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Travel Recommendations

If there's one thing we love about Europe -- more than the style, culture, food, and men -- it's the transport between towns. Easy peasy and with options galore, getting from Points A to B (with offshoots to C, D, E, and F,) is a cinch, whether relaxing on the rails, behind a dashboard, or 30,000 feet up. Below, our recommendations for seeing more of the Fab Four wherever your starting point may be.

TRANSATLANTIC AIRLINES

You can't go wrong with the Fab Four's national carriers:
Air Berlin
Lufthansa
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
Swiss International Air Lines
KLM

GENERAL TRAVEL TIPS

Budget Airlines: Carriers like easyJet, Ryanair, and Germanwings are huge on the continent, but not every airline goes to every airport. Check WhichBudget to determine your point-to-point route. Just remember, the flights are cheap for a reason: expect long lines, frequent delays, out-of-the-way airports, weird service, hidden fees (READ the fine print), and little, if any, amenities. There are exceptions, of course, but when you score that $10 flight, it's all worth it! For full-service carriers -- or to make a multi-stop itinerary that includes your trans-Atlantic flights -- find the best deals on Orbitz.

Eurail Passes: If rail travel is your jam -- and in Europe it's often a cheaper and easier (and definitely more romantic) option than air travel -- head to Rail Europe for a super-user-friendly interface to search and buy train passes. Just input which countries you want to visit over how many days, and away you go. Remember: passes must be bought BEFORE you arrive in Europe. So plan ahead to save some serious dough over individual tickets. Just do the math to make sure you'll use it enough to be worth it. At press time, a Eurail Select Pass for four countries (valid for eight days of travel in a two-month period) was only $710 -- more than enough to see all of Europe's Fab Four and a steal, especially if you do overnight routes and save on hotels.

Car Rental: With primo public transport, high gas prices (multiply that liter price at the pump by four), foreign laws, and congested parking, car rental isn't at the top of our list. Yet there is something to be said about the thrill of cruising, sans speed limit, down the autobahn. And the flexibility of the road trip can't be beat. Book using a reliable agent (like Orbitz), double-check insurance terms, and be prepared to drive stick and convert from kilometers.

FROM AMSTERDAM…
To get to Zurich, Swiss International Airlines and KLM offer direct flights (an hour and 20 minutes), while a direct train takes about eight hours for a bit less money. Since Germany shares a border with the Netherlands, travel there is easy. But if it’s Berlin you’re specifically after, KLM, Transavia, and easyJet offer direct flights

For Copenhagen, your best bet is a direct flight on KLM, SAS, or Norwegian, a budget option. A direct train exists, as well, but at 15 hours, it isn't really an option… Unless you like to spend time on trains, that is. Driving is more doable, although you have to take a ferry from Germany, setting you back in time and money. The almost 500-mile route through North Germany is not very scenic either.

KLM, Transavia, and easyJet offer direct flights to Berlin. Transavia and easyJet are cheap options although KLM tends to compete with prices nowadays. Otherwise a great alternative is the direct train connection. It takes a bit longer then air travel (about six hours) but is far cheaper. Or hit the gas on the autobahn: from the Dutch border to Berlin, depending on your right foot, the 400-mile trip could last only five or six hours.

FROM COPENHAGEN...
Thanks to Copenhagen's island-bound geography, international train rides between it and the other Fab Four cities are stunningly beautiful affairs—but long. Unless you’ve got the time, air travel (usually cheaper) is the way to go.

To get to Amsterdam, both SAS and KLM offer direct one-hour-and-20-minute flights, while train service can take up to 15 hours. To Berlin, SAS, Air Berlin, and Lufthansa all offer direct one-hour flights, while train service via Hamburg takes about seven hours. To Zurich, SAS and Swiss International Air Lines offer direct flights of about an hour and three quarters, while train service via Hamburg takes just over 14 hours. If you opt for a budget airline, be prepared to leave from Malmö in Sweden, just over the Øresund.

FROM ZURICH...
The easiest ways to head to the other Fab Four is either by plane or by train, although the tunnels and turns heading out through the alps by highway can be quite fun, too. Zurich Airport offers several daily direct connections to all of the three cities, including several operated by Switzerland's national carrier Swiss International Air Lines. For those who prefer to travel by train: it would take you eight hours to reach Berlin and Amsterdam, and Copenhagen is 16 hours away. But you can reach those cities (especially Berlin and Amsterdam) in one night by taking the night train. With this "sleeper" way to travel, the journey doesn't appear that long -- and you save on hotels!

FROM GERMANY…
Germany is served by more than 100 different airlines with Lufthansa and Air Berlin being the biggest, offering the most frequent service to and from the U.S as well as the other Fab Four cities from the country’s main airports: Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart.

If you want to drive, no matter your point of origin there are about 150 scenic routes that wind past castles and palaces, and include the all-important roadside feast. Germany's autobahn covers a distance of approximately 7,600 miles, including no tolls for passenger cars. For flexibility and independence, car rental is the best option. For ease (and adherence to strict Teutonic timetables, of course) take the take. With an extensive rail network, almost every part of the country is accessible and an easy jumping off point to the other Fab Four. Routes are safe and comfortable, with excellent connections between local and national lines, and since the high-speed ICE trains can hit up to 190 MPH, routes are fast, too! Visit Deutsche Bahn (Bahn.com) for ticket info, timetables, and point-to-point savings when booked several days in advance.