Hello there! We (my husband and our 3 year-old son) will be taking a three week trip in June and I’m planning out our train travel. I followed the suggestions from the site “The Man in Seat 61” and priced out our point-to-point travel. At the end of the day, the total cost of tickets is about equal to the cost of a Eurail pass (including the necessary seat reservation costs with the pass). So now I’m trying to decide if I should go ahead and purchase each ticket individually or go for the Eurail pass… does anyone have an opinion on how convenient the Eurail pass is? Pros and cons? My inclination is to go with the pass since it would be the same price and it gives more flexibility…but I’m concerned it is difficult to use or cumbersome and would love some input. Thank you!
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5312 posts
Depends on what countries you are travelling thru. France for instance has a Eurail Pass quota for some of its long distance trains, so it's conceivable that you couldnt use some trains that have reached the quota. And regardless, you still have to buy seat reservations. Without the pass, you just buy the ticket, hopefully far enough in advance that you can buy a discounted one.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6277 posts
When you priced out point to point did you take into account that you can get TGV tickets in advance at a discounted rate? Now, that means, you are locked in to the date and time.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8814 posts
It's been a long time since I had one, but I think the main advantage is flexibility, not convenience. Decide you want to stay somewhere an extra day, or visit a town you just heard of? A pass makes that easy.
Posted by
Paris
9991 posts
Decide you want to stay somewhere an extra day, or visit a town you just heard of? A pass makes that easy.
Unfortunately, not in France where *pass holder reservations for TGV (fast) trains are limited in number.
We have person after person who posts here on the Forum after they have bought a Eurail pass for use in France who then finds that there are no pass holder reservations left for the trains they want to take.
Note that this does not apply if you plan to take a lot of local trains, known as TERs. There, there are no quotas.
You are doing the smart thing doing your homework before you purchase the pass. I just note how many disappointed people come to the Forum specifically after they have tried to get pass holder reservations for trains in France. Way too many for me to be able to recommend a pass for France.
Without the pass, you just buy the ticket, hopefully far enough in advance that you can buy a discounted one.
Unfortunately that is going to be difficult since the travel is for June. Discounted tickets sold out long ago for this summer.
I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news or Debbie Downer. I wish I had a more encouraging response for you. In either event, you will get your tickets and have a wonderful time in France!
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Unfortunately this trip is being planned somewhat last minute and not with the amount of time that would be ideal! So no early-bird train fares for us. The long-haul trains we are taking are Brussels to Paris, Paris to Annecy and Lyon to Zurich. Those trains all require seat reservations on Eurail pass so I think I would avoid the unpleasant surprise that some of you have referenced with limited spots for pass holders available. We will take some regional trains that require no seat reservations. I’m thinking this might come down to personal preference since the prices are comparable. The one benefit I am seeing: with Eurail we could choose a train at a better time and price isn’t a factor… for instance a 10:05 direct train to Annecy would be more convenient, but if I am buying on SNCF it is 100 euro more expensive than the (less convenient) 7am train or 14h train. With Eurail all the times are the same price for the seat reservation.
Thank you for helping me think through this! Hopefully next time we will have a longer lead up and better options. Either way, we know this trip will be a blast!
Posted by
Green Bay
20800 posts
Lyon to Zurich does not require seat reservations if you go via Geneva. Travel from Lyon to Geneva is a TER, and the connecting Swiss trains to Zurich do not require seat reservations. This does take a bit less than 1 hour longer than using a TGV via Mulhouse, but more flexible as there is a TGV to Geneva every 2 hours and direct trains to Zurich from there twice per hour.