PalenQ

ACTIVATING A PASS ON THE TRAIN
while long ago you could activate your pass on the train with the conductor this has not been possible for many years now EXCEPT

if you are coming into a country where you pass is valid from a country where it is not - then the conductor will do it on the train.

Thus if you have a Swiss Pass and coming to Switzerland from France on a train you need not hop off at the first Swiss station to activate your pass - rather the conductor does it on the train

...IN THEORY AT LEAST - my experience is that many conductors these days do not carry an official looking rubber stamp to do so and will tell you to activate your pass when you get to your destination - in any case worry not if coming into the country on a train.

PalenQ

PRE-ACTIVATION OF PASSES

There is a third way you can activate your railpass - have the agency you buy it from activate it at time of purchase - then all you must do is hop on trains from the get-go.

But most agents are aloof to do this, for good reason: Once a pass is activated it is no longer refundable (un-activated passes generally can be refunded up to one year after issuance for a 15-20% cancellation fee; or for a small fee be reissued) and then if a client does not go on the trip for some reason they will not be able to get any refund.

Why Pre-Activate?

But for some folks pre-activation is crucial:

If say landing in Paris and planning to hop a TGV train from the airport - i have waited in long lines at ticket windows there and if pre-activated (and made the mandatory TGV reservation ahead too) then person just has to hop on train.

and more often if all folks on a Saver Pass (two or more names on one pass) are not arriving at the same time and someone in their party wants to say use a day on the pass before they arrive. And in order to activate the pass in Europe you would need all passports of the names on the pass to activate it (in theory) - by pre-activating then the pass can be used right away even if all passengers are not there.

(Saver Passes can be used by only one person on the pass - all people on the pass need not be present.)

And on some Eurail Specials they typically offer in off-season in the past many of these passes were required to be pre-validated when issued - making them non-refundable.

NEXT EURAIL AID OFFICES

specials must be

PalenQ

EURAIL AID OFFICES

On the Eurail map you get with your pass are lists of about 50 Eurail Aid offices located in most main train stations throughout Europe.

The purpose of these offices is to help railpass travelers like when they lose their pass or have problems with conductors, etc. - complaints - go here.

If you lose your pass and even if you have PPP (described above) there is no refund for the unused part. Zip. But Eurail Aid offices will sell you a new pass to fit your remaining travel needs, if warranted.

It's a fraudulent statement that Eurailpasses are not sold in Europe because at any Eurail Aid office i've been told they sell them to anyone, even though this is intended really for folks who lose a pass.

the price however always seems to be pegged 20% above the U.S. price so this is a poor idea unless you get to Europe and decide you need a pass.

But it's only the classic Eurail Global and Select passes that are universally sold it seems - country passes sometimes but not nearly always. The new 2-country passes seem rarely to be sold there and indeed only marketed thru Rail Europe or its handful of competitors in wholesaling passes.

PASSES SOLD IN EUROPE

PalenQ

PASSES SOLD IN EUROPE
You can buy Eurailpasses in Eurail Aid offices and only there - as European residents (technically including American residents on study or work visas - but with a U.S. passport to show no one will object) some other passes are sold in the countries they cover (even though residents normally are not entitled to use them) - like Switzerland, where all forms of Swiss Passes are sold at nearly all train stations (but currently at significantly higher prices than in the U.S. - same pass but quite a bit higher when bought in Switzerland - why? I don't know but it is. A few versions of German railpasses (5- and 10-day only i believe) can be bought at some German stations but the 4, 6- 7- 8- 9-day versions are not sold (things change - i am giving most current info i have - corrections appreciated always)

But very few other passes can be bought in the countries they are valid in. Eurail Aid offices however sell some country passes for other countries.

But in main railpasses are marketed for foreign tourists and largely sold abroad thru travel agents or wholesalers like Rail Europe (owned by the French and Swiss railways) or ACP Rail (aka Wandrian i believe)

NEXT - PASSES FOR EUROPEANS (That Americans can buy and use)

PalenQ

BREAKING NEWS

Eurailpass celebrates its 50th birthday in 2009 and for its Golden Anniversary is hinted at some golden specials in 2009 - another reason not to buy your pass too far in advance. Once a pass is issued and pass prices decline then you are stuck with the old price. And when pass prices plummeted about 15% a few weeks ago if you had bought a pass the previous week you would be stuck with the higher price.
Stayed tuned - when words of special pop up i'll relay them. And on www.budgeteuropetravel.com i notice on the home page you can click on Railpass Specials and all current specials are displayed. I would assume www.raileurope.com also has info on specials but have not looked. And there have been Eurail specials in springs the past few years (and one recently finished for the spring -pays to keep up with the specials.)

mjs

I just wanted to let you know that I just purchased 2 1st class seats TGV Munich to Paris on January 2. Might switch to January 1st if we run out of things we want to do in Munich. Do not think this date switch would be difficult. Cost was E238 for 2 vs E178 in 2nd class.
Getting from Paris to London on the 4th or 5th looks more difficult. Thank you.

aussie_10

Thank you for this thread it is most informative

My son has purchased a youth saver pass for January. They will stopping in Vienna and then wish to travel to Berlin. When we look up the timetable the quickest train ( just over 9 hrs) goes through Prague, however the Czech republic is not on the Eurolrail pass system. (I believe Czech Republic might be eligible for passes bought in Jan 2009)

My question is, can they still take this train. Will they be ok? Do they have to purchase separate tickets for the Czech part? If so how do they do this?

