Eurail Passes are famous as a way to save money while exploring Europe, but they are also confusing and often misunderstood. They are still an amazing money-saving tool for certain types of travelers, and not a wise idea for most others. Before Europe introduced dynamic rail pricing (like airfares, where the price varies depending on when you buy it), a Eurail Pass was an easy way to save money since all tickets had fixed prices that were generally fairly expensive. These days most travelers can save far more money just by buying their train tickets at least a few weeks in advance.
That said, Eurail Passes are still great for longer trips and especially for people who like to make plans as they go. Dynamic rail pricing made advanced tickets much cheaper, but it also made last-minute tickets MUCH more expensive. Below we will discuss Eurail Passes and whether they are a good idea for your trip or not.
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Note: This article was written in 2012 and has been continuously updated since then, so all information is current as of April, 2024.
Eurail 2024 changes: New countries and a mobile version
This actually changed in 2019 and 2020, but it’s still a big deal and not many people were shopping for Eurail passes in the last couple of years. Eurail Passes now include England, Scotland, Wales, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Macedonia.
Aside from that it’s just the normal fact that they have updated the timetables as of December 2023 and have a few promotions going on, but those usually don’t happen over the busy summer season.
Eurail passes are now available in a mobile version
Until very recently, Eurail Passes were only available in paper form and they were quite confusing at first. You’d get a pass with a series of empty boxes on it and you’d need to enter your trip before you’d use your pass each day and then have the first conductor verify it. If you lost your ticket (and this was not uncommon), it was a whole ordeal to attempt to get a replacement.
Again in 2024 Eurail offers a fully mobile version that is delivered instantly to your mobile device with no delivery fee. And if you somehow lose your phone, you can resume using your Pass on your replacement with no extra headache. This is MUCH more convenient in every way and as long as you can keep track of your phone you’ll always have your train pass handy.
If your trip will be 2 weeks or less, a Eurail Pass probably won't be worth it
About half of the questions I get in the lengthy comment thread of this article are from people planning a trip of 3 or 4 stops in two weeks or less. The good news for those travelers is that they can get fairly cheap train tickets in advance online if they have their dates planned, and a Eurail Pass won’t help at all.
Eurail Passes are ideal for travelers on longer trips, and especially those who don’t want to plan all of their destinations and dates far in advance. If you have your itinerary pretty much planned out and you don’t require much flexibility, you’ll be far better off just locking in your dates and buying your train tickets as early as you can. Again, they can be surprisingly cheap if you buy 2 to 4 months out.
If you are age 27 or younger, a Eurail Pass is probably worth it
Those 28 years old or over must buy the 1st Class version of any Eurail Pass, which is 50% more expensive, and the added comfort isn’t a big deal to most people. But travelers age 12 to 27 can buy the 2nd Class versions at the lowest prices, and the seats are comfortable enough for virtually everyone.
With this in mind, if you are lucky enough to still be 27 or younger, you should seriously think about getting a Eurail Global Pass Youth, partly because the sense of freedom instantly gets more expensive at age 28. The age cutoff was 25 until recently, so this change is a great deal for anyone who will be 26 or 27 at the start of their trip.
You aren’t guaranteed to save money by buying a Youth Eurail Pass, but chances are good that you WILL save money and you’ll definitely save a lot of hassle as well. Especially now that Eurail Passes come in a mobile form, it’s even that much more convenient to just hop aboard any train that is about to leave the station and not worry about buying or even having a ticket. Especially for young people, it can be really fun and exhilarating to literally just walk into a train station with your backpack and look at the departure board and then decide where to go at that moment.
If you are age 60 or over, a Eurail Pass could also be great value
Another fairly recent change is that anyone who is 60 years or older at the start of the use of a Eurail Pass now gets 10% off the normal adult fare. That new discount is going to make this a great value for many travelers who might have been on the fence about buying a full-price pass before.
>>>Check prices on Eurail Passes
If you are planning on traveling in 1st Class anyway, a Eurail Pass is probably worth it
Most 2nd Class trains provide similar comfort and legroom to Business Class airline seats, or at least close enough, so for most people it’s not worth the added expense for 1st Class. However, if you are rich or elderly or fear contact with strangers, a 1st Class Eurail Pass is probably worth it no matter what.
Not only do you get much more comfort and legroom in 1st Class, with only 3 seats across instead of 4, but there is another advantage to 1st Class on European trains. Since it’s mostly business travelers and wealthy people traveling in 1st Class, the carriages are almost always mostly empty except in the mornings and late afternoons between large cities. In 2nd Class the only available seats might be two seats in an 8-seat cabin with all the other seats taken up by a loud family or a group of rowdy friends. In 1st Class you are all but guaranteed a peaceful ride, and usually plenty of empty seats from which to choose.
A hidden Eurail Pass benefit: Making extra stops on travel days for free
A one-way ticket between Paris and Amsterdam in 2nd Class on the high-speed Thalys service takes 3 hours 19 minutes, and costs €47 if you buy way in advance up to €188 if you buy at the last minute. A Eurail Pass can be helpful on this route for almost anyone because you often have to book two months in advance to get a fare under €90 or so. Even better though is the fact that the train stops in Brussels and Antwerp along the way, and both of those are really interesting cities that are perfect for a stop of 2 to 4 hours.
