Life is a Vacation

I have always traveled in trains within Europe for the half a dozen trips across various countries. During a recent trip to Europe I was looking at alternate modes of travel specially since the trains were turning out to be expensive, the timings unsuitable and sometimes not having a service between 2 countries. I chanced upon FlixBus and after reading lot of reviews on their services and connectivity, I decided to take the plunge and book myself on to the various routes. I paid between 11 EUR to 23 EUR for each of the 4 journeys, the night bus turning out to be the cheapest. I am glad to have chosen FlixBus Travel around Europe since those bright green buses were my life line through the trip.

Routes Traveled and Punctuality of FlixBus

I traveled the following routes and in each leg the buses departed on time and arrived nearly 15 minutes to 30 minutes earlier in the destination in spite of border crossings.

• Vienna (Austria) to Ljublana (Slovenia) @ 23 EUR The journey was easily completed within 5 hours though it was meant to be longer
• Ljublana (Slovenia) to Zagreb (Croatia) @ 14 EUR The journey was completed before time very early in the morning in spite of a border crossing so much so that I was wondering whether I should have taken the earlier connection to Plitvisce Lakes
• Zagreb (Croatia) to Budapest (Hungary) @ 17 EUR Smooth journey and completed before time including a snack break in a nice place after we entered Hungary.
• Budapest (Hungary) to Krakow (Poland) @ 11 EUR for a 7 hour ride through mountainous terrain which was completed much earlier. I had to actually wait at the bus station waiting for my Air BnB hostess to wake up and allow me to check in.

Amenities on the FlixBus 

The seats were nice and comfortable with enough leg room. The tickets do not come with seat numbers so better to board early and find a comfortable place for yourself. I was lucky on the night bus to find the seat next to mine vacant where I could stretch out my legs for comfort.

There is Wi-Fi on the Bus and music on board which was perfect entertainment as picturesque locales passed by. The All the buses had a restroom on board which fairly resembled the airline toilets.

The buses allow 2 bags not weighing more than 30 kgs and a hand bag on board free of charge. The luggage hold area is pretty spacious and big and my bags traveled safely through all the journeys. The overhead compartment is pretty narrow so do not carry something big inside.

Staff Behaviour of FlixBus

All the drivers on the buses I traveled in were courteous but I have to specially recommend the person between Zagreb and Budapest. I did not have the print out of the ticket and nor did I have the soft copy on my phone. I was a bit stressed when I approached him telling him that I had a problem. He immediately asked me to relax and asked for my passport so that he could check the names on the list of people who had purchased the ticket online. He did that in a jiffy and I was sorted. In all my relief and excitement, I forgot to ask his name though I thanked him profusely.

Purchasing the Ticket for FlixBus

I purchased the tickets online through their website using my International Credit Card. There are a plethora of options about routes and timings to choose from. Check your needs and just click to book without any worry. FlixBus Tickets Purchase Online

Tips for using FlixBus

• The buses arrive and depart from the central bus stations of the cities which are easily accessible
• In most cities there would be a FlixBus counter to buy on the spot tickets or someone to answer which platform the buses would be available. In case of confusion just go over and ask
• In some cities, I found FlixBus representatives walking the bus stand and they were easily identified from their badges. They helped me find the platform for my bus saving me the effort of walking up the stairs to enquiry’
• Arrive early since the seats are not numbered and you can find a convenient place
• Check the prices for departures of all times and dates not to miss a special rate or sale if you have flexible travel plans

I would strongly recommend FlixBus for Intercity Travel in Europe and will use it for all my future travels where possible.