TRAVELING through Europe on a budget is not what it was in the days when backpacking Baby Boomers munched on bread and Nutella as they sped along the tracks from Rome to Geneva to Oslo.  Ryanair, easyJet and other low-cost airlines have become the trains of yore, minus the romance, quickly shuttling passengers from, say, London to Berlin, for as little as $62 round trip.  The railways, on the other hand, have acquired the marketing brio of air carriers, offering a dizzying array of discounts and single-country passes that can be a better deal  or at least less tiring  than the classic Eurailpass, now weighing in at $975 (or a youth fare of $634) for the challenge of seeing up to 18 countries in 30 days.  To compete, several bus companies have designed their own passes and special fares for travel around Europe.  If you plan to cover large distances in a short time, it is best to start your search far in advance to land a promotional fare on a low-cost carrier. Many countries have their own no-frills line. Transavia, (www.transavia.com) a Dutch low-cost airline, for instance, flies from Amsterdam, Virgin Express, (www.virgin-express.com) is based in Brussels and Sterling (www.sterlingticket.com), a Danish airline, flies from Copenhagen and other hubs.  One-way fares often dip as low as 20 euros, but don't drool. Taxes, surcharges and, in the case of Ryanair, baggage-check fees can triple the price. In March, Helvetic arlines (www.helvetic.com), a Swiss carrier, advertised 19-euro one-way fares from Zurich to Pisa, but surcharges added another 55 euros each way, bringing a round trip to 148, or $184 at $1.24 to the euro.  At its Web site, www.ryanair.com, Ryanair advertises one-way tickets for literally a few pennies from Stansted Airport, a 45-minute train ride from central London, to Dublin, Berlin and 12 other cities for weekday and Saturday travel in May, June, September and October, with two-week advance purchase. But fees, including a £2.5 baggage charge each way, bring the round-trip cost to £35, or $62 at $1.78 to £1. In an apparent effort to cash in on the sunburned hordes, Spain launched its own low-cost line, Vueling (www.vueling.com) in 2004. It flies from Barcelona and Madrid to 13 cities with one-way fares starting at 10 euros to Rome and Paris (plus about 14.50 euros in surcharges).  As new names appear, one of the most established carriers, easyJet (www.easyjet.com) is expanding its routes from Milan, Edinburgh and London airports. Beginning in May, for instance, you can fly from Gatwick, outside London, to Split, Croatia, with one-way fares starting at £25.99, all taxes and fees included. On June 29, easyJet will take off from Luton Airport for Bordeaux and Rimini.  Many people prefer trains because they abhor the hassles of air travel and enjoy the scenery en route.  The Eurostar (www.eurostar.com) is faster than flying if you factor in the trip to the airport. It zips from central London to Paris in less than three hours, and to Brussels in less than two and a half. Roundtrip fares start at $90, all included. To venture farther into Europe, a rail pass is a good option, and some of the newer passes allow you to explore less well-known regions.  Eurail (www.eurail.com) offers 16 dual-country passes valid for between 4 and 10 days of travel in contiguous countries over two months. Two or more people traveling together receive a 15 percent "saver" discount. Five days of first-class travel in France and Italy, for instance, comes to $353. Before buying, however, check the price of point-to-point tickets, often sold at a discount with advance purchases, said Chris Lazarus, a spokeswoman for Rail Europe. With early booking, a second-class ticket from Geneva to Paris could cost as little as $32, she said. Last-minute fares, however, reach $127.  Rail Europe sells tickets on national railways, as well as many Eurail passes and country-specific deals not yet available through Eurail, through its Web site, www.raileurope.com. A German Twin Pass, for instance, offers four days of second-class travel for two people for a total of $300. One second-class ticket from Munich to Berlin alone can cost as much $170, according to the Rail Europe Web site. The Scanrail pass entitles you to five days of second-class travel across Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden within two months, starting at $298. By comparison, a point-to-point ticket from Oslo to Bergen can reach $122. Passes are also available for 8, 10 and 21 days.  Buses can be even cheaper, and sometimes more flexible, than train travel.  Busabout (www.busabout.com; 44-20-7950-1661) offers passes for travel in large air-conditioned buses to 11 cities in one geographical area for $499, or $45 per leg. A northern loop would take you to Paris, Vienna and Prague. The western loop covers the French Riviera, French wine-growing regions and northern Spain. There is no time limit for travel, but at least six overnight stays are required. Busabout also makes lodging reservations and drops passengers at their hotel or hostel doors.  If you start your trip in London, Eurolines (www.eurolines.com, 44-8705-143-219) has some good deals on its Vanhol buses. It offers a "minipass" circuit that stops in Amsterdam and Paris, then returns to London, for 108 euros, or 36 euros for each leg. For the same price, you can also book a circuit to Dublin, Galway and Cork. Eurolines also sells passes for unlimited bus travel to 35 cities over 15 days for 199 euros to 329 euros, depending on the season. A 30-day pass costs from 9.97 to 14.93 euros a day. Discounts are available for passengers under 26 or over 60.  If you are willing to abandon the pass system, the German company Gulliver's (www.gullivers.de) goes to more than 70 cities with departures from London, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Hamburg and Berlin. With a four-week advance purchase, you can cross Europe with city-to-city fares from 19 to 39 euros, tax included. A popular round-trip ticket from London stops in Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and Brussels for a total of 127 euros, the managing director, Roland Prejawa, said.
The Eurailpass is no longer the default way for budget travelers to tour Europe. A look at the pros and cons of low-cost airlines, train and buses.