I am wondering if the Eurail pass is worth it or not for this trip... any advise? Thanks!


Day One: Arrive in Zurich from the US at 8:40am
Train to St. Moritz
Train Ride: 3 ½ - 4 hours
(or town within a short (30 minutes or less) train ride to St. Moritz)
Relax in the town that we stay in.

Day Two: Take the Glacier Express from St. Moritz to Zermatt
Arrive in Zermatt around 16:52

Depart Zermatt at 19:13 and arrive in Bologna at 01:24
**OR**
Stay the night in Zermatt and depart the next morning for Bologna

Day Three:
Day in Bologna

Day Four:
Day trip from Bologna to San Marino
Train ride: 1 – 1 ½ hours
Or: two days in Bologna?
Or: add this day to C.T., Rome or Ljubljana Area

Day Five:
Depart Bologna
Arrive in Cinque Terre (specific city TBD)
Train Ride: 3 ½ - 4 ½ hours
Explore Cinque Terre City

Day Six:
Day in Cinque Terre region

Day Seven:
Morning in Cinque Terre
Depart Cinque Terre in the early afternoon
Arrive in Rome
Train ride: 3-4 hours

Day Eight:
Day in Rome

Day Nine:
Day in Rome

Day Ten:
Day trip to Naples
Train Ride: 1 ½ hours

Day Eleven:
Morning in Rome
Depart Rome in afternoon
Arrive in Ancona
Train Ride: 3-4 hours

Overnight ferry from Ancona to Split

Day Twelve:
Arrive in Split
Bus ride to Dubrovnik – *spend time in Split?*
Afternoon and evening in Dubrovnik

Day Thirteen:
Day in Dubrovnik

Day Fourteen:
Day in Dubrovnik
Or: Day on an Island near Dub.
Or: Add this day as a day on the Isle of Capri
Or: Add this day as a Rome or Ljubljana area day

Day Fifteen:
Depart Dubrovnik (at 06:25)
Fly to Zagreb (arrive in Zagreb at 07:20)
Train to Ljubljana
Train Ride: 2 – 2 ½ hours
Afternoon and evening in Ljubljana

Day Sixteen:
Day Trip to Bled


Day Seventeen:
Day in Ljubljana area

Day Eighteen:
Fly from Ljubljana back to the US

I can't help with the specifics but can offer a suggestion. Have you checked seat61.com? There is a lot of information here about train travel. There are also some links that can help you decide the best otion. You can plug in your routes and then compare the point to point passes with the price of a rail ticket. I think there would also be information about whether the routes require a supplemental charge with a rail pass. It sounds like a fun trip!

It is hard to tell at first glance - lots of your train trips in Italy are short and thus cheap - esp if you take IC or Regional trains as are those in the Balkins. Off hand i would think a Eurailpass would not be cost-effective - esp since for each Italian train ride you must pay at least 5 euros or 10 euros (fastest trains) on top of the pass.

Actually you might look at the Italian Railpass - called Eurail Italy Pass and then just pay point to point in the Balkins and actually look at a Swiss Pass - a 4-consecutive-day pass even though you will be there only 3 days as it may well be cheaper than the fares Zurich-St Moritz-Zermatt-Zermatt to Brig (end of Swiss rails and start of Italian rails)

The Eurailpass is much more expensive than either of those other two passes per day.

For loads of great stuff on trains in these countries (and passes) i always highlight the site the cis2paris does as well as www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com

and i agree also with cis2paree - your trip is well laid out and sounds like a lot of fun.

You can input your itinerary at Railsaver.com to see recommendations for best price versus always with a pass.

If you were thinking of a Eurailpass to cover your Croatia travels though a Eurailass is now valid in Croatia it would only cover one of your trips - the train to Zagreb - not even a discount on boat to Split from Italy i believe and not the buses along the coast. A nice way to go along the Croatian coast is to hop the boats that go daily - buses may be quicker but a cruise along the coast is much more scenic than a bus along the coast.