I will be studying in Southern Spain for about five months. During that time we will be having 3-4 breaks about a week-two weeks. I plan on travelling a little in Southern Spain, But would like to travel to Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. I am not sure whether to buy a flexi or saver railpass or buy train tickets individually or fly. I am trying to keep cost down if possible, so what should I do?
Posted by
Lincoln, NE, USA
390 posts
I spent a semester in London and found that it was cheapest to just fly on Ryanair or EasyJet and then buy train tickets separately.
Deutsche Bahn has great deals if you book online in advance, and Trenitalia also has discounts for booking early. Rail passes are getting so expensive that it's hard to get your money's worth unless you travel every single day.
We also had week-long breaks, but we'd spend most of our time in only one area of a country. i.e. we went to Italy in April for 8 days, but only visited Rome, Pompeii, and Positano. We only spent about €30 on transportation in Italy.
I suggest figuring out where you really want to go and then researching individual fares vs. rail passes.
Posted by
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
191 posts
For what it's worth (because I was in Belgium for 6 months 10 (!) years ago for a semester so I'm not sure how relevant this will still be), it depends.
I bought a rail pass but I went over assuming I'd find other North Americans with passes or travel on my own failing that. What actually ended up happening is that the people I met and traveled with didn't also have rail passes and with the places we went, flights were cheaper. So, I ended up either taking the train and meeting my friends there or paying for a flight. In the end, I did not get my money's worth on the rail pass. But if you're going over with people you know you will travel with and you all have rail passes, I think it might end up being the cheaper option.
Posted by
Lewiston, Idaho, USA
2092 posts
Our daughter studied for a year in the south of France and found a pass very worthwhile but she traveled on her own most of the time and very frequently. I believe she had a select pass.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
Flights in Europe are cheap. You will probably find a car works well on weekends, a train works well for some trips and a plane is the best way to go for longer hops. I think there is more chance you will be sorry you bought a rail pass than to wait and pick the best option for each trip.