Brussels in particular is one I recommend a short stop in because the small historic center around what they called the Grand Place is amazing and gorgeous, while the rest of the city is rather boring by European standards. With a Eurail Pass you can jump off the train in Brussels and explore the city center for a few hours (luggage storage is cheap and easy) and maybe have lunch, and then hop on a later train to complete your journey to Amsterdam. There are opportunities like this on many if not most trips between larger cities, and if you buy the point-to-point tickets you have to stay on the train you booked.
Another example is the high-speed train between Barcelona and Madrid, which takes about 2.5 to 3 hours in each direction. There are some interesting cities in between, but in this case you could take a morning train from Barcelona to Madrid and then check into your accommodation, and then hop on another train from Madrid to Toledo, which takes about 30 minutes and costs €14 each way. Toledo is a historic and fascinating town, but it’s also pretty small and you can explore the main sights in an afternoon. With a Flexi Eurail Pass where you buy a certain number of travel days, you can save more money by adding on these sorts of nearby stops on travel days.
If you'll be touring major cities within ONE country, a single-country pass might be perfect, and Second Class passes are available for all ages
Until 2019 you could buy a Eurail “Select” or “Regional” Pass, which would allow you to buy a cheaper pass that only covered between two and five specific countries. As of April 2024, those have been eliminated and also lowered the prices of the Global Passes by around 20%.
Single-country passes are still available and they MIGHT be good value for you, but it depends on which country and how much traveling you’ll be doing. If you plan on going all over a larger country such as Germany, France, or Spain, and especially if you like to make plans as you go, a Single-country pass for one of those might be your best deal. On the other hand, smaller countries (such as the Netherlands) or countries where train tickets are already fairly cheap (such as Italy) might be harder to get value out of. Long story short, for single-country passes you really need to check fares of the places you plan on going and see how they add up compared to the pass.
>>>Check prices for Single Country Passes
Eurostar (between London and Paris or Brussels or Amsterdam) tickets are now included for Eurail Pass holders for a €30 reservation fee
The European rail system is confusing at first, so it’s worth pointing out that the Eurostar trains between London and Paris or Brussels are a totally different system and the prices are more like air tickets. In other words, they start out cheap 6 months in advance and prices go up as the travel date approaches. Since you can now use your Eurail Pass within Great Britain, it’s now the best way to get around England and Scotland by train.
Our recent tests show that Eurostar fares one-way from London to Paris can be as low as €49 if you book about 3 months out, or as expensive as €214 for the same seat if you wait until the day of travel to buy. Round-trip/return tickets can be even cheaper if there is a promotion running.
>>>Check Eurostar prices
If you are on a really low budget, a Eurail Pass isn't a good idea
Here’s the thing. As we’ll discuss below, there are many potential benefits to Eurail Passes, and they will often save you money, but they do cost a lot and they only really save you money when traveling in the more expensive countries.
So let’s say you have a flight to Rome and then US$2,000 to last you a month after you arrive. Buying a Eurail Pass before you go would help you see a lot in that month, but you’d practically need to sleep in parks for your funds to last the whole time. You’d be better off moving slowly in the southern countries, or just in Italy itself, as a way to have the best holiday on your budget. You might also be tempted to use a Eurail Pass mostly on night trains so you can save the cost of a hotel or hostel, but those aren’t ideal for most of us.
The cheapest way to get around Europe by rail is to buy all train tickets online at least a couple months in advance. The fares are low, but they are non-refundable and non-changeable. See how far in advance you should buy train tickets to get those attractive fares.
If more than a little of your travel will be in eastern Europe, a Eurail Pass isn't a good idea
While eastern Europe (Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Ukraine, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia etc), is where you’ll find almost all of the continent’s best travel bargains, its rail infrastructure continues to lag way behind. A few years ago many of the countries in that area were added to the Eurail Zone (except for Bulgaria for some reason), but even then the trains are still very slow. Worse still, in some areas the trains are much slower than buses, so you really have to research each leg individually.
The good news is that the trains operating in this region, and the buses that operate alongside and/or where trains aren’t running, are quite cheap. So if any significant part of your trip will be into this region, a rail pass doesn’t make sense.
Basic types of Eurail Passes
Long gone are the days of the simple options, replaced by specialized passes that are meant to appeal to different styles. It should be pretty easy to figure out which is best for you, and then keep going down the page to decide if it’s worth it at all.
Eurail Global Pass – 4,5, or 7 days within 1 month or 10 days within 2 months
Until recently the minimum number of travel days with 10 days within 2 months, but now you can buy as few as 4 days within 1 month for about €200 to €250 (for first class). This can actually be an interesting strategy if you are planning many shorter and cheaper trips (like within Italy or Eastern Europe), and also 4 or 5 longer trips such as Berlin to Amsterdam. This way you can buy only 4 or 5 travel days and only use them for your most expensive travel days, and just pay as you go or buy cheap advance tickets for your other journeys.
