Michael

I will be traveling in Europe for 3 months beginning in late August. I'm 29, so no discounts apply and I plan to visit Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Southern Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, England, Ireland (I know England and Ireland are not part of the Eurail Pass), France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. <BR> <BR>Is it better to purchase a 3 month Eurail pass or point-to-point tickets? So far, I've heard conflicting stories about purchasing a Eurail pass, but most travelers were not going for 3 full months or stopping in as many countries as I plan to see. <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR>Michael <BR> <BR>

Dave

Michael, <BR> <BR>Go with the pass. Point-to-point tickets might be slightly cheaper if you buy them in advance or find a special, but do you really want to plan three months of travel in advance? For someone with local knowledge and only a couple of trips to schedule, point-to-point tickets might be the way to go, but for someone who's trying to fit 12 countries into 12 weeks a pass is almost essential. <BR> <BR>A pass may save you money, and it will certainly save you worry, frustration, and headaches. You won't have to worry about puching the right button on the automatic ticket machine, or whether your pronunciation of "Innsbruck" sounded like "Trondheim" to the guy behind the ticket counter. Sure, these are trivial concerns if you're buying a single point-to-point ticket, but over three months small things can add up. <BR>

topper

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Vic

Dave implies that you must buy all your tickets in the US before you travel. That is not true, if the train is not a super deluxe TGV, Euro Star or InterCity train you can just jump on with your pass. If you are going from a major city to another major city you should use one of the deluxe trains -- it is virtually the only alternative anyway. If you have a Euro Pass, the deluxe trains require you pay a supplement and a reservation. The cost is not much. At least in the summer, you should make reservations at least a few days in advance. We were recently in Italy and some of the trains were virtually empty and or others were completely full. <BR>Other than cost, the difference in a pass and individual tickets is that you can jump on a non deluxe train without a ticket. Since the deluxe trains require a reservation the mechanics are the same with or without a pass. The difference is that with a pass you only pay the supplement and the reservation cost. <BR>I have no idea which is cheaper a pass or individual tickets. I don't think you can figure that since on a 3 month trip you won't be able to predict the number and cost of each train ride. One thing to be said is that, for adults, the pass only allows first class travel. First class generally is filled with business men and women and middle aged or older tourists. If you want to meet younger people second class is your choice.

Kay

Michael, <BR>I just returned from Italy and did not <BR>purchase a Pass and was sorry every day <BR>that I had to buy a point to point ticket. It was cheaper for me to do this but the aggrevation and time wasted <BR>standing in lines was awful. I had heard that the Pass was the way to go on <BR>this Forum and was very wrong to let my <BR>Travel agent talk me out of that. <BR>Lines are long especially if you want to <BR>use a credit card. We almost missed <BR>a train and a guaranteed reservation because of buying point to point tickets. Will never make this mistake <BR>again. Have a nice trip.

Jay Frank

Sorry, but there is absolutely no way of choosing intelligently without knowing how often you'll be using the rail. You need to do more homework. <BR>

Eric

I have twice used eurorail and I definately think it is the way to go, especially if you are trying to hit that many countries. What Kay says about the supplements are true so be carefull about boarding the high speed trains without a reservation particulary the routes travelled by business men at peak times of travel. Remember the pass is also good on the KD lines boats that ply the Rhine rivers and certain ferry and lake boats in switzerland. One other point to remember that strikes occur in europe and can disrupt your travel plans. Last time in may of 98 we had to forego travel in italy for just that reason, forcing us to change plans and tour the alps of france and switzerland instead. But that is one of the perks of eurorail because you are not tied down to any paticular schedule. Good luck, Eric

Linda

I've traveled using the Eurorail Pass <BR>on 4 different trips to Europe.It may be a little more expensive than point to point tickets, but the ease of use is well worth the extra expense. Reserving a seat is easy & will give you the information needed to board the correct car, ect.

Nicoletta

I will be travelling over atwo-week period to Rome, Florence and other small towns, Rimini and Venice and back to Rome to catch my flight. <BR> <BR>Should I get some sort of two-week pass or stick to point-to-point tickets. I am 25 years old and a student ...will taht give me any benefit at all? <BR> <BR>Nicoletta

Lori

I would go with the pass. If you're going to many countries for 3 months, it's worth it. I am going for 10 days and got point-to-point. It didn't benefit me to get a pass. Also, I have heard that you should check to see if you need a reservation. A friend of mine got on a train in Spain and they kicked her off because she did not have a reservation. Have a great time! I'm jealous.