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Saver or Saver Flexi

Posted by (SW Florida) on

I've researched RS site and didn't find this question so I hope I'm not duplicating. I've also searched the various websites concerning railpasses (including RS) but didn't find the answer I'm looking for.

My friend and I are spending a month in Europe summer 2010. We have the itinerary planned out and we did the math to figure out that buying a railpass is more economical for the 20 days we are on the mainland to get from city to city (we are going with either the 21 day Global Saver or the 10 day Global Flexisaver, not sure yet) but we are unsure as to how the railpass would work specifically. We understand about seat reservations etc. our question is more related to types of travel.

First, Some of our destinations are off the beaten path so would the pass cover all rail legs of the journey? For example we are traveling from Bern to Vezelay (not sure which station to get off, any ideas?) and then on to Paris. It looks like there are multiple stops to get to Vezelay from Bern. Would the entire trip be covered? If so, when we get on one train will the route be posted so we know where to transfer or do we have to figure that out before we get on the train?

Second, we are leaning towards the 21 day Global Saver, it seems more flexible. Does that mean we can travel everyday if we want within the 21 days? We aren't but there are some day trips we will be taking from central locations. We are thinking that is this is the case, then we don't have to pay for busses etc and the train pass will get more use.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Posted by
4132 posts

Steve's Vezelay itinerary is spot on, assuming you will be traveling in July or August (when the bus runs, though there are limited runs year round).

I would just add that for the trip from Vezelay to Paris there is a train from Sermizelles, about 10k from Vezelay, to Paris, probably with a change in Auxerre.

This train originates in Avallon, a little further but on the bus route.

You might still prefer the train from Montbard, depending on what works best with your schedule.

Vezelay is brilliant, have a great trip!

Posted by
8700 posts

Kristina,

When you did the math, did you compare only the cost of full fare point-to-point tickets to that of a pass for your routes? If so, you should know that booking p2p tickets well in advance on a country's national rail Web site can result in cheap discount fares which end up costing less than a pass.

What is your full train itinerary?

Posted by
59 posts

Kristina, Seems like the days of Eurail passes, being the way to go, are changing. Listen to Tim and people like Frank II, Steve, Brad etc. They know all the P2P deals that are out there that will really save you some money. Cheryl

Posted by
15 posts

Thanks for the replies - being first-timers, we appreciate all the help we can get. To answer your questions.

We will be on the mainland for at least three weeks, but probably closer to four (still working out the details), however we will only have 11 days of travel (including Paris to Versailles which we assume will actually just be local transport).

Our full train itinerary is as follows:

  1. Amsterdam to St. Goar **St. Goar to Bacarach (via boat)
  2. Bacarach to Rothenburg
  3. Rothenburg to Munich via Fussen
  4. Munich to Venice (overnight going through Austria)
  5. Venice to Vernazza
  6. Vernazza to Gimmelwald via Interlaken
  7. Gimmelwald to Vezelay
  8. Vezelay to Paris **We are taking day trips from Paris to Versailles and Brussels.

We have built in one day of travel between each location (hoping that some of the shorter legs may allow for a bit of sightseeing/relaxation either before or after travel). And most of the stops are for 2-5 nights.

We did compare both passes to P2P (as best we could-some of the routes we were unsure of or couldn't find exact fares for P2P). It seemed as though the passes were a bit more (by about $100-150) but allowed for greater flexibility (particularly the saver).

We think we will be in Vezelay on June 27-28.

Thanks again for everyone's help!!! Suggestions/comments are definitely appreciated.

Posted by
8700 posts

Since you will be taking quite a few rides, railpasses may be a good choice for a combination of price and flexibility.

However, here are some examples of advance purchase discount fares for you to consider when comparing costs:

Amsterdam-St. Goar: Booked well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at www.bahn.de, you can get a Europa-Spezial Niederlande fare of 29 euro.

Bacharach-Rothenburg ob der Tauber: Booked at www.bahn.de, you can get a Sparpreis fare of 29 euro. Or go to any station and buy a Quer-Durch-Land Ticket (34 euro for the first person and 5 euro each for up to four additional persons) for travel after 09:00 on weekdays all across Germany on regional trains. Or buy a Schoenes-Wochenende (Happy Weekend) Ticket (37 euro inclusive for up to five persons) at any station for travel anytime on Saturdays or Sundays all across Germany on regional trains.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber-Fuessen-Munich: At any station buy a Bayern-Ticket (28 euro inclusive for up to five persons) for travel in Bavaria after 09:00 on weekdays and anytime on weekends on regional trains.

Munich-Venice: By booking well in advance at www.bahn.de, you can get a discount fare of 79 euro for a bunk in a four-person couchette or 109 euro for a bed in a two-person sleeper.

Venice-Vernazza. Buy tickets at the station to get a fare of 51.20 for a route that includes one leg on a high-speed train or 20.35 for a slower route all on regional trains.

For Vernazza-Gimmelwald I only checked fares for part of the route. Vernazza-Milan is 21.31 euro. Milan-Spiez is 52 euro.

Bern-Montbard is 62.60 euro.

Montbard-Paris: If you book well in advance (up to three months allowed) at www.tgv-europe.com, you can get a Prem's fare of 20 euro.

Paris-Versailles: 2.95 euro each way on the Metro and RER.

Paris-Brussels-Paris day trip: Booked well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at www.thalys.com, you can get a return (roundtrip) fare of 40 euro.

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