How to travel within Europe on a budget

Many of my friends seems to be heading towards Europe this year. Certainly a good time to go to with Euro depreciating so much. While some of you tend to leave the hassle of bookings to your travel agent, others are doing it themselves - maybe to save on mullah or maybe for the love of planning :) 

Choosing how to travel from one city to another can be confusing with multiple modes of transport available, multiple companies and considerations of time, cost, and convenience.

Trains are usually the most comfortable but also more expensive. Buses are relatively cheap but take more time. Basis my experience I have put together a few tips on how to travel on a Budget across various modes of travel :

1. https://www.rome2rio.com/   is a website which provides all options - bus/train/ferry/car for travel between two destinations and approximate prices. 

Bus Travel : 

2. For travel within UK & also between major cities in Europe check out uk.megabus.com

I have used them multiple times - comfortable & prompt.

3. For travel out of Prague to nearby countries you can use www.studentagencybus.com . Very good buses (with even video entertainment and beverages) and quiet cheap.

4. For travel out of Budapest : www.organgeways.com

5. http://www.idbus.com/   is another low cost bus operator with a limited network.

6. http://www.eurolines.com/en/  has an extensive bus network in Europe. They are expensive but sometimes the only option if traveling to off-beat locations.

Air:

7. Some of the low cost flight carriers are Ryan Air, EasyJet , German Wings. Flight tickets are often cheaper than train travel in Europe. The two downsides ares - limited luggage allowance and airports being more remotely located but you'll easily get cheap bus connections to the city centre.

Train:

8. For train travel, national trains are cheaper than Eurail but you to have go searching across multiple websites. Check out http://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-tickets.htm

for guidance on the cheapest sites. In most of the countries you can save by booking in advance.

9. German rail site http://www.bahn.de/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml    lists out timing and names of all major european train companies. You can check the schedule here and then visit individual sites for prices and booking.

The key to traveling in Europe is to plan in advance. However if you are indecisive or wish to keep your plans flexible you can explore buying a rail pass or a bus pass.

Bhandardara Tourist Route

Bhandardara is a small hill station located about 160km from Mumbai. It took us 4 hours to reach there including half hour break. River, lakes, waterfalls, valleys, dams, ancient architecture – Bhandardara has it all. We chose to do the route encircling the gorgeous Arthur Lake covering most of the places of interest.  It took us about 5 hours and 65km of driving.

MTDC Bhandardara is a good starting point for the tourists. If you are staying there, you can enjoy fab views of the Arthur Lake from the Deluxe rooms and the Cottages. If not, visitors can simply walk in to the property and enjoy the views (maybe grab a bite as well at the MTDC restuarant). The view of the lake is simple breath-taking!  It is surrounded by dense greenery with hills serving as picturesque backdrop. There is a strong breeze at the resort 24X7.

From MTDC, we drove towards the Shendi village,  keeping on the State highway 44. A little ahead of the village is the the Wilson Dam built on the Pravara river. During monsoons when the water level rises and the dam is full, the water gushes out over a semi circular rock forming the Umbrella falls. Unfortunately we couldn’t see the falls as it hadn’t rained enough for the dam waters to be released.  

Continuing further on the highway, 3 km ahead, on the right side of the highway is the Spillway gate, which is used to control the water flow of the Wilson dam. The point looks nondescript  - on the right side of the highway is the valley, on the other side is a narrow patch of field which is fenced with barbed wires on one side, and rocky wall on the other side. We stopped there only to have tea at one of the many pickets lining the road. When we saw some people crossing the field and climbing over the wall, out of curiosity we followed them, and what we saw made us mighty glad that we did. On the other side was the simply stunning Pravara river!  It was a magnificient picnic spot, with the rocky river banks and the hills at the other end accentuating  the rugged beauty of the place (note - the area may not be safe when the water level is high, please excercise full precaution at all times).

We drove further on state highway for about 6km, then took a left towards Randha Falls.

We then retraced our steps on the highway, driving back towards the Spill way gate. A little before the Spill way gate, on the left is the road leading to Amruteshwar temple.  This road comes under forest surveillance. At the entry there’s a check-post where we paid charges for entering the forest.

The drive inside is excellent.  Lush green forests and wheat fields can be seen all around. This road is around the lake with Sahyadri hills to the left. About 10km of driving on the forest road we reached the beautiful Nani waterfalls.

A little ahead was the enchanting Necklace waterfall, named such because the falling water takes the shape of a necklace.

We drove further for about 2 Km and reached the Amruteshwar temple. The temple is made of black stone, with fine carvings adorning it walls. It is a Shiva temple , about 100 years old.  The local children were quick to tell us that the temple was built by the Pandavs in one night. The shivling inside the temple was covered with rain water. The locals also believe that the temple is the source of the Pravara River.  Near the temple is a water tank, again made with black tone, its water considered holy by the villagers.

