From Frankfurt, we are going to take a boat up the Rhine to Oberwesel and stay the night. From Oberwesel we are traveling to Heidelburg and will spend the night and then travel to Salzburg. From Salzburg we are going to Hallstadt to a night and then we are going to Venice, followed by Lake Como and finally Milan. We are going to take trains, so we were wondering if a Europass (?) is the best option for our travel in Europe. If so, should be try to purchase the pass prior to our trip to Europe. Also, does the Europass allow unlimited travel on Intercity trains and regional trains and local buses/trams. Any other advice would be appreciated.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19112 posts
In Germany, a Eurail pass will allow unlimited travel on all trains, Intercity and regional, and on the S-Bahn. It does not include the U-Bahn, trams, or local buses in cities. You need to "cost out" the point-point fares, but in general, a rail pass is usually more expensive. If you have a rail pass one day of it will cover both the train from FRA to Mainz and the boat. Without a rail pass the train will cost €4,10/p and the boat will cost €34,30/p. If you start the boat closer to Oberwesel, say Bingen, the cost will be less. You can do Oberwesel to Heidelberg with a €25 Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket to Mannheim and a local S-Bahn ticket (€4,90/p) from there to Heidelberg. With advance purchase from the German Rail (Bahn) website, you should be able to go from Heidelberg to Salzburg for €49 for both of you. If you don't mind regional trains, and that is mostly all that is available to Hallstatt, you can do the trip for €28 for both of you with an Einfach-Raus-Ticket (all day pass for regional trains). Again with advance purchase onlilne from Austrian Rail, www.oebb.at, you can go from Hallstatt to Venice for €29/p, maybe €39/p with fewer changes. I'll let other advise you for Italy.
Posted by
Paradise
6663 posts
"From Frankfurt, we are going to take a boat up the Rhine to Oberwesel and stay the night." You can't board a Rhine cruise boat in Frankfurt; although you can do so in Mainz, it's not a great idea. The docks are a long distance from the station, and you're schlepping your bags. Also, the cruise between Mainz and Bingen is pretty dull. If you must do this cruise prior to reaching Oberwesel, I would board in Bingen, where the good scenery begins; just take the train between Mainz and Bingen (6.20€ each.) You'll still have to get your luggage from station to dock. But I really think the best way to do this is to take advantage of the direct trains from either Frankfurt or FRA airport to Oberwesel and go there first to drop your bags. Then catch a train south to Bingen (only 10-15 minutes) and do an unencumbered cruise not just back to Oberwesel, but a bit further north to see more (the Bingen-O'wesel part is very nice but only 1 hr. 20 min. long and covers only about half of the scenic part.) Without a railpass: Get the 4.10 ticket to Mainz + the R-P ticket (the one that Lee suggests for the trip to H'berg.) This will cover the train to O'wesel and the pre-cruise train back south to Bingen as well as the post-cruise train back to O'wesel. Show the R-P ticket at the boat dock, and you should get a 20% discount on your cruise. If you cruise to Boppard you have a pleasant and scenic 2 hr. 20 min. cruise for 23.80€ each, about 18€ w/ the discount. Boppard is a nice town to stroll and have a meal before returning to Oberwesel by train.