Adventure is a difficult word to define. For some it involves hanging off a cliff face 50 metres high. For others it is as simple as getting lost in an unfamiliar neighbourhood in a foreign city. Whatever your adventure we are always excited to help plan it – so when I was asked to arrange the trip of a lifetime covering 7 European cities, over 4000 kilometres in 21 days without the stress of negotiating airports I was up for the challenge. Actually, no challenge at all thanks to Eurail – yes that wonderful innovation that had us all riding Europe’s rails in our youth from Sweden to Rome, Hamburg to Barcelona and beyond.
European train travel is a breeze. It is the modern version of ‘La Grande Tour’, letting you not only crisscross the continent with ease but also avoid lengthy check ins – simply arrive before the train leaves, hop on, settle into your seat and hop off at your destination – usually slap bang in the city centre of your destination. There are no baggage restrictions either, rather it’s a case of – if you can carry it then you can bring it! That goes for bikes, umbrellas and all sorts of things that would have airport security in a tizz.
And what can I say about the legroom, not to mention the good size table and Wi Fi to catch up on your correspondence. There are also power points to recharge your devices and meals delivered to your seats.
No wonder Eurail is one of the most popular travel purchases for young and old.
How it works
If you are going on an individual trip then probably a point-to-point ticket is the cheapest option. However if you are planning a multi destination trip then a Eurail pass is a no brainer. It lets you travel as often as you like and you can change your itinerary as you like. Fun hey!
There are currently 3 different types of passes for non Europeans. Each one has choices of how many days you can use it:
One County Pass
• Available for 27 countries
• Valid for 3,4,5 and 8 days within a month (Flexi*)
Eurail Select Pass
• Available for up to 4 neighbouring countries
• Valid for 5, 6, 8 and 10 days within two month (Flexi*)
Eurail Global Pass
• Includes travel to 28 European countries
• Valid for
• 5 or 7 days within one month (Flexi*)
• 10 or 15 days within two months (Flexi*)
• 15 days, 22 days 1-3 months (Continuous**)
* Flexi Passes: travellers chose travel days;
** Continuous Passes valid on each day
Passes also come in different classifications. There are first and second class options as well as passes for different ages – children (0-12years), youth (12-25 years) and adults. And as an added bargain, a saver pass for 2 to 5 adults travelling together.
After buying your pass the only extra cost is the small seat reservation fee. These can be paid in advance if you know your itinerary or on arrival at the station if you want to be spontaneous. Oh and remember you must buy your pass before you leave home.
Our top Eurail tips
Buying the right pass is only the first hurdle. Here are five other tips to get you riding those rails with the ease of locals.
1. Know your trains
Once upon a time there were just local trains and intercity trains – now high speed trains have names like fashion labels – TGV, SJ, RJ and AVE, there is even the ICE (Intercity Express trains in Germany), the Thalys (Belgium) and Le Freecce (Italy). Most require a seat reservation even if you are travelling on Eurail and some require an additional fee.
2. Transfer Times
Technically you only require a few minutes to transfer from one train to another, particularly when you’re travelling in countries that pride themselves on the punctuality of their trains. But delays do happen, and we don’t want you huffing and puffing as you do a 5 second sprint across mega stations like multi story Berlin Hauptbahnhof.
3. To Reserve or Not to Reserve?
Not all trains require you to reserve a seat before you travel but believe me it can be mighty unfriendly to have bagsed the best seat in a carriage only to be turfed out of it at the next station by someone who has reserved it. The good news is some trains do not charge for seat reservation but those with fancy names certainly do. To be on the safe side, reserve the seats before you’ve left home particularly if you are travelling in super popular countries like France, which only opens a limited number of seats to Eurail pass holders.
4. Bring an e-reader
A long train journeys deserve a good book. Scenic as Europe can be, there can be a down side – miles of boggy fields or long tunnels to name but two. A trusty e-reader will keep you reading even when your carriage is repeatedly plunged into darkness or when your bun on the overnight train does not have a working reading light.
5. Sleeper or Couchette?
Travelling overnight can safe you paying accommodation as I well know from my youth when I hopped back and forth between Venice and Munich to save on Venice’s exorbitant hotel prices. Just remember sleeper accommodation has one, two or three beds, proper bed linen, toiletries and towels and a washbasin. A couchette is a dorm room on rails with four or six bunks and probably just as many snorers! Oh and remember the day officially rubs from midnight to midnight, so overnight trains will use up two days of your rail pass.
If you would like to start planning your European Rail adventure send me an enquiry at anthea@travelyourway.com.au.