We continued driving ahead on the forest road. After 15km we hit the state highway, reaching Kokan-kada. We took left to go towards the Ghatkar dam, the last stop on our itinerary.  It was 6:30pm by then and visibility had gone low due to the heavy fog.  We dropped the idea of visiting the dam, and turned around to drive back towards towards MTDC.  It was a 20 km drive on the state highway, and we reached MTDC at 7:30pm after completing a full circle of about 65 KM around the lake. (including the detour for Randha falls)

Other attractions at/near Bhandardara - 

Ratangad Fort : a few km away from MTDC

Agasti Rishi Ashram : The ashram is situated on the banks of Pravara river . The ashram finds reference in Ramanayan as the places where Lord Ram met Agasti Rishi

Mount Kalsubai : It is the highest peak (1,646 mt.) in the Sahyadri range, popular for  trekking.  We got a glimpse of the peak on our way back, when driving from MTDC Bhandardara towards Ghoti village.

Where to stay:

MTDC enjoys the best location and is also value for money. The property is very basic but the rooms are large and clean.  The deluxe room tariff is about Rs 1700 and Cottages are for Rs 3500.  It has a restaurant but meal timings are rigid. Situated opposite MTDC is the Anandvan resort.  It’s a fancy resort with room tariffs starting at Rs. 9000 per night.  We had one of our meals at their restaurant. The menu choice was limited but the food was good.  

How to reach Bhandardara from Mumbai:

From Mumbai , we took eastern expressway to Thane , and then continued on NH3. After crossing Igatpuri,  we reached Ghoti village, from there we took a right hitting Nagpur – Aurangabad highway. A few km ahead , we took another right which leads straight to  Bhandardara.

Eating places on highway:

On way to Bhandardara we stopped for breakfast at Dara Zest dhaba , about 50km from Mumbai. The restaurant is well maintained, looks clean , and food was good. On our way back from Bhandardara we stopped for lunch at Oye Punjabi dhaba, 50km before Mumbai. It’s a good place to eat if you are ok with crowds.

Best time to visit:

During the monsoons – from July to September.

Tip:

If you are planning only a day trip, avoid Sunday if possible. It gets crowded on Sunday with loads of tourists and trekkers.

Movies, Food & Travel: mesmirising Malshej

Movies, Food & Travel: mesmirising Malshej: It’s a puzzle to me why so many people in Mumbai have not been to Malshej Ghat . A few don't even know about it ! I had heard thats it...

mesmirising Malshej

It’s a puzzle to me why so many people in Mumbai have not been to Malshej Ghat . A few don't even know about it ! I had heard thats its a beautiful place, but when me and my husband went there last weekend , the gorgeous beauty of the place far surpassed our expectations. The view of the green hills, the intricate jungle paths in the valley below and dense fog covering the peaks provides quiet an experience. For the first time in my life I saw 12 waterfalls together! During the last leg of the journey , the highway is lined up with them. In fact at one point, we got really surprised when the gushing water hit the car roof!

Malshej Ghat is about 150 km from Mumbai . We went there by road - took Eastern Express Highway (NH3) to Thane, from there to Kalyan and via state highway (222) to Murbad, and then further on the same highway to Malshej. Once we crossed Kalyan, the scenery improved dramatically with lush greenery all around. The road near Murbad and ahead is a little patchy at times, but the amazing views on the way make it well worth it. We took about 4.5 hrs to reach , a bit more than usual because we started at mid-day from Mumbai so got traffic, and also kept stopping on the way to take pics !  If you start early morning I think you can easily reach in 3.5 hrs. The best time to visit is during rains. As we went in September, it was raining but not continuously or heavily , which I think worked out better because we could step out of the car and enjoy the views more comfortably.

We had booked our stay at MTDC. They are only two hotels there - MTDC & Sushant Resort. It’s a case of choosing the best out of the worst, so we chose MTDC. The place is usually full so one needs to book ahead. We booked through MTDC website. Its quiet easy on the pocket – super deluxe room only for Rs 1200. The room was basic although clean. One should try to get the upper floor room as they have balconies. We checked in late so the balcony rooms were full and we had to take the ground floor room. Even on ground floor, the various rooms differ in quality and the view , so its better to check before finalising. The overall property is very basic, and not maintained well. But the location is excellent – perched on a hill top. From a distance when you look at the property it looks shrouded in clouds!

We reached MTDC at around 5pm, and were surprised to see so many people there. We realized that these were not staying at the hotel, but had visited Malshej only for the day. As there are no other (decent) restaurants in Malshej Ghat, the day picnickers visit the MTDC restaurant to eat. Later we found the other reason why they visit MTDC - the valley view at the back of MTDC is awe-inspiring! After checking in , we took a walk around MTDC. There was a nice big path behind the hotel where you can take a walk and admire the view of the ghats. We could see the clouds below us. The falling rays of the setting –sun gave a golden glow to the ghats. We took lots of pictures , but really the reality much more beautiful than what the camera could capture.

