My daughter (US citizen) is in Europe on a study program, but suddenly has two weeks available to travel, unexpectedly.
Can she buy a Eurail Pass at Termini station in Rome or another station in Italy? The RailEurope site indicates you can buy Eurail Passes, only certain ones, including a Global, at some stations in Europe. But, does not indicate which ones. She will start in Rome and will be going to several cities in Italy, then onto Geneva, then into France, and onto Spain. Any ideas? Thanks.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5534 posts
Why would she want a rail pass? Not really cost effective.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
A Eurail pass is only for tourists from outside Europe. If your daughter is on a study programme, she is a resident of Italy, and is not eligable to buy one. You can buy it online, so with a US passport and a bit of bluffing she may get away with it!
The alternative for residents of Europe is an Interrail pass: https://www.interrail.eu/en
But, a pass of either type is only good value if she is doing a serious amount of travel around many countries. For travelling around Italy, and single trips to nearby countries, it will be cheaper to buy normal tickets with advance purchase discounts.
I suggests she reads this webpage, especially the section "Should you buy an InterRail pass or normal point-to-point tickets?" before deciding what to buy: https://www.seat61.com/InterRail-pass-guide.htm
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
The residence requirement means that Eurail passes are valid for people who have not officially resided in Europe for more than 6 months. Most undergrad study-abroad programs don't fall within that frame or provide the Residence Cards that you would need for an Interrail pass.
Roma Termini station, Fiumicino airport, and several other major city stations in Italy are on this list of Eurail Aid Offices that can sell Eurail Global passes and a few 1-2 country options in Europe.
The Eurail Global passes to consider for 2 weeks in 4 countries would be 15 consecutive days at $482, 5 days in a month at $378, or 7 days in a month at $460, current US rates for youth under age 28. Most trains in Italy, France, and Spain require seat reservations in addition to the pass. The number of places for pass holders is limited in France and Spain and these can also be among the most expensive reservations in the range. See more on my link above, and our France rail page. You can also test current reservation availability at https://ricksteves.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/triprequest.htm.
Swiss Travel Passes (and German Rail Passes) are independent products that are sold at most staffed stations in their respective countries, as well as some versions can be e-ticketed through either our site or through SBB.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Seems like a lot of destinations for a two week trip. Has she looked at how long it takes by rail to connect these places?
If you could give us the cities she plans to visit, you may get a better reply.
She may be able to make better connections using both train and budget airlines like Easyjet, Vueling and Ryanair.
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Thanks for the good information ! Looks like she'll do separate tickets per leg.