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.
Roger,
Would this be the ticket we purchase? http://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/holidays–short-breaks-in-switzerland/scenic-trains.angebotdetail.ferien_kurz_trips_schweiz-panoramazuege-jungfrau_top_of_europe.html
Also should we take a train from France or fly to Switzerland?
We will definitely keep in touch, we intend to film our journey and will send link to you of our YouTube channel. Thanks so much and Merry Christmas. I’m sorry to pester you with questions again. I just hope the Switzerland leg will be easy to navigate. We’re least confident on that one. We’ve been studying rail maps for our journey in London and Paris.
Roger,
Hello once more. I hope your Christmas week is going well. I’ve read, studied, researched and taken your articles all in. We’ve completely decided upon an itinerary that I hope proves to be feasible and slow enough.
We are staying in London 2 nights, Paris 2 nights and the reminder of our time in Interlaken, gimmelwald, murren and schli thorn visits. We will fly back to London and head home.
Would you please let me know if this is a much better itinerary or am I way off? We just watched the jungfreau video by Rick Steves and absolutely feel and love what we saw.
Will we need to purchase a eurail pass for this visit? I’m purchasing Eurostar for the London to Paris trip. We will come again is what we are thinking and hoping to catch the other sights.
Thanks for helping us out and a wonderful merry Christmas to you. Gillian.
Gillian,
I think your new itinerary sounds very good and I’m sure you’ll have a great time. You’ll be going at an exhausting pace, but you can sleep on the flight home, hopefully.
A Eurail Pass is meant for longer trips than this. Just buy all of your train tickets online from the official rail websites of one of the countries you are traveling through. They will be pretty cheap if you buy them soon. Bon voyage and keep in touch. -Roger
Hi,
May I know if it is necessary to reserve seats for the trains?
Thanks!
Ken,
Here’s a list of which European trains require reservations. Generally, for Spain, Italy, and France, you will need them. For most of the rest of Europe you won’t, at least as long as you leave after 9:30am or so. -Roger
Hi Roger,
We had tickets originally for a visit in November to Paris but as I’m sure you know and everyone, some highly tragic events occurred. We were then given vouchers in exchange to travel anytime in a year time, we have decided to rebook for Feb next year and land at heathrow instead. Everything we thought we wanted to do has all shifted due to what happened and so all our train tixs were refunded.
I’m writing to you for help if you are available to offer advice to our plight. We are only there for a week and are not sure where to go anymore? Is it safe? Should we register with the embassy like some forums stated when we travel?
Outside of landing in London, where are places you suggest we can visit over a weeks time for visits? We’d love to see Paris for a day, Venice, Germany if possible(not sure where to go there) and anywhere else that is possible?
Our level of visiting is strictly no your groups, hop on off buses or major attractions visits. We’re literally just cruising through for food and culture. I hope this may assist you in understanding what we’d like to do,
Also which train tickets should we go for? I figured Venice may be a flight instead.
Thank you for any assistance you can give and this is both our first trip together. My boyfriend and I.
Gillian,
Sorry to hear about your trip being disrupted. No one can say for sure whether any future place will be “safe,” but there doesn’t seem to be any reason to believe that where you might go is less safe than where you are right now. And personally, I’ve just moved out of my place today and I’m hitting the road for yet another trip that will last about 9 months and include London and many other places in Europe and Asia.
So let’s assume that you are going. Personally, I never register at embassies, although I probably would if I was going to, say, Lebanon. Just avoid big crowds (concerts, celebrations etc) and I’m sure you’ll be fine and confident.
Since you only have a week, I wouldn’t recommend visiting more than 3 total places, including London. You’ll want to spend at least 3 nights in London, and that obviously leaves you with 4 more nights. If you want culture and food without tours (I do hop-on, hop-off buses in almost every city I visit, by the way), then I’d say your best options are Paris and Amsterdam. You could go to Venice, but you’d definitely want to fly, and I think you’d enjoy it more on a proper tour of Italy along with Florence and Rome on a future trip. You can actually see the interesting things in Venice in only a day, and it’s about 2 hours by train from Florence, so save it it for a future trip, hopefully in warmer weather.
