Eurail Global Pass: Has anybody had a fortunate experience?

It would help if you posted your schedule and countries of usage. How the pass is treated is very different from one train system to another. For example - France has a sever limit on the number of seats available for passes. Italy requires a seat reservation fee for all trains except the Regionale trains. Germany is a mix - etc., etc., The use of the pass is not substantially different from using a ticket. Just a slightly different set of rules of follow especially concerning validation. What kinds of stories have your heard or are concern that would apply to your situation.

Schedule: Land in Oslo--Norway in a Nutshell--ferry to Copenhagen.
Copenhagen to Munich
Munich to Vienna
Vienna to Wengen, Switzerland
Wengen to Chur for Bernina Express
Venice
Rome
Cinque Terre
Barcelona
Madrid to catch night train to Lisbon where we will spend several days before flying home.

This is a 33 day trip.

Thanks for any encouragement.

For travelers like yourselves, a Global Pass can be just fine. You already have the understanding that P2P could be less expensive. In my opinion, so many travelers are not aware that many of the countries charge supplemental or reservation fees to ride their nicer trains. Some train systems do not accept the pass. Some train systems limit their seats to passholders. In many countries, you just can't walk up to some of their nice trains and jump on. All of this is explained by country and by train system on the Eurail website but somehow most travelers don't seem to read these pages. If you are prepared to make the advance reservations where necessary before you travel and understand the other limitations, you can be just fine. You can probably expect a few bumpy places but, by being forewarned, you can avoid lots of issues. Note also that your overall travel will most likely be a bit more than you paid for your pass as a result of these extra fees.

If we had a bit more information on which countries you intend to visit, we could be more descriptive of what you will be facing in terms of supplemental fees, reservation fees, seat limitations and other details.

snowsilver,

You'll have to be especially careful when using the Pass in Italy, as that's where you could have problems. It would be a really good idea to familiarize yourself with the "rules" regarding the types of trains in Italy. Have a look at the excellent Man In Seat 61 website.

A brief summary.....

• You can ride any Regionale trains in Italy with your Pass. You will of course have to validate the Pass prior to first use.
• If you use any of the "premium" trains such as the Freccia high speed or InterCity, you'll need a compulsory reservation in addition to your Pass (the reservations are €8-10 PP, depending on type of train). NOTE that the reservation is specific to ONE train, date and departure time only. If you board a train not specified on your reservation, you'll likely face hefty fines, which will be collected on the spot!
• Some of your train journeys may involve several types of trains, you you'll need to be aware of what type you'll be using, and obtain seat reservations for some legs if required. Use either the Trenitalia or bahn.de website to research train details.
• AFAIK, your Pass will NOT be accepted by the new Italo high speed trains (they're a bright maroon color, so easy to distinguish between those and Trenitalia trains).
• Be sure to do some homework on the aspect of "changes" as that's something you'll be dealing with. Changing platforms in Italy often involves going down stairs (with luggage) to a tunnel and then up more stairs to the next platform. Packing light will be an advantage!

Hopefully you'll be able to take a few more trips after this "trip of a lifetime".

Happy travels!

I see your schedule. I'll let others comment on Germany and Austria. For Wengen, your pass will not cover all of your fares once you pass Interlaken Ost as you travel into Lauterbrunnen and Wengen. I do know that for any travel from Wengen to the Jungfraujoch, your Global Pass only covers 25% of the fare. You pay the 75%. Same from Muerren to the top of the Schilthorn. You may also have to pay part of the fare to get from Interlaken Ost to Wengen. You will pay a supplemental fee to ride the Bernina Express. Same if you ride the Glacier Express from Brig to Chur.

Once you get into Italy, you will pay a supplemental fee of 10Euro for each fast train you ride. You may be on one on your final train into Venice. You most likely will be on one from Venice to Rome and most likely on one from Rome to the Cinque Terre (at least from Rome to La Spezia). To get to Barcelona, it would be great if you could fly on the Spanish budget airline www.vueling.com. Fares from Pisa to Barcelona are as low as 34.99Euro. It's a 90-minute flight. Vueling does not accept the Eurail pass. The train will take you a lot longer. Also, France also has a supplemental fee for their TGV trains and, they limit their seats to passholders. Just make your reservations well in advance to make sure you get your seats.

