The last time I traveled with one was in as a college student. I saved not only money but also time waiting to buy tickets because I could walk on to most trains and have the conductor punch my pass on board. For beginners to European train travel, the Eurail Pass is a single document that allows non-European citizens to travel by train multiple times across a network of 33 European countries.
The travel must occur over a specified period of time, and the pass forgos the need to buy individual point-to-point tickets. The Eurail Pass, which is celebrating its 62th anniversary this year, can be used for riding local trains, high-speed trains, and even night trains. In addition to the flexibility and time-saving benefits it affords, traveling with one can also save you money, depending on your travel plans. You can choose from either a One Country Pass , which covers train travel in a single country, or a Eurail Global Pass , which offers unlimited train travel across 33 countries in Europe, using their national railroads.
Within each pass type, there are even more options. They come in first- and second-class options across all age categories. The passes also cover different trip lengths for both One Country and Global Passes. The pass with three months of unlimited travel is best used for fast-paced trips where you plan to cover a lot of ground over an extended time.
There are also passes available for unlimited travel days during set periods of time. Those continuous train passes include durations of:. The pass is sold by the number of travel days you are planning on using it. For example, if you book a train that leaves on Monday night and arrives on Tuesday morning, you will only need to use one travel day the day of your departure to cover that trip. To find the best pass for your particular trip, Eurail built an online tool that lets you fill in your travel plans, including which countries you plan to visit, how many days you intend to travel by train, and the length of your entire trip.
At the end of the short survey, it recommends the pass that suits your needs best. You can buy any type of Eurail Pass online from Eurail. RailPass is an authorized vendor that sells Eurail Passes for around the same price as Eurail.
A Eurail Pass is an all-in-one train ticket giving you flexible access to most trains across Europe. Unlike traditional train tickets, with Eurail you can go wherever you want, whenever you want. Some trains do ask you to make a reservation, but most trains can be boarded as easily as flashing your Pass.
Missed your train or changed your travel plans? No problem — just hop on board the next service and enjoy the ride. One Eurail Pass beats carrying tons of tickets around with you. Travel freely and flexibly between 40, destinations across 33 countries in Europe, all with just one rail pass.
Taking a trip from A to B? Our Pass is for traveling between multiple destinations across Europe. Traveling by train takes you straight to the heart of big cities and tiny villages just waiting to be explored.
You might have been plotting your Eurail trip for years, or you might have no idea where to start. Follow our step-by-step guide to planning your ultimate European adventure and get the inspiration flowing Don't know if you need a Eurail or Interrail Pass? Check out our European rail map to plan your travel routes between cities. Go paperless on your travels and enjoy more flexibility than ever before in 33 European countries.
Got a rough itinerary? You can purchase your Pass up to 11 months in advance — just make sure you leave enough time for it to get to you before your trip. Your Pass needs to be activated within 11 calendar months, but we can activate it for you when you order. The rest is simple!
Use our timetable tool to plan your Eurail journey in greater detail. Do i have to reserve seats if not i will not be allowed on the train no matter if standing spaces are available? I have a huge confusion in this because different website gives different information the agent that i got my ticket from — Klook says that ond of my trips for Second-Class tickets are sold out 6 Is it still safe to say that if seating reservation is necessary, i can do so a day before given that i need to board the train.
This is because i will only be in the destination on the day of arrival and leaving the next morning. So they are considered regional trains right? What do i need to take note? I owe you this one, Norbet! Hi Wel! Thank you so much. I will be spending 1 day for most of the cities and traveling the next morning.
But, all the cities mentioned are impressive. My favorites on that list are Prague and Berlin. Make sure to visit some of the museums in Museum Island in Berlin. They are world-class. The old town in Prague is beautiful, especially at this time of the year.
Just walk around and visit the main square, the castle, Charles Bridge, and the cathedral. I believe you got your pass through a third party? Eurail allows you to activate your pass online when you purchase it, but not sure if your agent did that for you.
Check with them. But, you can activate it at a train station before you hop on the first train. Just go to a ticket booth with your pass for activation. Am I guaranteed to board the train even if there are no seats? Yes, any train that is reservation optional allows you to board and just stand around if there are no seats. This mostly happens on regional trains. The reservation, of course, will guarantee a seat. Do I have to reserve seats if not I will not be allowed on the train no matter if standing spaces are available?