One nice thing about London to Paris to Amsterdam is that they are all connected by high-speed trains. You take the Eurostar from London to Paris and then the Thalys from Paris to Amsterdam. It would be easiest to fly out of Amsterdam, but if you have to fly out of London you can take the Eurostar back there, with a change of trains in Brussels on the way. For all of those trains, the sooner you buy the tickets the cheaper they will be. Buy now and the tickets will be pretty cheap, but if you buy on the day they will be very expensive.
All three of those cities are ideal for what you have in mind. The food in Paris is mostly amazing. Amsterdam isn’t really known as a food destination, but there’s plenty of interesting things there, and another of the world’s most beautiful cities to wander.
Hopefully this helps. Let me know if you have other questions and I’ll try to answer them. -Roger
Hey Roger
You replied, thank you. I know you respond to everyone here and shouldn’t be surprised but I’m still trying to get over that I got a reply. Thank you. I discussed it with my boyfriend and we decided that we are going to take your advice in itinerary.
Our concer which is why we cut the hoponhopoff buses is that we want to maximize time. We are planning this on a shorter timeframe than what we had initially. We had 3 weeks planned for November, saved all our vacation before the cancellation. 🙁
Better safe than sorry right.
We’d like to see Asia next yr so this is really a one shot trip for now and no return probably till after we have more funds, settled in a marriage and retiring. Lol!
Basically we want to get as much in as our young abled bodies can. Trust me, I read all your replies and I know that I seem stubborn right now but really appreciate it especially your time to help.
We are thinking London, Paris, Amsterdam as you suggested, could we cut it to 2 nights each?
Is there anyway that we can see Switzerland since it’s close or nice in these plans to visit? Also for train tickets will I book it all on Eurostar and do I print tickets here in the us before I go? Do we book for flights say to venice(e.g,) like easy jet or Ryanair? For accommodations, we’ve been considering Airbnb but would you suggest it or stick with hotels? Are any visas necessary for the places we are interested in visiting? Also what is your take on crowds during this time we will be visiting?
I also though of Versailles from reading the comments and is that a possibility? Please please please help us and we do intended to listen but we just really want to take in as much as we can on this trip so anything that is remotely doable, we are completely open to? We are truly in your capable advisable hands right now. 🙂 thanks again for responding and I really hope I haven’t scared you off with my inquiries.
Btw, I wanted to say congrats on your move and have safe travels! I hope there’ll be wifi, haha. I hit submit on my other reply too quickly. Please help us Roger, I really want to see everything we can. I’ve already removed my dream of visiting Prague. It’s my dream city to see in person.
Gillian,
As I’ve mentioned before, helping travelers plan better trips is one of the more enjoyable things about running travel websites, so I’m happy to try. I’ll comment on your questions and topics in the order they came up…
Actually, the reason I take so many HOHO buses is that I think they are the best way to see most of the highlights of a new city in a short time, with professional commentary. The ones in London and Paris are quite good, by the way, and in Amsterdam the canal tours that leave near the train station are very worthwhile.
After I wrote the first reply I almost went back in and edited to say that 3 nights in Paris would be far better if you can stretch your trip to 8 nights. Amsterdam is compact enough to see in 2 nights, but I wouldn’t recommend that for London or Paris. If you only have 6 total nights I’d just do London and Paris, and even in that time you’ll be rushing around a bit.
You could see a bit of Switzerland if you can add 2 days to your Paris leg. The trains to get there take longer than to Amsterdam, but still doable in one day. You’d have to choose which interested you more. Switzerland is all about the scenery, rather than the culture and food you mentioned earlier. If you do want to go to Switzerland I’d recommend the area around Interlaken, and it’s all explained in my article about where to go in Switzerland.
