Hi everyone. I'm flying to Europe in a little over a week and am finalizing all my rail bookings (little late, I know). I've been reading the RailPass instructions both here and on the raileurope website and am thoroughly confused. My plan: 4 trains in France, 3 trains in Italy with one friend. Then she leaves and flies back to the US, while I continue on to fly from Rome to Frankfurt, and then continue by train in Germany, Netherlands, and Spain. What I'm trying to figure out is if it's economical to get a 5 country 10 day Railpass, and if it's even feasible / fair to do this if I'm getting the pass and my original travel partner (the one in France / Italy) won't have a railpass for those journeys. Lastly, I looked at the 7 day France-Italy railpass for her and it's saying $660, whereas the 10 day 5 country pass is only $506--also doesn't make sense. Am I missing something here? Any help or guidance in this regard would be much appreciated! FYI we're both "youths" (24). Thanks!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33848 posts
mandatory reservations in france and italy will add significantly to the cost of the passes but you are way too late for any point to point discounts. ooops.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33848 posts
why wouldn't it be fair? The railpasses are non transferable so I don't get it...
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
"I looked at the 7 day France-Italy railpass for her and it's saying $660" From Rick's Railpass section (tab at top of page), a France-Italy 7 day Youth (2nd cl) Eurail pass is $330, not $660.
Posted by
OP
Los Angeles, California, USA
11 posts
That makes sense, thanks for the guidance. Is there a way to check how much reservation fees would be without a pass?
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Seat reservations are quite nominal. I don't know the exact price in other countries, but in German they cost €4 for a single seat reservation on all express trains except the ICE Sprinter. Except for the ICE Sprinter, reservations are optional, but occasionally preferable. Regional trains do not have reservable seats. With the ICE Sprinter in Germany, and on express trains in other countries, when seat reservations are required, they are included in the standard ticket price, so they are not some hidden extra cost. In many countries, rail passes do not completely cover the cost of premium trains, so you must pay a supplement to ride them with a pass. These trains have only reserved seats, so when you pay the supplement, you also get a seat reservation. Hence the supplement is often referred to as a "reservation" fee.
Posted by
OP
Los Angeles, California, USA
11 posts
Thanks for the info! I think given the additional fees and multiple travelers, we'll shoot for the individual bookings this time around. Cheers,
Kyle