Hello all, I am new to this site but love it so far! I am embarking on my first trip to Europe for 7 weeks starting in Paris 7/5/12 and then heading to Italy (Rome, Venice and Florence) back up to Prague-Berlin-AmsterdamDublin-London where I will fly back home on 8/27/12. I am on a pretty tight budget given the length of time I will be traveling and while I have a general idea of the areas I want to see, I know I want to be able to veer off the "plan" when/if I choose. I am trying to figure out if a rail pass is the way to go (and then which one there are SO many!) or if I am better served taking trains locally as I go and flying from say Rome to Praque and Amsterdam to Dublin. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Ron, There's not a lot of time until you'll be departing, so you'll need to get details worked out soon, especially as you'll be travelling in PEAK season. Have you pre-booked any accommodations? Your trip covers a fairly wide area with a lot of travel between locations. As you're on a "pretty tight budget", you'll have to plan the most cost effective travel options. Each change of location uses both time and money. The best way to determine whether a Rail Pass or P-P tickets is best, is to do some "number crunching" and compare the costs between each method. You may find it helpful to download the PDF Rail Guide from this website. Click the "Railpasses" tab at the top and then look in the lower right corner. Given the relatively short time until departure, the area you're covering on your trip and especially your home location, I would highly recommend taking a drive to Edmonds for a consultation with the travel experts at ETBD. They'll be able to sort details for you quickly, and if you decide on a Railpass, you can purchase it there. You can also use the free Library to research sightseeing using the Guidebooks. Happy travels!