As for where to buy train tickets, I’ve written an article explaining how to buy them online at the lowest prices. When you pay online you’ll get an option to download them for printing or a document you can show on your smart phone.
If you want to fly to Venice (or anywhere else) I usually just book the cheapest airline that goes nonstop. Easyjet is much nicer than Ryanair, by the way, and there are others. Venice has its own airport and there is also Treviso airport nearby, which has more low cost flights.
For shorter stays in cities where you probably don’t want to cook for yourself, I think hotels are better than Airbnb apartments. Also, you are going in low season, so hotels will be on their cheapest rates of the year, and they usually include breakfast, which is handy.
Assuming you are from the US or Canada or another similar country, you won’t need any visas. You can just fly in and get your passport stamped, and start exploring.
The crowds in these places will be the lowest of the year in February, so you can go pretty much anywhere you want and it shouldn’t be bad. There will still be impressive queues at the Louvre and Versailles, partly because they have fewer ticket windows open that time of the year. Versailles requires a train journey of about 45 minutes each way from central Paris, so it will take half a day, at least, but if you are interested you should go.
As always, feel free to ask more questions if you have them. I know how it is to plan a trip to a place that you’ve never been, and it can be confusing and intimidating. I’m going to some cities in Asia for the first time next month and I’m looking for answers to some of my own questions. I’ve been running these websites mostly from the road for almost 6 years now and there is always internet, thankfully. Bon voyage. -Roger
My goodness, your advice is worth so much. I am overwhelmed I tell you with getting all the details together at this point. We have discussed and took your advice and have now summed up an idea of an itinerary. If I could ask for your help once more on if this is a feasible and attainable plan?
We start off in London, arrival time 10am. Since check in is in the afternoon, we decided to hop straight off to pancreas and catch Eurostar for Paris. Arrive in Paris and head to apt rental. (Got an air bnb by moulin rouge) relax sightsee local streets, then dinner.
Next day head to arc triomphe, Eiffel, louvre,(just photo op don’t care to go in this time) we heard Mona Lisa is underwhelming, Then champs ellyses, Saint Chappelle and river seine tour.
Next day leave for Bern, we saw a video about it. Visit for a day trip out of Paris with return and catch a flight from CDg to Treviso airport. Land, stay the night.
Next day head out to visit Venice and catch a train to Florence.
From Florence fly back to London and finish out our trip there before flying home. Maybe Amsterdam?
Is this a doable plan of action Roger? If so, we’d love your feedback and advise on execution for itinerary. Btw, is thee any way we can donate to the site? We’d love to give back for as much as you’ve given to us with your time. Thank you and sorry for more questions. We really are all over the place trying to figure out what to do. We sort of just want to see the major sites, have a selfie or two and keep moving. Just being honest, lol.
Gillian,
I’m very happy to hear that my advice is useful. If you feel like paying something for it then you can certainly do it by paypal to the address [email protected]. I make a decent living running these sites, but I do appreciate the gesture.
I think your plan sounds doable, although more exhausting than you probably realize. For some strange reason, most people are tired after getting off a 3-hour or more train ride, but if you are running on adrenaline and are highly motivated you could pull this plan off. The area near the Moulin Rouge is lovely, especially at night (the Montmartre area, that is, not necessarily pigalle), so have a stroll there. Don’t go into Moulin Rouge itself, as it’s expensive and a notorious tourist trap.
If you are doing Paris, Bern, Venice, and Florence before London and it’s only about a week, I’d save Amsterdam for another trip. Honestly, London and Paris both take 3 days to see even the main sights that people will ask you about when you get back, and they are both easily among the world’s great cities. With your plan you will be spending a lot of time on trains and in airports and will only have a few hours here and there to see the things you’ve gone all that way to see.
