![]() ![]() ![]() But finding a reliable, date-specific, and unified source for schedule and price information can be next to impossible. In addition to guidebooks and local resources, aggregator sites like GoogleMaps, BusBud, GetByBus, and Rome2Rio can help identify bus operators. ![]() In most countries, bus routes are operated by multiple companies, each with its own timetables and fares. Miss that connection in a remote place and you'll wait with the ghosts in an empty station until the next train arrives. Many bus connections to nearby towns not served by train are timed to depart just after the train arrives. For towns with train stations far from the center (such as Italian hill towns), buses are often scheduled to meet each arrival and shuttle passengers to the main square (often at no extra cost - show your train ticket to the bus driver and see what happens). Buses fan out from the smallest train stations to places trains can't get to - but keep in mind that bus service can be less frequent on holidays, Saturdays, and especially Sundays. I use buses mainly to pick up where Europe's great train system leaves off. Note that in British English, and therefore in much of Europe's English-language signage and websites, a long-distance bus is called a "coach," while a "bus" provides only in-city transit. In recent years, a flock of new bus lines have giving railways some especially tough competition - for example, a full-fare (second-class) train ticket between Munich and Nürnberg costs about €55, while a bus ticket for this route can cost €20 or less (as low as €5 if you're willing to buy a few days ahead and aren't picky about departure times). Just about everywhere, bus trips are almost always less expensive than trains - often significantly so. (And even countries with extensive rail networks may have certain connections where the bus is more direct and/or faster than the train good guidebooks point these out.) But in some places - especially Greece, Turkey, and big parts of Ireland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Spain, and Morocco - buses are often the better (or only) option. In most countries, trains are faster, more comfortable, and have more extensive schedules than long-distance buses. ![]()
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