zlacker

It's open but that doesn't mean that everyone who shows up at the gate will be allowed in, right?

>>gotcha+(OP)
there are no gates

>>gotcha+(OP)
Under normal circumstances there is no gate to speak of.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area

>>gotcha+(OP)
What gates? You can walk or drive from France into Spain or Belgium or Germany and not even notice.

>>gotcha+(OP)
Have you crossed a French land border lately? There are no controls. There are no gates between France and other Schengen countries.

>>gotcha+(OP)
There are no gates. There is a sign. http://travel.jeffersoncampervan.com/Pictures/PixoriginalSit...

Cross border travel within the EU is like moving between states in the US, easy to miss.

>>bensan+81
What about airports?

I'm very positive that they check people's passports and papers in airports.

>>gotcha+I1
The vast majority of European travellers use trains or roads, not air travel.

>>gotcha+I1
Only if you're arriving from outside of Schengen. Within Schengen, there are only ID checks if the airline themselves have them there to avoid ticket resales.

>>gotcha+I1
Sometimes. About 5 years ago, I walked off a plane from Baltimore to Rome and out of the airport like it was a domestic flight. No stamp or anything.

>>the_fr+C2
Actually, air travel is the most common mode of transport in intra-EU travel.

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/...

Trains are a tiny 6%.