On one hand, I understand the notion of wanting to see as much as possible without getting bogged down staring at paintings that mean nothing to you. I’m not really a museum guy either. But I do think you’ll love it there and it will be a shame to spend so much of your week on trains and in airports, compared to the time you devote to seeing Europe.
All of that said, I think you’ll be thrilled with this trip regardless of how fast you go, but I do urge you to think twice about spending so much time in transit on a short trip. And by the way, the Pisa Airport is about an hour from Florence and it usually has much lower fares, so it’s something to look into.
And as always, feel free to keep following up. As you’ve seen yourself, other people have these same questions and they seem to enjoy reading the responses, so I look at all of this as valuable content. Bon voyage. -Roger
Hey Roger,
Thank you again for replying. We’ve spent a lot of time talking and narrowing down all options. We are going with your original itinerary suggestion, a cover of Paris, London and Amsterdam. I just wanted to ask if there’s a possibility of visiting nice while in Paris? I just read your article on a lot of other places in European index and am wondering if a short visit is possible on this idea of itinerary?
If so, do I purchase train ticket on the same link from before? Also which Eurostar ticket should we choose? Standard, premier of business? Thanks and we are doing London, Paris and Amsterdam just like your advice at first. I’ve read bath or Edinburgh as a day trip on tripadvsor buy I’m wanting to reduce the clutter and take it all in as you’ve stated. You have converted a hardheaded young traveler to slow down, lol!
Gillian,
A train from Paris to Nice takes about 6 hours each way and it’s pretty expensive. Also, Nice is mostly a warm-weather destination, so it will feel a bit closed down in February. On the other hand, I was there in March and quite liked it. But again, on a short trip like yours I’m not sure if it’s worth all that time on a train for a very short stay. If you do want to do it, buy train tickets from the same France official rail site as mentioned on that other article.
The Standard Eurail seats are smaller than other train seats in Europe, so it’ll be like traveling in economy on a plane (on other Europe trains the seats are a bit larger with more legroom, even in 2nd Class). So it’s up to you whether a better seat is worth it, considering that they obviously all arrive at the same time. I generally get the cheapest ones, for what it’s worth.
If you added Bath or Edinburgh to your London stay then you’d be skipping some really interesting London things to do it. I always recommend a minimum of 3 nights in London, and 4 is better, just to feel like you’ve done the basics. It’s an enormous city and I guarantee you’ll wish you had more time for it.
By the way, almost 100% of experienced travel writers will recommend SLOWING DOWN on trips like this, but I think I’m one of the few that understands that slower isn’t always better. In fact, I wrote an article about the benefits of fast travel, which you might find interesting.
Still, I think 2 nights is the absolute minimum I can recommend for the large and great cities of Europe, unless you are trying to simulate the Amazing Race or some other sort of game show. Keep in touch. -Roger
Thanks for clearing up about the pass.I don’t have set schedule or anything. Because i defiantly want to take in as much of each city as possible. Last question whats the best Railway to choose?
Thanks!
Jasmine,
Most countries only have one rail company, although Italy does have two. I’ve primarily used Trenitalia, which is the main government one, but I’ve heard good things about NTV and its high-speed trains. I think in most cases you’ll only have one choice, and if you can choose from both I’d go with the faster or cheaper one. I think NTV only has limited service, so you’ll be on Trenitalia most of the time. -Roger
Hi,Roger
First of all your information on here is so clear and really a eye opener.
Im doing a tour that is in May of 2016. when it ends I’m going to stay extra days in Rome and was wondering what would be the best method(as far as flexibility and money) to travel just to Naples, Florence, Milan, and Venice. I also wanted to visited the towns in-between like Pompeii, Pisa and sorrento. So should i get the one country pass or pay for the tickets as i go? Also I’m only staying for an extra three-four days.
Thanks in advance!
