Tips for Buying a Eurail Pass
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.