Venice was once one of the main ports of call for young aristocrats doing their “Grand Tour”. It is still high on the list of most travelers enjoying Europe train travel. This city of canals has been described as “undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man” and with that commendation, one can hardly whiz by without stopping.

European train tickets such as the  Eurail Regional pass or Eurail Select pass can make Venice very easy to reach. Most intercity, regional and local trains connect with Venice’s Santa Lucia train station. Venice is built on 117 small islands in the Venetian Lagoon of the Adriatic Sea. One of the most impressive ways to approach the city for the first time is by train across the Ponte della Liberta bridge.

The 1950s station itself is more serviceable than beautiful – there is a left luggage office near platform 14 which you may want to take advantage of and even a luggage transport system called Cooperativa Trasbagagli (tel.+390415203070), leaving you luggage-free to enjoy the sights.

The impact of seeing the city as you step out of the station is a breathtaking moment as the magical city of Venice is spread out before you. The reasonably priced vaporetto (watertaxi) stop is right below the station, although the district of San Marco is less than a mile away if you choose to walk. Admire the countless churches, bridges, palazzos and museums which demand your attention at every turn. The main highway is the Grand Canal with its busy water traffic and iconic gondolas which make a unique picture.

St Mark’s Basilica is the main attraction in Venice. Unlike other churches in Venice it is free to enter but there is an admission fee to visit the museum, high altar and treasury. From the top of the bell tower there are superb views of the city. Nearby on St Mark’s Square is the magnificent Doge’s Palace (worth doing a tour) and the fascinating Astronomical Clock.

Art lovers will not want to miss the Peggy Guggenheim Museum but the most significant art museum in Venice is the Galleria dell’Accademia. Many of the churches have valuable Renaissance artworks and frescoes too. Enjoy exploring the narrow streets, dine at outdoor cafés and discover the beauty of Venice for yourself.

Unique, historic and enchanting, if you are touring Europe and have flexible Europe rail tickets, Venice is a definite must-do!

You can also tour Venice with a Eurail Global pass but be sure to check your options and planned route on our main site before purchasing.

If you are planning to travel by train around Europe , a European rail pass may save you a fortune compared to buying individual tickets. This range of passes entitles the holder to unlimited rail travel throughout most European countries. However there are one or two exceptions and conditions which passholders need to be aware of.

A Eurail Pass is only available to overseas visitors and should be purchased before leaving your home country. A European rail pass is for travel on all normal scheduled trains operated by national rail networks in each participating country. It is specifically designed with tourists and travelers in mind. It does not cover the Underground or Metro, small private rail companies such as the Jungfraubahn, or the high-speed Eurostar which runs through the Channel Tunnel.

A railpass is a considerable financial outlay, and is not generally worthwhile for those making one journey point-to-point. A Eurail Pass saves money when traveling on multiple journeys, in one or more countries, over a period of time. Different types of European rail pass are available depending upon how many countries you wish to visit and whether you will be traveling continually, or want a few days multi-rail travel within a 2 month window.

It is worth comparing the price of individual rail journeys before purchasing a Eurail Pass to make sure that it will save you money over individual tickets. However, the advantage of purchasing a Eurail Pass , besides saving money, is that the pass is flexible if your itinerary changes.

Flexibility is in theory what a Eurail Pass is all about. Once you have bought your pass and arrived at your first rail station, your ticket must be validated at the ticket office.

You should then be able to hop on any train and show your pass to the conductor. Seat reservations are a good idea to guarantee a seat and cost a few euros. A few tourist routes in the Netherlands and Belgium and most trains in France , Italy , Spain , Portugal and Sweden do however require compulsory seat reservations. Timetables will indicate where this is required with an “R”.

Eurail passes come with various options. A continuous Eurail pass is valid for the whole period of validity whereas a Flexi-pass gives 10 or 15 days unlimited travel within a 2 month period. There is a “saver” version for two people traveling together and a student version for those under 26 years of age.

Be sure to check out your pass options here.

Check out our new Eurail site redesign!

You spoke, we listened.

Not only have we categorized everything in a much cleaner format, but made it super easy by making the entire Eurail pass selection process very simple. In fact, we went out of our way to make it ultra easy to follow so even the novice traveler will have no problem figuring out which rail pass they need. So our first objective was to make it super-easy. You can navigate using either the main panel buttons or the tabs on top.

Our next goal was to offer some added tools to help you plan your trip all in one place. One of these tools is the Instant Ticket Check tool found on the left hand side sidebar. You simply type in your anticipated cities and it will automatically find timetables and fares for your trip. It simply can’t get easier than that.

We also added popular maps so you can instantly download them and use them prior and during your trip. We also have a few highly effective language courses for anyone wishing to learn the most common European languages. Hey if you plan on staying for a while, it never hurts to know the language right? Two ways to someone’s heart- their stomachs and their mother tongue

Above all, we kept our reviews as pinpoint as possible together with side by side price comparisons so you see exactly what you’re buying before you reserve your ticket.

Another thing you may have noticed is we moved all Japan rail pass fares and allocated them to a specially designated site in order to maintain our focus on European rail travel.

We have another update coming in December which will add even more value to European rail travelers so stay tuned for much, much more!

Welcome to our blog helping European rail travelers select the best Eurail pass for their trip! It’s an often confusing task trying to work out exactly which pass to go for. Global, Select, Regional or Country?

Our main site www.RailPassDeals.com will make that easy for you. Simply follow the options on the side bar and it’s literally an instant decision. Once you arrive at the specific product page, you will notice side by side price comparisons.

The Eurail Global pass section has an automatic pass selector for you – you simply click the option that best describes your trip and your pass will be automatically selected for you!

Now let’s get down to a very important point because we receive frequent emails from curious travelers about. It’s about pricing. Please note, there is no such thing as a “discount” or a Eurail pass “on sale”. No such thing! You will notice the price comparison chart shows both main companies selling fares for exactly or close to exactly the same price.

That’s because pricing is not determined by anyone other than the European Transport Commission so any legitimate site cannot sell an authentic pass for anything other than certain parameters set. So pricing is very similar.

Where you can get better “deals” is each company can make its own decisions in terms of special bonuses it offers. So whether it’s a free mobile phone or pre-paid calling card, free shipping or other bonuses – this is where you should direct your attention.

So with that, we update the blog with all the monthly specials and bonuses each company runs so you can browse through them and make up your own mind what works best for you.

We’d also like to give you a heads up about price changes. Prices rise without warning literally overnight on Eurail passes so it’s a good idea to sign up to our ticket notification alert. This simply lets you know a few days in advance prior to the next price rise. Make use of this tool as depending on the fare you purchase, it could save you some very handy spending money!

Finally, whatever you do – spend the extra $14 and get ticket protection. This is basically fare insurance so in the event you lose your pass during your travels, you are protected. Nothing worse than getting that sinking feeling when you’ve lost your ticket knowing there’s not much you can do without any type of protection.