Hi all,
I am a student at Duke University, and I will be studying abroad this upcoming semester in Florence. I only have class for three days most weeks, and I am planning on taking long weekend trips to locations around Europe nearly every weekend. My stay is from September 1 to December 17, and the expected locations include, but aren't limited to, Ireland, Britain, Amsterdam, Spain, Germany, Greece, France, Sweden, Poland, and maybe even Egypt and Turkey. I have looked into the Eurail pass, and it lists the price for three months at $1160. I have been looking at some flights, and the more I look the better the Eurail seems, even though I haven't read anyone on here recommend it. Please let me know any thoughts on this matter, recommendations for cheap flights, or even just recommendations for other places to visit. Any response is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Bobby Carey

How much would Eurail help with Greece, Egypt, and Turkey? I think maybe it would get you half-price on some ferries, although I'm not sure.

Trains will take a *long* time when you only have long weekend trips. For example, how long a train trip is it to Poland from Florence? Similarly, Florence by train to London is long. Even to Amsterdam is long. And you would have to do the journey both ways.

Figure out the exact logistics for a sample set of trips and see if you are being reasonable.

As WillTravel states trains will take too much of your long weekend. I would suggest using the budget airlines. They are very cheap and will get you there much quicker.

For example I flew from London to Rome back in Feb on Ryan Air. It took just 2 hours to get to Rome. It would have taken me a couple days by train. Plus, as noted, Eurail Pass will not do you any good in Turkey or Eygpt.

Go to whichbudget.com - this will give you an extensive list of who flies where in Europe. I would forget the train until you have more time say 2 or 3 weeks. Use the budget airlines.

You are very fortunate to be spending a semester in Florence with a chance to explore Europe. It is an experience that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Good luck!

Agree that budget airlines are a much better choice for weekend trips - unless the trip is less than 3 hours or so. You may have been looking only at the majors when pricing options - some of the budgets have prices that are startlingly low.

I am a very big fan of European rail travel but I agree that for weekends and for trips between countries you would be much better off flying and using the so-called "budget" airlines to do so...you'll save both money and your time..and this latter is of great value.

The only "downside" might be the luggage weight/size restrictions imposed by airlines in Europe but for weekend trips the need to "travel light" shouldn't be a hindrance.

And, as I recall you can only get a railpass for a maxiumu of three-months duration, right?

If you make use of overnight trains, you can get to some places easily - there is a good overnight train from Firenze to Paris, for example.

Hi BC,

Don't forget to see some of Italy while you are there.

I'd always fly, in fact I do always fly. Trains are slow and inefficient, check-in online and you only need turn up around forty minutes before take-off.

And don't forget that second class arrives at the same time as first. I know a pass gives you some flexibility of just "jumping on the train". Travelling some by second class to nearby destinations and flying to the more distant may be the most cost effective.

With long weekends it seems like flying would be the best way to go. With the exception of getting around Italy and possibly a using an overnight train like for Paris (as mentioned already).

Can you even make it from Florence to say Sweden or Amsterdam and back by train in 4 days, with any time to site-see?

It's really a math problem. Sketch out what trips you might do in 3-1/2 months. Price point-to-point rail tickets vs. budget airlines vs. Eurail pass. Consider costs vs. time spent in transport.

I'm a fan of the trains as they are so much more comfortable and let you see the scenery. The train ride from Florence up to Switzerland is an attraction in and of itself.

As to the pass, every analysis I have seen shows that buying point to point tickets is more economical than buying a full pass, unless you are using the pass almost every day. Try pricing some of the trips you plan and then make your own decision as to getting a pass. Sites like http://www.sbb.ch/index_e.htm will show you the actual costs of tickets, rather than the higher prices often charged for buying the tickets from a US site. Since you will be in Italy, you might try their railway site (I don't have the URL), and be aware that you must often spell destinations their way, not ours, for a successful search. I'm pretty sure Fodors has a section on rail travel with links to the various national sites.

If you are not committed with a pass, you would have the freedom to cram yourself into one of the budget airlines for some longer trips, while enjoying the scenic and capacious trains on others.

