Hi, my partner and I are traveling to Munich on 28 December. And from there we are heading down to Salzburg and than Vienna and back to Munich. Will it be a good choice to get the EU Rail Pass (Youth) since its 288 Euros.
Munich to Salzburg - 1 Jan
Salzburg to Vienna - 3 Jan
Vienna to Munich - 7 Jan
What are your thoughts and comments? Should we get the EU Rail Pass or buy individual tickets.
The two of you can do this for about 168 EUR total, and these are tickets you can buy at the spur of the moment without reservations. That is two Bayern Tickets at 31 EUR for 2, and four one-way tickets on Westbahn at 26.50 EUR each. If you could buy advance purchase nonrefundable tickets where you are locked in to specific trains, it could be less.
A perfect example of a Rail Pass as a total waste of money.
Buy your tickets as described above and do not buy a Rail pass.
The EuRail Pass is a rip-off, made for people who are reluctant of dealing with different railway companies and their - admittedly - complicated fare systems.
Three remarks:
(1) The Bayern Ticket is not good for express trains.
(2) January 7th is the last day of Xmas holidays in Austria, therefore there will be a high demand; consequently no cheap bargain tickets will be sold. (On normal days the fare from Vienna to Munich is €29 having a Sparschiene ticket for a RailJet.)
(3) On every second Sunday of December, i.e. December 10th in 2017, there is the yearly coordinated time table change between all European railway companies. For all train departures after this date any information available now via the Internet is subject to change.
Just say "No" to Eurail Passes. They're just leftover dinosaurs kind of like traveler's cheques. Just let the dinosaurs rest in peace and make life a whole lot simpler and cheaper for yourself.
