wayfaringamerican

Are Britrail passes available to purchase in England? I'm already abroad so I can't have them mailed to me. I'm flying into Stansted.

Also, is the the cheapest/best idea for rail travel in England? I'll only be there 3 days. And I remember that it was expensive.

alanRow

A 4 day Britrail pass costs over $200 so unless you intend doing a LOT of travelling in 3 days I doubt if the pass is going to be VFM (value for money)

But without knowing when you are going to be in the UK or where you are going in the UK it's impossible to say

janisj

Where are you traveling? I very much doubt a Britrail Pass would make any sense for you - but it would depend on where/how many train trips you are taking.

But - no, you can't buy them in the UK. So probably doesn't matter if it would save you money or not . . . .

PalenQ

BritRail passes are sold in most Continental countries - either at travel agents or at BritRail offices which at least used to exist in places like Amsterdam.

Or check at in Paris the International Ticket window in Gare St Lazare where many passes are sold.

IN UK the only place i'm told they are sold is at the BTA office near Picaddilly (right near where the nightclub was targeted for bombs recently) - i've asked there in Feb and they do sell them on spot.

There are BritRail passes and England railpass and Days Out of London passes - all sold in UK only i believe at BTA as UK residents are not permitted to use them. (Except the Companion pass where a UK resident goes along free with foreigners who buy passes - gets a complimentary pass that matches the others.

Walk-up fares mean yes that only a few long trips may make the pass valuable. The cheapest short order London-Edinburgh fare available yesterday when i checked was 144 pounds return - that's way more than a 4-day BritRail pass. yes there are cheaper fares - one month out i could get the cheapest 119 pounds return but you obviously don't have time for that so don't foolishly dismiss the BritRail or England railpass. www.nationalrail.co.uk for sample available fares.

alanRow

<<< one month out i could get the cheapest 119 pounds return >>>

For one month out and picking random dates I get £60 return for London to Edinburgh. For 2 months in advance I can get fares of around £25 return

PalenQ

on Aug 30 i checked and 119 quid was the cheapest - i din't do an exhaustive search but the point is the guy is in Europe and has little time to buy very far out. 60 quid is still $125 so a $200 pass is a bargain since you are not restricted to one train but can, for the extra $75 or so hop any train any time. Get off at York en route for example - don't think 60 quid ticket would allow that. But it's all easy to figure out at nationalrail.co.uk

If there are more than 2 people involved in the pass then the 3rd thru 9th people pay just 50% of the first two - meaning about $100 at 50% off. Nov-Feb all passes, even this Party Pass are reduced a further 20% or so.

Kids under 15 - go free with the Family Pass matching what the two adults buy.

So a pass viability also depends on how many are traveling.

Seniors get a good discount off a first class pass and in UK there are world's of difference between classes, as to be expected in Britian i guess - always empty seats and just hop on - 2nd class often resembles a packed Greyhound bus IME. First class on some trains you also get a bevy of complimentary food - take Virgin to Scotland and you'll be stuffed - food and drink all the time but only complimentary in first class.

WI-FI user - on East Coast mainline in first class you have free internet - 5 pounds an hour i believe in 2nd - so there are lots of variables.

PalenQ

Come to think of it aug 30 is probably the start of a Bank Holiday weekend and could likely prove an abornalmality. But in any cae you can get exact possible fares from www.nationalrail.co.uk for the dates you need to travel.

PalenQ

And i think with the varying fares Alan and i found - mine in a random search so may not be typical as it turned out to be the start of a Bank Holiday long weekend - the point is to be flexible on your day of travel - search nationalrail.co.uk for cheapest fares and then build you trip around it. If it has to be a certain time a certain day you may pay much more - some days are busier than others of course and thus these cheapie tickets are correspondingly harder to get those days. Mid-week may be slacker than Fri and Sun when folks are departing for weekends and returning.

PalenQ

but be sure to do your planning - walk up fares can be SHOCKINGLY high - the Guardian 28/07/07 said:

Rail travelers travelling second class between London and Manchester are already shelling out as much as 219 pounds for a return trip, as the Guardian highlights today"

That's $450 return - twice as expensive as a 4-day England rail pass.

and the days of the really cheap fares may be numbered - the Guardian continues:

"The thinking in the week's (government) white paper could make such fares more common. 4 years after the were stung by the collapse of Railtrack, ministers have decided it is time for passengers to pick up even more of the tab. The result will be a network which - on many routes and at peak times excludes all but the well-off."

So it doing much rail travel and needing flexibility to board any train anytime - the various BritRail passes can indeed be a boon - being able to travel as the well-off do, at peak times for instance.