Should I get a Eurail pass or 'buy as I go'?

Posted by Christopher (Melbourne, Australia) on 03/01/10 08:45 PM

I am making a four week trip to Europe in mid-April and am confused as to whether it is best to purchase a Eurail pass; a country specific pass or to just buy single tickets as I travel. Given the schedule and the countries I am visiting I haven't been able to come to a firm conclusion on this. All of these trips would be taken during daylight hours.

I would travel from Berlin to Zagan Poland (1hr 45 min. train travel time) and then on to Warsaw (8 hrs), Krakow (2hr 30min.), Oswiecim (1 hr 30 min.), Prague (7hrs 45min.), Dresden (2 hr 15min.), Leipzig (1hr 15min) and then to Cologne (5hrs) to attend a conference for a week.

I then will travel to Munich (5 hrs), Oberammergau (1hr 50min.), Salzburg (4 hrs) and finally to Vienna (2hr 40min.).

Any comments on my dilemma would be very much appreciated.

Posted by Anne

Weeki Wachee, FL, USA

03/02/10 06:35 AM

75 posts

Also consider any rail pass benefits that might apply to you, such as savings on ferries, use of city transportation, and so forth.

I liked the convenience of the pass, since not all the trains I took needed reservations. I could just go when I pleased and not have to worry about waiting on line to buy a ticket.

Just a thought...

Posted by Randy

Minneapolis, MN, USA

03/02/10 08:00 AM

1525 posts

Passes are only sensible for longer legs and your longest are in what we used to refer to as "eastern" Europe, where rail prices are generally quite a bit cheaper than the west and less likely to be sold out. So I would suggest just buying point to point tickets as you go. When you arrive at a city's train station, stop by the window to buy your ticket out, then go sightsee. You should be fine.

In Germany there are many ways to save on tickets. Buy 90 days ahead from the Bahn web site for deep discounts on longer legs. For short legs, buy a regional ticket for all day travel. Doesn't cost much at all.

Posted by Lee

Lakewood, Colorado

03/02/10 09:16 AM

19274 posts

I think passes are usually more expensive than point-point tickets. I've never spent more than few minutes getting a ticket from an automat; it's easy. The cost difference between a pass and P-P is lot to pay for convenience.

You can get advance purchase Europa-Spezial and Sparpreis tickets online from the German Rail website. They are date and train specific, must have at least one leg by express trains (ICE/IC/EC), and have only limited refundability, so make sure you can commit.

Länder-Ticket are easy to purchase at an automat. They are always available and can be purchased the day of travel or earlier. They can be used for unlimited hop on/off travel on any regional trains for a day (after 9 AM workdays).

Assuming one person
Berlin Zagen: €29 with Europa-Spezial, but only €34,40 full fare
Zagen Warsaw Krakow Oswiecim Prague: ?
Prague Dresden: €19 with Europa-Spezial, but only €30,70 full fare
Dresden Leipzig: €19 with Sparpreis or €20 with a Sachsen-Ticket-Single (Länder-Ticket)
Leipzig Köln: €29 Sparpreis
Köln Munich: €29 Sparpreis
Munich Oberammergau: €20 Bayern-Ticket-Single (Länder-Ticket)
Oberammergau Salzburg: €20 Bayern-Ticket-Single
Salzburg-Wien: probably something equivalent to Sparpreis on www.oebb.at.