Rail passes: save big money by choosing the right one for your Europe trip
Jan 06 '04 (Updated Aug 14 '04)
The Bottom Line There are dozens of different rail passes available to travelers in Europe. Here's help on picking the least expensive one that meets your needs. You could save $1,000.
You've finally made it--your dream vacation to Europe. You've been on the continent a few days, and there you are with your family enjoying a train ride from Paris to Amsterdam, thinking how easy it was to just hop on the train with your EurailPasses. The passes were a bit expensive, but the convenience was worth it. You meet another family, and find out they're on a nearly identical itinerary--probably something picked from one of Rick Steves's books. Then you find out how much they spent on their rail passes, and your heart sinks: it's less than half of what you paid. I've traveled extensively in Europe, and I run into this situation all the time.
Strange, because there are no rail pass sales, discounts or package deals. The prices for all rail passes are set once a year. You simply didn't choose the rail pass best suited to your travel needs, and the other family did.
Multiplication of Rail Passes
Once upon a time, there was the EurailPass. It was good for unlimited train travel in most of the countries of Western Europe (notable exceptions are the UK and Switzerland) for a certain period of time (typically 10, 15 or 21 days or 1, 2 or 3 months). As the cost of rail travel increased over the years, EurailPass prices started to get prohibitive, especially for travelers who planned to stay in Europe for a while but only use the train occasionally. Thus, the Eurail Flexi Passes were born. These allow for a limited number of travel days (for example, 5, 10 or 15) within a longer period of time, and at a correspondingly lower cost.
Over the years, many other rail pass styles have come and gone in an effort to accommodate changing travel styles.
What's Available in 2004
In 2004, there are three main types of passes:
1. Regular EurailPass -- allows unlimited travel within the 17 Eurail countries for 15 days, 21 days, 1 month, 2 months or 3 months. This type of pass is best for people who plan to ride the rails a lot--more than once a day to once every day or two.
2. Eurail FlexiPass -- allows travel within the 17 Eurail countries on any 10 or 15 days within a 2-month period. This type of pass is aimed at people taking a more leisurely trip, typically involving more extended stays in a few places.
3. Eurail SelectPass -- allows travel within 3, 4 or 5 contiguous Eurail countries on any 5, 6, 8, 10 or 15 days within a 2-month period. This type of pass is intended for travelers restricting their visit to just a few countries.
In addition to these basic pass types, there are some money saving variations and conditions:
1. Saver Passes -- If you travel in a party of 2 to 5 people, you can get approximately a 15 per cent discount on any of the passes listed above. Note that your party must travel together at all times because there is only one pass document.
2. Youth Passes -- The three types of passes listed above are available to people under 26 years old on the first day of pass usage at approximately a 30 per cent discount. Unlike all the other passes discussed here, youth passes are for second class travel.
3. Children under 4 years old travel free, and those between 4 and 11 years old pay only half price for any pass.
What's Included With Your Rail Pass?
Check all terms and conditions before you purchase a rail pass.
Eurrail passes are generally good for first class travel (except Youth passes which cover second class travel) on all trains in the Eurail Network. With your pass, you can board many trains without any preplanning. However, even with your pass, most "premium" trains require you to make a reservation (at a cost of about $10 per passenger). Premium trains include high speed lines like the TGV and Thalys, ICE (Intercity Express), most international trains and EuroStar (the "Chunnel" train). Reservations are advisable for any important trip, especially in the high travel season.
Your Eurail Pass does not pay the full cost of a trip on EuroStar. You'll have to pay a supplement when you make your reservation. It also does not cover the cost of a sleeper compartment or couchette on a night train. The supplement for a couchette is modest, but sleeper compartments cost a bundle. Reservations are obligatory for couchette berths and sleeper compartments.
Eurail passes cover a wide variety of other transportation costs (including some boats and ferries) which are too numerous to mention here. See www.raileurope.com .
Eurail Passes generally do not cover the cost of local public transportation such as buses, subways, streetcars and suburban commuter trains. Sometimes it's difficult to single out the ones that accept rail passes from the ones that don't.
An Example of Choosing a Pass
Let's say you're a couple, both in your 30s with a child aged 10. You're going to be in Europe for a month, but you plan to travel by train on only 10 different days, including the first and last day of your trip.
You could buy 1-month EurailPasses at a total cost of $2,366 ($946 for each adult plus $473 for the child). Right away, you realize that you're eligible for a Eurail Saver Pass (since you'll all be traveling together). This reduces the cost to $2,010, a savings of $356.
Then you check the price of a 10 day (in 2 month) FlexiPass, and it comes to only $1,735, but after a moment's thought, you realize the Flexi Saver Passes are only $1,480. A bit of planning has saved you $886.
If you'd been planning to visit only 4 contiguous countries, you could have cut your total outlay to only $1,240 with a Eurail SelectPass Saver (or is it Select Saver Pass?).
Rail Pass Conditions and Prices
You must buy your rail pass before leaving for Europe; you cannot buy one in Europe. You must activate your pass within six months of purchase by having a railroad official stamp it before you board a train for the first time, and for certain passes, you must write in each date you use it before you board the train. Please read and follow all the usage rules very carefully before you step onto a train. Failure to follow the rules may result in confiscation of your pass or other penalty (such as being forced to buy a ticket), and that would be a major downer.
Within just the Eurail world, there are dozens of different passes, each with its corresponding price. For a complete list of passes and prices, check out either of the excellent web sites www.ricksteves.com or www.raileurope.com .
If you're planning to buy your pass online, try using the REI Visa Card, to get 1% cash back.
The Eurail Network
The Eurail Network comprises about 100,000 miles of rail routes in 17 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Note that the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) is not on this list. Furthermore, Switzerland has many popular private railroads that are not included in the network.
Other Rail Passes
The passes listed here are for travel on the Eurail Network. In addition, most countries have rail passes good for travel only within their borders. These may be a bargain if you are traveling only in one country.
Eurail itself also offers drive-ride packages that include train travel and a rental car.
Other Related Advice on Transportation in Europe
-- Web Resources for Serious Train Riders
-- France and adjacent countries on the TGV, Eurostar, and Thalys
-- Paris to London on Eurostar, the Chunnel Train
-- London to Paris on Eurostar, the Chunnel Train
-- Using the Swiss transportation system
-- Getting from Charles de Gaulle airport into Paris
-- Using public transit in Paris
Related Links--Save Money on Your European Vacation
-- Get 1% cash back using the no-fee REI Visa card to pay your pretrip expenses,
-- but switch to this MBNA card and save 2 to 3 per cent on your foreign transactions.
-- Caution: The most popular frequent flyer miles credit card costs you 3% extra every time you use it outside the USA. Click here to get the details.
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