I am traveling with my 25 yr old son in Europe prior to him studying for a semester in England. We leave Seattle 9/3 and arrive in Berlin on 9/4. We plan to travel by train to Prague, Vienna, Munich,Rothenburg,Trier and end up in Frankfurt on 9/18 to fly to England. So we will have 6 travel days. I would appreciate any input on rail passes, what type etc. Also any comments on the itinerary given our time limitations. Thank you!!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Sounds like 7 destinations in 14 days? You're wise to avoid one night stands that way. However, if you want 3 nights in any of your locations (Berlin, Vienna, or Munich?), then you may want to think about reducing your destinations by at least 1. You'll find it helpful to go to this website to see train schedules, travel time, etc: click hereLee, Tim, Larry, or a few other Helpline volunteers who are rail pass "specialists" may see this tomorrow and hopefully can advise you on your rail pass questions, Or you could click on the RS/ETBD transportation department: ETBD Rail Department (we on the Helpline are not Rick Steves staff)to get their advice on rail passes, they consult on and sell them,and there is also a Railpasses tab at the top ribbon with good info from the Rick Steves folks.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
First place, I agree with Kent that you have a few too many destinations. Most of your "travel days" are more than just a few hours, so you are down to 8 non-travel days to see 7 places. Too much time traveling, not enough time sightseeing. Trier doesn't belong geographically; it's the first place that should go.
Munich to Rothenburg is very doable with regional trains and a €27 Bayern-Ticket. You don't need a day of a railpass for that. I don't know of any one pass that includes Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria. You can get one for two, but you'll have to pick a third and pay for p2p tickets anyway.
With advance booking on the German Rail site you can go from Berlin to Prague, from Rothenburg to Frankfurt, or from Vienna to Munich for €29 per person.
In 2000 I made a 2 week trip to Germany with a German Rail pass. Considering the trains I rode, I barely broke even v-v p2p, but knowing what I know now, I could have substituted a few slower trains and saved a lot of money. Since then (5 trips/ 10 weeks) I have never been able to justify a pass.
Posted by
Wisconsin
570 posts
Ann, you can go to www.railsaver.com and enter your info, and it'll figure out which combination of tickets and passes might work for your trip. I've used that site often.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Remember, though, that railsaver.com exists to sell Eurail passes, so their P2P comparisons may not always be accurate. They will certainly NEVER list the discounts you can get on some of the national rail websites like Bahn.de
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Norm, I agree with you entirely about RailSaver. A few years ago my wife and I made a 2 week loop through Ba-Wü and Bavaria. I just now input my itinerary into RailSaver and they recommended a $458 (plus shipping) German Twin pass, even though I checked "only if it saves me money".
We actually did those legs entirely with Länder-Tickets. At todays prices they would cost €170 (less than $270).
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
Ann, if Trier is not a "must see" town, then I would eliminate it and spend more time in the other cities--all of which are large (except for Rothenburg) and have lots to see and do. I went back to Trier several years ago and was disappointed. It is also quite a ways off your path. Just an idea. Have fun making memories with your son.