Hello!
I am planning a 3-day trip to London as part of backpacking trip. I am planning to buy a global rail pass and also the London pass. Do you think that a global pass would be sufficient to get from place to place in London or should I add the Oyster to my London pass?
Thank you!
all you need in London is an Oyster card - anything else is just throwing money away
Thank you!
I'm not necessarily sure that a Eurail Global Pass is such a great idea either - anywhere - if you are trying to save money and have an easy trip; but this is your first and only post here so we don't know anything else about your itinerary other you are a "backpacker". If you want to save money, and save yourself from some of the really big problems that arise for Eurail pass holders - like trying to use French and Italian trains, just ask.
I don't believe that the Global Pass is valid in the UK - at all.
Use Oyster. Or various contactless methods of payment including Apple Pay and Apple Watch.
This is my current itinerary;
1. Dublin, Ireland
2. London, United Kingdom
3. Paris, France
4. Brussels, Belgium
5. Lucerne, Switzerland
6. Munich, Germany
7. Prague, Czech Republic
8. Salzburg, Austria
9. Ljubljana, Slovenia
10. Venice, Italy
11. Florence, Italy
12. Rome, Italy
That's why I figured a Global Pass would be useful. I know that reservations have to be made for almost all trips between these countries and I looked up the prices currently for them. Altogether with the Pass plus reservations it was almost the same price as just booking point-by-point. So, I figured that just buying the Global Pass would allow me to also have some freedom to travel within some cities without any extra cost. Do you think that wouldn't work out?
I wasn't aware that it didn't work in the UK, so that's very helpful! Thank you!
have a read of this http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm to decide if a rail pass is worth it
Have you seen the restrictions here -?
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/global-pass
The passes are valid on local and regional trains within cities but not on local transportation like trams, buses, metro or u-bahn, etc.
Passes tend to pay off on long days of travel on most of the days of your journey as long as the country in question doesn't have really cheap trains.
Are you intending to travel within the countries containing the cities you listed, or just around them? For example number 1, are you all around Ireland and Northern Ireland or locally around Dublin?
3). Paris, France
4). Brussels, Belgium
5). Lucerne, Switzerland
6). Munich, Germany
7). Prague, Czech Republic
8). Salzburg, Austria
9). Ljubljana, Slovenia
10). Venice, Italy
11). Florence, Italy
12). Rome, Italy
Number 3 to 4, normally by Thalys or occasionally TGV. Thalys reservation price alone is very near the price that can be found for a normal ticket - plus you pay for pass day.
Number 4 to 5 - Usually the first bit of that journey - if you don't fly which may be faster - by train will Thalys as far as Koeln. See above for Thalys restrictions.
Number 5, are you going all the way to Switzerland and not going to the Alps? Eurail passes don't go all the way.
Numbers 10, 11, 12 - local trains in Italy are extremely cheap. Fast trains require a €10 per leg passholder reservation; the tickets can be be as cheap as €9 to €19 per trip and include the reservation.
None of the watertaxis, vaporettos, or gondolas are covered in number 10.
All good things to know! Thank you very much!!
If the only reason you're getting a Eurail pass is for local transit within cities, don't. Not only does it not cover much of the local transit, but local transit within cities is cheap; you will spend much more for a pass day than you will for bus or subway fares.
On the page ramblin' on linked from the Man In Seat 61, I direct your attention to this specific section, Should I buy a rail pass or point-to-point tickets? Make sure you understand it thoroughly before buying any pass: http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm#Should%20you%20buy%20a%20railpass%20or%20pay-as-you-go
I've found over several trips to London, that the Oyster Card works extremely well and it's easy to top-up at the Kiosks.
As Nigel mentioned, Rail Passes are rarely the most cost effective method for travel in Italy as local tickets are relatively cheap. As he mentioned, there are compulsory seat reservations on the fast trains which are NOT included with a Rail Pass. If you're caught without a valid reservation for the train you're riding on, you'll face hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!
One other point to note is that Pass Holder reservations are limited on the French high speed trains. Once the quota has sold out for a particular train, you won't be able to travel on it even if they have open seats. You'll either have to buy a regular ticket or wait for another train that still has Pass Holder spots available.