Jasmine,
Thank you. The Italy-only rail pass is generally not a good value, partly because the individual tickets are fairly cheap. And fortunately, the towns on your list are all pretty close to each other, so most of your individual tickets should be in the €20 to €30 range each. The earlier you buy each ticket (online from the official Italy rail site), the cheaper it will be. Since it looks like you are planning your whole schedule rather than just winging it and going as you please, you can get very cheap tickets by buying about 3 months out. However, even if you buy tickets on travel day, they shouldn’t be too expensive as long as you are a bit flexible with your departure times. For example, the 9am train from Milan to Venice might be €40 at the last minute, while the 10am train is only €28 because it’s less popular with business travelers.
Also, a rail pass is not valid on the Circumvesuvia railway from Naples to Pompeii to Sorrento because it’s part of a different system. But also, those individual tickets are only like €12 for the longest trip, and the price is the same no matter when you buy, so just buy as you go. Have a great trip. -Roger
HEY THERE!! Great post up there that made me feel like Eurail global pass is a good thing. However I have a question. I am basically travelling with 3 other friends and we’re all under 26 years old. Would we qualify for the 20% off PLUS 15% for group travel, or can we only get the 20% benefit? Also, we are basically the type who is going to travel from about mid december till mid february but on a plan-as-we-go basis. I understand that there’s booking fees etc that might be incurred on top of using our global passes, however, if we were booking about 2 days in advance, we would simply have to pay the booking fees, or are we going to incur higher charges for late booking? Thus, would like such charges actually diminish the value of the global pass since we actually have to pay extra on top of the pass? Or how else might you recommend we travel, especially since we don’t plan to drive and our routes are really just depending on how much time we want to spend in a certain country so it is highly likely that we only book 1 week in advance at the earliest? Thank you so much!
Kayla,
That’s an interesting question, but it appears that the winter 20% discount trumps the normal 15% discount, so it seems that you only get the 20%. Still, it’s a great deal and this means that you can split up at times on your trip if you like, which could come in handy.
As for the “booking fees”, they are actually seat reservation fees, and the price for those is unrelated to when you buy them. In other words, if you have a rail pass and you buy a seat reservation on a specific train, it’s the same price whether it’s 2 months out or minutes before the train pulls out of the station.
More good news is that the seat reservation fees are only on some trains. Basically, the high-speed intercity trains in Spain and Italy will require a seat reservation (usually between €5 and €10, but the €10 ones often come with a drink included, which can be wine or beer). But the local and regional trains usually do not require a seat reservation. So, for example, the train that goes along the Cinque Terre does not require a seat reservation.
In France the seat reservations are required on most of the intercity trains that you are likely to take, AND the fee can be as high as €35 on the most modern high-speed trains. Also, France has a quota where they only allow a certain number of rail pass users on each train, and if those spots are gone then you have to pay full price. However, during the winter months I think it’s extremely unlikely that those quotas would ever be filled, so you probably don’t have to worry about it. Still, I’d get France seat reservations as early as you are sure of your journey. Eurail Passes aren’t really great value for extensive travel around France, but they are still great for using 2 or 3 legs through the country. Another thing to consider is that if you get a Flexi-pass (10 days in 2 months etc) and you book a France journey early enough, the ticket including a seat reservation might only be a bit more than a seat reservation using a rail pass. It might be €45 for the ticket instead of €30 for a seat using a rail pass, and if that’s the case you’d want to save that travel day for another time.
Aside from the countries mentioned above, you’ll encounter few or no mandatory seat reservations, so you can just show up with your rail pass and hop on board. In Germany, for example, most trains leaving after 9:30am don’t require a seat reservation, and they are only about €5 for the early trains (usually filled with business people). You’ll be among a small number of tourists this time of year, so you’ll find that most trains aren’t very full during midday. Commuters and business people ride the trains all year, and they tend to take the morning and late afternoon departures. So even in Italy, you should be able to get to the train station maybe 20 minutes before departure to buy your seat reservations, and then hop on board. It’s also worth noting that most popular routes in Europe have trains leaving every 30 to 60 minutes. So if you end up being a bit too late to get on the 10am departure, you’ll be able to make it on the 10:30 or 11:00 departure.
