Eurail - need your suggestion
 

Hi there,

I have done the math for Eurail 6 day saver pass 1st class.

Here is the itinerary I have. We are not doing this in 6 days - we are doing this in 21 days. I have not included any boat cruises in switzerland here which are free in the pass. In addition, we are also doing Jungfrau and Mt Pilatus.

Do you think it makes sense to buy as Eurail pass - it is $469. (first set of number is 2nd class and 2nd set of number is 1st class). I am leaning towards 1st class.



pairs to zurich 61 282 day 1


zurich to lucerne 26 43 day 1


lucerne to bern 41 67 day 2


interlaken to venice 151 234 day 3


venice to florence 62 86 day 4


florence to naples 108 141 day 5


naples to rome 65 84 day 6


total 514 937

What do you think? if it makes sense to buy the pass or not? I also dont want to book the tickets from here as I want to book it the day before or day off. Plans change and sometimes we want to leave in the evening as oppose to leaving in the morning, so I feel it is better with the pass. I understand that there may be booking fees as well. Please let me know your thoughts!


Thank you,


Shaweta

Based on the numbers, haven't you already answered your own question?

What you are showing are list (non-discounted prices) on many of your routes. If you could plan in advance you can get discounted fares at substantial discount. For example, Venice to Florence "mini" fare is as little as 22 euros ($32). Since you said you want the flexibility and don't want to pre-book, I think you've answered your own question already.

Also, keep in mind that in Italy pass holders must pay a 10 euro seat reservation fee on the trains you plan to take. That seat reservation fee is included in the price you quote. So add $60 to your cost of a pass for the seat reservations in Italy.

There are some who espouse the great benefits of 1st class, citing hundreds of trips taken.

If you can afford it then by all means buy the first class pass + seat reservations. If you are trying to save some money then book discounted advance purchase fares and travel second class. I find 2nd class to be more comfortable than a normal coach airplane seat. If you are the body type who wants or needs extra leg room or seat width then you may be uncomfortable in 2nd class.

But, I think you already have your answer - buy the 1st class pass + seat reservations for $530.

Are you sure the Paris to Zurich price is correct? $61 second class and $282 first class. Why the huge price discrepancy?

Perhaps the second class price is $161?

Thank you all for the help.

We are not first class airplane travellers - so we are willing to work on the budget. Where can i find these cheap tickets? I have tried on trenitalia's website - but cant find cheaper fares? Thank you

Hi s_roopra,

Eurail normally gives you the full-price tickets, and those are also jacked up a bit, so don't use them when doing your math.

Use each country's rail site to get the best fares. For the Swiss portion of your trip, use

www.rail.ch

Not sure why you're having trouble with Trenitalia. Are you saying you are only getting the full-price tickets? Do you have about 60-90 days before your trip? Those discounted tickets sell out quickly, so you may have already missed them.

In Switzerland, I've always found the Half Fare Card to be the most economical option -- it costs 110 chf and gives you half off practically everything that moves for one month.

Have fun while you plan!

s

Sorry, forgot to say,

For the Paris to Switzerland portion, use

www.voyages-sncf.fr (if you can manage in French)

www.tgv-europe.com (but select either Canada or England as your country or you'll be bumped to Raileurope)

s

Use this link to search the fast trains on Trenitalia (it will not include the slower IC or R trains). It will show an page of trains with the various prices/discounts available beside each. You have to use the auto-fill for station names as they must be exact in Italian.
http://www.fsitaliane.it/cms/v/index...003f16f90aRCRD

FYI
Milano Centrale
Venezia S. Lucia
Firenze S. M. Novella
Napoli Centrale
Roma Termini

I entered a random date for Milan/Venice in September and got fares as cheap as 9€ (2nd cl), 32€(1st class) for the fast train. Venice/Florence as cheap as 17€(2nd cl),42€ (1st cl)on the fastest train. Florence/Naples 58€(2nd),72€(1st). These are sale fares which would mean you would have to stick to a schedule, but there were multiple train times to pick from with these prices.

Here's a picture of 2nd class on the fast trains in Italy (AV/ES).
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ssainterno.jpg

Thank you all for the generous suggestions.

Regards,

Just to share my experience with Trenitalia during my Italy trip in March 2011. I book thru their website 2 month in advance and got Mini Fare. For eg:
Roma Termini - Pisa Centrala Euro17
Firenze SM Novella - Venizia S Lucia Euro17 (this is very interesting. Paid 2nd class, but boarded 1st class).

Also, Venizia to Paris (night train) for Euro45 (smart price).

Hope it will help.

If you are travelling through Switzerland by train, you should know that there really is not that much difference between 1st and 2nd class.

I, personally, would never spend the extra money on a 1st-class train ticket.

And some trains have no class, like the train from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen/Kleine Scheidegg/Jungfrau or the train from Wilderswil to Schynige Platte, for example.

Also no class on cablecars.

I always use Half-Fare Card and second-class ticketing whilst travelling by train in Switzerland.

In my opinion, only a fool would pay for a first-class train ticket in Switzerland.

P_P