Despite their reputation as the poor man of transport, buses and coaches are the unsung heroes of budget-friendly European travel. They connect remote villages, charming towns, and bustling cities, often at unbeatable prices. But booking bus travel in Europe isn’t always the easiest thing to do, due to outdated websites, glitchy apps, and confusing (or non-existent) English translations, all of which can turn trip planning into a chore.
If you’re relying on public transport to explore Europe, having a trustworthy, all-in-one bus booking site is a game-changer. It should show you every option for getting from A to B, fast, reliably, and affordably so you can spend more time exploring and less time researching.
That’s where platforms like Busbud, Omio, Trainline, and FlixBus come in. These apps and websites collate local bus schedules, routes, and prices in one place, helping you book tickets without the hassle of visiting several different sites yourself. But which platform is the best for buses in Europe?
In this post, we’ll compare these four platforms across popular destinations in Spain, Italy, and beyond. We’ll evaluate route coverage, user experience, and booking fees to help you choose the one that fits your needs. So, fasten your seat belt, and let’s hit the road…
What is the best bus booking website for Buses in Europe?
The Contenders
Busbud is Canadian based bus and train travel booking website, although it is primarily focused on bus routes – I would never have guessed 😉 The platform works with over 4500 bus companies globally, offering a pretty comprehensive range of bus routes in more than 80 countries.
Omio is a German travel comparison and booking website and app that allows users to search and book various transportation options, including trains, buses, flights and ferries. Formerly known as GoEuro, it became Omio in 2019, the same year that it acquired Australian travel site Rome2rio (I was wondering happened to them!). It functions in the same way as the others, in that customers input their preferred departure points and destinations to then see what routes and prices come back.
Based in London, Trainline was founded in all the way back in 1997. It is an online platform and mobile app that allows users to search for and book train and bus tickets, although its main focus is on train travel (again, the clue is in the name!). It operates in multiple countries, offering information on schedules, ticket prices, booking classes and availability. The platform partners with various international operators to offer a comprehensive range of public transportation services.
FlixBus is a European-based transportation company that offers affordable long-distance bus services across Europe and North America. Founded in 2013 in Germany, the company operates on a unique business model that partners with local bus companies to provide the actual bus services while FlixBus handles ticketing, marketing, and route planning. Known for its distinctive green buses, FlixBus has expanded rapidly, making it one of the largest intercity bus networks in the world, with routes connecting major cities and smaller towns alike.
Why not just book direct with the bus operators?
That would be great, yeah! The main problem here though is inconsistency. Many local bus booking websites and apps don’t have English versions. Furthermore, the user experience on their websites can often be severely lacking. That’s precisely why companies like Flixbus, Trainline, Omio and Busbud have become so popular, because they are intuitive and easy-to-use (or so they claim!).
Also, if you’re new to a country and just visiting for a few days, it’s unlikely you’ll know all the major bus operators or their routes. Yeah, you can Google it, and if you’re brave enough attempt to book direct, but what makes platforms like Omio and Busbud stand out is their ability to act as a one-stop shop, offering:
- Comprehensive route coverage.
- Prices from multiple local operators.
- An easy booking process in your language.
By saving time and eliminating guesswork, these platforms let you focus on exploring, not researching.
Disadvantages of booking buses in Europe with an app
While booking with platforms like FlixBus, Busbud, Omio, and Trainline offers convenience, it’s not without its downsides. Here are a few to consider:
- Slightly higher prices: Aggregators typically charge a small markup or booking fee, meaning you may pay a little more compared to booking directly with the operator. However, the trade-off is convenience and the ability to see multiple options at once.
- Incomplete route coverage: No single platform has partnerships with every local operator. This means you might not see all available options for your route, leaving you unaware of some services. To avoid missing out, it’s always worth running a quick Google search for alternatives.
- Potential customer service challenges: If you need to change or cancel your travel plans, dealing with an aggregator’s customer service may not be as seamless as working directly with the bus operator. That said, this varies by platform, and FlixBus, Omio, Trainline, and Busbud each have their own policies for modifications and refunds.
Flixbus vs Omio vs Trainline vs Busbud in Italy
Florence Siena bus booking
Getting from Florence to Siena by bus is preferable than by train because the bus drops you right in the city center, so we thought this would be a particularly useful test for our readers. We tested a travel option for a family of four, with two adults, and two children (ages 12 and 8). After checking all results to find a departure that all platforms could offer, we decided on the midday departure from Florence with Itabus, arriving at 12:55. The price for our family when booking directly with Itabus came to €27, with exactly the same luggage entitlement and seating class as all of our contenders. The Itabus website, by the way, was very good with no loading/booking issues and a perfect English translation, so this should also be considered for Italian routes…
Our Busbud review returned three offers from two separate bus operators (Flixbus and Itabus). For the midday departure from Florence to Sienna traveling with Itabus, this would cost our family of four €30 on the ticket prices, with an additional €7.88 on platform fees, making a grand total of €37.88. This is a whopping €10.88 more expensive than booking direct with Itabus, Mamma-mia!
