off 1 or 2 places on the way Köln & Frankfurt or maybe someone would like to recommend somewhere else ???.

Haven't been to Germany for a while but there's gotta be a high speed train btwn Amsterdam and Stuttgart. It should only be 6 to 8 hours at most. Take a night train (might have to do Amsterdam to Munich if you want an EN train) Stopover? Koln is alright. Everybody's into Ryan Air so check them out. Or Easyjet if it's still around. Some Euro guys should come on and have better info.

It's about 3 hours to Frankfurt with the ICE. Then you can just take the train and get to Stuttgart in another hour or so.. allot cheaper.

there's something very wrong with that quote

just get a train

Knew Reptile would come through with the info. He gets a bit mixed up about when the Stones looked their coolest (correct answers: 1968/9,1975/6,1972/3) but he's really good with other stuff. Good info Reptile !!

Thanks I think the train is the way to go.

I read somewhere there is a Train from Köln to Frankfurt that is not ICE but goes through some nice scenery, problem is I don`t know which train it is, anyone got any ideas.

Also can you still smoke on the train in Germany been a while but last time we went you could.

REPTILE !!! get your tail over here.... (maxx, he'll know)

I don't have experience, but I reckon there's smoking and no smoking sections like in all european trains.

Look here for all budget airlines in Europe:

[www.attitudetravel.com]

Go to Munich that's cheaper, and the much better location!

Afraid KLM charging the same to fly to Munich

Thanks for the link Beast but not many budget choices from schipol to south of Germany.

I found one from another Airport in the Nl but you have to fly to prague and stay overnight so means checking in twice lot of time wasted in airports.

The train will be fine if we can still smoke & find a route with some scenery to look at.

My OH wants to go to Köln as he has not been there for about 30yrs we will definately get lost as I am sure the places he remembers will have changed a lot,

We were planning to go there on the 29th July and see the fireworks in the evening but the trains back to Amsterdam dont work out v well, fast one leaves too early and the late one takes a long time.

If we take the train to Köln and spend a few hours we can continue to Frankfurt and spend the night there then head for Stuttgart late on the 1st gives us the 2nd to get our barings before the concert.

beast, thanks for the link to the cheap airlines - i had known of only a couple until i clicked on your link. now maybe i can find a quick way between the brno show and warsaw - then warsaw and vienna. why the stones arranged the crazy backtracking, i don't know...

also, on the last tour, i found it cheaper to get from amsterdam to brussels, and fly on virgin express to stockholm - about 1/4 the price of other airlines.

Last time I took the ICE was in november 2003. You could still smoke, but it might no longer be possible. At that time you could also still smoke in the Amsterdam-Paris "high-speed" train. That's no longer possible now. So they might also have taken out the smoking seats from the german ICE....

maxx Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looked at KLM and €870 for 2 single tickets ,even
> 2 returns are €527 for the 31st July.
>
> Does KLM drop their prices nearer to the date ??.
>
> Anyone know any other operators with more
> economical prices.
>
> Have also been looking at the train with
> possibility of breaking up the journey stopping
> off 1 or 2 places on the way Köln & Frankfurt
> or maybe someone would like to recommend somewhere
> else ???.

You sound like you've never ever arranged more than a 50 cent bus ride for yourself in your entire life ! Are you for real asking this question ?

Beast Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Look here for all budget airlines in Europe:
>
>
GREAT website beast of burden, 10 out of 10 to ya !!

"You sound like you've never ever arranged more than a 50 cent bus ride for yourself in your entire life ! Are you for real asking this question ? "

Well where are the cheap flight out of Schipol to Stuttgart then smarty pants.

I am not used to paying that for flights esp way in advance & its been that price since Jan.

Booked 8 flights with BA and the combined cost comes to less than 2 flights with KLM to Stuttgart.

You should check out www.ebookers.ch
You can also take EasyJet A'dam-basel (ca. 150 Euro for 2 persons) and take the train from there.
I found A'dam - Stuttgart there for ca. 270 Euro p.p.
The train with nice scenery is the one between Köln and Koblenz along the Rhine. Since the ICE is going from Köln to Frankfurt directly, you should take probably a local (Interregio) to pass the scenery (which is still nice).
Smmoking should be permitted still in German trains in the designated areas. In Switzerland it is forbidden.

Sjouke



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-03-22 10:23 by Sjouke.

