I was using RS link to Eurail to plan out our train schedule. We are going to 6 cities and I can only link 4 cities together and then the "add another city" link disappears. I was trying to get the rates with "the suggested type of rail pass" and without a rail pass but can't get a final total since I can't add the last 2 cities. Am I doing something wrong??
We are landing in Munich then to Salzburg, Innsbruck, Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre,and flying out of Rome.
Do Not use Eurail to plan. Use www.bahn.com to look at the train schedules. I can pretty much guarantee that buying tickets individually in advance (with at least one exception), will be the cheaper option.
The exception: Munich airport to Salzburg with a Bayern ticket bought at the airport ticket machine.
Prices for Innsbruck-Venice, Venice-Florence, Florence-Cinque Terre, Cinque Terre-Rome airport. At www.trenitalia.com.
What Sam said. Forget about a pass; buy individual tix. Note - trenitalia doesn't yet show full schedules for after June 12; if your travel is after that date, pick a date same day of week in early June to get the idea. enjoy your trip!
Thanks to you both for the great information. Three more questions.
1. Can we buy the Bayern ticket at the airport or online before we leave the US? I read that it is also valid on the buses, S-Bahn, subways etc. in Munich and that the Regional trains run from Munich every hour to Salzburg and the journey takes 2 hours. If coming from the Airport simply take the S8 to the Ostbahnhof and change to the Regional trains. Correct?
2. How long is the S8 ride from airport to Ostbahnhof?
3. What site should I book the leg of the trip from Salzburg to Innsbruck? Should I use the Trenitalia.com site?
- Yes. The Bayern Ticket is good until 3 am the following day. Yes, pretty much all forms of transport in Bavaria. No reason to buy on-line. There is a 2 euro service fee if bought from a ticket window rather than a ticket machine.
- The S8 is 33 minutes, but the S1 works as well, if a little longer. The departures alternate, so just take the first one available. Also, with the S1 you can change at the Hbf.
- Buy Salzburg-Innsbruck tickets at www.oebb.at/en. That is the Austrian National Railway, who runs the train. I'm seeing prices as low as 14 euro for nonrefundable, non-changeable tickets 3 months out.
You can't put Cinque Terre into the planner. It is not the name of a station, it is a region.
Use the name of the station in the town where you are staying - or hope to stay.
Use Venezia Santa Lucia or VENICE for Venice, you will see trains to Venezia Mestre which is not in the islands. Use Venezia Santa Lucia, and you will walk out of the stations at the top of a flight of stairs down to the Grand Canal which stretches before you to the left and right.
Use Firenze SMN (Santa Maria Novella). Other stations may come up which are not in the centre.
Just a small addition to Nigel's post, there is also a ramp in addition to stairs at the Venezia Santa Lucia train station. Easier on luggage.
Rather than using Rail Europe's wizard to choose a rail pass, we suggest that readers start with the info on our own pages. For your route, we would not recommend a pass. You would probably reach the same conclusion based on Rick’s Train Travel Time & cost Map showing regular (full-price) 2nd-class fares. You can get more discounts by locking in the longer trips ahead, but even that is not strictly necessary. Innsbruck-Venice is your most expensive leg and runs least frequently, so a good candidate to book ahead, e.g. for the direct train departing at 13:27.