Hope this helps and that's it's not too discouraging.

I appreciate all the kind help.

We were aware that we would have to pay for "some" reservations. I will admit that I've been a bit shocked at how many of the trains we want to take require reservations and the cost of them. Rail Europe isn't quite as forthcoming as they could be on just how extensive the required reservations are. When called about it, they just tell you that you would have had to pay for the reservation on the p2p tickets too, so you really aren't paying any more.

I wasn't aware of the fact that the pass won't cover the Wengen area fares. Thanks for that info. We have already purchased the reservations for the Bernina Express.

In all honesty, I'm a bit taken aback concerning the rather staggering amount we will be paying in "seat reservation" fees, but the thing that caused this post was the rather unsettling post on the "transportation" section of this website detailing one traveler's experience with a global pass. It was the worst, but not the only, such post I've read--since purchasing the passes.

We were hoping to have a wonderful, relatively smooth (we know there would be glitches--we'd be stupid not to know that) traveling experience. However, at this point I'm almost thinking we would have been better off (for our peace of mind) to have just gone back to England where we've traveled extensively before and know our way around) and not have have this crazy idea that to old fogies like us could actually make a trip like this without dying of stress. I really do appreciate the kind help you have all given!

I don't know if this will help with your potential ulcers, but here goes.

We got global passes in 2009 primarily for the convenience. We did have to make special reservations and pay extra for some trips, but for the most part it was convenient. However, it was definitely much more expensive than p-t-p would have been, and I won't get a pass in the future.

This is roughly the parts of the routes we took where the pass was used: Frankfurt, Koblenz, Munich, (Nuremberg), Munich, (Dachau), Munich, Venice, Rome, Catania, Salerno, Genoa, Antibes, (Nice), Antibes, Carcassonne, Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, (Cordoba), Seville, San Sebastian, Sarlat, Bayeux, Paris. The towns in (parentheses) were side trips from where we stayed.

The passes worked for a boat from Bingen to Koblenz. I think we got a discount for the Eurostar to England. We used lots of other kinds of transportation including buses and rental cars.

I'm not sure what you mean about "horror" stories. Pass or not, getting from one place to another by train is a challenge when you haven't done it before. The only other time I ever had a pass was in the late 70's when it was easy. You just got on and got off with the pass. Now there are probably millions of trips being taken on the trains each year, there are tons more people taking those trips and there are probably hundreds more train options than way back when.

Depending on your route, you may be able to just hop on and off. Or you may have to make reservations and pay more money. It's hard to say without knowing what your itinerary is.

If you have an idea of your potential routes, use the DB Bahn website (http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en) to scope them out -- even for countries other than Germany. My favorite part is being able to click on a map that shows the actual route.

The Man in Seat 61 has helpful information for pass users -- http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm. That information may allay some of your fears.

Now, about that "uneventful trip" part. I'm not sure what you mean by that either. "Events" can happen that are beyond your control and there is absolutely nothing you can do about them. You just have to go with the flow. Some personal examples from 2009 -- mudslide north of Catania delayed the train for 2 hours while they cleared it; train going from France to Barcelona stopped twice and passports checked resulting in someone in our car being put off the train; train stopped in a small town several km from Sarlat due to some kind of track problem resulting in a 3 hour wait, a lovely meal at the bistro across the street from the station and a fun bus ride (provided by SCNF) on to Sarlat. All of these events had effects on what came after, making us late. None of them had anything to do with the passes.

snowsilver,

I'd suggest NOT using Rail Europe for your primary source of information. They're mainly a marketing firm.

I'm not as familiar with the trains in Germany, but wanted to make sure you were aware of the rules in Italy, as breaking them will become very expensive, very quickly! Fines are typically €40-50 PP and double if not paid on the spot! I'd suggest using the rail websites to plan each of the rail trips you'll be making there, and pack that information along.

As others have mentioned, once you're past Interlaken Ost, your Pass will only provide "limited" benefits in the Berner Oberland.

