Eurail pass or pay-as-you-go?
 

Hi again.

So, I'm spending 4 months in Rotterdam (January - April), taking a class at one of the universities. Class only meets 2x/week (Tues/Wed), and it's Pass/Fail, so there is a lot of potential free (travel) time.

Given that, does it make sense to buy a Eurail pass before I leave? I've seen a 3 month unlimited pass for ~ $1300 and a 3 month / 15 trip / 5 adjacent country pass for ~$1000. Any thoughts as to whether I should get one of those, or just buy tickets as I go? I have no real plan for travel right now (don't know whether I'll feel like making short day trips or saving up for longer trips). Funds are limited, so I'm partly looking for flexibility but also mostly looking for economy :)

Oh, and I should mention, although I will be a university student (with student ID and everything), past experience has shown me that I'm older than the typical student / youth cut-off in Europe ( > 30 y.o.), so I can't take advantage of most student deals.

So ... spend the money on Eurail now? Or wait til I know where I'm going?

Also, is there anything else that's cheaper to buy/book now (in the States) than once you get there? (hotels / hostels, etc?)

<I have no real plan for travel right now (don't know whether I'll feel like making short day trips or saving up for longer trips)>

Your question comes down to a simple math equasion, but unless you know how often you are going to travel, and where you are going to go, you don't have the information to be able to compare if a pass will be better value than simply buying point-to-point 2nd class tickets.

I'd go with the unlimited pass for $1300. In 4 months, you can see a lot, esspecially since you only have class tue and wed. I think you could easily use up $1300 worth of train fare in that time. And if you have the pass already, you are more likely to go more places because it is already paid for.

I tend to agree with the sentiment expressed by november_moon - in that if you have the pass you are more likely to head off and travel to a range of places.

However - you say you are on a budget - so does this mean you will be limited in paying for accommodation and sightseeing once you get to a place?
As you are going fairly soon I suggest you look at a rail map of Europe and select any places/areas you might be tempted to travel to.
Then have a quick look at costs there - use this site and Trip Advisor.

If you decide on the 3 month unlimited pass - which would be my choice - then start it maybe two or three weeks in - and then you will have a week left at the end to finish your study and pass any exams that need to be completed!

Remember that when you buy a pass you will need to read the rules very carefully and be aware of any supplements you have to pay for high speed trains.

I would very much like to be in your situation - having the ability to head off to wherever I felt the urge and of course on the train you can do some studying if the scenery gets dull.

Happy planning.

Thx. I was leaning toward getting the Global Pass (for the reasons n_m and l_t_A both note above), just looking for some reassurance that wasn't a waste.

So, I just double-checked, and turns out the Eurail Global Pass is ~$2000 (not ~$1300) for 3 consecutive months unlimited travel 21 countries. So basically, I better use it or else that would be a waste!!

I scoured the Eurail site, but ended up just confusing myself re: reservations, though. The Global Pass is only available as 1st class adults (which is fine). I know for overnight or high speed trains, reservations are required. I'm assuming they cost extra, even with a 1st class pass. (Can anyone confirm that?) But also/more importantly, are reservations typically required for other trains (not overnight/high speed), is there a charge in addition to the pass?

Re: budget ... To be honest, in the past I have mostly traveled on someone else's dime (either work or my ex), so I am trying to be somewhat economical. I wouldn't say I'll be limited in terms of accommodations/sightseeing, but I am just a little more aware than I ever have been about budget hotels vs "US brand names" or Metro/bus/train vs private car. All things being equal, and having some amount of time on my hands, on this trip I will probably choose savings over convenience. If that make sense.

@ l_t_A ... good idea about waiting to validate the pass. My first 3 weeks will be taking an intensive Dutch language class M-F, so I'll probably wait til that's over to go exploring.

Thanks, again, all. I'm getting so excited!

Each country's railway has its own fare and reservation system.
Trains running wholly within the Netherlands and Belgium have no seat reservations.
In Germany, seat reservations are optional (with very few exceptions) and a rail pass allows you to hop on and off high-speed trains without making a booking or paying a supplement.
In France, only a limited number of seats on high-speed TGVs are available to rail pass holders. Once a train's allocation has gone, you need to pay the normal fare to travel on that train. That's something to bear in mind if you plan to travel in France a lot.

I just had a look at the Eurail site and this is confusing so I can see how the error in costing happened.

Maybe you can think about the 15 days in two months pass - this doesn't give you such a huge choice of countries but still offers a reasonable choice. The Global Pass includes a lot of countries that could take a fair bit of travelling time and this might not be ideal if you have to be back for two days each week.
This pass means you can plan for the longer trips and maybe buy cheap fares for the closer ones - a thought.
You really need to think about where you might want to go and just how long you intend to travel each trip.
Some weeks you might just prefer a short trip for a day or two - close by so that you can relax and practise your Dutch with locals.

Don't worry about using non brand name hotels - especially when you get away from major cities. Indeed as a solo traveler - I think - you will find that some of the smaller places offer more personal service and conversations and help. Just do your homework and check reviews and best price deals.
And - we rarely use public transport at home - but almost always use it when travelling.
Sometimes we take a taxi when we are very tired or cold or wet - or just feel like a treat!

Just think - you can use your down time in those first three weeks to ponder and research where you might go.
That is of course after you have done all your study homework.

