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Best train pass combination for 2.5 months?

I will be in Paris from the beginning of June until mid August. My schedule will be pretty open through June and so I am hoping to make several weekend trips, or even 4-5 days trips, to the neighboring countries. In July I'll be more tied down to work in Paris, but might still be able to do a couple of weekend trips. In August I will have two weeks of travel time and I am planning to make a circuit through the U.K. given that I have friends there.

In a situation like this, what is recommended for train tickets? I know that you need separate rail passes for the UK, but is there any pass that makes sense for just a two-week period? As far as travel from Paris, I definitely want to see some of Germany and the Czech Republic. I'm thinking of skipping Rome in favor of seeing Venice and the caves in Slovenia. I'd also like to see some other regions of France and maybe Spain.

Any suggestions for the type of rail passes to get that will make this easiest/most affordable?

Posted by
8700 posts

For detailed information, click on the Railpasses tab at the top of the page you're reading now.

Your best pass choices for the Continent probably would be:

  1. A five-country Select Pass good for either ten or fifteen days in a two-month period.

  2. A Global Pass Flexi good for either ten or fifteen days in a two-month period. This pass would be good in every country you are likely to visit.

Fares for point-to-point tickets in Eastern Europe are relatively inexpensive so you could save some pass days by buying p2p tickets in those countries. Also p2p fares for short rides on regional trains in Western Europe can be cheaper than using a day on your pass. The only way to know for sure is to visit each country's national rail site to price p2p tickets for a particular route and compare that to the cost of a "pass day."

Posted by
1568 posts

It is very inexpensive to travel in CZ and Slovenia. Personally, I would not waste buying one for those countries.

Save your rail pass days for your long trips.

As another poster stated, determine the cost of your Rail Pass Days and compare to point-to-point tickets.

The more you plan...the less expensive your rail travel will be.

Link for CZ trains and bus in English:

http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/vlakyautobusy/spojeni/?lng=E

Slovenia:

http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/