PalenQ

I would almost bet my life (not worth that much, granted) on them being able to use the railpass in the Czech Republic after jan 1, 2009 when CR joins the Eurailpass countries. I would really be shocked if they could not.

In any case they can take the train and if the conductor says no to Eurail then he would charge them for the Czech part of the trip - not that much.

Before 2009 i would have advised them to go to the ticket window in Vienna and show their passes and what trains they want to take and buy a point to point ticket before boarding the train for the Czech part - they use their pass to the Czech border and then the point to point ticket they bought in Vienna before joining the train and then the pass after the Czech border.

But i think now this would be a waste of money as i think the conductor in Czech would honor the pass.

They should i guess go to the ticket window in Vienna and ask about it.

PalenQ

Note about buying tickets on the train:

I usually tell railpass holders whose train may be traveling thru a tad of a country they do not have on a Select or two-country pass to be sure to go to the ticket window before boarding the train to buy the ticket for that part -

because these days to buy tickets on the train may incur a penalty fee - traditionally conductors sold tickets on the train but i think to force people to buy them before boarding they have this penalty now many times.

an example is folks taking a train between Munich and Switzerland where the train goes thru a few miles of Austria, at Bregenz - not worth adding Austria onto a Select Pass but be sure to buy the ticket before boarding in Munich - as word has it that Austrian conductors will not let you slide and may impose a penalty in addition to the fare.

jumbonav

Wow,
This post is a wealth of knowledge! I posted this question on another post but I'd really like PalenQ's take on my situation...
1) I will be traveling to Stuttgart in January for 4.5 months for work.
2) I will be working 4 days on, 4 days off for the entire time.
3) I want to see Europe! During those 15 or so 4 day "weekends" I want to be traveling.
4) I'd like to take in a couple ski trips, perhaps Switzerland and Austria.
5) I cannot be late getting back to work.
6) Stuttgart has great cheap airfares on Tui and Germanwings.

Question: (finally) Should I purchase the 3 month Eurail pass, or perhaps a flexpass mixing rail with cheap flights?

Thanks for your wealth of knowledge!

azzure

This is invaluable - thanks.

PalenQ

Question: (finally) Should I purchase the 3 month Eurail pass, or perhaps a flexpass mixing rail with cheap flights?>

I would assume a flexipass would be much more cost-efficient for you - unless perhaps you were commuting an hour or so to work each day.

But if you only have weekends to travel the flexipass is ideal for that - good for a two-month period. And maybe look at some of the cheaper country passes - the Swiss Pass for instance is a great deal - also covers much more in Switzerland than do the Eurailpasses, including the German-Swiss Eurailpass - Eurails cover all main trains but not the mountain trains nor do they give 50% off on gondolas, etc.

And yes cheap flights (www.whichbudget.com) like to say go to London or Edinburgh or Spain, etc.

And don't neglect the German only pass, which for fully flexible hop on hop off travel is a bargain if say going to Berlin, the Rhine (where it also covers the K-D boats (www.k-d.com) thru the famous Rhine Gorge.

Keep in mind the 7pm rule on overnight trains where if you board the overnight train after 7pm the next day is your unlimited travel day - thus only one day on a flexipass for instance to hop an overnight train from Stuttgart to Paris, etc. Or in Germany itself there are several InterCityNightLine overnight trains leaving after 7pm as well.

azzure - thanks for the nice comment.

PalenQ

You should strongly look at the realtively new 2-country Eurailpasses - like the Germany/France, Germany/Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), Germany/Denmark, Germany-Austria, etc.

They are cheaper per day than Global Eurail and are also flexipasses over 2-month period - exact same benefits as Global Eurail but only in those two countries. They also come in 2nd class whereas Global pass does only if under 26. (Nevertheless i always say pay the relatively little extra for first class over 2nd on two-country passes.)

For a Eurail Global put you wide-ranging train travel into the two-month periods then look at a two-country pass for another two months, etc.

PalenQ

USING YOUR PASS ON THE TRAIN
Unless you are taking a train that has obligatory seat reservations that must be made before boarding (more on those later) you just hop on any train any time - no need to go to the ticket window except before your first trip when you must activate the pass (see above).
Then when the conductor comes around he/she will usually glance at the pass and most likely but not always punch a whole in the date that with flexipasses you must have filled in before boarding the train (or at least before the conductor comes by) - consecutive passes they will just look at it.
As mentioned above if you have not filled in your flexible travel date before the conductor comes around you could face paying the train fare and a penalty fare or, as train conductors are often martinet dictators even confiscation of your pass.
When filling in the flexipass date you must do it in ink and try not to make a mistake or be sloppy so as to look like the date may have been changed (like turning a 2 into a 3 or a 7 into an 8 - easy enough to do IME if the conductor does not date stamp the flexi day like some will not. (Not encouraging cheating, of course but just giving info.) Point being make sure the date is clean and clear - i have had on a few occasions conductors challenge me about changing the date (in 40 years however) and where i was innocent - the details are not important but i could see where the conductor was confused.