So ... spend the money on Eurail now? Or wait til I know where I'm going?>

This is a no-brainer - wait until you know more of where you will go - there are zillions of different types of Eurailpasses - one-country Eurailpasses; 2-country; 3-country, etc. and also Youth Passes if under 25. In most cases a Global (all the few dozen Eurail countries) 3-month pass is for most folks not the most economical choice.

Anyway check out these sites for lots of info on planning a European train trip and dope on various railpasses, etc. - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter's free and superb IMO European Planning & Rail Guide for lots of rail itinerary possibilities. If going to Britain then no Eurailpasses pass there but there are BritRail Passes of various lengths and geographical scopes.

And you do not need to buy any type of railpass before going to Europe since you will be spending 4 months in Rotterdam (one of my very favorite cities in Europe!) before traveling. Simply have someone back home buy a railpass for you and then sent it to you once you have a firm idea on what you will be doing (if any railpass - maybe you'll meet someone in your school and say go on a motoring trip or just decide to hop a plane to Greece, etc. Eurailpasses cannot be used by Europeans and thus are not sold in Europe (except in a few Eurail Aid offices for Americans traveling in Europe but then those prices are usually 20% higher always than the price you'd pay back home) - and keep in mind if under 26 the bargain Eurail Youthpasses.

My experience is railpasses (I'm no longer a student, so factor that in) are only cheaper than point to point on very long legs. My travel style is to keep the travel legs short so I haven't used a pass in years.

The best way I can think of to solve the math, without knowing your specific plans is to price a pass. Figure out what the cost per travel day would be. Then compare that to a trip you might make.

To Amsterdam and back, a pass would be a complete waste of money.

To Paris and back, down one day and back another, might get closer but I'm betting point to point is still a better deal.

To Vienna, Madrid, or another looong leg will probably prove cheaper with a pass.

The only way to decide is to look at fares for specific journeys. Each country has its own fare system, and the cost of living is different. Train fares per kilometre in, say, Germany, Switzerland or Sweden are higher than in Italy, Portugal or Greece.

and for anyone staying in Holland for such a long time buying a National Museum Pass is IMO a no-brainer - costs about 39 euros and gives unlimited entry to hundreds of museums, churches, historical attractions, etc all over Holland. Just going to the big three museums in Amsterdam will pay for the pass. I recently went to Rotterdam for a day and visited several museums - great museums that I probably would not have paid the several buck entry fee without the pass. Again if under 26 I believe there is an even cheaper Youth National Museum Card.

PalenQ - I don't think she is spending 4 months there before travelling, but rather spending 4 months there total, taking the course and travelling simmultaneously.

nov moon - re-reading that seems right - but still the National Museum Pass for Holland is a no-brainer IMO for anyone even sepnding a few days in Holland, including Amsterdam where museums like the Rijksmuseum charge $10 or more. thanks for the correction.

Oh yeah - definitely the museum pass. That will pay for itself very quickly.

and i may add the Museum Pass need not be bought in advance but is sold at every participating museum. Then you just flash it to get in.

You might find a combo better: A pass for some of the time, point to point tickets for (a) shorter trips and (b) trips you know you want to do and can book in advance so get a cheap fare.

Remember that many trains in western Europe have airline-style pricing, with cheap fares if you pre-book a month or two in advance (no refunds, no changes to travel plans) and expensive fares if you walk into the station and buy on the day. A pass may save money over the full price, but probably won't save money over a 29 euro 'spezial' fare in Germany or 20 euro 'Prems' fare in France.

So if you want to visit Paris, don't rush out and buy a $1,300 pass then find there' a 10 euro surcharge for passholders for every Thalys journey, when you can buy a 35 euro ticket with reservation each way Rotterdam-Paris (www.thalys.com).

You'll also find www.ns.nl useful for calculating Dutch domestic rail fares, and www.bahn.de useful for checking prices and booking cheap tickets from Rotterdam to Germany and on the direct Amsterdam-Prague, Amsterdam-Copenhagen, Amsterdam-Zurich & Amsterdam-Warsaw sleeper trains. Again, you can get a 49 euro deal from Amsterdam or Utrecht to Prague including a couchette, versus the cost of a pass plus 20 euros supplement, meaning the pass is only saving you 29 euros, and may well cost more than that per day.

You need to factor the various passholder surcharges into the calculation. Not a problem within Germany, Ausria, Netherlands, but almost every long distance journey within Italy will cost you a 10 euro surchage, for example. There's a list of surcharges for each type of train in each country at www.seat61.com/Railpass.htm.

So if you want to visit Paris, don't rush out and buy a $1,300 pass then find there' a 10 euro surcharge for passholders for every Thalys journey>

10 euro? well the Thalys supplement for railpass holders when I last rode was much much higher than 10 euros - or is this new? The Thalys railpass holder surcharge last year in 2nd class was about 35 euros.

Man in Seat 61 - has Thalys dropped the railpass surcharge to 10 euros - in first class it was about 70 euros - yes sometimes the railpass surcharge could be more than the cheaper (but often impossible to book) discounted tickets.

I think the surcharge is around 25-40 euro for a Thalys train for Eurail passholders, but it depends on the city where you are going, it varies by journey.

The www.seat61.com link seems to feature Raileurope for U.S. residents when making - strange in that Man in Seat 61 regularly disses RailEurope as a rip off on such reservations!
But I suppose it is a calculated business move on Man's part?