Have a great trip and feel free to follow up if you have more questions. -Roger
Thank you for your prompt reply Roger! I have another question actually, with regards to the tickets which are 15 days in 2 months kind of ticket. For such passes, would 1 day mean 1 trip or that within that day we can take multiple trips? Also, the trains would work within the country ie within maybe we want to get around Munich, do we take the train using the same pass or should we take buses, or would it work across countries/states like maybe Munich to Frankfurt etc?
Thank you!
Kayla,
That is a common question, and it’s an interesting answer. A “travel day” on a Eurail Pass allows for unlimited train travel on that particular day. For many of your journeys you’ll be changing trains along the way, and obviously both legs of that are included. But the fun part is that you can also use these travel days for side trips if you plan well.
For example, if you take a morning train to Munich and arrive at, say, noon. You could put your bags in your hotel or hostel and then hop right back on a 90-minute train ride to Salzburg for the afternoon and early evening, and then head back to Munich at night. All of those trips would be under the same “travel day” on the pass. Salzburg may not be a great example because and extra 3 hours on the rails is kind of long, and Salzburg is a place that you’d probably want to stay for 2 or 3 days, but you get the point. There will be other places where there is an interesting town only an hour or so from your main stop, and the train rides will be free if you do them on your arrival or departure day.
Speaking of that, another trick is to stop in a city along the way. Say you are going from Luxembourg City to Bruges, and you arrive in Brussels at noon. You can put your bags in a locker at the train station and spend a few hours in Brussels (I actually recommend this because Brussels is really expensive and you can see the main sights in only a few hours), and then take a later train on to Bruges for the evening.
A Eurail Pass almost never covers local public transportation, but the good news is that you can get a day pass for local transport for around €6 in most cities. An exception is actually in Germany, where a valid rail pass WILL cover the S-Bahn network (commuter and suburban trains), while it will NOT cover the U-Bahn network (mostly subways and trams within the city). In some cases the S-Bahn goes to the same places the U-Bahn does, so it is possible to use it for a bit of transport on days your pass has been validated. Needless to say, it’s only on “travel days”.
And yes, a Eurail Pass will cover trains within countries or between countries, so you can use it to get from Munich to Franfurt or from Madrid to Barcelona etc. Have a great trip. -Roger
Hi Roger,
First off thank you so much for being so patient and take out time to answer each query.
A friend and I (both in our late 20’s) are planning to travel to Spain/Morocco for 10 days in early December. We land early morning on 4th December in Madrid and fly out of Barcelona at 10 am on 14th December. Our rough itinerary is below:
Madrid – 1 day (We aren’t big on museums so we figured a day might be plenty)
Cordoba – Seville – Granada – Ronda – 3.5 days
Morocco – Take the ferry over to Tangerine
Fez – Casablanca – Marrakesh – 3/3.5 days
(I read a lot of people recommending Essaouira so we may try to fit that)
Off to Barcelona – 1. 5 days
Fly out of Barcelona
I know Barcelona is a highly recommended, the reason we are only spending 1.5 days is because my friend has already been to the City on an earlier visit.
I also really want to travel to Portugal but I don’t see it being feasible on this trip. What do you think?
I know we are being ambitious so I would love your feedback/recommendation on our Itinerary as well as any cities that we have missed out.
We are also contemplating driving from Madrid to Southern Spain and dropping off the car in Gibraltar. Would that be smarter compared to buying the Euro-country pass?
Thank you.
Adi,
Trying to help people with this sort of thing is one of the more enjoyable parts of running a website like this, so it’s my pleasure.