Omio returned 5 different results for this test of Italy buses, from three separate bus operators (Flixbus, Marinobus, and Itabus). The midday departure with Itabus would cost our family €30 on tickets and then €2 on service fees, making a grand total of €32 from Florence to Sienna by bus with Omio. This makes Omio €5 more expensive compared with booking directly with Itabus for the family of four.
Trainline returned just two results for the Florence to Sienna bus, and these were the same two from Itabus, including the midday departure. However, when trying to click through to gather a final price for our intrepid family, we were told that our selected fare had sold out, but that other tickets were ‘up for grabs’. We then tested to see if we could still pick this ticket up on Busbus and Omio and we could, so the Trainline experience was glitchy and a massive let down!
Flixbus offer three daily services of its own from Florence to Siena. The closest time we could get to a midday departure was at 13:35, and this ticket for our family of four cost just 30.95 EUR, including a 1 EURO booking fee. If you can be a little more flexible with your time of departure then Flixbus is clearly a great option.
Florence Siena bus winner is OMIO!
Despite Flixbus offering the lowest price overall, the greater selection of departure times, incorporation of more local bus companies, and an almost equal price gives Omio the win in Italy.
Omio vs Trainline vs Flixbus vs Busbud Reviews: Buses in Spain
Bilbao Oviedo bus booking
Next up we tested buses in Spain, from Bilbao across the northern coast to Oviedo. The trains in this part of the world aren’t great, so this is a relatively well trodden bus route that should yield some interesting options for our contenders to get their teeth into. We selected a return journey, three days apart for one adult. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to get a price from the bus operator ALSA’s own website, as it simply wouldn’t load throughout the writing (& editing) of this article! This, ladies & Gentlemen, is precisely why there is a need for these bus booking aggregators in the first place. Anyway…
Busbud returned five outbound options and seven return options, all with ALSA. We selected the 10am departure from Bilbao and the 18:30 return bus three days later. The price was broken down into both the outbound cost and then the return cost before then being adding together to make the total. As you can see below, the ticket price on Busbud came to €41.87, but the fees then brought this up to €49.33 – an additional €7.46.
Omio returned 5 different outbound journeys, and 7 return options, exactly the same as Busbud, and all with local provider ALSA. The ticket price was the same as Busbud, but Omio’s platform fees were considerably lower at €3.60… thus bringing the grand total to €45.47.
Trainline came back with zero options for this route. So when searching for buses in Spain it’s probably best to give Trainline a heavy swerve.
Bilbao to Oviedo with Flixbus is not a route that they operate, so no luck here at all.
Busbud price
Omio price
Bilbao Oviedo bus winner is OMIO!
Thanks to the lower booking fees, Omio is the king of buses in Spain!
Omio vs Trainline vs Flixbus vs Busbud in Austria
Vienna to Bratislava airport bus booking
Vienna to Bratislava by bus is a route I have traveled frequently, and I know there are several different options, with different departure points, bus companies and drop off points. There are also trains lining this route so it will be interesting to see how this may affect what we are presented with. I specified Bratislava airport, but we are also looking for other options that will get us close. This will certainly make for a very interesting test of our three contenders, although I’m tempted to throw in the towel for Trainline already! I tested a single journey from Vienna to Bratislava airport on March 16th, 2024 for two seniors and one 21 year old student. We were unable to select the same route for all bus providers because none of them returned the same results. The cost of this route when booking direct with the service provider (Flixbus) was €23.85.
Busbud returned 25 different results, all of which mirrored the options on Flixbus precisely. Departures began from 06:00 all the way through the day until 21:40, so the coverage here was excellent. We were also given the option of three different departure stations located around Vienna, including an airport to airport option, which would certainly come in handy for visitors arriving by air. We selected the 09:10 from Vienna Hauptbahnhof to Bratislava airport and it cost exactly the same (€23.85) as it did directly with Flixbus. This was most likely because Busbud redirected the booking and it was completed on Flixbus’ own pages.
Omio initially seemed to return mostly private shuttle options here, with only a few sporadic real bus results which were hard to find in among all the private shuttles littering the page. On closer inspection, none of those buses actually took us to the airport though, rather to various other locations around Bratislava’s city center. It took us a while to work it out, but eventually we found the ‘show more results from affiliates‘ button at the bottom of the page, and this is where we then saw 12 options taking us directly to the airport with Flixbus. A bit weird that these results didn’t show directly on the results page without having to perform what seemed like another unnecessary (and quite hidden) step, but in the end the price here for the 09:10 from Vienna was the same as the original service provider (Flixbus) at €23.85. The only other difference was that Omio didn’t suggest Vienna airport as a departure point when ‘Vienna‘ was entered as my departure point. These only displayed after specifically inputting ‘Vienna airport‘ as the origin.
