1st Eruope trip - confused about Eurail
 

Going to Europe for the 1st time and confused about train travel. This is what This is our order of travel. We have 7 weeks. We are going during peak season - end of June returning early August.
- Italy: Rome, Pisa, Florence, Venice
- Lower France: Nice, French Riveria
- Spain: Madrid & Barcelona
- Paris
- London

I'm confused as to how to get place to place. Some people suggest buying the Thomas Cook timetable but yet say it's too bulky to carry and can contain too much information causing confusion. Other suggests using the Bahn website, but it's not in English? Plus, I don't know what train station I'm leaving from and going into so I don't really know how to use the Bahn website. How do I find that information out? Am I just making this difficult or is it really hard to figure out? I'm also stressed about making reservations for those sleepers. How much in advance should I make those reservations? Before I leave the US? Can someone please point me in the right direction?

For this level of confusion I suggest the Rail Europe website. You can call them at their listed number and get some real help. If possible get a supervisor.
(I once had an agent try to send me to Vienna when I asked for Venice.) Planning travel can be such fun.

FYI, the Bahn site is viewable in English and it will help you sort out the stations in cities that have more than one.

For better and more personal service than Rail Europe, call the BETS toll-free number. You can find it on their Web site: www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

<<< Other suggests using the Bahn website, but it's not in English >>>

Click on "Internat. Guests"

The Bahn.de is a very good site, but it does take some learning and trial and error.

Another site that seems a bit easier to use is the Belgian Rail at:

www.b-rail.be

When there is a choice of many stations, you need to sort through them and find which is closest to where you want to go, or which has best service. Look through your guide books or maybe google some.

There is probably a methodical way, but I just kind of crashed through it by trial and error. I asked many questions here (i.e. "which train station do I want at Frankfurt Airport") and eventually it all came together.

Forgot to add: The rail system in Europe is fabulous. Very easy and well marked. Even for directionally challenged people like me, I managed to just show up at a station and get on a train to take me where I needed to go.

Rick Steves has some good information on rail travel on his website:
www.ricksteves.com

You can also purchase your rail pass from the site. They also offer phone assistance which I found very helpful. When I bought my first pass from them, I got a video on using the trains which gave great information, I'm not sure if they still do that.

I use the bahn.de site also for planning, as others have recommended. I print out the routes I plan to take and bring them with me.

Have fun, traveling by train has been a great experience for me.

You are talking about some very long train rides. Maybe you should consider some of the budget airlines between cities instead of a railpass. See www.skyscanner.net or www.whichbudget.com

I think I would see Italy and then fly to Madrid or Barcelona and from one of those cities to London. Fly from London to Nice and then train to Paris to end the trip. There are many budget flights between London and Barcelona/Madrid/Nice.

Thank you all for your responses. I will definately check out all the websites and plan accordingly. I think I'll eventually figure everything out once I sit down and really concentrate.

I have another question for suggestion. How many days do you think I should stay at each places? I have 41 days. Now it seems like I can probably visit more countries or places. Any thoughts?

You could stop on the Italian Riviera (Cinque Terre) between Pisa and Nice. You'll find other stops in between your other destinations.

I'd learn to use the train web sites and makes use of Internet cafes to check connections as you go. Wouldn't want to lug a big timetable.

You sound youngish. Rick Steves' guidebooks and Let's Go guidebooks might suit you. Also the Lonely Planet books and the Thorn Tree forum: thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/.

Be sure to get open jaws plane tickets: into Rome and out of London.

Do take a little time to research this; it'll pay off long term.

&quot;<i>Now it seems like I can probably visit more countries or places. Any thoughts?</i>&quot;

just realize 41 days may seem like a very long time - but it isn't that long for the number of places and distances you want to cover.

41 -2 days travel to/from Europe -1 day for jet lag day one -6 or 7 days for travel w/i Europe = approx 31 days total for sightseeing. That only gives you an average of 3 days for each of those places. Some like Pisa don't require a full day, but others like Paris and London require more than 3 days each.

I would not consider adding more - and would actually dropping a few.

My recollection is that England does not participate in Eurail, therefore you may have to buy a separate ticket for the Paris to London trip through the &quot;chunnel.&quot; The DB site is actually very good. You sign in as a &quot;guest&quot; to get the English language version. If unsure about which train station, usually you will have success by entering the name of the city and &quot;hbf&quot; (without the quotation marks). Hbf is the abreviation for Hauptbahnhof -- the main train station, which will be correct in most cases.

