We will be travelling to Europe next April. Our possible itinerary will include Paris, Brugge, Prague, Venice and Barcelona. Although Barcelona is way out of route, we will definitely visit there. We are thinking on starting the trip either in Paris or Barcelona, and eventually covering the huge distance between Barcelona and Paris by train, and the rest by bus. We are thee adults, so we cannot benefit from the wonderful youth discounts. I have checked bus ticket prices and I find offfers like Brussels-Prague for 9 Euros, that's why I thought perhaps it would be better not to spend 330+ Euros per pass. I have not been in Europe during April-May, so my only concern is if we will be able to actually get the tickets at the stations, or if we will have problems because of the crowds. I have suffered that during the Summer, but don't know how it will be in April-May.
Thanks for your advice, saludos
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
It depends where you are going in Europe and how much you plan using bus/ train. There are a huge selection of passes you can purchase ahead. If you are a student even more options. There is a railpass guide on www. ricksteves.com that you can study to see which works for you and your traveling partners. Work up the routes, add up the fares and see if a pass makes sense for you and which one.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32212 posts
Kenia,
It's difficult to decide whether a Railpass or P-P tickets are a better option without having some idea on your possible Itinerary.
Railpasses can be cost efficient if there are lots of long (expensive) rail trips, however one thing to keep in mind is that passes do not include reservation fees which are compulsory on some trains. P-P tickets are usually the best idea for shorter routes where regional trains are used, especially in countries like Italy.
You might find it helpful to download the free PDF Rail Guide off this website. Click the "Railpasses" tab at the top and then look in the lower right corner for the link.
If you could provide a bit more information, it would help.
Cheers!