After the walk we decided to take a drive. We realized once it gets dark we anyway can’t do much except relax at the hotel . As we drove from MTDC ahead on the highway, we saw the Pushpavati river . The view of the river with backdrop of the ghats was quiet spectacular. The river is long and winding  , its water blocked by Pimpalgaon Joga Dam. We drove for around 30 km before turning back.

The food at MTDC is nothing great to talk about. We ate there because we had to. There is no room service, which normally is not an issue except that the MTDC canteen doesn’t look very clean. I would recommend that one should carry their own food when visiting Malshej. Next day we got up early thinking we’ll go out, but when we looked out of the room window, we couldn’t see anything because of the thick fog. So we slept more and finally stepped out at 9am. We first had our breakfast at the canteen and then again drove down to the river, this time to spend more time and enjoy the view during daylight. It was no less breathtaking than when we had seen it the previous day. We clicked some more pics, stopped near a waterfall to have tea and corn , and then returned to MTDC and checked out. It was time to head back to Mumbai.

For us, Malshej Ghat was about walking/driving around and soaking in the gorgeous scenery. I’ll go so far as to say that’s it’s the most beautiful place I have seen in Maharashtra till now. But there’s lot more on offer catering to different interests – trekking , hiking, bird watching. The place is haven for many bird species like flamingoes, green pigeon. There’s a fort about 28km from Malshej Ghat – Shivneri Fort where Shivaji was born. We had read that it was in ruins so didn’t go there.

If you are short on time, or do not get a place to stay, Malshej is a great option for a day picnic as well. Just keep in mind – carry your own food, reach there early so you get more time to enjoy, and carry extra set of clothes  - you are bound to get tempted by the waterfalls ! Lastly , if you do visit, please don’t litter – one of the good things about Malshej being relatively less known is that the place is not developed commercially, and still quiet clean. Lets keep it that way.

Coffee Shop @ ITC Hotel, Parel

A couple of days earlier we visited the ITC Hotel at Parel (Mumbai) for dinner. The plan was to dine at the Indian resturant - Kebabs & Curries, where I had eaten once earlier and had found the food delicious. To our surprise (and then not) there was a 45 minute waiting . As we were super hungry we decided to go to their multi-cuisine Coffee Shop instead for dinner.

The coffee shop offers dinner buffet or one can order a-la-carte. The dinner buffet is for Rs 1350+taxes -  pretty decently priced for a 5 star hotel. But the fare on offer did not look really appetising, especially for vegetarians (which me and my husand are!). So we decided to order from the menu. The menu has a selection of Indian and continental (mostly Italian) dishes. There are not many options, mostly the same stuff that you have in buffet. The prices are pretty reasonable - Rs 500 for a dal which I would say is much less as compared to other 5 star hotels. Later we understood why !

We started with tomato soup - it was nice, not great but not bad either. We had heard about the famous dal bukhara of ITC Delhi so we ordered a dal makhni, accompanied with a paneer dish, rotis & kulchaas. The main course was a shocker ! The paneer was hard, the gravy had pungent taste which almost made it inedible. The dal was extremely spicy, which would have been fine, but it tasted sour. The kulchaas were good, but the rotis  ! - very hard with a sensation of bitterness!

The service also took us back by surprise - me and my friend finished our soup , and the waiter started serving us the main course. My husband, while he was still having the soup , the waiter served his plate as well and left it next to him !

The only consolation was that my friend had the ITC discount card which got us a 33% discount on the bill .The food at this restaurant is surely not worth it !

Restaurant - Sammy Sosa

A recently opened Mexican restuarant in Oshiwara Andheri West that I visited last week and totally loved it! Its on the Link road - if you are coming from Infiniti Mall then it will be on you right, about a 100 meters before the turn to Mega Mall.

Sammy Sosa is kinda small, maybe just 8-10 tables, so you need to reach there early to get a table, else at peak times the wait can be as high as an hour and a half! They don't take reservations. Excellent food - am a vegetarian, so haven't sampled the non-veg stuff, but my friends who did liked it too. Would recommend all vegetarians to try the burritos for sure! The place offers a wide range of beers - the best have seen till now at an Indian restuarant.

I liked the semi-casual atmosphere, its not completely casual like a coffee house, but not formal/dressy like a fine dine/lounge. The music is not too loud so one can talk and be heard! They have a few tables in the open and when the weather is pleasant its nice. The only problem with outside area is the mosquitoes! The restuarant does provide the mosquito repellant - it worked for some of us, but for some others, they continued to feel troubled by the pesky creatures.  Pricing wise I would say it medium range - not too expensive.