Eurail Global Pass – 15 to 90 consecutive days
This variation allows for unlimited travel on the system for between 15 and 90 total days. They are really only a good idea for people who are certain they are going to travel very often, with much of it being in the north of Europe. The problem with them is that if you really try to get your money’s worth, you will probably ruin your trip by spending too much time on trains in general. On the other hand, if you will be in Europe for 2 or 3 months and plan on traveling around a lot, you can get a LOT of use out of a longer pass. The 3-month pass is around €900 so it’s literally about €10 per day. Imagine going back and forth between Berlin and Munich or Barcelona and Madrid for €10 per day!
One Country Pass
Obviously these are for travel within one country only. Again, they can be great deals if you plan on extensively moving around one particular country.
Where to buy your Eurail Pass
Eurail Passes are cheapest and easiest to buy online, primarily from two main sources which offer all the same products at the exact same prices:
This is a reliable company based in the Netherlands but with fulfillment offices in the US and Ireland. Price of Travel is a partner with this company, and if you use the links of this site we earn a small commission to help keep this site online. Eurail.com is usually cheaper than RailEurope (discussed below) by the way.
They were founded in the 1930s and are based in New York, but owned primarily by the French and Swiss rail companies. They offer free shipping (2 to 3 business days) on all orders of US$399 or more, although now that a mobile version is available, this is meaningless. Price of Travel is a partner with this company, and if you use the links of this site we earn a small commission to help keep this site online.
Reservations on European trains for rail pass holders
For most of the fastest trains between major cities you’ll need to reserve a seat even with a rail pass. It can usually be done just before you leave and the cost is usually around €5. Here’s a full list of which European trains require reservations and which don’t.
Reservations are required on all intercity (longer distance) trains in or involving France, Spain, Switzerland, and Italy. For most trains in Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, and most of eastern Europe, you can usually find trains that don’t require seat reservations. Often, if you don’t leave until after 9:30am or so, you can ride on any train with no seat reservation, but you have to research each leg to be sure.
How to determine which trains require seat reservations, and also get schedules
You can click on the link just above this section for a list of countries and their seat-reservation policies, but in some cases it’s actually a bit more complicated than that. For example, you can generally ride without a seat reservation on fast ICE (Inter City Express) trains in Germany if you depart after 09:30 in the morning. They do this to free up seats for business travelers who pay full fare, and they don’t mind filling up seats with rail pass holders on trains leaving a bit later.
The best way to be sure about this is to download the RailEurope smartphone app (iPhone and Android). It’s a free app and you can download it and use it even if you buy from Eurail.com or don’t buy a rail pass at all. Amazingly enough, it has the entire European rail schedule built into it so you don’t even need to be online to use it. You just enter a departure city and destination city and it will show you all of the trains and connections going between the two. When you click on a specific train or combination of trains it will show you whether a seat reservation is needed for that particular departure. I’ve used this app literally hundreds or perhaps thousands of times to do my own research and help people find answers, and I’ve noticed that it’s accurate at least 99% of the time. Once in a blue moon you’ll enter two cities and it will show, say, a 20-hour journey when you are pretty sure it should be under 10 hours. Usually it’s actually correct, but I’ve seen a couple times where it missed something.
Night trains in Europe are making a comeback
I’ve been traveling around Europe since the 1980s and I’ve been updating this article since 2012 and one thing that was certain was the night trains (or sleeper trains) were going out of fashion. The main reasons were that high-speed trains grew in coverage so routes that used to take 10 or 12 hours could now be done in 4 or 5 hours, at least in countries like Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. As a result, almost everyone preferred to even depart at 6 PM if they could get to their destination city at 10 PM instead of the next morning.
Fast forward to 2024 and night trains are not only expanding service, but they are very trendy. Some of it is nostalgia for the older way of getting around, but most of it is for environmental purposes combined with European hatred for the “low cost airline” experience with RyanAir and Easy Jet etc.
Personally I’m still not a fan of night trains because I find it difficult to sleep on them since they often get decoupled at interim stations in the middle of the night and then coupled onto other trains coming from other places, and I can’t sleep through any of that. But still, they are worth looking into and they are fun to try at least once.
A bit of warning that they tend not to be cheap and even if you have a Eurail Pass you’ll almost certainly want to book a sleeping cabin with a bunk or couchette, and that will come at an extra fee. On the other hand, if you are the sort of person who can sleep sitting upright in a normal seat, then that won’t cost any extra on most overnight trains.
Factors to consider when thinking about any Eurail Pass
Assuming you know which Eurail Saver Pass option is the best one for your type of trip by now, we’ll go over the main factors that should help you decide whether it’s the best idea for you.
Eurail Passes are best for standard ‘medium length’ journeys
In almost all of Europe, the major cities tend to be between 4 and 8 hours apart by train, and these journeys are perfect for Eurail Passes. For example, from Vienna to Munich it takes about 5 hours on the train, and it’s scenic and relaxing. Flying between those cities would take about the same amount of time once you factor in airport transportation and security lines, and it’s far less pleasant.
However, if you are determined to travel between Rome and Paris, it’s about a 14-hour journey that will almost certainly be overnight. In this case, a cheap plane ticket is probably better, although taking shorter hops on the train is even better, so spend a day or two in Milan or Lyon on the way instead.
