We are thinking of buying a 6 day Eurail France-Switzerland Pass for our trip. We would love to take the Golden Pass from Interlaken to Montreux as part of our trip. Does the Eurail France-Switzerland pass cover the cost for the Golden Pass? We have never travelled by train in Europe and this is all new to us.
Posted by
3 posts
I checked eurail.com, http://www.eurail.com/geneva-interlakenterlaken to Montreaux
and the Golden Pass is included, check the link to be sure.
Posted by
Green Bay
21153 posts
Eurail doesn't cover the reservation fees for panoramic trains.
Posted by
San Jose, CA
1994 posts
I can't comment on Switzerland, but in France you need to pay for a reservation on high-speed trains, in addition to your rail pass. Do factor that in when you're determining if a rail pass makes financial sense. In my experience, the passes have not made financial sense. It's much better to buy tickets early and take advantage of discount prices.
Also, be aware that France severely limits the number of seats that can be reserved by holders of rail passes – there may be lots of seats available, but not one you can get if you have a rail pass. So if you decide to get a pass for France, make your reservations as soon as humanly possible. Once they have sold out the limited number of reservations for passholders, you have two choices – pay for a full price ticket despite the fact that you have a pass, or wait to travel until there's a seat available for a pass holder.
Posted by
Kansas
1175 posts
Go to www.seat61.com and follow his advice about rail passes and individual tickets. Rail tickets bought in advance of travel are really good bargains. You can buy them 90 days prior to travel for the best deals. Rail passes are usually not recommended, for many reasons.
Posted by
Los Angeles
4853 posts
Yes, in France the availability of seats may end up determining which train you can take.
Golden Pass does not require seat reservations but at busy times of year they are recommended. If you go their website you can download and print their daily schedule; each train is set up a little differently so you should make sure you're getting the one you want.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Leave the Eurail Pass and the Traveler's Cheques at home! Point-to-Point tickets and ATMs are the ways to go now.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Yes, that train line is (and always has been) covered by Eurail passes. See also What do rail passes cover in Switzerland?. For any TGV train in your trip plan, it would be a good idea to make the reservation at the same time that you buy the pass, which you can do in one shopping cart. As I recall, the trip is planned for September, so it would be wise to get these soon. Based on an earlier version of your plan that had 8 train travel days, the France-Switzerland pass will save money versus buying tickets as you go, and perhaps even versus any advance-discounts that would currently be available.