TBC
Mandatory Reservations all 'those fees many people seem to think are inherent with railpasses'

Best online schedules
Eurail Travelers Guide and Timetable
Eurail Survey

PalenQ

THE BEST ONLINE TIMETABLE -

www.bahn.de - the German Railways web portal that gives schedules for not only Germany but all of Europe and is the easiest and best i've seen to use (though there are other ones like the Swiss, Belgian, etc. ones that are also good). But the bahn.de one is the one i know best and seems infallible.

Railpass holders can not only print out their own schedules, with all the intermediate stops if you want, but also learn what trains are 'subject to compulsory reservation' or not. Trains that are then you must go to the ticket window with your pass to make the mandated reservation (or have the agency you buy your pass from do it for you - then you only need to board the train with reservation and pass in hand).

And if making reservations - including optional ones that can often be easily made (highly encourage on long-distance trains in 2nd class - first class i, in 40 years of travel, have relatively rarely not seen vacant seats - often loads of them) - then you should IMO print off all the details of that train from the bahn.de sight - which has the train number, etc. on it - and give it to the ticket window clerk in Europe to make it a language-proof transaction - also write 1st class - window seat or other things in clear English on the info seat and well as the date in European style (month/day/yr) if different from the one you previously printed out. Then you should have none of the confusion i find people report when they just go up to the ticket window and say i need a reservation to Paris - the clerk may throw up his hands - have it all printed out and write Eurailpass (xxxxpass?) on it so the clerk does not issue you a train ticket - you just want a seat reservation with your eurailpass.

I advise going to www.budgeteuropetravel.com because on their home page they have several tips about how to fully use the bahn.de site and have a link to the bahn.de English schedule page and how to use it. The bahn site gives platform numbers in some countries and clearly tells you where you much change trains, etc. - A wealth of info - including in Germany which bus or tram you take from any address to the train station!

PalenQ

I should note that on bahn.de site it will either say for each train

<Subject to Compulsory Reservation>
just what it says and before boarding, even if train is half full

<Please Reserve>
This apparently means reservations are possible on that train and not advice to be sure to reserve to get a seat. I think it's only a translation of German meaning reservations are possible. (Elsewhere bahn.de indicates trains of probably high demand by a red R.)

<nothing> Means reservations are not possible in any case - meaning you can always board those trains even if all seats are full. This usually applies to regional and local trains only.

PalenQ

THE EURAIL TIMETABLE

With your pass you should get the free Eurail Timetable that lists hundreds of train schedules for all of Europe except the U.K. (the only country now about not part of the Eurailpass group).

This timetable is an excellent one for planning your trip (for actual timetables to believe in go to www.bahn.de as noted above). This timetable that comes with the pass will list departure times - where you have to change if any - and arrival times - thus does not give intermediate stops for for quickly knowing travel times, frequency of trains, etc. it's a great tool.

But since it is printed once a year - in Jan it is a printed timetable that should not be considered a bible (like i do the bahn.de online schedules) as printed timetables can be wrong as soon as they are printed.

But anyway be sure you get this free timetable when you buy any kind of pass - some agents may not automatically send them out if it means increased postage costs - so be sure to specify you want the timetable (and map that comes with it). One source that at least in the past has offered to send out timetables for the cost of postage is BETS (www.budgeteuropetravel.com) but i have not checked recently if they still do. Otherwise you'll have to wait until you buy a pass to get one - too bad because it is a great planning tool to decide what kind of pass, etc. you may want.

PalenQ

OH, Meant to Ad:

Eurail Aid offices in key European train stations often have the Eurail Timetable to give out to pass holders.

and if you have one a year or two old, for planning purposes this is usually very OK - train times may be off a few minutes, etc.

PalenQ

EURAIL TRAVELER'S GUIDE

You should also get with your pass the Eurail Traveler's Guide for the current year which gives a lot of info of validating your pass, using it, a list of Eurail Aid offices and a list of benefits besides rail travel - boats, buses, etc.

It lists all ships that railpasses are valid on either for free deck passage or discounted passage and gives the web sites of each maritime company.

TBC
Eurail Souvenir
Eurail Survey
Universal symbols timetables

PalenQ

UNIVERSAL SYMBOLS
One value of obtaining the Eurail Timetable is that on the page inside its back flap are given many of the universal symbols used throughout Europe on train station schedules - and these are very useful to know.
For example a train listed that has an R in a box next to it means that reservations are obligatory before boarding.

And days of the week - 1 for Monday to 7 for Sunday - in circles indicate which days certain trains run - schedules may say 'except Sundays' by saying not on 7, etc.

There are universal symbols for trains that run on weekdays (Mon-Sat) and ones that only run on weekends, etc.

Trains that may require supplements are also noted and for overnight trains what types of accommodations are offered - couchettes and or sleeper cars, etc.

I suggest memorizing those universal schedule symbols for easier travels.


TRAIN INFORMATION OFFICES