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Eurail pass? Point-to-Point? Help please!

Posted by on

Hi!

So this is my friend and I's first time in Europe and we are leaving in less than 2 weeks! (I work for an airline so it's a bit last minute decision we've made).

Since it's our first time we are having hard time figuring out how to get around places.

The biggest decision right now is Eurail pass vs point to point.

Here are the segments we are going to need to take the train:

London-Paris
Paris-Barcelona (Sleeper train)
Rome-Naples
Naples-Rome
Rome-Pisa
Pisa-Florence
Florence-Venice

I was in between 3 country pass vs point-to-point.

So here are my questions:

  1. Would it be worth it to buy the pass? And does the pass give you more flexibility?
  2. With the segments above, do i need a 2 country (France,Italy) pass or 3 country (Spain,Italy,France) pass?
  3. How do I make reservations for London-Paris and Paris-Barcelona if I were to purchase the pass?
  4. For the 5 days, 6 days rail passes, are the days consecutive? as in if I were to activate the pass on April 1st, would it be done in April 6th?
Posted by
20395 posts

Eurail pass is not accepted on the Eurostar between Paris and London.
The Paris to Barcelona night train is no more, It is a day train now. Fly?
Any kind of rail pass is rarely cost effective in Italy, the distances are short, the trains are fast, and if bought in advance on a non-refundable basis, cheap. Even spur of the moment they are reasonable and those fast trains require a 10 EUR seat reservation per person when you use a rail pass. Sometimes you can actually buy tickets, that come with seat reservations, for that price.

Posted by
16894 posts

Two- or three-Country Select passes are only sold for non-consecutive days - 5 or 6 travel days within a 2-month validity period. However, I don't recommend a pass for this trip plan. Since all of your trains except Florence-Pisa require seat reservations, the pass does not add flexibility.

Eurail-brand passes do cover Eurostar trains as of January, with a seat reservation fee of about $35 in Standard class or $45 in Standard Premier. You could compare this rate to other ticket prices available for your travel date at https://ricksteves.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/triprequest.htm and test prices with and without a pass.

It's correct that there's no sleeper train option on any of your routes and flying probably will be cheapest between Paris and Barcelona. Check flights at www.skyscanner.com. Most of the cheaper train tickets and the pass holder seat reservations are probably sold out this close to departure; they were for the dates that I tested.

Posted by
7175 posts

London-Paris
Go to Eurostar to book this.

Paris-Barcelona
There is no Sleeper train. Go to easyjet or Vueling for cheap flights.

Rome-Naples
Naples-Rome
Rome-Pisa
Florence-Venice
Go to trenitalia to book these.

Pisa-Florence
This is a regional train, so no need to book ahead.

I would not consider a pass. Book your tickets ASAP to get the best fares.

Posted by
4064 posts

Harold is correct, you must help yourself by working out the point-to-point prices and remembering the extra fees on a pass when seat reservations are required. Other posters offer good advice about organizing the trip too but only you can judge the economics of your particular itinerary.

Bottom line: Usually (not always, especially not on shorter regional runs) it is cheaper to book point-to-point as far in advance as possible.

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