we have a Eurail Selectpass Saver restricted to use in Italy, Switz, Germany. we are trying to pre-book a train from Zurich to Munich. one leg of the train passes through Austria. even though Munich is our final destination will Eurail allow this segment thru Austria? we read something on the Rail Europe site where we inferred we might have to pay for the ticket separately. we don't understand if they mean for us to pay for the whole ticket separately or just the segment that goes through Austria separately. It was not clear. Any ideas?
Posted by
Portland, OR, USA
389 posts
Natasha, you will have to pay only for the portion of the trip through Austria. Just make sure that you do so before you get on the train; they will let you pay for that part on the train, but charge a premium and who wants to pay that! The trip through Austria should be short and you might shop around for trips that don't go through Austria.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
If you take the route around the east end of Bodensee, through Begrenz, you will go through Austria, and you will need a point to point ticket covering that segment (St. Margrethen to Lindau, €11,20). That connection, via EuroCity train, is the fastest way to Munich, just over 4 hrs.
However, there are also other routes that don't go through Austria. You can take the train from Zurich to Romanshorn and then the boat across to Friedrichshafen. I'm not sure if the boat from Romanshorn to Friedrichshafen is covered by the pass, or if you get a discount, but that is certainly a scenic way to go. Alternatively, you can go around the west end of the lake via Schaffhausen.
Posted by
OP
Austin, TX, USA
2 posts
Thank you so much for your insight. It has helped us tremendously.