And of course, if you prefer to stop in various small towns between the big ones, then a Eurail Pass won’t pay off, except for the traditional kind for unlimited travel in a given period.
Eurail Passes are better value in northern Europe, France, and Spain, and poor value in Italy
Once you do a bit of research you’ll quickly learn that train tickets (and almost everything else) are much more expensive in Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland than they are in Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. With this in mind, the regional passes can make sense if you are spending time in the south, but the Global Passes almost certainly won’t. Train tickets in Spain used to be fairly cheap, but in recent years they’ve added new high-speed trains between the major cities, and these are quite expensive.
Unlike most other countries, Italy really subsidizes its train tickets so they are quite reasonable even on travel day, and very cheap if you buy a month or more in advance. For example, you can go between Rome and Florence for around €49 if you buy on travel day, and as little as €19 if you buy well in advance. In most other countries, fares are double or triple that much for similar rides.
So consider your planned itinerary. If more than half of it is in the Mediterranean countries then look into a Regional Pass or just buy tickets as you go, because they tend to be pretty cheap. But if you are planning on spending at least half your time in Paris and places to the north of it, then a Eurail Pass is probably a money saver because those tickets are expensive.
Trains are almost always better than planes
Flying sucks, even in Europe
Until you’ve experienced the joy of traveling around Europe by train you might be tempted to “maximize” your time by flying low-cost airlines between each city. This would be a mistake. In order to get truly cheap airfares you have to purchase long in advance, buying non-refundable tickets. You might also have to commit to flights in the very early morning or in the late evening, because cheap tickets on convenient flights sell out quickly.
And again, most European airports are around an hour outside of the city. They are often on the main train lines, which helps, but still you have to deal with the madness of security and also try to get there at least two hours early. From one city center to any other city center it’s about 5 hours minimum, even if they are close, and those are pretty miserable hours.
Train travel is a positive experience
While it’s true that you do have to reserve a seat on many long-distance trains these days, you can usually do it just before it leaves, or the night before to be safe. And with many trains you can literally just hop on board as it’s pulling out of the station.
Not only are all the seats comfortable on trains, but you also have an interesting view most of the time. Better still, trains deposit you in the heart of every city, which is usually the neighborhood with the cheapest hotels and food. It’s a wonderful feeling to step off a relaxing train ride, buy a hot dog or sandwich at a local shop, and then be in your hotel room only about 10 minutes later.
Eurail Passes are better than train tickets alone
As someone who enjoys the process of crunching numbers and looking for value, I have to also mention that I’d buy a Eurail Pass even if it seemed like it would cost a bit more than the individual tickets. With a pass you get an extra element of freedom that is worth a lot more than you might expect until you’ve used one.
If you fly, you absolutely have to lock in your exact schedule weeks or months in advance, and if you buy train tickets individually you will be spending hours in queues and then waiting around. You can buy European train tickets in advance, though the convenience comes along with an extra fee. But with a Eurail Pass, on most routes you can just hop on any train you feel like.
Let’s say you are heading from Amsterdam to Hamburg tomorrow morning. The 09:00 train you planned for might seem a bit ambitious after a long night out, so you can instead opt for the 10:00 or 11:00 train. As long as you walk into Centraal Station 10 or so minutes before departure, you are on. If you are flying you can’t change your ticket, and if you are buying train tickets as you go you have to be in line at the international desk at the train station at least 30 minutes early, and even then you might miss it if they are busy.
Freedom and getting to feel like a big shot
Bill Gates doesn’t worry about the cost of plane tickets or train tickets. He just goes where he wants, when he wants. When you have a Eurail Pass, you get a taste of this yourself, and even if you don’t end up doing any new spontaneous legs within your trip, it’s a great feeling.
Let’s say you are staying at a hostel in Brussels, and two groups of new friends suggest that you go along with them to their next stops. One group is going to Bruges, which is a short and cheap journey, so you can join them by buying individual tickets (unless you have the unlimited pass, making it free). Then you restart your trip from Bruges, on to your next destination. The other group is headed to Berlin on a night train, which is long and expensive, but with a Eurail Pass you don’t even have to think about the cost. On you go, just like a rich person.
Buying a Eurail Pass is great for those who might run out of money
We all know people who keep meticulous track of every penny they spend, and who are always putting money away for a rainy day. And we all know people who can take a US$100 “entertainment fund” and burn through almost all of it in just a few hours. For the first type of person, a Eurail Pass can help you keep track of expenses, but it’s really the second type of person these are best for.
It’s sad to hear about people who have big plans to see their dream destinations, but they run out of money for transportation halfway into the trip, so they have to just stay put until they fly home. It happens. Locking in your major transportation costs before you leave home, and probably saving money in the process, is a wise move for anyone who isn’t as disciplined as they’d like with their money.
>>>Check prices on Eurail Passes
Bottom line: If you want to keep travel costs down, your choices will usually be a Eurail Pass or buying tickets at least a month or more early
In the last few years, almost every long-distance train ride in Europe has switched to a pricing system similar to low-cost airlines. In other words, tickets go on sale 2 to 6 months ahead of time at very low prices, and they keep getting more expensive as the train fills up and the date approaches. For most trips where a rail pass is possible, this is how things stack up:
Cheapest possible way: Buy advanced (non-refundable, non-changeable) train tickets at least 30 days in advance
Next cheapest way: Buy a Eurail Pass and make seat reservations as you go, usually only a day or less in advance.