I won't comment on costs, but you should realize that you have some impractically long train rides planned. You would be better off flying from Copenhagen to Munich. Vienna to Wengen is also going to be particularly long. I also understand that Italy to Spain is generally not practical by rail.

A couple of years ago my step-daughter bought passes from Rail Europe for herself and her mother for their trip to Italy. When she realized point to point tickets would be much, much less expensive, she was able to get a refund for the passes from R.E. for approx. 90% of what she had paid.

.....they just tell you that you would have had to pay for the reservation on the p2p tickets too, so you really aren't paying any more........
You have to remember that Rail Europe is a marketing company interested in selling tickets and not a train company. The above statement is very misleading and needs a lot of context. You are not paying more because the seat reservation fee, IF REQUIRED, is included in the p2p tickets. That is absolutely true in Italy because all trains, except Regionale, require a seat reservation. However, in Germany, reservations are not required so a seat reservation fee is optional and extra on a regular ticket. So in that case the Rail Europe statement is correct.

With the availability of early purchase, deep discount, no refund, no exchange tickets the value of a rail pass has less value from a cost savings standpoint but still may have some advantages for convenience. Only you can decide if cost savings or convenience is most important to you.

We have spent nearly a year traveling in Europe over the past 20 years or so and have never used a rail pass but we seldom have long train travels. So I am not sure what convenience you thought you were getting from the rail pass. Buying a p2p ticket is pretty simple. We obviously spend a little more for the convenience of walking up to the window (or ticket machine) and buying a ticket. It is a simple and easy transaction even if you have to stand in line for a few minutes.

Good luck. After your second train ride you will be a pro.

Yes, I have had several uneventful trips with railpasses. Poor preparation and poor communication with railway staff can create problems which are not the fault of a railpass. Trains can get full, be delayed, or cancelled by strikes. Ticket machines can take credit cards or not. Ticket windows will have lines and then you can end up being in the wrong one. People who buy advance-discount tickets and miss the train will have to buy new, full-fare tickets. Other ticket rules and required forms of ID also vary.

I advise you to stop reading scary stories on the forum and focus on the materials that come with the pass. It takes some planning, but is not difficult, to look up train schedules through DB to see which legs require reservations. For instance, longer-distance or faster trains in France, Spain, and Italy need reservations.

I see your destination list, now. You should make a seat reservation when you arrive in Oslo if you want the popular 8:00 a.m. departure toward Myrdal; Rail Europe's web site can't book that one in advance. Between Copenhagen and Munich, reservations are optional, but sometimes suggested due to high traffic; you can book at any train station. Italy's fast trains do not impose an artificial limit, so you can get reservations there when you know your plans, perhaps booking a few plans at one stop. If you are taking a train across France, then book that reservation now; if you're flying, then you've probably booked the flight. Barcelona-Madrid-Lisbon are also good candidates for booking now (usually up to 3 months ahead).

See also http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/reservations and a printable price list of (mostly up-to-date) reservation fees in our Rail Guide PDF.

snowsilver, take heart, your eyes are open now and you have identified some inefficiencies early on. No need to feel bad, and no need to allow it to color your experience in a negative way. If it makes more sense to fly instead of train, then cut your losses and work towards using your time in Europe wisely. Congratulate yourself for figuring it out and move on; have a great trip.

Hi,

The route Copenhagen-Munich can also be done by night train...another option. . Take the regional train Copenhagen to Hamburg Hbf (most of them go throught Hamburg Hbf as the junction point). Then transfer to the Hamburg-Munich CNL night train, very satisfactory when I took it again last month.

I've not used the Global Pass per se but have used often the Select Pass (no more with that one) and Austria-Germany Pass, no problems at all. But, then, I was not in Italy, only France, Austria, and Germany. I would only advise a Global Pass if your trip involves some zig zag and long distance traveling. If you feel you might have a problem, go to the ticket office and explain/inquire. If in doubt, check at the ticket office as to reservations, trains traveling on certain days or delayed, etc. before boarding. That's what I do.

Once again before this fades into obscurity, I want to thank all of you for your help. Ulcers are fading.....maybe we will be able to manage this.