| What
is included in the Train package price? |
 |
The train
travel package includes:
- Travel
on the Refo500 Train from Wittenberg to Rotterdam
- Local
bus shuttles within the Train's program
- 10
Overnight stays in selected local hotels
- 10
x Breakfast daily
- 10
x Dinner or dinner reception
- Admission
to all Refo500 Train events, local sightseeing tours, museum
admissions
- Study
program on board the train and at the various stops
- Program
Book
Not included:
- Travel
to Wittenberg and from Rotterdam
- Drinks/
beverages at hotel and restaurant dinners
- Porterage
service (see below)
- Personal
expenses
- Visa
fees
|
| Where
does the train start? |
|
The train
starts in Wittenberg. We meet in Wittenberg on May
21, 2014. Sightseeing tours will be offered in the afternoon,
and the program starts with a reception at the 
Luther-Hotel.
Wittenberg can be easily reached by train through the ICE
high speed system. Trains also connect to Wittenberg from
the Berlin Airports Tegel (TXL) and Schoenefeld (SXF).
We will provide you with the necessary information how to
get to Wittenberg.
|
| Where
does the train end? |
|
The final
event will be in Dordrecht on May 30, followed by the last
overnight stay in the
Manhattan
Hotel in Rotterdam. Breakfast is included on
May 31, but there is no other event. Since the Manhattan hotel
is located directly opposite of Rotterdam central train station
it's very easy to leave from there to whereever you want to
go.
Rotterdam The Hague airport (RTM) can be reached with
city bus #33 which goes directly from Rotterdam central station
to the airport. The journey takes about 25 minutes and costs
3 Euro.
Amsterdam Schiphol airport (AMS) is also just 25 minutes
away, using the FYRA high speed train from Rotterdam central
station nonstop to Amsterdam airport. We are happy to give
you the details when needed.
|
| What
does the train look like? |
|
It‘s
a real train, exclusively chartered for Refo500. The train
consists of 8 coaches, with seating areas as well as meeting
cars. We will travel with 6 day coaches, each of them has
10 compartments, used by 4- 5 travelers per compartment. Each
day coach will be attended by a Coach Group Leader.
Two bistro- and meeting cars give room for lectures, workshops,
book presentations, meet & chat, and music. To get a better
idea about the train see the Train
Slides (pdf)
|
| Will
there be a luggage / porterage service? |
|
RefoTrain
passengers will have to carry their own luggage all time.
We try to make it as easy as possible: Hotels are close to
the train stations, or bus shuttle will be available. Also
your Coach Group Leader will help with lifting bags into the
train. But it just would take too much time for logistics
to have 250 suitcases being loaded and unloaded, sorted, and
carried by a porterage service. That's why we have to ask
everybody to take care of his/ her own bag(s). Please "travel
light, travel light, travel light". Using a backpack
would be a good idea, as well as using suitcases or carry-ons
with wheels.
|
| How
much do we have to walk? |
|
A lot.
Depending on the town it might already be a little walk to
get along the platform of the train station we just arrived,
to go downstairs, follow a tunnel, get to the plaza in front
of the station and get into a waiting shuttle bus. In Strasbourg
(Karlsruhe), Leuven, and Rotterdam the hotel will be in walking
distance from the train station.
Also the guided city tours include a lot of walking.
|
| What
shall I wear? |
|
Casual.
Travellers may want to wear a little better casual style
on Sunday or for receptions. However: Since we all have to
travel light and can not carry a lot of luggage, we can't
expect to be dressed up in the best suit for certain events.
Just make yourself feel comfortable.
|
| Which
language will be spoken? |
|
The official
train language is English (although we hope there will
be fellows with many different languages on board). If it
turn out that larger groups are coming from Non-English-speaking
countries partly translations will be provided.
|
| What
about the meals? |
|
We will
have breakfast and dinner included every day. Breakfast
is served in the hotels every morning. The setting for dinner
may vary. Some days it is served in the hotel, on other days
it may be part of a reception or evening event. Lunch is on
everybody's own. There will be time on day excursion to grab
something to eat before boarding the train. Some snacks as
well as beverage will be also available on the train.
|
| Will
there be beverages and snacks available on the train? |
|
Yes.
We will have catering on board for beverages as well as
little snacks and small meals.
|
|
Do
travelers need a visa?
|
|
We will
visit five countries: Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium,
and the Netherlands. All visited countries are members of
the "Schengen states" which means that there
is no passport control between these countries. Travelers
from the USA, Canada, Australia do not need a visa. They just
can fly into Europe and travel whereever they like.
Travelers from other countries may need a Schengen visa to
travel between the Schengen states. Watch out: Great Britain
does not belong to the Schengen states. If the flight to Berlin
is going via London you may need an extra visa for GB. In
this case we suggest to avoid that problem and fly to Berlin
directly or through another European airport like Amsterdam
or Paris.
For details about visa regulations please visit this
website
of the German Federal Foreign office.
|
| What
happens at the border? |
|
We
change the engine. While there is no passport control
(just randomly checks), the train systems are different between
the European countries. This means that our train will get
a new engine at every border.
|
