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Exit Festival 10th-13th July 2008
www.exitfestival.orgEXIT is by all accounts an absolutely quality dance music festival located in a fortress north of Belgrade. Not for the light-hearted, there are over ten stages, the most notorious being the Dance Arena where the huge rave goes on until well after sunrise. Prepare for utter madness, a lot of smiling, and Eastern Europe at its cutting edge best.
The best way to get to there is by train, using an Inter-rail pass. We've recommended the simplest route, changing at Brussels, Cologne and Vienna. We've also included some different routes if you've got more time and flexibility.
The coach is another option that should work out cheaper than the train. The best bet is to get the coach to Budapest via Vienna, and then the train onwards to Novi Sad.
The way to get to Novi Sad from London with the least changes is to go via Brussels, Cologne and the beautiful city of Vienna. The cheapest way to make the journey is with a 5 in 10 day Inter-Rail pass, and this gives you the flexibility to come back a different route to the one you go out on.
- Step 1: Depart London July 8th on the Eurostar at 14.34. Arrive Brussels at 17.33
- Step 2: Depart Brussels at 17.59. Arrive Cologne at 20.15
- Step 3: Depart Cologne at 20.46 on a night-train. Arrive in Vienna at 09.08 on July 9th
- Step 4: Depart Vienna at 09.52. Arrvie Novi Sad at 19.15 on July 9th
- Step 5: Exit Festival runs from 10th-13th July
- Step 6: Depart Novi Sad at 23.37 on Jily 14th on a night-train, arriving in Vienna at 08.57
- Step 7: Depart Vienna at 10.40, arriving Dortmund at 21.20
- Step 8: Depart Dortmund at 23:39 on a night-train, arriving Brussels at 06.11
- Step 9: Depart Brussels at 06.59, arrving back in London at 07.55 on 16th July
There are lots of different combinations you can take to get to Novi Sad. We chose this one because it gets a good balance between time and changes - there are a few routes (on the way there and the way back) which take a bit less time but have some awkward changes.
With an Inter-rail pass you can be flexible in your journey planning, though if you are using a 5 in 10 day Inter-Rail pass you'll need to ensue that (i) the days you're on trains doesn't exceed five and (ii) your total trip is not longer than ten days from the day your pass starts. The route outlined above uses a total of four days. Note that the 14th July doesn't count because the night-train leaves after 7pm.
If you can be flexible then going via Budapest is straightforward and well worth a visit. Further West, but also within easy reach especially if you go via Munich, are Zagreb and Llubljiana.
To plan your own version of the journey use the the Deutshce Bahn European rail timetable.
Buying tickets:
- If you want to change your itinerary from the one listed above, check alternative options using the Deutshce Bahn European rail timetable.
- Buy a 5-in-10 day Global rail-pass using the button below. It's £125 if you're under 26. Specify 8th July as the start date.
- Once you've bought your rail-pass, contact Rail Europe
to make night-train reservations (these are compulsory and cost around £30 per night train).
- Buy Eurostar tickets. Your Inter-rail pass gets you a discount on Eurostar tickets, and on tickets from any UK station to London St. Pancras so remember to mention this when booking.
Things to note
The main factor affecting the overall price of the journey is the Eurostar ticket. It doesn't matter where you buy your ticket, it will be the same price everywhere, but each train has a certain number of cheap tickets and once they're gone, that's it. The cheapest you'll get a return to Paris or Brussels for is £59 minus the discount that you're eligible for with an Inter-rail pass.
If you start your journey without purchasing night-train reservations, you should be able to get them on the way at any major train station, but there is a small chance that the trains in question will be full. If you choose to spend nights in the cities and take trains in the day instead, then there will be fewer, if any, compulsory reservation fees (though obviously you'll have to pay for accomodation in the cities).
Note that for night-train journeys that begin after 7pm, you only use up one day of your inter-rail pass (as long as you haven't already made a journey using the pass on that day).
Unfortunately the Eurolines website is rather lame at helping you plan your journey to Novi Sad by coach. However, do not fear, Loco2 is here! And so is a nice man called David who has helped with the instructions on how to get to Novi Sad by coach.
The best way is to get the coach from London to Budapest, and once there pick up a train to Novi Sad. It's easy as pie, and you can pick up your train ticket at the station in Budapest. The coach ticket costs less than £90 if you book it quickly, and the train from Budapest to Novi Sad should be less than £40 return.
- Leave London at 8am on 8th July
- Arrive Budapest 11am on 9th July
- Leave Budapest at 1.20pm on 9th July
- Arrive Novi Sad at 7.18pm on 9th July
- Exit Festival runs from the 10th-13th July
- Trains back to Budapest are regular but you might want to wait a bit to avoid the crowds
- Get the bus back to London on the 16th July leaving at 3.45pm
On the way back you should definitely stop off for a night in Budapest and sample the delightfulness of the natural hot spring baths, and ludicrously hot saunas. I literally can't think of a better way to unwind after a massive Eastern European rave. Even if you paid me a million pounds to think of a better way I would still come up with that answer - that's how serious I am.