Hi there! We are traveling at the end of July and trying to decide Eurail pass or point to point.
We will be traveling from London to Paris then
Paris to Rome (will fly for this trip)
Two day trips from Rome. One to Florence and one to Siena.
Should we do the 4 day global pass or book point to point. Trying to scour through all the info and becoming overwhelmed.
Posted by
8923 posts
I don't recommend doing a day trip from Rome to Siena. We took a Road Scholar tour a few weeks ago of Tuscany and Umbria and our rail trip from Rome to Siena took almost four hours. Rome to Florence was 1.5 hrs then 40 minute wait for our connection to Siena that also took 1.5 hours. Then we had to take a taxi.
As for advice on passes, I suggest checking the cost of individual trips, add them up and then compare to the pass cost. We have never done a Eurail pass because it just never made sense for us. However, we did use a Bavaria pass in Germany on regional trains that was a great deal, except taking regional trains, we had to stand up half the time.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5711 posts
According to Man in Seat 61:
London to Paris - 51 pounds ($65.85)
Rome to Florence - 9.90 Euro ($11.27)
Rome to Siena - approx. 9.90 Euro ($11.27)
Total for point to point - $88.39
Eurail Global 4 day pass - $269 (not including reservation fees, the hassle, etc.)
Seems like a pretty easy decision to me.
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1369 posts
Keep in mind that that London to Paris fare varies tremendously depending on when you book, and what class of service. Book as soon as you know your schedule and the tickets are available.
Posted by
Washington DC
29019 posts
I wouldn't make separate day trips to Florence and Siena; that's a lot of travel time, some of it duplicated. I'd spend a couple of nights (or at least one, if you're an early riser who likes to go-go-go) in Florence and day trip to Siena by bus from Florence.
There are flights from Paris to Florence and nearby Pisa, if you haven't already purchased Paris-Rone tickets