So, I will be travelling in Europe for 7 weeks starting at the end of May. I need to decide soon whether a rail pass is a good option, but have been told to be weary because it's possible to go cheaper by looking for deals while you're there and flying as well. I am travelling with my brother and both of us are just under 26, so we qualify for the youth rates. I was thinking of purchasing a 5 country 6+1 day travel rail pass - Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Benelux and a 5th to be determined (Poland if we can secure a place to stay for the Eurocup soccer.) The final two weeks of my trip I will be in the UK, so essentially I would only be able to use the pass for four weeks in the month of June. Other countries we would like to visit if possible would be Spain/Portugal and possibly Greece. I thought for the Southern countries we could find cheap flights, and so the rail pass may save us money in the central countries. If we go without a rail pass, how far in advance should we plan to be booking "deals" for the rails? I worry that without the rail pass, we may be stuck in a city waiting for a "deal," whereas the rail pass could give us an extra bit of flexibility. My last question, is are we being a little too ambitious for the amount of travel in 4 weeks? Thank you for any comments and tips!
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
The rail pass may be your best option if you want to skip a lot of homework digging up the best fares and making commitments on your travel. However, the rail pass is normally your most expensive option. Your choice. Also note, that many train companies charge supplemental fees on top of the cost of your pass. Second, if you are just passing through or taking just 1-2 trains in a country, you might consider just point-to-point and eliminating a country. Remember, when traveling between two countries, the borders must ajoin or you will pay extra to cross a country not on your passs. Also, just beware of two areas. 1) The Thalys train between Amsterdam and Paris. The supplemental fee almost as high as a point-to-point ticket. 2) In the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Berner Oberland in Switzerland, your pass will only get you a 25% discount.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Rail tickets in Belgium and the Netherlands are pretty cheap to begin with. Belgian rail sells its own domestic rail pass that more than one person can use at a time, and it is an absolute bargain compared to a 3rd party rail pass.
Posted by
San Jose, CA
1994 posts
Evan, when I was trying to sort out pass vs individual tickets, I found the folks in the Rick Steves rail pass office to be very helpful. You might give them a call. And FYI, some countries limit the number of seats that are set aside for rail passes, so even though I had a pass, on one route in France I wasn't able to use it (ie, there were no rail pass seat reservations available, even though there were seats available).
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3050 posts
Railpasses are generally not a good deal for those of us who have to pay adult prices. The youth price makes it far more attractive. Also, in Germany and Austria (and some, I think, but not all? routes in Switzerland) you are not charged extra fees for fast trains like you are in France and Italy. So that also makes a railpass a better deal. I don't know the situation in Benelux regarding mandatory reservations on fast trains. It's hard to say if it's the absolute cheapest way for you to go without knowing your itinerary, but if you want flexibility, given the countries you'll be traveling to and the cost of the youth pass, it's far less likely to be a BAD deal than it is for most other people who are considering a railpass. It's smart to consider cheap flights to Spain or Greece. If you don't go for the railpass, the best time to buy tickets is as early as possible, that's when they are the cheapest for fast trains, and if you're covering a lot of ground, you'll generally want to be on the fast trains.