From Vilseck, Germany, how can we travel to other places like Italy,Rome, Paris? What is the cost?

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t_maia2000

You can travel by car, bus, plane and train.

http://www.mitfahrzentrale.de
http://www.eurolines.com
http://www.bahn.de (best search engine for train schedules all over Europe)
http://www.skyscanner.net

To figure out minimum costs you need to calculate with 50 EUR per day plus cost of getting to your destination. From one big city in Europe to another is usually between 60-200 EUR roundtrip.

50 EUR per day will cover:

- 5-10 EUR for food and drinks from the supermarkets
- 15-25 EUR for a bed in a hostel dorm
- 5-15 EUR for getting around (local public transport within a city, going on day trips, etc)
- 10 EUR for entry to sights

Feel free to email me for advice on how to see Europe on the cheap.

EDIT: Essential tools to planning a trip are the internet and a good guidebook. Look the following series: Let's Go, Rough Guide, Rick Steves' and Lonely Planet.

You can also ask a lot of questions, either here or on other travel-sites like Lonely Planet's Thorntree or Virtualtourist.

bethany s

I am in the process of planning a few trips for my husband's R&R - one was going to be Rome, but there is so much to see that we are postponing that trip until next year. (We're doing Amsterdam instead - If you like flowers look up the Keukenhof in Holland.) If you go to places like Rome or Paris please read up on it first or else you will miss out on a lot. Or take an organized trip from itr, that way your travel and hotel is already provided for you - much easier, but less fun for me.
One trip we are taking next month will be Europa Park (it's like a German Disney). Nearby is a spa town called Baden-Baden. We will be driving because it's a scenic route and there is a lot of hiking to do by the Black Forest - waterfalls and ruins are a lot of fun.
At the Grafenwoehr website below read the Bavarian American magazine - you'll see examples of the trips you can take with ITR starting on page 36. (They're very convenient and kid friendly, but more expensive sometimes and a little restricting).
I'm also including a website that has helped us find a good place to stay - it'll also help you research the places you want to see.

dbdoit

As another answer stated, check the on post travel agency. That will be your best bet money wise and it will save you a lot of problems(langauge, paperwork, etc).
Again, you are coming over with the US Military so you will have a great many opportunities to travel.
You will also have the luxury of being able to buy American foods and stuff at the Commisary and BX.
Vilseck is out in the German Bavarian Country side. Very beautiful land, but still out there. They have a great military communtity(I had friends working there) that offers all kinds of help and support. Plus they do a Thanksgiving Feast at the Mess Hall that is truely something to be thankful for!
Anyway enjoy your time in Germany, and Good Luck!

Ravin

The SATO office is a good option, but it is by no means the ONLY option. In fact, the only time I used SATO was to fly to Germany intially, then three years later when I flew back to the U.S. All the driving/flying/trainriding my wife and I did, we did and arranged all on our own... and probably a lot less expensive than booking a SATO flight somewhere.

If you're going to drive to your destination (and I've driven to Italy AND Paris, among many other places), plan ahead; be familiar with the route and any unforseen needs. For example, if you drive to Paris from Germany you'll be on a toll freeway (in France anyway), and you'll need to have some Euro on hand to pay the toll stations along the way. For driving over into some Alpine countries, like Austria, Switzerland and others, you need to purchase a vignette sticker for your windshield (usually available at gas stations just before or after the border) to legally be able to drive in those countries. Some countries have differing restrictions on what safety equipment you need in your car--Germany, for example, legally requires you to have a first-aid kit and a warning triangle in your car at all times. Other countries require more, like a reflective vest. You need to be familiar with the route you're taking--which autobahns, which by-roads, and which cities you'll be passing along the way, since knowing the cities along your route is handy for STAYING on that route (and finding your way back). It's also a very good idea to familiarize yourself with the destination or destinations--the layout, the sights, and how you'll get around while you're there (for bigger cities the public transportation is almost always a better choice than trying to drive around the city, such as with Paris). There are many other things you have to be mindful of, if you drive.