By the way, you could see a lot by going over before the start of the semester, and staying on past the end of it.

No one has mentioned (unless I overlooked it) www.whichbudget.com - - and I think that studying it and thinking creatively about how you can some (by no means all) of your destinations will show that the THOUSAND dollar (plus) Eurailpass is NOT a good idea. I bet you will end up wanting to stay IN Italy more than you think.

I'd be so confident about this that I'll volunteer to buy all the plane tickets you can use - - send ME the $1160 - - and I'll have money left over.

I thoroughly agre with the advice that you should not overlook how many tremendous destinations there are for you to see IN Italy. Indeed, within 90 minutes of Florence!

Best wishes,

Rex

..play it by ear. I would not suggest a pass. There are "weekend" packages too that are sometimes almost unbelievable. Use second class rail for short journeys..Book ahead for additional savings...If you are studying in a program that integrates you with the local university (or arrranges lodging with Italian families or in a student lodging with mostly Italian students) you will have the advantage of learning about the local culture and what local students do and will have an opportunity to do things with them. Please make use of this opportunity if it presents itself! Otherwise some of these semester abroad programs are really an excuse to learn to drink campari, hang with other american students doing the same thing, and see a lot of the "must see" cities on the weekend. You've been given an opportunity to be a traveller rather than a tourist...please use it.

As I see it one of the problems with rail v. flights is that Florence isn't particularly well served by the budget airlines although you can go to the Pisa airport (an hour plus away) for a few more destinations. The good news is that the places you can get to from Florence/Pisa include Barcelona, London, Amsterdam and Sicily, all of which would be very difficult to get to easily or cheaply on the train.

So I'd say skip the Eurail pass for now and focus instead on cheap flights for relatively distant outings, and the train for those in Italy. Also be aware that student travel discounts in Europe are plentiful, and the Duke program office and various student organizations in Florence will be able help enormously in spotting cheap student rates on trains and flights, almost certainly cheaper than Eurail.

Several budget flights could be combined to make a complete trip itinerary.

E.g. PSA-AMS, AMS-PRG, PRG-STN, STN-PSA

This would be a bit much for a long weekend trip, though.

As mentioned, train rides could also be combined with plane tickets to maximize time spent and sights seen.

PLEASE DON'T GET A EURAIL!!!! Seriosly, it's the biggest waste of money. If you're going to be somewhere for an extended period of time, trust me when I say you won't use it. For what you pay for a package, it will be way more than what you'll pay if you were to just use the train/bus/aifare on your own.
I have just returned from a year in Europe, almost 2 months of that in Italy, and not getting the eurail was the best decision I made. People I know who did get it ended up torturing themselves just to get their money's worth. I would recommend it for travelers without a base, but if you do have a base, really it's not cool.
I can promise you that you won't end up traveling every weekend because you're going to end up falling in love with "home." You're going to meet people there and they're going to give you suggestions. If you are dead-set on getting one, I would recommend getting one for only Italy.
Another reason is because of your location. You are pretty centrally located, so for you to travel from Florence every weekend by train would mean your train trips will be LONG. Also, Italy has a great discount airline. it's www.volareweb.com
I got my airfare from Rome to Italy for 5 euro, with tax it came to 25, which is way less than i would have paid for a train ticket. Good luck, you'll LOVE italy

Bobby, if you want other cheap airlines, check out ryan air and easy jet. they're both based in london, but if you plan ahead you can get really cheap airfare, with a connection of course. As far as places to visit, if you're going to be there in the summer, i highly recommend Dubrovnik, Croatia. You can take a ferry from Italy there, so a eurorail def won't be necessary, and also, if you miss Prague, you'd be considered a fool. it's beautiful AND cheap!

Rex,

I did mention whichbudget.com in my post but I wanted to tell you that I am using it because you mentioned it and I thank you for that. Great site!

Thanks for the compliment, and I'm sorry that I did not see that you had mentioned it - - I cam to this thread a bit late.

Rex,

No problem. Your posts are always welcome. I always enjoy reading them and have gotten a lot of great info from you. And I still think you should get a discount at all your hotels around the world!

Cheers,

Bob