And lastly, if you really value comfort and convenience when you travel, then a Eurail pass may be a good choice for you. Another key factor to consider is that train stations tend to be in the center of cities rather than the outskirts like most airports, which means travelling by train can save you lots of time and money in that regard too.
Because of all those factors, I do think that train travel makes sense if your priority is comfort and convenience, and using a Eurail pass can help you save quite a bit of money. Another key consideration is which Eurail pass you intend to buy. The first distinction that you need to make is in terms of the geographical area that your pass covers. This is actually pretty easy now because Eurail recently rehauled their entire system and nowadays you can only purchase either a one country pass or a global pass.
On the other hand, with the global pass, you actually gain access to the entire Eurail network, which is 31 countries. On the other hand, a global pass can be worth it depending on where you go and how far apart your different stops are.
BUT I do think it can be really, really worth it if you plan a bunch of different legs that are only within a few hours of each other.
Eurail Continuous Pass vs. Eurail Flex Pass. The second distinction that you need to make with your Eurail pass is in terms of the validity period and the number of travel days that you get…. There are two kinds of passes that you can purchase, the first of which is the continuous pass.
With it, you purchase a ticket for a set period of time and then every day of that period you can ride a train and your pass is valid. On the other hand, you have the flex pass. With it, you get a set number of days to travel in a time period ranging from one to two months. For example, if you get a Eurail Flex Pass with 10 travel days in two months, then within a two month period, you get 10 days during which you can use the pass and ride as many trains as you want during that day.
The honest truth is with Eurail, there are certain countries that are much better for the pass than others. For instance, there are countries that have a lot of mandatory reservation fees like France, Italy, and Portugal. Taking high speed trains in all of these countries require additional reservation fees, which really racks up costs. There are also certain countries where bus travel is a lot more common than train travel and for that reason, I would really avoid getting a rail pass for countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Do You Value Convenience and Flexibility? Go for a rail pass. The ability to hop on just about any train on a whim is a great feeling. Can You Plan Ahead? Buying single tickets in advance will be cheaper in just about all cases. Guide to Night Trains and Sleeping on Trains. The Savvy Backpacker is reader-supported. Let's take a look at everything you need to know about using an Eurail Pass to travel Europe by train. How to travel England by train and tips for finding the best price on train tickets.
How to travel Germany by train — tips for buying German train tickets and advice for navigating Germany by rail. What you need to know about booking train tickets in Italy and tips for getting the cheapest prices. Search Go. Transportation July 21, Share Post.
There are two main types of passes to choose from: Global Eurail Pass Continuous : You get unlimited travel to any Eurail participant country for a period spanning 15 days and 3 months.
Five travel days within one month Four travel days within one month Five travel days within one month Seven travel days within one month 10 travel days within two months 15 travel days within two months Check Eurail. Single Country Eurail Pass The Single Country Eurail Pass is just as it sounds — you get a single pass that allows you to travel within a single country for 3, 4, 5, 6, or 8 travel days within 1 month.
Note the helpful price per day at the bottom. Example search result from Trainline. Looking for our train. This train requires a reservation. Thanks For Reading! To figure out whether you want to buy a rail pass, sketch out your itinerary , then answer the following questions:.
If your price comparison doesn't produce an obvious winner, take a closer look at factors that could tilt your decision one way or another, such as:.
Sparse rail coverage: In some areas, such as southern Spain, coastal Croatia, much of Scotland, and all of Greece and Ireland, rail passes make little sense because trains don't reach a lot of places you're planning to go. To learn whether your destinations are served by train, check online train schedules. Pricey fast-train supplements: Passes lose their luster when fees are tacked on.
In some countries, passholders are required to pay extra for each trip on a high-speed train. Advance-purchase discounts: If you don't mind forgoing some spontaneity, you'll probably be able to save money with advance-purchase discounts on point-to-point tickets.
But what you save in dollars you will lose in flexibility, as these discounts are usually valid only for nonrefundable, nonchangeable reserved tickets. Convenience: In countries or regions where reservations usually aren't required, a pass allows you to hop on and off trains without fussing with buying multiple tickets; if all other things are equal, a pass can make sense for ease of travel.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Share. Sketch out your itinerary, then follow the steps listed here to see whether a rail pass makes sense for your trip. By Rick Steves A train traveler's biggest pretrip decision is whether to get a rail pass or stick with point-to-point tickets or use a mix of both.
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