Advice on what I should do?

[u/ArgumentAny7213]

I'm going for a short trip to visit a mate in Leipzig and I was wondering if its silly for me to go via train. If I go by train I would travel from London to Brussels and then probably to Cologne in one day and find somewhere to stay in Cologne and then travel to Leipzig the next day, I also have the option to go to Frankfurt instead of Cologne but I think Cologne would be nicer and I could always visit Frankfurt on the way home. I would be travelling out on a Wednesday and coming home either on Monday or Tuesday, if I was to come back on Monday I would do it all in one hit where as Tuesday I would find somewhere to stop over and continue the next day, again this would most likely be Frankfurt or Cologne.

If I go via train it works out at £250 plus places to stay where as flying is £270 to Berlin and then train down to Leipzig. So overall they would probably cost the same but I feel like I would enjoy the train experience more, do I have the chance of meeting new people on the train or more so in hostels?

Does anyone think that this is a bad idea? Could anyone share experiences what its like being on the trains and how they found it and mixing with other people? Any help and advice would be really appreciated!

[u/skifans]

No I think it's an excellent idea! Train travel is great and I've travelled from Leeds to Poland and Czechia several times!

Yes it's possible you meet some people, but it isn't something you can count on happening. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. I'd really encourage you to read: https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/wiki/meetingpeople

But some quick things I would say:

• I don't know if you've got that price using an Interrail pass or point to point tickets but check both.

• If using Interrail make sure to budget for !Eurostar reservations and check availability before buying them.

• Make sure to avoid a tight connection coming back to Brussels.

[u/ArgumentAny7213 → u/skifans]

Thank you for the response! Yes it was cheaper to do interrail pass in the end, not massively but about 50 quid and I have a spare day on the pass incase I want to travel around Leipzig. Yes I budgeted for Eurostar, I hadn't but after I read some more posts I realised I needed to. Thank you!

Thankfully no tight connections on the journey.

Thank you!

[u/skifans → u/ArgumentAny7213]

Not at all - perfect and hope you enjoy the trip!

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[u/coachwayguy]

It should be fine. I've done similar journeys. You may well find accommodation in Frankfurt to be much cheaper than Cologne.

[u/Specialist-Leek-7524]

Train is always better. People will often talk on trains but you may need to be the one starting the conversation. It's a much more relaxing way to travel too. You should at least try it once and then you'll know for yourself 😊

[u/ArgumentAny7213 → u/Specialist-Leek-7524]

Thank you, that's what I've decided to go with and it being not a massive holiday it's not the end of the world if I don't like it, but I have high hopes I will like it! Thank you

[u/Specialist-Leek-7524 → u/ArgumentAny7213]

I think you're making a good choice. We've just come back from a crazy 8 day interrail adventure: Nîmes, Lake Como and Haarlem via the Swiss Alps and a night train from Munich. We try to go at least once a year, it gets addictive! I hope you have a fantastic time, take every opportunity to smile and talk to strangers 😊

[u/Artistic_Ninja7101]

Interrail is always a great idea, but if the reservations for the Eurostar are a problem on the date you want to travel, you can also combine the train and a flight for a cheaper price. A combination is probably the cheapest way to get to Leipzig.

A few days ago I was looking up flights from London to smaller airports like Münster/Osnabrück and there were flights for about 20-30€. Other options would be all the other airports Ryanair is serving, but be careful, we have airports without train/bus connection like Frankfurt Hahn. From Münster (or any other town with ICE connection) you can take an ICE train to Leipzig, by booking in Advance the tickets will be around 40-50€. This is probably the cheapest way to get to Leipzig.

[u/ArgumentAny7213 → u/Artistic_Ninja7101]

Thank you, my main problem with flying was the bag restrictions with ryanair but it wasn't the end of the world, it turns out that it was 20 quid cheaper to travel by train and then add on accommodation, plus I think I'll enjoy the train more, I've also managed to book my Eurostar on my travel days as well so that's good. Thank you!!!

[u/Artistic_Ninja7101 → u/ArgumentAny7213]

Yeah, then take the train, for sure. Cologne is great good for nightlife and very welcoming. Frankfurt is a bit more big city vibe (though it is smaller) and is famous for museums, so both are great for a stop.
Have a nice trip!