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Eurorail select pass OR point to point for this route.. and other questions

Paris-Milian-Venice-Florence-Rome-Nice-Barcelona-Madrid

Also, if you have taken the rail personally to any of these cities, can you tell me if there's a transfer involved

Also, does the eurorail select pass allow me to ride on TGV or AVE high speed trains? I'll be getting a youth (2nd class) and a saver (first class).

lastly, what is the difference btw 2nd class and 1st class? can these two passengers sit together (e.g. can the first class sit in 2nd class?)

Edit: Thanks for all the replies! Just wanted to edit that there will be three passengers (one youth, two seniors). Since there are no senior discounts for the Select Pass, the two seniors will be getting a saver pass.

Posted by
19238 posts

I won't comment on the rest of you itinerary, but I believe there is nothing to prevent someone using a first class ticket or pass from riding in 2nd class.

Posted by
8700 posts

Since Saver passes are for two or more people traveling together, I believe that you cannot buy just one of them.

For information on passholder seat reservation fees, go here. Click on the link on the right-hand side of the page for a list of fees.

Posted by
19238 posts

If you stay in a relatively small area, P2P tickets are often less than a rail pass. However, P2P tickets generally get more expensive with distance, whereas per day prices stay the same, and rail passes get less expensive per day the more days you buy. Considering the big jumps here (Paris-Milan, Rome-Nice, Nice-Barcelona), and the number of days used (at least seven), a pass might pay. However, you have to grind out the numbers.

Get P2P prices from the national rail lines, French Rail, Italian Rail (Trenitalia), and Spanish Rail (Renfe), not from a US based ticket seller which charges more than the counter price over there. Rick has fare and time maps but I have found them to consistently overestimate the cost of P2P tickets, particularly considering discounted fares, which he doesn't show.

As Tim points out, you can't just buy 1 Saver pass. So, if there are just two of you, compare one adult pass (1st class only) plus one youth pass (2nd class) with two 2nd class Saver passes, then compare the best passes with 2nd class P2P prices from the national rail lines. And be sure to add the cost of premium train supplements (reservations) to the cost of a rail pass.