If you take the rails, you need to be a little familiar with those too--the difference between U-bahns, IC-trains, and ICE trains. How to read the schedules at the station. Where to go to buy the tickets--and the ticket counter at any major train station in Germany and most European countries speak English, more often than not. Learn how to use the ticket machines anyway, though, since you can't always count on there being a ticket office (or it being open, depending on when you're there). Trains are sometimes more expensive than driving or even flying, so be sure to do a estimated price-comparison. Trains also don't go *everywhere* that you might want to go, and don't afford quite the same freedom as a car might.

Flying can sometimes be the cheapest option. Europe, unlike the U.S., has quite a few ultra-cheap airlines--Ryanair, EasyJet, and SkyEurope for example. Familiarizing yourself with how those airlines work and how they might get you to your destination is a wise idea--and be mindful of the restrictions. They don't always fly into a "major" airport, so you might have to figure out how to get to your main destination from the airport that they DO use. They have time restrictions if you get there too close to boarding, and the seating is often first-come-first-served (ie, no reserved seats). But given the price of the ticket, it's still a viable option. I flew to Dublin and to Bratislava on Ryanair and saved a LOT of money and time doing so, than if I had tried to drive or take a train to either destination (which would've been tricky with Dublin anyway, seeing as how it's on an island).

The point is this: be aggressive and adventurous, and don't be afraid to try things for yourself and do new things and see new places. If you maintain the bizarre fear of stepping out of the American bubble, as so many American military families do in Germany, you won't end up seeing or experiencing much. There's nothing to be scared of. Check with the SATO office, and the USO office, for organized trips and for flying prices... but bear in mind that the less expensive, more fulfilling, and more fun options are to be had if you plan it and organize it yourself.

Again, I can give you more tips, if you are interested.

Bob D

Go to the travel office on Graf. Now that the Wall is down, Prague, Pilsen, Nurnburg, Regensburg, Munich, Wurzburg, Rotenburg ander Tauber, Romantic road is all within a couple of hours. Rome is about 14 hours away by train,
The best way I found, after you have lived there for a year is to get a railpass. Thre is the version they sell to Americans and the version that is available after you hav ebeenthere or a year. The second is cheaper. Esp as gas is high over there, go by train.
Go to the travel office.
8 years in Germany. 5 1/2 years stationed in Graf 85-90 and lived in Hutten from 86-90 Bitburg 80-82

Mauricio Robotnik.Buenos AiresAR

Look in Google under German Railroads, or better still, with Eurailpass. With this last you can make any type of combination and stops in your way. In Rome you will arrive at Stazione Termini, in the middle of the city, with plenty of hotels in every category. In Paris you will arrive depending from where you depart, at the Gare Du Nord or Gare l`Est, with plenty of facilities, including the subway to take you to any part of the city. Surely contacting any of the above, you will find links to hotels, where to eat, etc.
I used Eurail Pass and works marvellously with different prices if you travel alone or in company.
maurituchi@yahoo.com

MissCaramel

I live like 1.5h away from Vilseck.
I assume that you dont speak no german so your best bet would be to go to Sato Travel on post and look at theor offers.
GrafenwÃ¶hr has a huge Travel office so you may want to look there as well or look online.There are sites like
travelocity.de
expedia.de
To go to Paris or Rome i would take the train tho.Its cheaper and faster than the car.Sometimes you can get special offers and catch a flight for â‚¬50.- down there.
The cost totally depence on where you go to.Italy and France have their cheap parts and also their very expensive tourist places.France i ust say is not really that pretty tho.And they are very unfriendly.
Good luck tho!!

PS: your or your husbands company should have some events comming up spring/summertime....you take the bus with a group of other people to lets say Italy for a 4-5 day and its pretty cheap.

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