See if there are train changes along the way so that maybe one train has optional reservations while the other is required. I have a huge confusion in this because different websites gives different information the agent that I got my ticket from — Klook says that one of my trips for Second-Class tickets are sold out. You can do this on the local website for each train company or right at the station.
Regarding fully booked trains… chances are that there are still seats available, but Eurail is only allowed to book up to X amount of seats per train with their passes. This happened to me in France once. I went to the station to reserve my seat, they told me it was full for Eurail passes, but that I could purchase my seat because there were seats available.
In that case, I purchased my seat at the very last minute. This is because I will only be in the destination on the day of arrival and leaving the next morning. Overall, yes. What do I need to take note? No, regional trains stick to their region in their country. Now, border crossings with non-regional trains like the ones requiring reservations are usually a non-issue as the train will usually take you from start to finish for example, from Berlin to Prague without stopping at the border or changing trains.
The Eurail timetable will show you this too. Hi Norbet. Just another question. What happens when you fill out your diary only to decide to get of at a sleepy little town.
Using the global pass two month. The next day, then just fill Florence to Milan on the next row. This is why I recommend only filling the info once on the train.
You are incredible for putting this together, and continuing to keep it updated and respond to questions! This has answered many questions for me. I am planning a day trip with my wife and child. We are flying in and out of Paris. Our preliminary itinerary is:. While in Florence, we may take short day trips in that region of northern Italy.
The two big train routes will be to and from Florence. I thought I could save some sight-seeing time by taking night trains and sleeping on the train. But this is where I start to get confused. Do you know where I can find sleeper reservation info? In your article and comments you discussed border crossing. If I am on a train from Milan to Paris with 0 changes, what happens at the border?
If I am asleep, does the conductor wake us up to see our passports? And do we have to get off the train at the border? Or is everything taken care of in Milan when the train departs? While we only have a couple long trains between Paris and Florence, we will like take short day trips 2 hours at the most.
I was thinking of getting a 5 travel day Global Pass. That seems to be the correct option for what we are doing. Can you share your opinion on this?
Any other thoughts or ideas you have would be very welcome. I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with us. This is quite overwhelming and your article already eased my mind so much! Honestly, in those two cases, I recommend flying specifically for the Metz to Florence part since the hassle is not worth it. The Florence to Paris train may or may not be worth it depending on the cost of flying.
There are many budget airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet that do these routes cheaply. You get the most out of the pass by doing several long-distance trips.
Regional trains which are the ones typically used for those 2-hour day trips are usually cheap. One of the places we plan to go is Madrid, and we plan to get there from Lisbon. So the travel journey is Lisbon — Madrid. Is that true? I actually took the Trainhotel from Madrid to Lisbon and I booked it right at the station with my global pass.
I booked mine like an hour before departure, but I was just one traveler. I purchased a Eurail pass for myself I plan to be traveling more frequently , and I am also purchasing Individual tickets for someone else, mainly on DB site for German train travel, but I have a few questions.
Sometimes the times are off, same train. My other question is how do I book advanced bus tickets via the Eurail site? If you have any insight on these matters please let me know. Hello My friend and I are traveling to Europe in I am still trying to get more info on if this is worth it or not.
We are going to about countries over the span of those two months. Any info would help. Thank you :. Hi Courtney! First thing you have to check is if the pass covers any train travel there, and second, how much train travel would you do in between cities.
Alternatively, you could check online to see the cost of airfare between those countries and compare the price. So, your three options are a global pass, individual tickets, or flying. With the limited info I have at the moment, I think maybe a global pass might help you save money. Is there a eurail pass for Spain and Portugal together?
I will be in these countries for two weeks and plan to see the major cities, should I get a pass or individual tickets between cities? Appriciate your suggestions. You need to search and compare to see if either the pass or the individual tickets come at the best price. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Skip to content. Hope this helps answer your questions! Feel free to let me know if you have any doubts.
Hi Mary — Congrats on your upcoming Eurail trip! Hi Evan — Sorry for the late reply. Hi Yasmin — First class is simply a bit more comfortable. Hope this helps! Please mail info on cost too and the physical map to my address below: Engr. Osaro Ogbewe P. Hi Scott — I believe you should buy the pass that allows you to travel non-continuous days, as in 10 or 15 days within two months or whatever the pass allows. Rob NZ Tourist. Once bitten… twice shy….!! Norbert, thank youvery much for the explanation!