Trainline returned almost the same Flixbus options as Busbud minus the airport to airport route. We selected the same 09:10 departure time and we were again redirected to the Flixbus site to complete the booking. The price for our student and his grandparents was the same as Busbud and Omio (& Flixbus) at €23.85.
Flixbus returned 12 of its own results, with several different departure points around the city of Vienna to choose from. Vienna airport, though, was not given as an option, and you had to input that separately to see those departures. Flixbus again provided the joint cheapest tickets here.
vienna to bratislava bus winner is busbud!
Narrow victory here for Busbud, as while Omio, Trainline, and Flixbus all returned the same ticket price, Busbud offered more departure points from Vienna with the airport to airport route, and it presented its affiliate partner results clearly and umambiguously.
User Experience
When it comes to booking your bus trip, a smooth and intuitive user experience can make all the difference. After all, you want to spend more time enjoying your travels and less time fumbling through complicated websites and apps. In this section, we’ll compare the user experience of Busbud, Omio, Trainline, and FlixBus to see how easy it is to find and book your European bus tickets.
Busbud’s user experience is very clean and functional. Of the four contenders it was the joint easiest to use (along with Flixbus) and all results were very easy to spot. Somewhat lacking in filters though, as only departure & arrival locations, operator, and time of day were offered.
As discussed above, the only problem I encountered with Omio was them not displaying offers from their affiliate partners on the results page, without having to click again. Presumably they do this to drive customers towards better paying alternatives, but we use Omio because we want a one stop shop for all bus travel options, so they should look at changing this. Other than that, their website and apps are clutter free, user friendly and a pleasure to use. I particularly enjoy their artwork which I like to call pastel cartoon! Omio has all the same filters that Busbud offered plus additional options to filter results by price & journey duration.
Trainline is primarily focused on trains, this was clear throughout the tests we ran and also in terms of how cluttered the user experience can be. It is by no means unusable, but compared with Omio, Busbud and Flixbus, the ability to find buses, and filter through results, was more complex and required a certain amount of attention to detail, even if you could get a result.
Flixbus‘ user interface is very simple and easy to navigate. It only gives two options for bus ticket categories, either adult or children (0-14 yo), and no other filters. This will be a relief to many, as some filters do seem really quite unnecessary and over-complicated.
Buses in Europe - Outro
The battle of Europe’s best bus booking platforms was a close one, but in the end, Omio takes the crown. Not only did Omio have the second-lowest fees across all of our tests, but its advanced search features and wide variety of filters make it easier to find the best bus routes for your needs. The ability to narrow down options with precision sets Omio apart, making it a top choice for travelers looking for convenience and flexibility.
That said, whenever FlixBus returned results, it consistently offered the best prices, so it’s worth checking to see if they operate your desired route. If they don’t, then Omio is your next best bet. It’s a bit of a shame that Busbud has such high booking fees, because their site offers a clean, user-friendly experience with a well-organized presentation of results. Both Omio and Busbud provided excellent coverage, often showcasing more routes than FlixBus, which only offers its own services.
As for Trainline, while it sometimes provided viable bus options, it is clearly no match for Flixbus, Omio or Busbud for European bus travel, and should probably stick to what it knows, and is really rather good at – trains!
For those of you committed to traveling across Europe in the most sustainable way possible, be sure to check out my other guides on ferries to Spain, France, Ireland and Holland.
I bought a ferry ticket from Crete(Souda, Chania) to Serifos, via Milos. The whole trip was supposed to last 3-4 hours, but it lasted 16 hours and I had to change to Santorini and Milos before I go to Serifos. The ferry company was the same for all the islands and they changed the schedule without informing Omio or Omio didn’t bother to maintain contact. Normally you have to be at the harbour 1 hour before departure. We were at the harbour 1hour and 20 minutes earlier and they told us that we should have been informed because the bus to Rethymno left 10minutes ago. They changed harbour(1 hour away) and nobody told us!! I paid 110 euros for a taxi and manged to get the ferry. Then they unloaded us in Santorini for 3 hours with no water and 40C. Then we took a ferry to Milos. Another 3 hours with no water. We left at 6:40 in the morning and we arrived at our hotel in Serifos at 22:30. We lost an entire of our holiday and the car booking(40 euros) for a day. This inhumane journey also had an impact on our mental health. Omio blames the ferry provider and the ferry provider Omio. Bottom line is that Omio never informed us and they don’t take responsibility. If you feel adventurous and you don’t like your life buy with Omio.
Date of trip: 07/09/2024
Thank you, Georgios for this informative breakdown of your experience with Omio and Greek ferries. This is always the risk when dealing with a ferry/bus/train aggregator I guess – i.e. that the local companies who actually operate the services change their timetables without informing their partners. Of course, both sides will inevitably try to cover their ass in this situation and blame the other, so it’s always good to get people’s real life experience and impressions of what went wrong. Hope you’ve recovered from this disappointment. I had to chuckle at your final sentence though, just imagine that catchphrase on an official Omio advert!