I am going to be traveling between Italy and Switzerland for almost 3 weeks the end of August, beginning of September. I'm looking for suggestions as to which Eurorail pass to buy. Any suggestions?
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Point-to-point tickets may be cheaper than a pass. If you give us your itinerary, we can better advise you. Will you be riding mountain lifts in Switzerland?
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Purchasing a Eurail pass in Italy has gotten better ever since Trenitalia lowered the seat reservation fee to 10Euro from 25Euro on their best high-speed trains. However, if you are going to many of the famous tourist sites such as the CT, Siena, many parts of Tuscany or Umbria, you'll find that you will be on Regionale trains and not the high-speeds. These Regionale trains are really cheap. Plus, if you are going to Sorrento or the Amalfi coast, your Eurail pass is no good from Naples. The private Circumvesuviana train system and the SITA bus system do not accept Eurail. Overall, point-to-point is better and overall, less expensive. In Switzerland, and depending on how travel you will do there, it's better to look into the genuine Swiss passes or cards.
Posted by
OP
Missoula, MT
17 posts
My friend that I am traveling with has a Eurail pass b/c she is traveling longer than I am. However we will begin our trip in Pisa, take the train to Florence, then to Siena, Venice, Luzern, Bern, Murren, Lausanne, and finally, Geneva. Thanks!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
You'll do better with point-to-point tickets in Italy. Pisa-Florence: 5.80 EUR. Florence-Siena: 6.30 EUR. Siena-Venice: 48.30 EUR. For Venice-Luzern the Swiss Rail site shows a standard fare of 139 CHF, but discount fares are available if you book NOW. (Book on the Swiss Rail site, not the Trenitalia site.) For your trips within Switzerland you'll need to use the Swiss Rail site to determine the cost of p2p tickets and then compare them to the cost of a Swiss Flexipass (www.ricksteves.com/rail/switzerland.cfm).
Posted by
Poulsbo, WA, US
223 posts
Nice to see someone from Missoula on here! (UM Grad myself) I would seriously consider point to point.. it is worth the time to map them out and compare... On my last trip (Start in Florence, down to Rome, up to Venice, on to Frankfurt it was about $200 less point to point. Map it out and see what it would cost. I find its a great way to familiarize yourself with the town names and locations that will be helpful when you are traveling.