Best Regards, Tiago. Norbert, Very informative indeed! Hi Sanesh — As long as you have a pass that allows you to travel to more than one country and use the schedule book given with the pass to coordinate you trip, you should be good. Hi Rick — You need to validate your pass before you use it for the first time and then need to time-stamp each day you use it right at the train station.
Hi Ranaye — Certainly! Hi Jamila — The days only count when you hop on a train. How do I record a round trip say from Prague to Turov and back to Prague in the same day? Norbert, great site! Thanks for the information and advice. Great site! Hi Mary — Regarding the transfers, it will vary greatly depending on the station and its size. Yes, reservations give you a specific seat in a specific train car. Hello, Thanks for all the great information.
Thanks again for all your help! Hi John — Thank you! Hi Norbert, Excellent information and very useful! I am impressed! Have few questions: 1 I am travelling to Europe in May for about 25 days. Thank you in advance for your assistance! Hi, Sunit — 1. If you have any other question, feel free to let me know. First, thanks for all the information. Hi Joe — Sorry for the delay. Norbert, Thank you for advice and outline of Eurail. Hi Norbert, Many thanks to your very detailed and easy-to-understand article.
Hi Norbert, You are already a great help and yes, I would definitely come back for many further questions? Best Wishes to you. Hi, This post was extremely helpful. Hi Jai — If your trip will go over 5 countries, I would recommend getting the global pass. Hi Norbert, Does the global pass include buses in Switzerland and other countries? Cheers and Thank you! Hi Norbert, Good Day! Hi Cass — Yes, that is correct. Each day you take a train is deducted from your pass.
Hi Norbert, I have a question concerning filling out the travel diary on the flexi global pass. Looking forward to the trip and I appreciate the information! Hi Travis — Sorry for the late reply. I still got some questions about Eurail. Sorry, I got confused at this part haha 2- So, if I plan for example : going from Lisbon,Portugal passing all the countries till Budapest, Hungary, how could get return to Lisbon? Anyway, thank you so much.
You already helped me a lot. Hope we can talk. Hi Norbert, a question, when do a reservation for a my family of 4 , will I pay for each seat reserved or do a pay one fee for the group, Thanks. Hi Rodney — When doing reservations, the fee is per seat. Are there any tips so that we would be able to achieve that journey? Hey Norbert, fantastic tips here on how to maximize your Eurail pass! Your route looked great.
Hi Nobert, You have explained it very well, a must read this post is. Hi Sitanshu — As far as I know, children between 4 and 11 years old travel for free, but they need a free Eurail pass.
Below is the text as is appears on the Eurail site: Children aged on their first day of travel, also go for free! Hi Nobert, You have explained it very well, and thanks for answering most of the comments.
Is it possible to go to the station today and activate my eurail pass from tomorrow? Hey Norbet, Thanks for this comprehensive guide to Eurorail passes. I had a couple of questions. Hi John — If nothing has changed recently, I believe for every day you use the free benefit, you will have to mark a travel day. Hi Kawan — For the three months, I actually used two global passes with 15 travel days, as each lasted two months.
Hi Norbert! Hi Eleni — Thanks! Hi Norbert, I am looking at taking a train from Algeciras to Barcelona over night with 2 stops. Hi Peter — Thanks and sorry for the late reply. Hi Winnie — Sorry for the late reply. Can we find one online? Hi Sheila — Thanks for letting me know. Thanks for that.
I have one question…. Is the 7 PM rule valid now? Awaiting your reply. Hi, Vilas — Yes, the 7 pm rule is still valid. Thanks, Grant.
Thanks, Arvind! Hope these help! Hi Jose — If you do not need a reservation for that specific train, you just validate the travel day on your pass at the stamp machine at the station, and go straight to the train sit wherever you like. Thank you for the quick reply.
That is exactly what I need to know. Norbert, I am currently 27 and looking to purchase my Eurail Pass in the next couple days. Hi Mark — I believe you should purchase the adult pass as they check your passport and pass when activating the pass. Hi Norbert, Great post. Hi Kevin — Thanks! Hi Sanjida — Thanks! Here are my questions: 1 What are some tips you would recommend for the itinerary stated above?
Warmest Regards, Wel Charace. Hope this helps!! Hi Norbet, You are incredible for putting this together, and continuing to keep it updated and respond to questions! Our preliminary itinerary is: — Stay a couple nights in Paris. Hi Paul — Thanks!