Thank you Sjouke
Will take a look at the bahn de train site later but got to go to work now.

Sjouke, Interregio trains are history in Germany apart from the Berlin-Chemnitz trains (but who cares). All the others have turned into IC or fast local trains (RE/IRE).


The scenic route mentioned is indeed the Rheintal route, which used to be the main route from NRW to the south. The Rheintal is still covered by long distance trains (for Bonn and Koblenz) but it takes 75 minutes longer than the new high speed line. From Amsterdam, you change Cologne to get on those InterCity's.

The faster and only slightly more expensive option is the ICE on the new line. If you book on the latter you'll get a reasonable price when booking long enough in advance. Make sure you have a seat reserved (some of the window seats are actually between windows, which means you won't see anything out of a window, but alas). The trains are comfy, have a buffet, smoking areas, and speeds up to 300 km/h. Direct from Amsterdam to Frankfurt and then on the first available train to Stuttgart (IC, total less than 6 hrs.) Fastest however is to take another ICE and change again in Mannheim which makes it 5 hrs in total.

Check the timetables on [www.bahn.de]

Try Expedia.com

Remember that one-way gouging by airlines is common and it may be cheaper to buy a round trip ticket and throw away the return half.

Make your "return trip" reservation for a Tues. or Weds.

You will then get each ticket for €214.00 or so



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-03-22 18:22 by kensbro.

Take the train. Airport transfer and security takes longer. You will be there before the plane is taking off...

Bjornulf

bv Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Take the train. Airport transfer and security
> takes longer. You will be there before the plane
> is taking off...
>
> Bjornulf

Quite agree. Security in Schipol is hell on earth these days, unless you've got about 8 hours to kill before your flight - in which case it's great; it'll keep you amused for 7 of them !

Oh and if you do take the plane, don't fall for the old "ooh you might have a bomb stuck up your ass. I have to check it!"-trick!

To all those people outside Europe. The Train system is NOT comparable to US or Canada. It's very reliable speady and mostly on time. It goes through scenic landscape most of the time. People still use much more the trains than plains, except if the plain ride would be already more than two hours.
It's really fun and save.
We even go by train from Zurich to Barcelona and only take flights where necessary. Even cheap airlines tend to be much more expensive than like a year or so ago.
Have fun in Europe

Thank you everyone

The train it is.

Maxx, you sound like a nice person just asking for help. I don't know the city of Frankfurt very well but I do remember staying across the street from the main train station in this cool hotel (maybe 2 or,at most 3 star) who's name I can't remember but there's a big red neon sign hanging off the front of it that says "CHINA". It was very old world grand with these great giant very deep bathtubs in the rooms (well bathrooms) and a very nice old world style restaurant downstairs. I remember there were trams running out front. Cool place to stay if you do a stop over and not too expensive at all if I remeber correctly.....

Paulywaul, mellow out on the insults dude. I'm sure you're not Mr. Expert at everything (except being a rude sh*t and wanking).....

If it takes less than 4 hours by train that is the way to do it always. Remember trains go city center to city center. Example: Paris to Brussels. Takes one - 1 - hour by train city center to city center. Try to do it flying. You have to allow three hours travel and slack time before departure, the one hour flying and taxing, then waiting for luggage and transfer to city center. Probably takes you 5-6 hours.

Trains are very reliable all over Europe. May be some delays in UK I know they struggle a bit but the next one will be there. Even in Italy they are on time mostly, but who cares as long as you are sitting comfortably and have many nice people next to you and a nice vuew as you travel along?

In Germany they say sorry about being late if they are more than 1-2 minutes late. It rarely happens. The ICE train are great fast and connect every hour or so moist cities. Same with France and TGV. Fast and perfect. In the Netherlands you get anywhere in an hour or so by train. Spain I would fly because of the mountains and slow trains.

Remember train passes in the summer. If you go to many shows you can have train passes (interrail) of 2-4 weeks costing less than one ticket flying. And you can then take as many train rides as you like anywhere, anytime. Very flexible. I use it on every toour to do countries like Germany, Chech Republic, France, Switzerland, Austria etc.

Bjornulf

Have to totally agree with Bjornulf. One of the great joys for me in traveling Europe has ALWAYS been the trains. So much less stress then the airports/flying, meeting nice people on the train, looking at the scenery out the window, listening to your ipod, drinking some wine....can't be beat !!! So relaxing...hate getting off at the end...