6 Countries in 10 Days - Travelling for those under the clock

Do you love the thought of travelling but don't think you have enough hours in the day? or there just doesn't seem to be enough annual leave left? Well if you're committed enough, like my partner and I - I have a crazy itinerary for you to follow! We did this trip back in the summer of 2016, and although my partner had already done 2 (just as crazy trips) prior to this one - it was my first time.

Have you heard of interrailing? Well, if you haven't - what are you waiting for? google it now! (https://www.interrail.eu/ ). Interailing is an amazing way to sight see around Europe. You buy one train ticket and use that to travel on any train across the whole of Europe!

THE ITINERARY

In this trip we chose to explore Eastern Europe and here is a brief overview of our route:

Day 1: Prague, Czech Republic.

- Catch an early morning flight to enjoy a full day in Prague. Make this day, a day to see all the classic tourist spots!

Day 2: A morning in Bratislava, Slovakia and an afternoon in Vienna, Austria.

- Catch a super early train to Bratislava (It takes about 4 hours). Join a morning free walking tour when you get there to ensure you hit all the hot spots. Bratislava is a small capital and easy to walk around. TIP: Go up the UFO Tower for an amazing skyline over the city

- Around early to mid afternoon, catch a train to Vienna, Austria. Vienna is only 1 hour away from Bratislava. Vienna is a fairly big city so I'd suggest buying an all day underground ticket to get you from A to B. TIP: I would 100% recommend going to see a performance at the Vienna Royal Opera House - you can buy these cheap on the day.

Day 3/4: Budapest, Hungary.

- Budapest is about a 4 hour train journey from Vienna. Budapest is a beautiful city with so much to do, so 2 days at the minimum you would want to spend here. Make sure to explore the Buda and the Pest side of the city - a free walking tour also helps understand more of the history of this city. TIPS: For an amazing view over the city, take a walk up Gellert Hill in the day and the night. And for a bit of relaxation, try out the Szechenyi thermal baths.

Day 5/6: Zagreb, Croatia.

- Our first day in Zagreb was a chilled one. Zagreb is a small capital city and we needed a rest from so much sightseeing. We took this day to leisurely stroll around and enjoy the food and drink Croatia had to offer. Zagreb is 6 hours by train from Budapest.

- The second day we took the bus from the main bus station to Plitvice Lakes National Park. I would recommend getting the earlier bus, as otherwise it becomes very busy. You can happily spend a whole day walking around this national park, admiring the many waterfalls, lakes and landscape.

Day 7/8/9: Ljubljana, Slovenia

- Out of the whole trip, I have to say that Slovenia was my favourite country! It contained a stunning capital city and outstanding natural beauty just a short distance from the capital. Ljubljana is 6 hours by train from Zagreb.

- Our first day we went to Lake Bled, which is just a 40 minute train ride from the capital. Lake Bled has so much to offer; including: bicycle hire to ride around the lake, rowing boats to row along the lake into the centre island and a short hike to get a marvellous view of the whole lake.

- Our second day we had arranged an excursion to Triglav National Park. This excursion was with 8 other people in a minibus, which incorporated seeing amazing viewpoints, short hikes, waterfalls and white water rafting on the rapids of the Soca (Emerald) River. I would highly recommend the Emerald River Adventure Tour, through http://www.3glav.com/.

- Our final day was spent exploring Ljubljana itself and seeing all the top tourist sights. The city reminded me of Italy with the design of its architecture and bridges.

Day 10: Prague, Czech Republic

- The reason we ended up back in Prague, was because this is where our flight home was from. To get from Ljubljana to Prague in a time efficient way, we took a night train where we could sleep on overnight and wake up in Prague the next day. Honestly one of the best nights sleeps I've ever had! We arranged our flight late afternoon so we could catch up on seeing anything we missed from our first day in Prague at the beginning of the trip.

Now I know what you're thinking - this is crazy, how can you get from place to place so quickly and manage to enjoy and see all the sights?

FEW TIPS

1) Low Travel Times

When thinking about the countries you want to travel to, think about how long the train journeys are between each place. You will often find that places situated closer together, also have trains travelling more frequently to that destination - meaning you can be more flexible with your time. After all, if you want to see as much as you can - you don't want to be spending all your time on transportation.

2) Early Mornings

Early mornings are the best way to beat the busy tourist times and to make the most of each day you've got. In our trip, the nightlife scene wasn't our priority so we were able to get enough sleep to have a fighting chance of getting up early. However, everyone's travel priorities are different - so adapt your route to prioritise your interests!

3) Plan Plan Plan

For a trip as busy as this one, you have to plan and you can't make it up as you go along. Before you arrive you should research the top places you want to see and book any excursions in advance. You should also plan which exact trains you are going to aim to get so that you keep to a strict timetable. Finally, ensure the location of your accommodation is in the centre so that you don't need to waste time travelling to and from.

4) Adapt

Be adaptable! By this I mean, if you haven't had enough sleep at your accommodation, sleep on the train. If you want to make sure you see the sights after getting up late instead of eating out - then pick up a local delicacy from a cafe rather than a table service restaurant. There are lots of little things that you can change to ensure you get to see as much of these wonderful places as possible.

Safe Travels,

Ruth xxx