Happy to help. Hi Norbert, Thank you so much for putting such an awesome guide. Cheers, SQ. Hi SQ — Sorry for the delay. Norbert, I purchased a Eurail pass for myself I plan to be traveling more frequently , and I am also purchasing Individual tickets for someone else, mainly on DB site for German train travel, but I have a few questions. Hi Frank — Sorry for the delay. If you have a flexi-type pass, an overnight train only uses one day on your pass, the day of departure.
Here is the new rule, :which replaced the old 'After ' rule in January A Eurail flexi pass day normally runs from midnight to midnight. But if you board any overnight train before midnight, and do not change trains after midnight , you only need to use one day on a Flexi pass, the day of departure.
It no longer matters what time your sleeper train leaves on day 1, or what time it arrives on day 2. The date you write on your pass is that of day 1. As normal, you get unlimited travel from midnight to midnight on day 1, so you can use other trains on day 1 before boarding your sleeper, all on the same pass day.
You can then continue your journey on that direct overnight train until you get off at your destination on Day 2. The only proviso is that you cannot change trains after midnight, and that both the departure day and arrival day must fall within the overall validity period of the pass. For example, if you wanted to take the Dacia Express leaving Vienna at 42 on the 1st August and arriving Bucharest at on the 2nd August, you'd enter the date of departure, 1st August, in one of the unlimited travel boxes on your pass, and that then covers the whole of the sleeper train journey, even the part on 2nd August, in this example in the afternoon!
And as you'd have unlimited travel all day on 1st August, it would also cover you for any other journeys you wanted to make on that day, for example a preceding journey from Prague to Vienna to connect with the sleeper. On the other hand, if you wanted to take an onward train on 2nd August after alighting from the sleeper, that means using up another travel day on your pass, this time dated 2nd August. But even if you don't use any other trains on 2nd August, that day of arrival still needs to fall within the overall validity period of your pass, in other words, if you had a days-inmonth flexi pass the 2nd August must be inside the 1 month period, it cannot be Day 32 just outside it.
Got it? When do you need a reservation? For journeys on local, regional or suburban trains For travel on longer-distance trains between cities, here is my rough - but actually pretty accurate - rule of thumb You can just hop on any train without a reservation, sit in any unreserved empty seat, and show your pass when asked by the conductor - even premier high-speed trains like Germany's superb ICE or Austria's railjet trains.
Trains cannot 'sell out'. Passes retain their 'hop on any train' convenience factor in these countries. Remember that with a flexi type pass, an overnight train only uses one pass day, the date of departure, see the explanation here. See the country-by-country guide for details of which trains need a reservation, and what these cost. You can make reservations in advance with the agency that sells you your Eurail pass by phone or in some cases online -although they may charge you a booking fee on top - or you can make them when you get to Europe at station ticket offices.
In only a handful of cases, you can make reservations online with no added fees direct with the operator, as explained here. For example, different types of train may serve one route, and only the faster or more comfortable type requires a reservation. The choice between speed, comfort or avoiding the reservation cost is yours!
In other cases trying to dodge the fast train reservation fee is more trouble than it's worth, as it means taking a relay-race of local trains, taking hours longer and involving several changes of train. Just bite the bullet and pay the fee! To find out if there is a reasonable no-fee alternative, try using the Europe-wide online timetable at www. How can I find out more? You can find out more about Eurail passes at www. This is the site run by the Eurail organisation themselves, who run the Eurail scheme on behalf of participating operators.
For a modest fee, DiscoverByRail. First, a reality check: There isn't a magic website that can do all passholder reservations at cheap prices with no fees all in one place. Different operators use different reservation systems, many operator websites only sell regular tickets not passholder reservations. However, some passholder reservations can indeed be made online, with no added booking fees and simply printed out or collected at the station.
I'll list major train services from that country to neighbouring countries and tell you if they can be booked online, and if so where and how. Making reservations at the station You can make reservations and pay the necessary fees at station ticket offices either in advance or on the day of departure, sometimes up to an hour or two before the train leaves, sometimes right up to departure time.
Just show your rail pass at the ticket window and ask for the reservation. Many European railway staff speak some English, but if you don't speak the language, just write down what you want and show it to the booking clerk.
