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eurail vs. point to point
Wed, 03/23/2011 - 11:17
New Member
This summer will be my first trip in Europe. We already have our flight booked and an itinerary. We will be in London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Munich, then back to London. We are only trying to see the cities, not the entire country. I’ve heard rail travel in Europe is the cheapest option, but the Eurail pass seems absolutely ridiculous. For two of us a Eurail pass for nine days in three countries would be $978, plus the cost of getting to and from London since the UK is not included in the Eurail pass. Purchasing point to point tickets for all destinations would put us around $500, including a flight from Munich to London because train tickets were $450! Local transport would be additional for both options. However, the uncertainty of trying to buy tickets in another language (gee, thanks rosetta stone…
) worries me. Does anyone know of a better option?
I am leaving from Florida, USA with $3500 for 14 days
London, Rome, Venice, Munich, London
London, Rome, Venice, Munich, London
You’re covering a huge amount of territory here, so will end up with a lot of long train rides. I would re-think the itinerary. Check rail schedules (and prices for the tickets that involve Germany) on the German National rail company website: http://reiseauskunft…
Also, if you haven’t purchased plane tickets yet, look into an open jaw ticket. Use the multi-city option to fly into London out of Munich for example. That will save the considerable time and expense involved in getting back to London. Check for cheap flights for the long treks. The “cheap flights” forum, especially the stickys at the top.
Its certainly possible that point to point tickets would be less than a railpass; it depends on your itinerary.
Because of our style of traveling, I have not found a railpass that would save me money. (a one year Swiss half fare card did, but only because we went to Switzerland four times in the year). I’ve never been unable to buy same day tickets at the station, but I don’t do that much because I worry the train will be overcrowded and they won’t sell more tickets (actually they will sell tickets, but you may have to stand until a seat opens up), so when I arrive in town, I go right to the ticket office and buy tickets for our next leg, and also get some advice on how, for example, to get out of the station.
Madrid, Toledo
Dublin, Dingle, Dublin
Bruges, Ardennes, Bastogne, Brussels
London
Charleville-Mézières, Reims
Thank you! That was in fact the plan I had, but I wasn’t sure it was a realistic one. I feel comforted to know that I am not doing something wrong with the Europass, just that it doesn’t work with everyone!
London, Rome, Venice, Munich, London