Family Europe Trip

Where else are you going besides Switzerland? A Eurail Pass may not be the best idea.

Thank you for your prompt rely. We've already purchased the Global Passes and were able to get them discounted when they ran a special the end of last year. So it will be cost effective for us to have them. We are traveling in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Netherlands. We are traveling with our 15 y/o and 17 y/o daughters and will be backpacking. I love the flexibility of the pass and being able to change our plans if needed.

You'll have a wonderful time!

If you are finding that the SBB website (or app) is giving you prices about half of what the other site is, have you noticed that the default fares on the SBB site assume that you are a frequent Swiss traveller and so assume that you have the Half Fare Abo so show the fares at half price?

Use the discount button and say "No Discount" and you will get the right fare.

In Italy a railpass is a pain because you can't ride Italo trains with it and if you are riding anything faster than a Regionale train you must buy a passholder reservation for each leg and person. There are around €10 each on the Freccia trains and around €3 on IC trains. If you are going from city to city you will likely be using the Freccia services. It is too late now but often you can get an advance purchase ticket for about the same price as your reservation (which is for a specific train at a specific time - no changes) and the daily price of the pass is an extra expense.

In Austria, check carefully before you board a train with a railpass. I am doing this off the top of my head but I believe that they are not valid on Westbahn or Meridian trains. Please check.

I hope you have a great trip! But next time just know that Eurail Passes are not as great of a deal as you have been led to believe. You may think you’re saving money, but the people here who’ve travelled extensively will be much more knowledgeable of cost saving strategies for you. But you are correct in saying you’ve already purchased them so now you’ll have to deal with using it.

The free Swiss Family Card can be had when you purchase your Swiss Pass or Swiss Half Fare Card. Otherwise you must buy the Junior Card. Yes you can buy them at the ticket counter. They will also be able to answer your specific question.

Thank you everyone. I used Eurail passes in the past and they were so easy, but times have changed and the last time I traveled in Europe it was almost 20 years ago. I appreciate the insight into the different rail systems and I was aware of the private rails in Italy, but not Austria.

Our route is: Milan - Cinque Terre - Milan - Interlaken - Luzern - Zurich - Salzburg - Munich - Rothenburg O. T. - Rhine River - Koln - Amsterdam.

I am also using the Rail Planner app.

I just reviewed my planner thus far and see all the trains we are using in Italy are Regionale or InterCity. I read earlier that the Italia trains are not included in the Rail Pass. Am I good with Regionale and InterCity? If I need to make reservations, I will, but I've traveled standing room only with the chickens to China, so I'm okay with letting my kids have that experience if necessary. When I was in Europe 20 years ago, there was never a full train. Also, we can always split up and don't need to sit together as a group of four.

The train I am looking at from Milano Centrale to Interlaken is an EC train. I've been specifically looking at connections that do not require a reservation.

Final clarification: I can buy a junior card at the rail station - would this be a significant savings for our 15 y/o if the weather is beautiful and we can spend a day in the Berner Oberland; - Schilthorn - Trummelbachfalle - Lauterbrunnen - Wengen - Mannlichen - Kleine Scheidegg. We are alternating different legs of the journey with transportation and hiking. I am familiar with the hiking in that area - and my ancestoral home is Grindelwald, which probably explains why I feel best in higher elavations.

Thank you again for your insight. I've always been the "travel agent" of my friend group, but I can see, I lost something with not tapping into the social media advantage. Lesson learned and next time I will come to this forum sooner. I've always used Rick Steve's travel guides in the past, but the web-page was new for me. However, I am doing my homework now to take full advantage of our Eurail passes and will supplement as needed to make this trip a highlight for my family. Happy traveling everyone!

I am back with another question as a do more research. A Saver Day Pass option popped up on my SSB app as I was reevaluating fares. We are able to purchase a Saver Day Pass for CHF 52/adult, it would be CHF 49 if we had the 1/2 fare card and then we would still have the option of the Junior card. I don't have to buy it right away, but there is the chance it could sell out. It allows me free travel for 24 hours in the GA area. I realize that the Berner Oberland railways are not completely covered, but it looks like it would give me a 50% discount which is better than the Eurail discount, plus it would pay in full for the Harder Klum railway which we were considering.

Am I understanding this option correct? The biggest variable will be the weather and the gamble that the Saver Day Pass (selected for a set day) will not be as greatly used if the weather is bad. A chance I just might be willing to take. Earlier I outlined our plans for one day in the Berner Oberland. Thank you again for letting me tap into your expertise.

All InterCity and EuroCity trains require reservations in Italy, but Regional trains do not. On the Swiss side of the border, the same EuroCity train would not need reservations, but the reservation you get is valid until you change trains. This is reflected on Eurail's RailPlanner, if that's the one you're using. On the DB site, if details say "Global Price" (meaning seat reservations are built in for ticket-buyers) this has the same effect (but less clarity) as "subject to compulsory reservation."

Austria's private WestBahn and Germany's Meridian railways do accept Eurail passes. (WestBahn did not when it first started but it has accepted them for a few years, now.)