Meeting Your Trip in ODENSE

This page offers help (concrete or informational) on reaching your trip.  Topics include...

1. Where you Join Your Trip (see immediately below)
2. Our “Access Packages,” designed to help you to do so.
3. Suggestions on how to time your trip to the trip, whether you are having us arrange your travel, or doing it yourself.
4. Service information regarding train travel to your trip start location.
5. Suggested pre-trip visits, especially when these are not geographically obvious, but are rendered economical and convenient by direct rail connections.
6. Hopefully helpful hints for those setting up their own travel to the trip.

If you wish to arrange some or all of your travel through us, please tell us what by means of this response questionnaire, designed to collect all the information we need to be able to book your travel.


1. WHERE and WHEN Do You Join Your Trip?

We meet at the Odense train station, on Sunday morning, between 9a and 11a.  We will send you details of meeting time and place with your final itinerary.

Odense is a shade under 2 hours west of Copenhagen by frequent express train.

Sunday is a full riding day... if you are travelling inter-continental, and can afford the time and funds to arrive in Denmark on Saturday, it will make your Sunday ride more pleasant.

If you wish to make your own way to the trip (in other words, not to set up your travel arrangements through us), a couple of hints on getting there are offered at the bottom of this page.


2. Our ACCESS PACKAGES
as of March 2, 2010

The closest intercontinental airport, and so easiest access point, is Copenhagen’s Kastrup Airport (CPH), 2 hours from Odense via a train that runs straight from the airport.

Our “Access Package” includes a rail ticket from downtown Copenhagen, Copenhagen Airport, or Arhus, to Odense.  Our London “Access Package” includes an overnight train from London to Odense, via Brussels and Köln.

Ryanair serves a small airport in Arhus (AAR).  Several airlines serve Hamburg (HAM) in northern Germany.  Train tickets from Arhus to Odense are available as part of the “Access Package,” tickets from Hamburg are available at modest additional cost.

If your home city does not offer non-stop service to Copenhagen, and / or if you wish to combine your visit with a visit to some other part of Europe, consider reaching Odense from the south via the Saturday overnight Hotel Train.   This offers connections from Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf, Brussels or Paris, all of which have intercontinental air service.   You will probably sleep fitfully if it is your first night off the flight (jet lag plus the movement of the train):  consider the luxury of a private cabin, so that you can crack open a book at 3a instead of listening to some guy snoring.

Base (Starting) Access Package Price:  295 DkK.
To see what this means in your currency, look here: http://www.bluemarble.org/CurrencyConv.html

Availability is virtually certain until 15 days prior to trip start (payment received by us).   Within 30 days, availability must be confirmed, and shipping costs may apply if paper rail tickets must be shipped.  Some extra-cost options have higher prices if ordered w/in 30 days.

Included:

• Train tickets to Odense from Copenhagen, Copenhagen’s Kastrup Airport, Arhus or Esbjerg.
  Tickets are train-specific, not refundable or exchangeable once ordered.  Changeable tickets are available for a modest additional cost (see below), and are recommended if you are making a plane - train connection.  The railroad will not give you a break just because your flight was late.....
• A printed schedule / itinerary, highlighting any connections.
• A seat reservation on your desired train.
• Our “Route Sheet to the Trip,” helping you through your journey.
  
  

Options Offered at an Extra Cost (subject to availability)
Prices are in addition to the “Base” Access Package Price.  For a general discussion of train upgrades, see here.  Topics include the relative comfort of first versus second class, and different types of accommodation available on overnight train.

• First class train tickets (in lieu of 2nd class):  +225 DkK from Copenhagen, Aarhus or Esberg.
  Perhaps surprisingly, first class tickets do not include seat reservations.  This is because there is really no point:  first class is empty on Sunday morning trains, and you may occupy any open seat.  If you nonetheless wish to reserve, add 25 DkK. 
• Modifiable tickets:  +98 DkK from any point.
  These tickets include a seat reservation on your first choice train, but can be used on a later train (just occupy any open seat) should you miss it, or change your plans (new reservations can be made locally for 25 DkK).  All first class tickets are modifiable, without additional cost.
• Tickets from Stockholm:
  - Via overnight train from Stockholm to Malmo, connecting morning train over the bridge to Copenhagen, and on to Odense:  +739 DkK including a berth in a 3-person sleeping car cabin, +960 DkK in a double, +1,350 DkK in a private single cabin.
  - Via Saturday daylight train:  +739 DkK 2nd class, +1,039 DkK 1st class.
  Stop-over in Copenhagen available for an additional 175 DkK.
• Tickets from Hamburg:  +138 DkK 2nd class, +294€ 1st class.
• Saturday night hotel in Odense:  665 DkK single, 760 DkK double or twin.
  Price includes taxes, buffet breakfast, the common (in Denmark) “credit card usage charge,” and all fees.