Most expensive way: Buy train tickets as you go, or less than a week in advance.
Thinking about it this way should make the choice a bit easier. If you are the type who likes to plan each day and travel segment long before you even leave home, then buy tickets online for the best prices. This can be the best strategy for most shorter trips (10 days or less) because you simply don’t have enough time to change many things as you go anyway.
Buying a Eurail Pass won’t be quite as cheap, but you are buying a LOT of flexibility with the extra money. If you dream of making up your plans as you go, or even making up your plans just a few days in advance, this is almost always your best bet.
But if you wait too long, and just show up looking to buy train tickets as you go, they are going to cost a fortune. As recently as only a few years ago all seats would be the same price on many rail systems, so you could always just wing it. When each country computerized its rail systems so they can sell advanced tickets cheaper, they also had to keep track of seat reservations, so the whole pricing structure had changed to favor advanced ticket buyers and rail pass holders over those who’d prefer to just hop on any train as it is leaving the station.
Have a rail pass or itinerary question of your own?
It wasn’t planned but scores of people began asking me rail pass and itinerary questions at the bottom of this article and a few others. I’m happy to keep answering them and now I’m trying to organize them better as well so they are easier for other people to find.
If you have a question about specific types of European rail passes, please ask it in the comments below.
But if you have a question more about a European itinerary or other non-rail-pass questions, please click over to the European itineraries Q & A article and ask in the comments of that one.
Hi Roger,
I wanted to get your feedback about my upcoming honeymoon to Germany in June. We’re going to be there for 10 days. We’re flying into Munich and out of Frankfurt with the plan to move west.
My bride-to-be and I have both been to Europe before, but we’re expecting that this is the last time we will get to visit for a long time. Therefore, we’re of the mindset that we’re trying to get “a little bit of everything” rather than do a couple of things really thoroughly.
Day 1-2 Munich, Neuschwanstein
Day 3 Lucerne or Bern
Day 4 Freiburg (where I studied)
Day 5 Strasbourg (day trip from Freiburg)
Day 6 Heidelberg (day trip from Freiburg)
Day 7, 8 Paris
Day 9, 10 Frankfurt
Our plan is to arrive at the next city the evening before, e.g. at the end of day 2 we will travel to Lucerne, at the end of day 3 we will travel to Freiburg, etc. I think this itinerary gives us an opportunity to see a lot, and the day trips out of Freiburg actually gives us a chance to stay in one city at night for a few nights so we’re not too travel weary.
So I have a few questions for you:
1) Does anything I’m proposing seem logistically impossible? The train schedules seem okay but maybe I’m missing something.
2) Would you recommend against the Eurail pass? I would think so given almost all of our train rides are short, except to and from Paris.
3) Do you think it’s possible to fit in a visit to Konstanz on the way to Lucerne? I wonder if the train station could stow our luggage?
Thank you.
Ryan,
1 – Nothing in this plan seems logistically impossible, but it isn’t a typical itinerary. Even with the 3 nights in Freiburg, you are moving around a lot for a 10-day trip. It’s true that most of your journeys will be relatively short, and I’m actually a fan of this sort of “fast travel”. Still, I think at the end you’ll be ready for a vacation.
Also, I’m guessing that you are planning 1 or 2 days in Frankfurt for a specific reason, but in case you aren’t, I don’t know if it’s a good use of time on a trip this short. As you may know, Frankfurt isn’t much of a tourist city, in spite of the big airport. I’d stay another night in Paris.
2 – Right, skip the Eurail Pass for a trip like this. The individual tickets shouldn’t add up to too much, especially if you buy them in advance. And Germany still has that weekend special where up to 5 people can travel on Saturday or Sunday for €44, not including the ICE trains.
3 – I do think you could visit Lake Konstanz on the way to Lucerne, although it will be a rushed visit, of course. I’m sure there are luggage lockers and/or a Left Luggage desk in that train station. As far as I’m aware, every train station in Europe where tourists get off will have a way to stow luggage.
Congratulations, and I’m sure you’ll have a great trip one way or another. -Roger
Hello Roger
I am from Melbourne Australia and my husband and I both aged 61 and young fit & healthy we are heading by ourselves to Europe and we can spend around 5 weeks there – we would like to travel independently by train we had our first trip lot Europe last year and visited London and Paris for 4 weeks and now want to see the following cities but not sure how to coordinate order of visit or if our itinerary is unrealistic – can you please help us..we thought
Barcelona 3-4 nights – train? to Nice 3 nights
Fly or train to Venice 2 nights
Train to Milan to travel by train to Lucern 4 nights
(We would like to somehow see maybe Salzburg in Austria if possible also?)
Return back by train to Milan and go to Florence for 3-4 nights
Train to Cinque Terre 2 nights
Train to Rome 5 nights
We would also like to visit Amsterdam if possible??
