I'm sure there is a simple, straightforward answer to this: If I have a consecutive 2 mo pass on eurail does this override all local train, country operated train tickets? does eurail cover all trains in europe or just their 'brand' of trains ? I hope that purchasing the consecutive pass will cover all train tickets during the time the pass the valid and the many countries it includes..
also after reading other's posts I have noticed all the european train websites you use to check schedules make reservation etc. it seems very confusing and time consuming - is all that absolutly neccasary?
Posted by
OP
new boston, nh, usa
15 posts
o I also meant to ask if women traveling the train system alone should have a reason to worry? even on night trains? by this I mean is there a risk greater than in the u.s. of theft, abuse etc?? any specific security measures to take (other than street smarts) ?
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7548 posts
Please spend some time on this site by clicking the "Railpasses" tab above, lots of info. But the short answers to your questions. A rail pass covers basic transportation on nearly all Government and Private rail systems in the country(s) where the pass is valid, only a very few short private lines are not covered. At one time, a pass covered nearly all transportation, but with the advent of premium trains between most large destinations, the pass, IMHO, is less valuable. If you use the pass on a premium train (translate as fast and direct) you may have to pay both an upgrade fee (think economy to business class) and possibly a reservation fee. The various sites are valuable for schedule info (how many trains, premium or not?, how long is the travel time) and really just the German site,D-Bahn, will work for that. For costs though, you need to use the national site of the country you are traveling in (SCNF, Trenitalia, etc.)
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1449 posts
reservations are necessary on many trains that have assigned seats. These are generally the fast trains. Think of it this way -- the train operator has no idea whether you're going to use your pass on a particular train or not, so even if you have a pass you still need a reservation so they have a seat for you. There is often a fee for the reservation, or a surcharge to take a fast train. Depends on the country.
Rick has a nice explanation of all this (better than I wrote!) above. Click on the link at the top of this page that says "Railpasses", and then click on "Using your pass".
Posted by
Copenhagen, Denmark
70 posts
There is no such thing as Eurail trains. Eurail is not a train operator, only a marketing organisation ovned by the countries' respective train companies. Thus the tickes are valid on all state owned trains of the countries concerned and on many private railroads as well.