Alternate Arrangements, in lieu of our usual packages (subject to availability)
Prices are complete (in other words, they are not in addition to the “Base” Access Package Price)

• Tickets from London, via overnight train departing Saturday afternoon (saves a hotel night vis-a-vis flying).  Add 1,075 DkK if you are also purchasing tickets back to London, 1,420 DkK if not, or if you prefer a changeable return.
  - These prices include a couchette on the overnight train from Kôln to Odense, and other Blue Marbles are often on board this train. Sleeping car upgrades are available on request.
  - If you wish to travel in 1st class on the daylight trip from London to Brussels and on to Köln (where you board the sleeper service to Odense), add 1,495 DkK or 1,850 DkK; 1st class tickets on the “Eurostar” include meal service.
• Tickets on Saturday overnight trains from Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Zurich, Vienna and other continental points:  1,275 DkK from Vienna, Zurich or Amsterdam, 975 DkK from Brussels, Paris, or Munich, 775 DkK from Köln.  Discount rates of 950 DkK / 750 DkK are sometimes available on all routes.
  To upgrade to 1st class for daylight portion of the ride (from Paris, or Brussels to Köln; or from Vienna or Zurich to Munich), add 160 DkK from Brussels, Amsterdam, Vienna or Zurich; 385 DkK from Paris.  195 DkK discount rate often available.  Meal service included in 1st class on Paris-Köln train.  Sleeping car upgrades available.  Discount tickets are not refundable or exchangeable once ordered.
• Sleeping car upgrades on overnight train.  Upgrade from 2nd class couchette on overnight train...
  290 DkK to double sleeping car cabin, 650 DkK to private cabin.  Deluxe cabins 450 DkK / person double, 995 DkK single.
  

3. TIMING Your Trip

The trip’s first riding day is a full one, and getting started on the first day always takes a lot of time.  Try to reach Odense early if you can (or to spend the previous night there).  We can help with the hotel reservation if you wish.


4. Service Information
Schedules are approximate – exact timetables can be consulted at
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/triprequest.htm.
Best trains are mentioned. Others are slower or have multiple connections.

• From Copenhagen, Sunday trains run every half hour, on the hour and on the half.  Journey time is 1'30".
• From Copenhagen Kastrup Airport:  trains run hourly, at 40" past every hour.  Trip time is a bit under 2 hours.
• From Arhus.  Hourly service, generally departing Arhus at 54" past each hour. 1'45" trip.
• From Stockholm:
  - Daylight:  7' trip, direct trains to Copenhagen (connection there to Odense) circa 6a and 3p.  Hourly service with a second (easy) connection in Malmo.
  - Overnight:  depart Stockholm 11p, arrive Copenhagen 8a, via a 7a connection in Malmo.
• From London.  Depart Saturday 2:30p, arrive Sunday morning at 8:20a in Odense.  Changes of train in Brussels and in Köln.

5. Suggested PRE-TRIP VISITS

Obvious choices are the Scandinavian capitals.  If you are thinking of Oslo, though, we advise a post-trip visit, as this will typically give you someone to travel with.

Pre-trip, visit the Rhine Valley, in Germany.  Spend a night on the banks of the Rhine, take a boat cruise down the river past the castles and vineyards, then travel by overnight train to Denmark (you will typically be aboard with many other Marbles).  Munich, Salzburg and Venice are also easy pre-trip visits, because of a particularly high-quality “Hotel Train” which links Munich with Odense.


6. Hints on TRAVELLING INDEPENDENTLY to the Trip
Guests subscribing to an “Access Package” need not read this section.

See also “Timing Your Trip” and “Service Information,” above, as either of these may additionally help.

We gladly provide travel consulting (schedule or routing information) concerning pre-trip individual travel.  In particular, we have invested a great deal to become railway experts.  Our service fees are reasonable: a 20€ charge for all but the most complex projects – or the most simple (for instance, only a 10€ charge applies if the service is limited to the preparation of a routine rail ticket).  You will generally find them well-justified by the time they will save you in research, standing on line, overpaying for your tickets, or all three.

But, for some, this type of research is fun.  So, here are some hints, intended to start off hardened “do-it-yourselfers.”

Trains. Schedules for all routes can be consulted on this web site:
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/triprequest.htm

Odense is on the main line from Copenhagen to the west coast of Denmark.  In addition to a frequent pattern of domestic train services from all over, it has “Hotel Train” service from Continental Europe (direct trains from Köln, Munich, and Basel, Switzerland; connections from points further afield).

Planes.  Copenhagen Kastrup is the nearest large airport.  Hourly trains run direct from Kastrup to Odense.
In addition, Ryanair serves a regional airport in Aarhus.  Aarhus is no further afield, but you must first get to the city center rail station, so it is less convenient. Arhus offers frequent trains, making the trip to Odense in less than 2 hours.

If you wish to arrange some or all of your travel through us, please tell us what by means of this response questionnaire, designed to collect all the information we need to be able to book your travel.