Where should we fly to – to commence our trip and fly from to go home and would a rail pass suit us .. Many thanks hope you can help regards Dianne
Dianne,
I think your itinerary looks very well thought out, and very doable. Barcelona to Nice takes almost 12 hours by train, so it’s a popular night train, although it is quite scenic during the day as well. But flying might be the better option if you can get affordable flights.
Salzburg is a lovely city and I’m sure you’d be glad you went there if you can fit it into your trip. Amsterdam is also fantastic, but it’s a long way from all of your other stops so there is no easy way to include it. Your best bet for doing it is to look for cheap flights from the cities you will be in, and if you book them early enough you might be able to find something at a very low price. If you can, like from Barcelona for example, you could fly there and then back to Nice to head into Italy next. It really just depends on whether you’d want to add in the 2-hour flights mixed in your trip along the south.
As for where to fly into, I did an extensive study last year to compare inbound European airports from major North American destinations, and discovered that most of the major cities are fairly bunched together in price. In other words, you might save, say, US$100 per person by flying into Munich or Prague, but then it would cost you more than that to get to one of the cities you actually intend to visit. So I would check airfares into Barcelona and out of Rome, as well as a round-trip into either of them. If you can save US$100 by flying round-trip into Barcelona, it should be fairly cheap to fly back to Barcelona from Rome a few hours before your long flight leaves.
Otherwise, I think you’ve got a great plan already, and I don’t have any other suggestions on how you might change it. -Roger
Hi Roger,
Thanks for your response.Sorry I forgot to mention that we are planning to apply to the Swiss consulate and one of the requirements specifically mentioned by the Consulate General of Switzerland in Sydney- “If you are visiting several countries in Europe please provide proof of transport (e.g. bus tour, airline reservation, rail ticket, reservation of rental car)”.
Regards,
Lakshmi
Lakshmi,
Fortunately I haven’t had to deal with immigration issues when visiting Europe, although I’ve had to deal with them many other places. So I don’t know much about what they require as proof and all that. I do know that many countries have rules about showing onward tickets, but very few of those are actually enforced. It sounds like Switzerland is serious though, and yet I’d still think there must be a forum (maybe Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree?) where there are many discussions of this exact thing by people in your exact situation. Best of luck. -Roger
Hi Roger,
My family of 4 + 2 grandparents are planning a trip to France and Spain in Sept. 2014. I’ve compared pass vs. point to point but I haven’t calculated reservation fees. I’m also nervous about getting a pass and then having sold out reservations for pass holders. I would love your advice; Will reservations be a problem in September? Is France Pass with point to point in Spain more economical?
Paris-4 days
Chamonix- 2 nights
Annecy – 3 nights
Antibes – 7 nights
Avignon- 2 nights ?
Carcassonne – 2 nights
St. Jean de Luz – 5 nights
San Sebastian – 2 nights
Barcelona – 5 nights
Thanks ,
Shannon
Shannon,
Reservations on domestic trains in France will cost between €6 and €9 each in either class. Your rail pass options would (seemingly be) a 6 Day France Pass or an 8-day France and Spain Pass. Based on your only two stops in Spain, I do think buying those point to point is probably the cheaper way to go. Unlike the Global or Regional Eurail Passes, you can choose either 1st class or 2nd class and still get a group discount of 15%.
The trains in France that have low quotas for rail pass holders are the Thalys high-speed trains that go north from Paris, and the TGV trains that cover the major international routes going south. It looks like you might be avoiding many of those, but I haven’t looked up each trip.
From what I’ve heard, the rail pass quotas do fill up in 2nd class on popular trains (although not necessarily too far in advance), but much less often in 1st class. However, since you evidently have your whole itinerary planned out, I think you could get all of your reservations in advance, or at least once you get to Paris. If you even did all the reservations in Paris, I’m quite sure you’d have no problems. Even if, say, the 9am train was full, you could instead go in the 10am train. There should be hourly services on all of these routes, and by September there are many fewer rail pass holders going for those spots than in July or August, so I really think you’d be fine.
It is unfortunate that France makes using rail passes more complicated than any other country, but the individual trips can be incredibly expensive without them, so they are still a good option for many people. Bon voyage either way. -Roger
Hi Roger,
My fiance and I will be traveling Portugal and Spain from March 9 – March 27. We land in Lisbon on March 9 and leave from Madrid on March 27. I don’t have a set itinerary yet, but are hoping to cover Southern Portugal and Spain (Faro, Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Valencia, Barcelona). We don’t plan on spending much time in Madrid but will need to take a train from Barcelona to Madrid to catch our flight.
Do you have any recommendations on whether or not a Eurail Pass would make sense for us? Or would it be cheaper to buy individual tickets once we get there, since all of the trips will be shorter.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Emily
Emily,
I don’t think a Eurail Pass would be good value for a trip like this. Even the Spain-Portugal regional pass costs quite a bit for each journey, partly because you can only buy a 1st Class version if either of you is 26 years or older.
The only really expensive train tickets in that area are the high speed trains between the major cities, and it looks like you can avoid most of them. Another interesting thing about the Iberian Peninsula is that bus service is often your best option, at least between non-major cities. They are cheaper, more frequent, and often about the same speed, plus they are pretty comfortable as well.
