IainH

Just a quick question...

If you purchase a Eurail pass (1 month, unlimited) does that allow you to travel on the Eurostar train lines when in Europe? I'm a bit confused as to how this works exactly. Is Eurostar the line the Eurail passes run on? Thanks.

ira

Hi L,

The Eurostar is the train that joins the UK to the continent - London to Paris, etc.

If you have a railpass, you get a reduced fare.

In Italy, the Eurostar (ES* trains) are the fast trains. If you have a railpass, you must purchase a seat reservation to ride these trains (about 9E in Italy - $12 from raileurope) because they are "reservation only".

Eurail is a marketing group. It does not have any trains.

IainH

So my Eurail pass is just for travel by train in any of the 17 countries I'm offered with my pass? For example can I travel all through Germany on their train system with this pass or I can only go from major city to major city, IE. Paris to Berlin.

ira

Hi L,

Your pass is good for any train in all of the countries in which it is valid.

Some trains (the fast and reliable ones) are "reservation only". For these you have to pay extra for reservations.

Have you entered your itinerary, clicked "only if it saves me money" and checked if you need a railpass?

IainH

I'm in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Europe this coming summer. I researched the Eurail passes and the Youth one fits what I want to do. I was unclear about what exactly that pass allows me to do. I understand know that I can use the "Eurostar" trains at a discounted fare but will still have to pay. I will also have to pay to reserve my seat on any train I travel on to garuntee a spot. Is buying the Eurail pass the way to go? Is it overall going to be cheaper than just paying fare after fare in any of the places I visit?

ira

Hi L,

Enter your itinerary at www.railsaver.com, click "only if it saves me money" and see if you need a railpass.

alan64

If you're just going to a few destinations, then it's often cheaper to get individual tickets. If you're doing a major trip through several countries with lots of cities, then a Eurail pass can save money and also mean less hassle, since you frequently can just pick a train and get on without dealing with tickets. Only the special trains (high-speed, and/or through the Channel tunnel) usually require reservations. In most cases they're not needed. As suggested above, you can enter a potential itinerary and the web site given will tell you if it's worth it to get a pass.

Robespierre

If it turns out that you <i>should</i> get a consecutive pass, note that besides being valid on all the national railways you paid for, it can also be used on many <u>urban</u> rail networks, such as the RER in Paris, and Munich's U-Bahn.

cylueth

Hi. When I answered your question about Dover to Calais, I thought you had already bought a Eurail pass. The reference to Eurostar in that context refers specifically to the London to Paris fast Chunnel train.

Please look at the various kinds of passes you can get for combinations of countries less than the full 17, in addition to the advice already offered to see if you will save money by just buying point to point tickets. You might also save money with a first class pass for selected countries instead of 2nd class youth pass for 17 countries you cannot possibly get to anyway.

There are so many options now compared to when I did my first Eurail trip at age 26. But it was so much fun to be able to hop on and off trains and choose destinations based only on which train was leaving next, that I took my SO on his first trip to Europe with a Eurailpass some 20 years later.

I would highly recommend it even if you determine it will cost a little more. And remember you can take an occasional overnight train just for a free place to sleep. The first class seats are especially comfy for sleeping.

alan64

When I was 18 I splurged for a 1st class Eurail pass. Not only were the train cars nicer, but I had less need for reservations (often 1st class seats were free when the cheaper seats were full), and I was also able to sleep on overnight trains in more comfort. I thought it was worth the extra up-front cost, although now as an older traveler I just go for the cheaper passes (1st class is expensive for the over-21-crowd!).