First time going to Europe, I'am going to start my trip in London. I'am thinking about getting a 6day 2month pass 4 country's going from London to Ireland then to Amsterdam and so on .
When will my pass start working when I leave London or when I leave Ireland ? Will it work when I have to go back through England to get to the Netherlands ?
Posted by
Reston, Virginia
403 posts
If you could list your proposed itinerary in much more detail we could be of greater assistance to you. I can suggest that you read RS' Best of Europe in a bookstore or library..the section on rail travel..this will help you. Are you talking about the Britrail pass or the Eurailpass? Britain is not included in the Eurailpass. Read the railpass section on this site for details.
You may also want to think hard about taking the train to and from Ireland. Ryanair sucks, but it is dirt cheap, and conparing a short flight to a very lengthy train ride makes this a pretty easy choice.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32222 posts
Melissa, Since this is your first trip to Europe, my first suggestion is to pre-read the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door. It will provide you with a LOT of information on how to travel in Europe, including Rail skills. It would help to have some further information on the cities you'll be visiting, and the order you'll be seeing these. To avoid "backtracking", you might consider starting in Ireland, then to London and finally to Amsterdam and the continent. Your Pass will "start working" when you activate it at the first Rail Station you use. One point to note is that Railpasses DO NOT include the reservation fees that are compulsory on the "premium" trains in Europe such as the TGV in France. Good luck with your planning!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Eurail passes are not valid in the UK, but they can include Ireland. However, train service in Ireland is somewhat limited and getting from point A to point B often requires a connection in Dublin which can make for a long ride. You might be better off getting a pass from Bus Eireann. The cheapest and fastest way to get from London to Ireland is to fly on a budget airline like Aer Lingus or Ryanair. A London-Dublin train-ferry-train combination booked as a single ticket is also cheap. See www.sailrail.co.uk. Instead of returning to England, fly Aer Lingus directly from Dublin to Amsterdam.