So what I’d recommend is to research both trains and buses, and buy your tickets as early as you are sure of when you want to go. I think those trains will be cheaper a few weeks out, but even if you buy them as you go, they will still probably be cheaper than a rail pass in this case. You are going fairly short distances, and those rail passes only help if you are covering far more ground on each hop. -Roger
Thank you so much, Roger! I really appreciate the reply. 🙂
Hello Roger,
I would like some help in deciding between the Eurail global pass and point to point tickets. We(myself & hubby living in Australia and sister-in-law living in the US)all in our 30’s have planned for a Europe trip in April-May time frame. The itinerary is as below:
Apr 14-Amsterdam to Brugge
Apr 16-Brugge to Antwerp
Apr 17-Antwerp to Paris
Apr 21-Paris to Heidelberg
Apr 23-Heidelberg to Zurich
Apr 25-Zurich to Interlaken
Apr 26-Interlaken to Geneva
Apr 28-Geneva to Athens(by flight)
Apr 28-Athens to Santorini(by flight)
May 01-Santorini to Athens(by flight)
May 03-Athens to Australia/US
We have all our hotel reservations done but need to get the train bookings ASAP to even apply for the tourist visa.I was checking for some local travels like between Brugge and Antwerp and travel in Switzerland and find that those cannot be booked so much in advance, only 30 days prior to the travel. So ideally we cannot go in for point to point as we need to provide proof of train ticket booking to get our visa.
Do you suggest we buy the Eurail global saver pass then? Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks
Lakshmi
Lakshmi,
Hmmm…I didn’t realize that Belgium and Switzerland only sold tickets 30 days in advance, but it certainly appears that you are right. I’m also unaware of specifically which visa you’d need, of course, though I’d hope there would be an FAQ somewhere online that could answer this seemingly common problem.
Unfortunately, I don’t think a Eurail Pass would be good value at all, and I also doubt it would even help. First off, it looks like you are only planning on 7 train trips, and the cheapest Global Eurail option is for 10 trips within 2 months. And the individual tickets for all but 2 or 3 of your trips would be fairly cheap if you bought them on the day, and even cheaper if bought in advance. So buying a Eurail Global Pass would probably cost at least double, if not more, compared to the point to point tickets. The fact that you are going through France also means (as you know) that you can’t use a regional pass, which comes in smaller versions.
The other complication is that a Eurail Pass almost certainly doesn’t prove anything to the visa people. For most if not all of your international trips, you’ll also need to pay for a seat reservation, and I’d think that those are also only available within 30 days. So a Eurail Pass only proves that you have prepaid for potential trips, not that you are actually booked on any of them.
I just checked and even the international bus lines (eurolines) also only do ticketing 45 days out, so that’s not a good option.
Wouldn’t the visa only require you to show proof of a ticket into and out of the Schengen Zone? It’s hard to imagine why they’d require proof of trips within those countries, or even between the countries because there are no border checks. Sorry I wasn’t of any help, and best of luck with this. -Roger
Hi Roger,
So glad i stumbled upon this site.
I plan on traveling to Barcelona, Spain from the around the 24 or 25th of February and from there do a multi country trip. My entire trip will be around 2 1/2-3 weeks, however I may be able to extend further. The main catch is that I have to fly to Barcelona for a few work commitment and spend at least 4-5 days there.
Also plan on visiting some relative for a few days in London.
So, could you please advise on where to visit given the weather conditions and a 2 1/2 -3 weeks stay?
I’m also open to transportation suggestions and the suggested # of days to spend in each city/country.
P.S, I’m in my earlier 30s and a U.S citizen.
Jacy,
This is a pretty wide-open question, but considering the time of year, I think your best bet would be to go from Barcelona to Nice for at least a few days (Cannes and Monaco are very short train rides from Nice), and then spend most of the rest of your time in Italy. All of Europe is quite chilly in February, but Italy typically has milder weather, and you’ll be able to see a lot in a short time because it’s the only time of year where the whole country isn’t jammed with other tourists.
Have a look at this article about France and Italy itinerary suggestions for my more organized and complete thoughts.
From Italy, you would be best off flying to London or even back to Barcelona, depending on which you need to go to next. The trains would be much slower and more expensive to take you to either, but Barcelona to Nice to Milan etc is quite scenic and the train rides are fairly short once you get to Nice. By the way, should you want to take those trains, buy your tickets online in advance from the official rail sites of each country for the best prices. Let me know if you have any other questions I might help with. -Roger
Hello Roger,
I will be travelling with my wife from May 1 to May 30, 2014. We are over 60 and we will travel together. We plan to stay in the following cities: Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, Nice, Rome, Florence, Venice, Munich, Zurich (or Lucerne), Paris.
1) How many days in each city do you recommend? We already have a short list of places that we would like to visit in and around these cities, which helps planning the trip, but we would like to hear your opinion.
2) What kind of Eurail Pass do you recommend? We have already compared the passes, including the option of buying some train tickets as we travel, as well as flying between a couple of cities, but we are not sure if we came to the right conclusion and would like to hear your opinion.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Luiz.
Luiz,
This looks like a really well thought-out itinerary, and 30 days seems about the perfect amount of time for it. You’ve got 10 cities here listed in 30 days so 3 days each is a good place to start.
