I have a question, I have a 4 day France/Germany pass and I was planning on using a day for an overnight train from Paris to Berlin, but I saw on a schedule that the Nord station overnight train has a stopover/route through/at Brussels, Do I have to pay the extra train fees? How does that work? And does anyone have a rough estimate what that might cost extra plus maybe adding a sleeper?
Thanks!
Yes, you need to have Benelux on your pass, or pay a surcharge to go through Belgium.
You can route yourself directly into Germany to avoid the expense; the more northerly border towns are Forbach and Saarbrücken.
If you book far enough in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at www.bahn.de, you can get SparNight fares of 39€ for a bunk in a six-person couchette or 49€ for a bunk in a four-person couchette. This is likely to be cheaper than the total of the fare for the portion in Belgium plus the supplement for sleeping accommodations for passholders. And you'd save a pass day to use for a trip in either France or Germany.
Tim brings up a good point. Have you actually purchased the pass, and have you priced you planned train trips with point to point tickets at bahn.de and/or voyages-sncf.com? The overnight journey will be your most expensive, yet at 49 Euro for a four-bed couchette (PLUS avoiding the extra cost AND hassle of booking a reservation), you may find point to points are far less expensive than the pass.
Well I have already purchased the pass a 4 day in 2 month france/germany eurail... So I was trying not to spend any more money than I need to, I dont mind a little more, I guess shelling out an extra $100US say would be okay if it includes a belgium route and a couchette or sleeper. I Could break it up but I didnt want to waste a whole day on the train which it seems like it would from Paris to Berlin
Since you only have four pass days in a two-month period, I stand by my suggestion that you try to get a SparNight fare so you can have an extra pass day at your disposal.
that sounds good, i was having trouble locating that deal on the website, when i put paris to berlin it has a specific time.. how would i find that rate???
When are you traveling? You can only book up to 90 days in advance. For a dummy booking, enter a date within 90 days and you'll be given two fare columns with the one on the right being a Savinsg fare column. You should be able to click on a "show availability" link there.
Thanks for your help, i have just purchased a overnight trip from Paris to Berlin in a couchette for 39 euro/$57 US, Even with my Eurail pass the Belguim route plus a couchette probably would cost me $100-200 extra.
Now I guess I can plan some route with the extra day or just have it for insurance!
You're welcome. Glad you were wuccessful!
