travelling by bus

europe is a popular destination for backpackers for several reasons, I can quickly name some: it's a tiny and very diverse continent, one can get to know many cultures in a short time and for little money; the countries mostly share one currency; its infrastructure is very good; you can communicate with practically everybody if you speak at least the most spoken language in the world, which is bad english, etc.

in particular, germany stands out in this matter for me. up to 2013, bus travel inside germany was forbidden. if you wanted to go from munich to berlin, for example, people either had to fly, go by car or take the train inside germany. and these options are usually pricey.

there's of course a reason behind that, the german railway a.k.a. die deutsche bahn, a private company which belongs 100% the state (huh?) lobbied long enough on its own favor, however, they couldn't stop the free market any longer and eventually gave in. even other railway companies are taking their first steps in the german transportation market.

back to buses!

the market is booming in germany and travelling by bus is so ridiculously cheaper, comparing to deutsche bahn, that I just felt like spreading the word for those who still think the only way to travel throughout germany is by train.

the buses are brand new, comfortable and they offer free wifi. a bus ride takes obviously longer than the train, but it's totally worth it! if you are going to germany anytime sooner (or later), make sure to check your options before you buy the (in)famous german-railway-pass for hundreds of euros.

personally I can speak of eurolines, flixbus and adac-postbus.

the ride with eurolines (düsseldorf-paris-düsseldorf) was an adventure. the round trip costed less than an one-way ticket with the train. it was a night ride, but it didn't stop the driver from listening to the radio or talking out loud on the phone. both departures were delayed, the trip back was even 90 minutes delayed (!). do it if you can fall asleep no matter what and want to spare the money you'd spend with a hostel.

flixbus (now united with meinfernbus) was good. they had wifi and comfy busses, the departure was on time and the ride was pleasant. I went from düsseldorf to berlin with them for very very little money.

the winner by all means was adac-postbus ♥ they had the newest bus, wifi, power outlets at every seat, a smooth driver, coffee machine in the bus, snacks, soft drinks, entertainment program (like on flights) and they were strictly on time. the ride back from berlin to düsseldorf didn't cost any cent more than with flixbus.

all in all, there are other companies and these companies also travel to other countries, so, if you're coming to europe, make sure you check the bus companies' websites. there's life outside the train and definitely light at the end of the tunnel!