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Greece is a great destination for train hopping. The coductors are asking in the wagon if somebody is new(from the last destination).
If you are not getting on in the start(when everybody should be checked), then is quite easy to avoid paying. Wait some minutes before the train arrives, and choose not the first and last wagon. Get in and pack your belongings fastly. Find a place to sit down(better when the both seats are free,as the system prefers to replenish the seats until the end), and then listen to music or pretend that you are sleeping. Preferably trains are the fast ones IC and ICE. You shouldn't try(if possible) to the night train between Athens and Thessaloniki as the coductors are stricter, probably because many people are trying. If they catch you, they will ask you to pay for your trip. The ticket will be then almost the double price. I have no personal experience what will happen if you tell them a story and try to convince them. I suppose that some of them could be convinced. If you don't want to pay, you should get off to the next stop. Then, you can try to the next one.
== [[Hungary]] ==
PeterOB have written some information about trains in Czech Republic and Slovakia, read this part first. Let's explore some another country – Hungary. PeterOB trawelled through Hungary in summer 2014 to Rainbow Gathering and use the same tricks that is written in the part Czech Republic and Slovakia. Many people in railway station and train do not speak English }only young people) and pronunciation of hungarian towns and stations is very difficult. If you want to buy ticket (short journey ticket of course) or ask for platform, pronunciation of town is difficult, better write town on paper. If you ask for platform, use you terminal station and do not show more people you ticket with near station and do not ask the conductor but better to ask some passenger.
The interval between stops is in Hungary quite small, every trains including EC have usually many stops (every 5-10 km R-trains and 10-30 km long, journey trains, but is some case interval between stops is long). EC often stops in small towns. The interval to next train is quite variable, from 1 hour to 12 hour.
You can use Short journey ticket trick or do not respond when conductor ask who is new or watch conductor and in some stop go to area where tickets were already checked }or walk around conductor). PeterOB do not know how often conductor check toilets and he do not know if there is ticket inspector in trains (this is not conductor), but he saw ticket inspector in bus. In long-journey trains you must watch conductor change in some town. New conductor check all passengers, but not only new.
If you are captured that you travel without ticked, you are usually kicked of out train (no penalty usually), but some conductors let you continue journey. The controls is not so hard like in another countries. PeterOB had wrong ticket but young conductor in R-train let him travel. But some another conductor in EC train kicked him out. PeterOB's friend travel too without ticket and conductor let him travel. Most of conductors do not speak English or another language or speak English little. PeterOB was controlled in some D-train and they do like do not understand and conductor let him bee. The Hungary is middle-difficult or good for free riding in train and very good for classic hitchhiking.
Hungary have few tips of trains, like Czech. PeterOB think that all trains belongs national railway company and no private trains in Hungary, but he is not sure.
The R-trains is not like R-trains in Czech or Slovakia. This trains have many stops (about every 3-10 km or 3-10 min), it is like OS local trains in Czech. This trains have usually one conductor (sometimes maybe 2 conductors) and about 2-5 carriages. Amount of passengers is variable from teens to hundreds. R-trains near big city (Budapest) have more than 5 carriages, one or 2 conductors and many passengers. The interval to next train is every hour near big city, every 2-4 hour generally. You can look where is the conductor and in some stop go into area where tickets are already checked. (conductor go first time and interval to next control is long near big city). But in general, there are many stops and sometimes small amount of passengers. You can try short time ticket trick. Conductor check only new passengers, you can do nothing when conductor is coming, but in case small amount of passengers – there is big chance to ask for ticket. Amount of passengers and carriages is variable.
The D-trains is quite similar R-trains but the interval between stops is about 10-25 km or 10-20 minutes. This trains is like SP or R trains in Czech. D-type trains have usually 3-6 carriages and one (or two) conductors. The amount of passengers is variable, about from 30 to 200. The tricks are the same – short time ticket tricks or do nothing when the conductor ask who is new. Interval between D-trains is quite long (several hours)
The next type of trains is IC and EC in Hungary (and EN or INT trains contains this type too). You do not need seat reservation. This trains is for long journey (international), usually to, from or through Budapest. This trains have usually a lot of carriages, (5-8), two conductors and a lot of passengers. But not always. There was IC in the timetable but arrived only two-carriages local type train with small amount of passengers. In mostly cases the interval to next control can be long but not always. You can use classic short-journey ticket trick (and go near conductor and be checked before critical stations) or do nothing (sleep, look out of the window, read a book), when conductor ask who is new or watch conductor and in some stations go into area, where tickets are already checked.
The interval between net trains is quite variable. First direction is from Germany or Poland through Czech and Slovakia to Budapest and sometimes continue to Beograd. Interval to next trains s 2 hours. Trains have a lot of passengers, two conductors. The interval between stops in Hungary is only 7-20 km. In the journey Kosice-Budapest is interval to next EC train 12 hours and trains have one conductors and a lot of passengers (not in Slovakia). The interval between stops is from Kosice to Miskolc about 20-30 km but between Miskolc and Budapest is only one station Füzesabony. PeterOB think that EC do not stops in Hidasnemeti, it is only cross-border to Slovakia. PeterOB travel from Kosice to Miskolc and buy ticket only for Slovak area, where is small amount of passengers) and in Hungary PeterOB watched conductor and go to area where ticket already checked.
The direction from Budapest to Romania is 4 hours but Budapest-Püspökladany 2 hours (Some EC ends at Püspökladany and another R train continue to Biharkeresztes). The interval between stops is for trains to Biharkeresztes and Romania about 50 km before Püspökladany and 10-15 km after Püspökladany. But if the EC ends in Püspökladany, the interval between stops is whole journey 10-30 km. If you are kicked of train, you can kombine nextrain with EC, R,D-trains. You can see in time-table that EC trains continue to Romania and train wait tenths of minutes near border. But in some cases train ends in Biharkeresztes and you have to change train. Some trains continue to Romania for long journey (for example to Brasov). There are EC and D trains in Romania (EC are international) with stop every 40-70 km usually. But the seat reservation in Romanian EC and D trains. There are too local trains in Romania with many stops. Romania is difficult for free riding in train and for classic hitchhiking too.
The direction Budapes-Wien is similar, interval to next train every two hours ans stops every 15-40 km. PeterOB do not use this train (Rex type of train), but he think there are a lot of passengers and two conductors. This train crossing borders.
The direction Budapes-Szeged have EC-trains with stops 15-30 km away and interval to next train is one hour. Direction Budapest-Begograd is not so much fregvent. Interval between stops 15-30 km (about 50-80 km in night D-train) and there are only two times with train from Budapest to Beograd – 13:05 INT and EC train from Budapest and 22:20 D-train from Budapest.
== [[Italy]] ==
