We are headed for Austria and after flying into Munich we will be taking the train to Salzburg using a Bayern Ticket. After checking around,I found that I could purchase daily Einfach Raus Tickets for 28 euros.
It covers up to five (5) people. For our party of four, rail passes would run about $800.00 for eight days of travel, while the Einfach would be $224.
Am I missing something? Thanks in advance for any info!
Paul
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
"Am I missing something?" Not really. Rail passes often are not cost effective. People just use them because they don't know their options. Of course, if you are making great leaps in a single day, then the regional train restriction of the Einfach Raus Ticket might be a problem, but in that case, you would be missing everything in between, which is not the way to travel.
I just (October) completed a trip through Bavaria, making a big loop around Munich (Oberammergau, Romantic Road, Würzburg, Nürnberg, Passau, Burghausen). I traveled every day for 13 days, and my total for all transportation (point-point and Länder-Tickets) was under $300. How much would that have cost me for a rail pass?
By the way, for Munich airport to Salzburg, you can also use a Bayern-Ticket, €27 for all four of you.
Posted by
OP
Stockbridge, GA, United States
4 posts
Lee, Then that's the way to go!
Thank you,
Paul
Posted by
Granger, IN
10 posts
Don't have a reply, but another question. I'm going to Spain, Italy, and France and will be traveling around for 15 days. I plan to fly from Barcelona to Rome, but otherwise use trains. Would that be cheaper to buy a rail pass in advance or pay as I go? I'll arrive in Madrid and then be visiting a few cities in Spain, probably a few in Italy, and then mostly travel near Paris, but fly back to Madrid for the flight home.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
The only way to know which is less expensive is to make an itinerary, then find the cost of point-point tickets. Get these costs from the national rail lines, not RailEurope, which has inflated point-point prices vs. over there. Do your research. Most countries have bargain price tickets if you know where to look. Then figure the cost of rail passes including all the supplement and reservation fee. Compare.
Don't use a website like RailSaver, because they don't take into account bargain fares, or even less expensive trains. They sell rail passes; which do you think they want you to think is best?
In the past, I have never found that a rail pass beats point-point tickets.