Have never used the Thomas Cook timetables. They may be good for planning from home, but I wouldn't carry one with me. I usually pick up a schedule to my next destination when I first arrive in a particular city. These are readily available at or outside ticket windows. (Since the trains usually stop for very short times to pick up and offload passengers, I use the schedules to keep track of intermediate stops so that I can prepare to exit at my destination without delay.)

Hi T,

At www.bahn.de click &quot;English&quot; on the upper left side under &quot;suchen&quot;.

To see if you need a railpass, enter your itinerary at www.railsaver.com and click &quot;only if it saves money&quot;.

Re your itinerary:

I would give Rome, Paris and London 5-7 nights.

Florence and Venice are worth 4 nights ea.

That's 1/2 your visit.

I think that you might want to rent a car for your lower France and Spain tour.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

No the Cooks Timetable is not needed - save the $30 or so and go, like others recommend to www.bahn.de, the best site i've seen for schedules in all of europe, except Spain, where they are often not up to par IME

Rather be sure to get the free Eurail Timetable that is given out with railpasses. It lists trains between many key cities in a simple form - the only place i know to get the Eurail Timetable without buying a pass, and it is really invaluable for planning, is from BETS (800-441-2387) for the cost of postage (they say $2) - but this i'm reading from one of their old cataloges so don't know now. But i can highly recommend their free European Planning &amp; Rail Guide and often do for novice rail travelers - a fine primer on European rail travel and passes.


- good for planning but print out schedules on www,bahn.de to take with you. Especially if reserving there - have all relevant info (train #, etc.) printed so you can just take to ticket window.

Seems you should strongly look at the Eurail Select Saverpass - a pass which you can chose your countries and number of days spread out as you wish over a 2-month period.

I'd look at the 3-country Eurail Select Pass good in Italy, Spain and France. Use the days to take longer train trips between cities you will stay in some days so really a 6 or 8 day pass could suffice - little jaunts you'd pay out of pocket.

Saverpass is two names on one pass and about 20% cheaper than two individual passes.

A Eurail Select Pass also gets you a preferential passholder fare on Eurostar paris-London (as low as $77 p.p. as long as your pass is still valid for the 2-month period - don't use a day of travel; but passholder fares are tiered now and can be much higher so this is one ticket you should buy far in advance to get. (BETS mentioned above is a great place to get info on this.)
Note that if you buy a Eurail Select Saverpass before the end of March, 2007 you will get an extra day free if it is a 6-day or longer pass - this is about a $50 value and is good for folks who need 7 days - as these passes come in 5, 6, 8 and 10 day versions - if you need 7 days you can buy a six-day pass and not an 8-day pass, saving about $100. Even though the pass must be issued before the end of March you can activate it anytime within six months of issue and then use it for another two months - so travel could be as late as November, 2007 as still get the extra day.

Again, thank you all that responded. I will be stopping by the Cinque Terre as Rick Steves recommends it. Ah, I'm so excited!! I'm not young actually, I'm 30, and I'm traveling with my husband so I'm definately buying the Saver pass. I'm a little bit hestitant to stay at hostels since I'll probably be the oldest one there. Plus, I stayed at the YMCA in New York one time and I really did not enjoy the beds - they were only supported by springs and the pillows were lumpy.

Hi T,

&gt;...I'm definately buying the Saver pass.

Have you checked at www.railsaver.com, to see if it will save you anything?

You would still have to buy reservations for high-speed trains.

&gt;I'm not young actually, I'm 30, ...

Hmmm, are you sure that at your age you are up to this strenuous travel?

((I))

Ira:
You think 30 is too old to go backpacking? I don't know, never done it before. I guess I'll find out or die trying. Maybe I'll end up sleeping in my hotel room.

I'll check out the website to see if it will save me money. Thanks for the suggestions.

Travelbug821~~ You've named 10 places, for 41 days, I don't think you need to add any more(!) which gives you approx 3.5 days per city/place allowing .5 day travel time for each move.

Oops I see you later added the Cinque Terra... now you have 11 places in only 41 days. Perhaps that's OK as say Pisa can be a quick visit, but every place else you mention I believe deserves 3 days (minimum!!).

For me personally my minimum stay per city is 4-5 days so I would cut some destinations, were I planning your trip for myself.

~suze

Hi T,

&gt;Ira:
You think 30 is too old to go backpacking?

I think that 30 is too young to say, &quot;I'm not young..&quot;.

((I))