Hello! My husband and I will be traveling from Rome to Venice, from Venice to Innsbruck, from Innsbruck to Rothenburg, and lastly from Rothenburg to Paris, all within an 8 day period in July. Would it be cheaper to purchase a flexi-pass to cover everything, some other kind of multi-country pass, or just buy each ticket individually? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9220 posts
5 cities in 4 countries in 8 days? Plus train travel?
Consider paring this trip down to 2 countries or even just one. You have left yourselves with zero time for sightseeing.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Do your eight days start after you've spent some time in Rome and end with your arrival in Paris? If so, then you have eight days to get from Rome to Paris with stops in Venice, Innsbruck, and Rothenburg. That's a little better, but you still won't have much time for sightseeing. Not only do you have to allow for travel time to get to each city, it takes more time than you might think to get to your hotel, check in, and get acclimated. That means that your sightseeing time on day one in each city will be very limited.
If your eight days include your time in Rome and Paris, then what you wish to do is virtually impossible.
You need to cut back drastically. After you've done so, give us your new itinerary and we'll advise you on whether a railpass or point-to-point tickets would be cheaper. If you book far enough in advance to get discount fares, p2p tickets are usually cheaper than a railpass.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
I agree with everyone that trying to see 5 cities in 8 days, plus some long legs of travel, doesn't make much sense. However, you can book Verona to Munich as a Savings fare and get off in Innsbruck probably cheaper than a day of the pass. You can also book p-p tickets from Innsbruck to Mittenwald and use a Bayern-Ticket from there to Rothenburg. You can also get Europa-Spezial tickets as low as €39 from Rothenburg to Paris using a TGV for the last leg.
One problem with railpasses is reservations are often difficult to make and expensive from over here, but easy to get with online p-p tickets. Explore your options before jumping for a railpass.
Posted by
OP
Pearl City
2 posts
Thanks for all the replies and helpful tips! We do have time in Rome and Paris before and after the 8 days, and are just looking to get a taste of Venice and Rothenburg on the way to Paris. We might not stop in Innsbruck at all if there isn't time, but we were leaving the option open to ourselves. Regardless, I agree that it is incredibly fast-paced. We are looking to get just a taste of each place on this trip and then come back to visit our favorites for a longer period. This is just our first trip to Europe. That being said, we are still toying with the idea of staying in Garmisch instead of Innsbruck and Rothenburg, and just taking day trips from there to the surrounding area.
Thanks again, and I will begin some price-comparisons based on your advice.