Europe

Why this region works the way it does

Europe is the region where the hostel and the train timetable do most of the planning for you. A bed in Krakow costs less than a cinema ticket in Oslo, and the distance between Lisbon and Porto is shorter than most American commutes.

Our European chapters are built around real corridors: the Portuguese coast on the Alfa Pendular, the Berlin to Vienna night train, the Adriatic ferry hop from Split, and the low cost flight web out of Milan Bergamo and Krakow Balice. Fly into one end of a corridor and out of the other, and you stop wasting days backtracking.

Places worth building a route around

• Alfama, Lisbon. Hostels in old tiled buildings, tram 28 outside the door.
• Kazimierz, Krakow. Cheapest good beds in central Europe, walkable old town.
• Split and Hvar. Ferry terminal beside the bus station, easy island hopping.
• Interlaken Ost. Rail hub for the Jungfrau valleys, hostels with mountain views.