Eurail

Hi Jason,
I've been trying to figure out what pass to purchase as well. You will want to check out the following site http://seat61.com/Railpass.htm it has a guide for beginners on not only how to buy a pass but explains the different types. It is a VERY useful website. You will want to click on the question that says, "Which Rail Pass Should I buy?" Question #3. Then when it scrolls you down you will want to click on "Help choosing the right rail pass at the Seat61 Rail Shop USA" it will then take you to another website where you type in your itinerary and it will tell you EXACTLY which pass you should purchase. Hope this helps!

Eurail passes can be filled with frustration, since for the fast trains today, you need to pay an upgrade and make extra-charge reservations (which are difficult to make from here), and reservations for Eurail passholders are severely limited. Once you have your destinations, take a look at the various national rail systems to price point-to-point tickets (which always include reservations) and you may find it's cheaper to do that. Check out France (http://www.voyages-sncf.com), Belgium (http://www.b-rail.be/main/E), Germany (http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml), Italy (http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html) and Spain (http://www.renfe.es/horarios/english/index.html) altho buses are better in Spain except where the AVE trains are running. You will find you can usually book up to 90 days in advance...you can always input earlier dates to get an idea as to prices. P.S. If you're going from Italy to Spain, fly. Low cost airlines can be found at http://whichbudget.com

Kent,

Thanks for the kind words. And thanks for the thorough answers you give to people's questions.

Currently Rail Europe is advertising a free travel day on Eurail Passes if you buy them early. You have 6 months after purchase to activate and begin using. Tim (not from Minot)

Kent, I'd also like to thank you for the kind words!