Does Rail Europe offer discounts to seniors? We have several in our party over 55, one at 60 and one at 85. If so, are the discounts offered on night trains during the summer (july)?
Posted by
Phoenix, AZ, USA
1035 posts
If you are looking for a discount, Rail Europe is no place to go. You will nearly almost always pay less booking through local train websites vs. RE. Where are you traveling within Europe?
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Senior discounts vary greatly. In generally they are limited to EU citizens but not always. However, most start at 60 and up so the 55s will not make it. Spanish rail sells a "senior pass" -- 5E two years ago -- that gets a 25% rail discount on weekends and 40% for weekend. The card and tickets are purchased in Spain. Just show your passport.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
German Rail (Bahn) sells what they call Bahn Cards, which give discounts of 25% and 50% on all tickets you buy from them, but you have to use it some before you break even, and there are so many other good discounts from the Bahn. And they do have a lower price for the Bahn card for seniors. However, the Bahn card is an abonnement (subscription) and they'll charge your credit card every year until you find a way to turn it off.
Posted by
Dallas
1022 posts
Senior discounts may be available through Rail Europe for your journey. Generally, RE is more expensive than the local country's rail site, but the only way to know for your journey is to compare prices on the different sites.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Just to clarify, in case you are not aware. Rail Europe is not the operator of trains in Europe. It is a company that sells marked-up tickets and passes to travelers from the US and Canada. Separate national rail companies operate the trains in each country, with some joint-ventures that travel between nations.
Posted by
Austin
976 posts
@ Lee, last year we booked an Amsterdam- Munich train on DB without the card, just added my husband's age in the space and got the senior discount. Didn't get into any trouble- did I miss something about the senior needing the card, or did we luck out with the conductor?
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
No, for DB, you don't need a Bahncard to get a senior discount. The Bahncard is something different.
Posted by
OP
Moorpark, California
9 posts
Thanks for all the great information. The segment of our trip that we need transportation is from Vienna to Venice. To tell you the truth, I really wanted to find some kind of private transportation for this segment of our trip because the overnight train is 12 hours (yuk). We found a great transfer service from Prague to Vienna, but I can't find anything from Vienna to Venice. Does anyone have a suggestion other than a train? I already checked into air and it was very expensive.