Lisbon is wonderful, and if you go by train the only option is a night train to Madrid. So you could spend 2 nights and then the 3rd night waking up in Madrid. Three nights each in Madrid, Barcelona, and Nice is about right. Rome is a bit more overwhelming and there are more “must-see” attractions, so you could spend 4 nights there. However, Rome is also kind of chaotic for first time visitors and after 3 nights there you might be ready to move on (I would be).
Florence is small enough to see in 2 nights, unless you make a day trip to Pisa or to one of the mountain villages nearby that many people include. I generally recommend about 24 hours for Venice because it’s very compact, hotels are expensive (especially if you stay on the main island, which I recommend), and it’s insanely crowded. The best times in Venice are in the evenings when the day-trippers have left and in the mornings before they arrive again. So one night makes for a really nice visit, thought two nights isn’t too long.
Three days is enough to see the main sights in Munich. Zurich is incredibly expensive and not terribly interesting, so I normally recommend Lucerne or Interlaken, which are the main tourist places to see the Alps and the gorgeous scenery. Two or three nights is enough to get a feel for the place, and those cities are still quite expensive as well. Paris is amazing, and 3 nights is enough, but I’d recommend 4 if you can squeeze them in. That would be a busy 28 days or so, so you could add an extra day or two in other places you have more side-trips in mind for. Obviously there are no right or wrong answers on this, but that is my opinion as someone who has been to all of these places and who studies it for a living.
As for how to go, I think the train is the most enjoyable by far, and the scenery starting in Barcelona is quite nice the rest of the way. Barcelona to Nice is another one that is often done by night train, so if you do that it would give you an extra night along the way. Not everyone sleeps soundly on night trains, however, so that would be a personal decision. A Global Eurail Pass with 10 travel days in 2 months and the Saver option for 2 traveling together should be pretty much perfect for this. It’s US$825 per person in 1st class, which is about €60 per ride, plus you have to pay a bit more for seat or bunk reservations. This would be cheaper than buying as you go, probably by quite a bit. And a Eurail Pass gives you plenty of flexibility because you can make the seat reservations at the last minute.
If you don’t feel like trying the night trains, which are actually pretty comfortable to be honest, then you’ll at least want to fly between Lisbon and Madrid, as well as Barcelona and Nice. This looks like a great trip and I’m happy to help answer more questions should you have any. -Roger
Hi Roger,
I was thinking of getting a 10 day globa flexi pass (saver plus)for 2 of us travelling the following routes:
Paris – Angers St Laud – Paris (same day)
Paris – Bielefeld (Germany)
Bielefeld – Rothenburg ob de Tauber
Rothenburg – Chur
Chur – Lugano (on the Bernina Express and bus)
Lugano – Venice (maybe stop off a few hours in Milan)
Venice – La Spezia and Cinque Terre
La Spezia – smaller Tuscany towns over a couple of days
Tuscany towns – Rome
Do you think its the right pass or worth it?
Thanks
Joy,
This is one of the more unusual groups of cities for an itinerary that I’ve ever seen, so I assume you have interesting reasons for going to each place.
Anyway, the Paris to Bielefeld and Bielefeld to Rothenburg journeys are pretty long and would be at least €100 in 2nd class for each, and about €150 in 1st class. The others should be much cheaper as long as you buy them online in advance from the official train site of each country.
So I think the cheapest way to do this is to buy 2nd class tickets online in advance (at least a few weeks, or hopefully more), but that way you are locked in because the cheap tickets are unchangeable. The most comfortable way is certainly the 1st class Global Saver Pass as you mention, and that allows you much more flexibility. On most of those legs you’ll need to make seat reservations to use your pass, but you can usually make those even on the day of the journey (in 1st class especially), and even if one train is sold out (very rare), there is usually another one leaving an hour later.
The Paris – Angers St Laud – Paris in one day is also an excellent use of a pass because it only uses one travel day for both trips.
The Italy legs won’t be too expensive if you bought them as they go. So again, that Global Pass isn’t the cheapest way to do this, but it’s the most flexible and comfortable, so if those are things you value then it should be a good deal. -Roger
Hi Roger,
Im planning my first trip to Germany with my husband and 2&1/2 year old son. We are looking at visiting Amsterdam, Vienna and Venice as well within 2 weeks. Do you think we should use Eurail? We will be flying back home from Germany at the end of the trip.
Sesh,
If you are only planning those 3 main stops, then a Eurail Pass won’t be useful because it’s only 3 possible train trips (including the one from Venice back to Germany). Also, none of those stops is really an ideal distance for train travel, as they would be at least 10 hours each, and that ends up being a long day with no sightseeing by train.
So if this is all you have in mind, I’d probably recommend flying. If you bought those plane tickets well in advance you can probably get them cheap, and almost certainly less than the train fare. Also, keep in mind that there are many secondary airports near those cities and you might save quite a bit of money and only spend a bit more time if you can find a low-cost airline going nearby rather than a major carrier going from one major city to another.
Depending on where you are leaving out of in Germany, you might instead start in Amsterdam and then fly to Venice first, and then to Vienna. From Vienna you might take a train to Germany instead, which would give you more sightseeing opportunities along the way. -Roger