In Italy, you'll find it easier to use the self-service touch-screen ticket machines to make your passholder reservations, it's really easy, see an illustrated step-by-step guide to using these Italian ticket machines.
The Railplanner App Eurail is the main pass range for overseas visitors to Europe, but several countries also have their own national railpasses which can be worth knowing about as they can often be better value if you are just visiting that specific country. Paris Visite card: Unlimited travel on the Paris metro, and more. The Swiss Travel Pass for Switzerland. This is Switzerland's own-brand railpass, there is no single-country Eurail pass.
Unlike many other railpasses you don't have to rack up a huge mileage to make a railpass worthwhile in Switzerland. And as virtually no Swiss train requires a supplement or reservation, a railpass still gives you that wonderful hop on, hop off convenience that railpasses have lost in France, Spain or Italy where every long-distance train now requires a reservation. There's more advice on Swiss Passes here. You can check Swiss point-to-point fares at www.
Map of the Swiss rail network. German Rail pass for Germany. Only for people not resident in Europe, Russia or Turkey. A good deal, as no supplements or reservations are required on most German trains, you just hop on and show your pass. For comparison, you can check German point-to-point fares at www. Spain Pass for Spain. Renfe's Spain Pass works differently from the Eurail Spain pass, as it gives a set number of journeys, not unlimited travel - you can pay for between 4 and 12 journeys in a one-month period.
However, the Renfe Spain Pass is usually better value than the Eurail Spain pass as reservations are included, there are no hidden extra reservation costs as with Eurail. You can buy a Spain pass either online at www. The pass is emailed to you. For comparison, you can check Spanish point-to-point fares at www.
Portuguese Rail pass for Portugal. You can check Portuguese point-to-point fares at www. Most Portuguese long distance trains require reservation before boarding. BritRail Pass for Britain. Reservation is never compulsory on British trains, and there are no supplements to pay, so you can always just hop on and show your pass, making BritRail passes very easy to use. For comparison, you can check British point-to-point fares using the online form here or at www.
There's advice on understanding the different types of UK rail fare on the Train travel in Britain page. For unlimited travel on the London Underground for 3 or 7 days when staying in London, you can get a London Visitor Travelcard, easily bought in London at an Underground station. It used to cover Poland too, but I believe they pulled out. Available to anyone except residents of the countries it covers. You can buy this pass at www. You can buy one at www. You need to be doing quite a lot!
It is definitely worth buying if you're planning an extensive tour with a Eurail pass - having your own comprehensive timetable puts you in control of your own trip, and will save you hours in queues for station information desks or struggling with station timetables which show only the most basic information.
T he European Rail Map of Europe is easily the best and most comprehensive map of train routes all over Europe. High speed and scenic routes are highlighted - well worth buying to go with your rail pass! Buy online at www. The all-Europe online timetable: You can check train times for almost any European train journey online at www. This is an extremely useful resource for trip planning, provided by the German Railways.
If you're planning a grand tour, I strongly recommend investing in a European Rail Timetable for in-depth train information, and the relevant Lonely Planet Guide for in-depth country information on the sights to see, places to stay, places to eat. Alternatively, the Europe by Rail guide combines basic train info with country information. Location, location, location: For a night between trains, I'd pick a decent hotel near the station.
For a longer stay, I'd want to be close to the sights, for example if we're talking somewhere like Prague, I'd want a hotel right in the old town.
That sometimes costs more, but you see more - if you're right there, you can wander out again after dinner, for example. In a cheaper hotel 3 miles out, you probably wouldn't Hotels will almost always look after your bags for free if you need to check out and catch an afternoon or evening train, or if you arrive in the morning before you can check in to your room. My favourite hotel search site: www.
You can usually book with free cancellation - this allows you to confirm your accommodation at no risk before train booking opens. It also means you can hold accommodation while you finalise your itinerary, and alter your plans as they evolve - a feature I use all the time when putting a trip together.
I never book hotels non-refundably. I have also come to trust their review scores - you won't be disappointed with anything over 8. Tip: It can pay to compare prices across multiple hotel sites: HotelsCombined.
Though if there's not much in it, I prefer keeping all my bookings together in one place at www. Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in Paris and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices. Always take out travel insurance These days, check you're covered for covidrelated issues, and use an insurer whose cover isn't invalidated by well-meant but excessive Foreign Office travel advice against non-essential travel.
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