We are trying to plan a trip that includes Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. We are considering the Eurail Select pass for these 4 countries.
Our Itinerary includes departing Switzerland (Interlaken) for Venice. We are having trouble finding how to get to Venice by train. More importantly, we are trying to determine if the train route we must take will be doable with the Eurail select pass. This has been tough to sort out. Any help would be wonderfully welcome.
The route is straight forward. Interlaken to Spiez to Brig to Milan to Venice. If you use a Eurail Pass, you will need to purchase reservations for the Milan to Venice Leg. You can get schedules at www.sbb.ch.
As Sam mentioned, that's a very easy trip, but the shortest travel time is about 6H:40M with two changes. One of the quickest trips will be a departure at 08:00, arriving Venice at 14:40 (two changes at Spiez and Brig). Note that there are two stations in Interlaken, and you'll need to use Interlaken Ost. Your destination station in Venice will be Venezia Santa Lucia.
Actually you can use either station at Interlaken, Ost or West.
Interlaken Ost is the main station, it is the terminus or starting point of all trains.
Interlaken West is on the line to Spiez, and all trains on that line stop there.
No Eurail Pass is needed. You can travel all around a WIDE area of Germany with the Bavarian Pass. 29 Euro gives you unlimited rides all day long. Italy tickets are really really dirt cheap especially if you buy the fast train tickets in advance. Switzerland is best traveled with some sort of Swiss Pass product like the Half Fare Card. Don't be fooled into buying a Eurail Pass just because A) RS sells them and B) They used to be a good deal. Things have changed and Eurail is actually more pain than worth.
There's no pain to using a Eurail Select pass in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, where most trains don't require reservations and you have the flexibility to just hop onboard with a pass. From Interlaken into the Lauterbrunnen Valley, that doesn't apply, but you get 25% discounts on many trains, boats, and lifts in that region. And most trains in Italy are the faster type that do require paid seat reservations before boarding. The actual mathematics will depend on your route, especially on whether or not you have any longer trips in Germany and Austria. If you're under 26, then additional discounts apply.
How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it. It will also show prices for tickets in or touching Germany, at both advance and regular fares.
Yes, and just remember, RS is a "reseller" of Eurail Passes.
A fast train in Italy from Venice to Rome can be had for 29Euro if you buy ahead of time and reservations are already included. You'd have to buy a VAST amount of Italian Train tickets to break even with a Eurail Pass where reservations are on TOP of the Eurail Price.