I’m normally more of an advocate for “fast travel” than most other experienced travelers you’ll meet, but even I think you are trying to see way too much on this short trip. It appears that you are literally allowing one day for each city on your itinerary, and about half of that time you’ll actually be in transit. So the way I am adding this up, it looks like you’ll be spending more of your daylight hours on trains and in train stations than actually in cities seeing the things you’ve come to see.
For one thing, you could spend a great week in a city like Madrid or Barcelona without ever going to a museum. Both are known for excellent nightlife and culture and food and architecture. By allowing only 3 or 4 sightseeing hours in each city, you’ll basically get the most superficial look possible, and you’ll probably be tired most of the time because (for some reason) even riding around in trains or cars tends to wear people out. So if your goal is just to get the quickest look at each place before going to bed and then waking up the next morning and going back to the train station, then your itinerary could work. In fact, I think you’d have a good time, although I doubt seriously that you’d ever schedule a holiday like that again.
So definitely save Portugal for a future trip, and I’d probably save Morocco as well. If you want to take the ferry over in the morning to have a look around Tangier and then take the ferry back that evening, I think you’d enjoy it and it might be the most interesting day on your trip. But whatever you do, don’t go to Casablanca (it’s a huge, crowded city with nothing much to see). If you want to go beyond Tangier then I’d spend 2 nights in Fez OR Marrakesh, but not both. In many ways they are quite similar, so it’s not worth the extra 6 hours or so to get from one to the other. If you had 10 days to spend in Morocco I’d recommend stopping in both, but not if you only have 2 or 3 days.
Also, are there enough things you want to see in Cordoba and Ronda to include on this trip? If there are specific things you want to see or do in both of those cities then go there, but don’t include them unless you know precisely why you want to visit.
The one-country train passes are hard to get good value out of, but if you do intend on taking 5 or 6 trips it might work out. The thing about driving in Europe is that parking in larger European cities is always tricky and expensive if you want to be near the center. So you might have to pay, say, €30 to park a car in a lot near a hotel in a desirable area overnight, and it could be more. And you definitely don’t want to drive around doing sightseeing because each attraction will charge a small fortune for parking as well. These cities are perfectly set up for public transport, especially for those staying in the city center. On the other hand, renting a car to see the countryside or small towns can be really good.
Again, you might actually enjoy going really fast like this, though you won’t see much in any place that you visit. If you left it up to me I’d say fly into Madrid and spend at least 2 nights there and maybe 3. Then spend a couple days in Seville and Granada on your way to Barcelona for at least 2 or 3 nights. If you wanted to put Gibraltar in between Seville and Granada that could work, but if you want to also go to Morocco I’d recommend staying in Tarifa instead because it’s an interesting small town and has the quickest/shortest ferry service to Tangier.
It’s probably best to just buy individual train tickets for this trip. They probably won’t be too expensive because you are going during the off season. And there are also buses doing all of these routes as well. They are slower but also much cheaper.
Best of luck with whatever you decide. I’m happy to answer other questions if you have them, and sorry if this came across as negative. -Roger
Dear Roger,
Hey I am looking at best options to travel for me and my husband including my 8 years old girl by train from Paris to Berlin and return. We need to be in Munich by 15 April to meet our Trafalgar agent.
Schedule as planned:-
2 days in Paris – April 9 – 11
2 days in Geneva/Switzerland
Munich 14 to 25 April
1 days in Berlin
1 days in Amsterdam
Do you think the schedule is too hectic ? should we option for eurail pass or point to point tickets since the dates are confirmed.
Return to Paris by 28 April.
Thanks so much.
Maxine
Maxine,
Yes, I think this schedule is too hectic, at least if the goal is to enjoy the trip. My minimum stay recommendation for Paris is 3 nights, but really 4 nights is better because it’s huge and packed with worthwhile attractions. For Berlin I also recommend 3 nights, though for Amsterdam it can be done in 2 nights if you are in a real hurry.
