I need some help deciding if we should buy Eurorail passes or not. There are 4 adults on this trip. Here's our plan: April 10: Arrive in Frankfurt and take the train to Dresden April 10-12: Dresden April 12: Train to Prague April 12-16: Prague April 16: Train to Munich April 16-22: Munich with day trips to the castles, Salzburg, etc April 22-23: Rothenburg ob der Tauber
April 23: Fly home from Frankfurt Our plan is to use the trains as stated above and rent a car the last couple of days we're in Munich. Dropping the car off at the airport in Frankfurt on our last day. My question is would it be more cost effective for us to purchase railpasses or buy point to point tickets? If we were to use point to point tickets would it be cheaper to buy the tickets before we leave for our trip or at the train stations when we get there? Thanks for your help!
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Nobody here will likely do the math for you. You have to go to the Deutsche Bahn website and plug the numbers yourself. "If we were to use point to point tickets would it be cheaper to buy the tickets before we leave for our trip or at the train stations when we get there?" For the most part, you can get substantial discounts if you purchase in advanced.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Rachel, I'd suggest using the "Time & Cost" chart in the Railpasses section of this website to get an approximate idea on the cost of P-P tickets. That will provide an indication on whether a Railpass will be more cost effective. One important point to note is that Railpasses DO NOT include the reservation fees that are compulsory with some trains (usually the "fast" trains). You'll have to pay the reservations "out of pocket". Given your home location, it would probably be a really good idea to take the short drive to Edmonds and speak with the experts at ETBD. If you decide that Railpasses are the best option, you can buy them on the spot. Happy travels!
Posted by
Phoenix, AZ, USA
1035 posts
My gut is that point to point will be a better option.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
The very first flaw in this itinerary is that you should be flying home open jaws from Munich, not Frankfurt, but you have to fly from Frankfurt because you have Frequent Flyer miles, right?
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Based on a lot of experience traveling (cheaply) in Germany,: 1. I can't see anywhere on your trip where renting a car would be cheaper or more effective than using the trains. 2. Liberal use of Länder-Tickets and Sparpreis tickets will save you a ton vs. railpasses. 3. Unless you are buying advance purchase Sparpreis tickets (only available from the Bahn website) there is no advange to buying your point-point tickets before you leave home. The Bahn charges the same price for full fare tickets online as they do in Europe. RailEurope charges much more. The only problem I see with your itinerary is that you plan to arrive in Frankfurt and go immediately to Dresden (what's wrong with the area around Frankfurt). The least expensive discount tickets are train-specific and non-refundable. If your flight is late you stand to lose everything. It you provide a time buffer, you might as well take regional (no risk) trains.