Well, me and a friend of mine (both under 26 and soon to be freshman in college) leave for Vienna Aug. 5 for a two week trip throughout Europe. I've been reading a lot in order to have the best trip possible, and I was wondering if the Eurail is the best idea. We plan on going to 7 countries throughout Europe that are all covered on the global pass, and I had a few questions.
(1) Are any of the metros in Italy or France included?
(2) How much do reservation fees usually total up to by the end of a trip?
(3) Is there a better option to have the best trip possible!
Thanks in advance for any help!
Posted by
Manchester
495 posts
1) Metro/Subway trains are not usually included in the passes.
2) How long is a piece of string? Some high speed trains require reservations, slower commuter trains are usually reservation optional (although without a booked seat you may have to stand.) Some US agents charge a premium to make reservations (~$15 each) but they can usually be made cheaply (~€2) or for free in Europe depending on the country.
3) Point-to-point tickets may or may not be cheaper that a pass. If you find a pass more convenient then it may be worth a premium to you.
This site http://www.railsaver.com/ will let you plan an itinerary and work out if a pass saver money. they are in the business of selling passes so if they say it's a bad deal...
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
2 weeks is not an exceptional amount of time to visit 7 counties. You're not even talking about 2 nights for each "city" but rather 2 nights for an entire "country". Also, 2 nights equates to 1 full day since the first full day will entail some sort of travel to get to your destination.
I know you two are eager to see as much of Europe as you can (we all are), but with your plans you will possibly see more of the inside of the trains than you will the actual countries. I don't know what cities you plan to visit other than Vienna, but you could easily spend 3, 4, 5 days in just 1 city and not see all that is offered.
I would suggest you narrow down your itinerary to 3 or maybe 4 destinations and cut down on your travel time. By traveling less you will DECREASE the cost of your Eurail passes and reservations and INCREASE the amount of sites/experiences you actually get to enjoy.
No, metros are not included because metros are typically very cheap if you're talking about places like Rome and Paris.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
A railpass covers the base train fare only. It does not cover seat reservation fees on some trains or night train sleeper arrangements. If you're planning on a lot of night trains, your costs will increase.
If you ride on the lower category trains in some countries, you can avoid high supplement fees. However, the train journeys are longer as these trains stop more often. If you ride the Eurostars in Italy, the seat reservation fee is 18Euro on top of your base fare.
CLICK HERE to see the different fees for the different train categories in the different countries.
A couple of other thoughts. In Italy, a railpass is usually not a good value especially if you are just breezing through. P2P is less expensive. Also, if you choose to take the train to Sorrento from Naples, your pass won't work on the private train system. For Switzerland, train travel is more expensive. Also, a Eurail pass will only get you a 25% discount off of public transportation in the very popular Lauterbrunnen Valley.
Posted by
OP
Chicago, IL, USA
6 posts
Thanks so much for the help! After thinking, I believe I will shorten the amount of countries to enjoy the best of each city! Thanks again!
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
I think that's a great decision!