Part of the challenge here is that it will take about 5 or 6 hours on the train to get between each of these cities, or about the same amount of time if you decided to fly (including the airport transportation and waiting time). By the time you reach a city the day is mostly over for sightseeing and you’ll be tired from the transit. You really want at least 2 nights in any city in order to have one full day to start early and see all the best things.
And I’m not sure if you have something specific in mind, but otherwise I wouldn’t recommend Geneva at all. It’s famous because it’s a business city that is home to many famous organizations, but it’s a real dud for general tourism.
If you can spare some of those days in Munich and add them to Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam then you’ll have a great time. If not, I think I’d eliminate some of the stops so you can enjoy the ones you choose.
For a tightly scheduled and relatively short trip like this I’d just go with individual train tickets rather than a rail pass. They will be quite a bit cheaper than a pass if you buy at least two months early. Best of luck with this, and feel free to follow up if you have other questions. -Roger
Hey Roger,
Thanks for your quick reply. I have been to Paris a few times over the years and is just keen to spend sometime in Disneyland for the little one.
If I were to take a long distance train directly from Paris to Berlin cutting out both Geneva/Amsterdam and from Berlin to Munich and return to Paris, would you recommend the Eurail pass ? Is the City Night Line included in the pass ?
Please see revised schedule with 2 long distance travel Paris/Berlin and Munich/Paris:-
3 days in Paris – April 9 – 11
3 days in Berlin –
Munich 14 to 25 April
Return to Paris (My return flight is at 12 noon- try to get a night train to arrive in time for my flight)
Does this schedule sounds better ?
thanks again.
Hello Roger,
My wife and I are doing Spain and France in a month from Nov 4th-20th. We are landing in Barcelona and spending 4 days there then flying to Paris and spending 4 days there. Now we have roughly 7 days left and would like to see Chartes Annecy, maybe some of the Dordogne and Corezze and we are thinking about traveling by train the remainder of the trip all the way back to Barcelona. Can you give us some advice as to how we should spend the last 7 days? Also will a Eurail pass be a good value?
Stewart,
First off, Eurail Passes within France are not really good value unless it’s a small part of a longer trip. They charge a fairly high fee for the mandatory seat reservations, at least on the popular intercity routes.
And I’m a bit embarrassed to say that you’ve found my biggest weak spot on Europe itineraries. I’ve been to Paris quite a few times and have toured the country a bit with family in my youth, but otherwise I haven’t been anywhere else but the southern coast in a couple decades. I’ve studied it and watched many travel shows, though I am not really confident enough on it to give advice. I’ll be there in 2016, if the plan holds up. So sorry I can’t be of more help. I’m a big fan of Rick Steves and his books for things like this. Best of luck. -Roger
So,
If we wanted to hop around France for the last week of our stay maybe traveling 3-5 of the 7 days and then expecting to end up in Barcelona then the Reservation Fees would make the trip too expensive and it would be better to buy the tickets individually?
Right now for 1st class Eurail tickets for France/Spain will cost about $600 USD
Stewart,
Assuming you weren’t intending on crossing France back and forth over those 3 to 5 travel days, then yes, the Eurail Pass plus the reservation fees would add up to quite a bit more than buying individual tickets. If your train rides are only 2 to 4 hours each, which seems likely, then the individual tickets might average, say, €50 to €70 each in 2nd Class (and 50% more in 1st Class). It’s probably worth going on the official France rail site and checking a couple of the trips you have in mind.
The other factor is the timing. If you buy your tickets soon, or at least a week or two in advance, you should be able to get good fares at convenient times. But even if you wait until only a few days out, or even the day before, you should probably still be able to get reasonable fares if you are willing to travel at less-convenient times. For example, you might find that the 9am train you want to take is €110, but the 10am one is only €87 and the 11am one is only €65. So as long as you are willing to take that 11am train, the fares won’t add up to much. Bon voyage and let me know if you have any other questions I might answer. -Roger