Europe on a shoestring - top tips

I have interrupted my usual, nice, neat chronological posts to give you this snapshot of tips for travelling Europe because the sooner you know this, the easier your travels will be!

Below is a list of top tips, some for specific places, some more general, that I learnt during my Interrailing adventures over summer (full story will be posted later!).  Also look out for my upcoming post with top tips for your own Interrail adventure.

So, when you're travelling to and around mainland Europe, bear these tips in mind:

1. Validate your public transport tickets
Instead of paying per journey, most places in Europe issue what are essentially 'blank' tickets for public transport. You have to stamp these tickets at special machines when you get on a bus or tram and get a certain amount of time in which you can make as many trips as needed with that ticket (usually 90 minutes). If you don't have a validated (i.e. stamped) ticket, you could be fined.

2. Buses in Ljubljana are cashless
In Ljubljana you cannot use cash on buses (this is the only example I know of outside London, but if you know otherwise please leave a comment!).  To use public transport you need to buy a card (called an Urbana card) that costs a few Euros and top it up like and Oyster card. The easiest place to get the card is at news stands, but you can also get them from other places.  Full details can be found here.

3. Check public holidays
This is a good idea wherever you're going in the world, but being European I fell into the trap of assuming holidays wouldn't be too different to the UK.  We arrived in Ljubljana in the evening on Assumption Day.  Assumption day is not a big holiday in the UK, so we weren't even aware it was that day - in Ljubljana, everything closes at lunchtime. As a result, us weary travellers got of the train and trudged around the outer city to find several closed supermarkets, shops and cafes. The only food we could find was from a greasy takeaway with one stressed out, tired and very sweaty server, feeding the others who forgot / didn't realise the day.

4. Don't sit down!
When eating/drinking in cafes, bars and restaurants, be careful where you sit.  In many European countries, you will get charged an extra 'cover' charge if you sit outside, so decide if it's worth it to dine al fresco.  In Italy, particularly in the larger, more expensive and more touristy cities, you can be charged a 'cover' fee in a cafe just for sitting down!  Italians drink their coffee in a very functional way: Stand at the bar, neck and espresso and leave. Standing at the bar is 100% acceptable. Alternatively, insist on paying for your coffee when you order it, then take it to a table. Yes, it's a bit cheeky but it was a tip given to me by a born and bred Venetian.

5. Learn the Language
You don't have to be fluent in any language and a lot of people will speak English, but learning a few words of the local lingo (hello, thank you, please, yes, no and 'do you speak English' being solid staples) can go a long way and help you to look polite and respectful.  Even if the locals laugh because you're pronouncing words wrong, they'll love it if you just give it a go!  When Interrailing, long train journeys are a perfect time to brush up!