Is there one source that is better than another? The three I am aware of are Rick Steves, Rail Europe, and directly from Eurail. Of course there's always buying in person in Europe.
Anyone purchased from different sources and have an opinion?
Posted by
charlotte, nc, US F'n A
51 posts
My opinion is to not buy one.
I can't think of one advantage of having one, and that is coming from a person that just bought one.
Why carry around a pass that can get lost or stolen, when you can just buy point to point tickets?
Why pay for a pass that has limited spots on trains?
Why pay more? After adding up all of the reservation fee's, I found my trip is going to be $135 more with a Europe Pass than with point to points. And i'm going to Europe for 31 days and getting the 21 day pass.
Don't buy a pass. If you do, get it from Rick. You get free maps, a DVD and other stuff with it. Mine just arrived last night, there are a lot of cool things in the package. You also get three free questions to Rick's staff, which really helped me plan my trip
Posted by
OP
Greenville, SC, USA
263 posts
Having a pass means not spending any time on the trip buying tickets. I went for 19 days in 2005 and had no trouble keeping up with my pass, which was in my money belt at all times.
Yes, P2P tickets can be cheaper, but the pass can also be cheaper. It all depends on how many trips, which routes, which days, etc.
I bought from RailEurope last time and they gave me a large gated fold-out map, but the RS questions sound like a good freebie.
Posted by
Bend, OR, United States
1167 posts
Freebies like this great site and the wealth of good advice and information it provides.