Eurail pass or point to point

Old Sep 13th, 2016, 04:20 AM
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Eurail pass or point to point

My friend and I are planning a trip to Europe ( from Australia )for approximately six weeks in May June next year and are confused about the train passes. We are thinking we will start with a few days in and around Amsterdam, take the train to Cologne, cruise from Koblenz to Bingen.Then train through Switzerland and maybe part of Austria. Flying to Morocco for a week or so before heading home. Having trouble figuring out if it's worth while to buy a Eurail pass or just point to point tickets. Any advice would be much appreciated.
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Old Sep 13th, 2016, 04:24 AM
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It doesn't sound like a pass would be good for you - but you really need to run the number for specific trips at discount rates (if you are willing to commit to trains in advance). You might look at a Swiss pass, depending on how much time you will be there and if you will also be using lake steamers or mountain transit which is less expensive with a pass.
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Old Sep 13th, 2016, 05:12 AM
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There's no general answer to this question. However, the fairly long period of travel (6 weeks) and the few long trips would usually indicate that point-to-point would be cheaper. I believe the rail passes either cover the Rhine cruises or give a discount, but my memory may be wrong.

I suggest that you wait until February or March next year, by which time the discounts available for the period of your travel should be published. Then price your tickets on the national rail sites. Usually short local trips are best paid for out of pocket.
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Old Sep 13th, 2016, 05:31 AM
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And do take into account that for some trains you will pay extra and will need to make a reservation, even with a rail pass. This can add quite a lot to the basic price of the rail pass. You're almost certainly better off with point to point tickets, purchased in advance.
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Old Sep 13th, 2016, 06:29 AM
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I think that most trains in the countries mentioned don't require reservations.
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Old Sep 13th, 2016, 08:14 AM
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take the train to Cologne, cruise from Koblenz to Bingen.Then train through Switzerland and maybe part of Austria.

Amsterdam - Cologne: advance-purchase saver fare tickets from DB.

There's no good reason to cruise from Koblenz to Bingen (6 hours on the boat.) These are not transportation boats but sightseeing cruises - you need only 1.5 hours to cruise the best part and exclude the more boring parts. So take the train to Bingen and board the cruise boat there, then backtrack by boat 1.5 hours to St. Goar (visit Rheinfels Castle) and proceed by train from there to wherever. Or just stay there in St. Goar. It's a great base for visiting the Rhine villages, Marksburg Castle in Braubach, and for some scenic hiking.

It's possible to take the train from Cologne to St. Goar and cruise from St. Goar to Bingen instead. But that cruise is nearly 3 hours long for the same scenery - the river current is that strong. And if you hope to visit the area (which you should, it's a UNESCO World Heritage site) then the backtracking strategy puts you in a nicer town than Bingen. St. Goar has the most scenic location on the Rhine and a ferry for getting across:
http://www.schiffbilder.de/1024/pers...chen-18381.jpg

KD boat schedule: https://www.k-d.com/fileadmin/schiff...table_2016.pdf

Now then... If you're going from the Rhine straight to Switzerland, you'll need another p2p saver fare ticket from DB.
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Old Sep 13th, 2016, 10:34 AM
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And do take into account that for some trains you will pay extra and will need to make a reservation, even with a rail pass. This can add quite a lot to the basic price of the rail pass>

No trains you are taking will encounter this - the beauty of a pass - just hop on any train anytime with few exceptions in those countries. That said you have relatively limited rail travel so a pass probably is not the best bet. Look at discounted tickets but book them very early to guarantee getting them.

For lots of info on planning a European rail trip - www.seqat61.com- great info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com (check out their online European Planning & Rail Guide for lots of rail itineraries; www.ricksteves.com.

A Swiss railpass could be cost-effective if traveling for several days in Switzerland to different places. www.swisstravelsystem.com for lots of Swiss train info.

For train schedules check www.bahn.de/en - schedules for all European trains and for those involving Germany can book discounted tickets easily online.
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Old Sep 13th, 2016, 12:18 PM
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Where are you going in Switzerland - a Eurailpass is not fully valid on some key mountain trains like to Zermatt from Visp or up in the hills from Interlaken to Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen or Wengen. Swiss passes are fully valid.

I would only consider a Swiss Pass and not Eurail and only if traveling to more than one location in Switzerland.
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Old Sep 13th, 2016, 12:43 PM
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You can buy Amsterdam to Bingen for E92 at the station or E39 if bought well in advance (like 3 months) from the DB website (saver fare.)

You can buy a Bingen - Bern Switzerland (just for example) saver fare for E120 at the station or E39 if bought well in advance at DB.

The saver fares require you to use the train(s) you schedule at the time of booking. There are penalties for refunds.

Use these prices as you inform your rail pass vs. p2p decision.

For trips within Switzerland you can get 50% off "supersaver" fares on certain routes within a couple of weeks of departure:

http://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and...r-tickets.html
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Old Sep 13th, 2016, 01:40 PM
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"You can buy a Bingen - Bern Switzerland (just for example) saver fare for E120..."

Sorry, that should read "STANDARD" fare - not saver.
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Old Sep 13th, 2016, 01:42 PM
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Thanks for all the advice- seems that The rail pass may not be the best option. I should have mentioned that we are not restricted to the itinerary mentioned- if time permits we may travel to a few smaller towns in Germany and some villages in France close to the border. We don't really plan to stay more than one or two nights in one place.
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Old Sep 14th, 2016, 10:47 AM
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The railpass being a good option depends on several factors - do you want total flexibility to hop any train anytime

do you want first class travel as if over 25 the Eurailpasses come only in first class and that is a definite perk (so when comparing first-class passes to 2nd-class restricted tickets is like comparing two very different things)

If you want fully flexible hop on at will any train virtually anytime and first class the pass may be a great deal if not the cheapest, which of course is not always the best as there are many things to judge the efficacy of a pass on.

and even if you go point to point discounted tickets those also are discounted and at times may not be much more than the cheapest remaining 2nd class tickets- check discount ticket prices in both fare categories and if not much different 1st class is significantly more relaxed IME.

and again no trains mentioned in your OP itinerary require reservations before boarding or impose any supplemental fees with railpasses.

Not saying what you should do as I have not done the maths but comparing train-specific discounted 2nd class tickets to fully flexible first class passes where you just have to show up at the train station is not just a matter of how much they cost though it may be to many people - not to me -I like just rolling out of my hotel and heading to the station and hopping the next of usually hourly or more trains going everywhere.
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