I have decided to purchase a 6 day Adult Saver Select Pass for our trip to Brussels-the Hague-Brussels-Brugge-Paris-La Rochelle-Paris-Brussels. I have read here that people don't like Rail Europe for some reason. Is it because they add on extra costs? Does it make any difference whether we buy the pass from them or Railpass.com?

Also, what do people advise about getting reservations ahead of time (i.e., while still here) vs. waiting until we get there. We'll need reservations for the Thalys from Brussels to Paris on Saturday, June 26, and from Paris to Brussels on Sunday, July 4. At Railpass, they said I could wait but should get it a few days ahead of time. I thought that was nice, but do you agree? Thanks for any help on this.

First: the prices of tickets and passes are set by the railroads. Agencies such as RailEurope, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the European railrods (mainly SNCF and Swiss) BOOST those prices by adding processing and shipping fees. This is especially tru for seat reservations which are ALWAYS cheaper to buy in Europe.
Compare the price of the SAME pass on RailEurope's site and on the Railpass site and then decide. Also compare the cost of the processing and shipping fees.

Agencies such as Railpass may very well offer certain passes that RailEurope doesn;t, the newer Benelux-Germany pass is one example...I couldn't get one from RailEurope but I did get one from Railpass.

A lot of people here like to tell you that RailEurope boosts BASIC ticket prices by 50% but they have never been able to back up such claims with any hard data.

Get your reservations in Europe but do so as soon as you get there.

Buying a Railpass from Raileurope is fine, it's buying single tickets from them that's costly. To see if you NEED a railpass, try your itinerary at:
www.railsaver.com

I've used RailEurope twice to buy railpasses and they were great. No problems and we received the passes very quickly. I've never bought point to point tickets or seat reservations from them.

I used to buy railpasses all the time thinking it would be both cheaper and more convenient. But now I do what most Europeans seem to do...just show up at the terminal window and buy tickets point-to-point or roundtrip. Three years ago, RailEurope wanted something like 120 dollars on the website to go from Vienna to Innsbruck and back (second class). I bought the same ticket at the window in Vienna for 36 dollars!

I also struggled with whom and how to buy rail tickets for my upcoming trip. RailEurope may cost a little more (I compared point to point on railway web sites vs. RailEurope pass) but to me it's worth it. The RailEurope representatives in the US are so helpful and friendly and made it so easy for us. They made all of our seat reservations and delivered the tickets and passes in about three business days. If you're watching every dime maybe it's not the way to go. For me, it's one less hassle not having to go to the train stations buying tickets, making reservations, etc. and using up the precious time we have over there. During the heavy tourism season you need seat reservations on the popular route trains particularly when you want to sit with someone. There are four of us traveling in July and now I don't have to worry about that aspect. If I was going in off season, I would definitely just show up and get tickets at the stations.

Hi rebecca,

I also suggest you enter your itinerary at www.railsaver.com. Be sure to click on "only if it saves me money".

If you have a railpass, you will have to pay extra for required resevations on the high-speed trains. That will be about 12E each. For optional reservations you will pay about 3E in Europe, more from RailEurope.

As far as where to buy railpasses, go with the people who give you the most freebies. Railpasses cost exactly the same no matter who the ticket agent is.

Thank you for all the information and advice. I decided to go ahead with the pass (I did the railsaver, "only if it saves you money" option). It was hard to find out what individual ticket prices are other than on RailEurope, and from what you said here, they might be higher on RailEurope than in Europe. Anyway, it seemed easier to get the pass. By the way, RailEurope sends the passes free, while Railpass charges for Fed Ex.

To get reservations, should we go directly to the train station when we arrive in Brussels (there's one right at the airport, I think), or should we go to a tourist office, or doesn't it matter? Thanks.

European rail travel rule #1:

Get your reservations as soon as it's feasible. Since the train station is right at the airport, go for it!

If you're traveling on the high-speed services (ICE, Thalys, TGV), you must order seats before you even leave the U.S.

<i>Bon voyage!</i>

Robespierre, what do you mean, order seats before we leave? Do you mean get reservations? I mentioned to the Railpass person on the phone that we were taking the Thalys, and she said we could get our reservations when we arrive in Brussels. Thanks.

I guess it depends on what your definition of &quot;must&quot; is ;-)

I mean if you wait until you're in country, you may or may not be able to get the seats you prefer (see Rule #1, above).

Hi rebecca,

I also suggest that you get your reservations when you order your railpass, especially if you will be traveling during high season and/or weekends and holidays.

I wouldn't count on making reservations at the small rail station at Brussels Airport. It largely exists to ferry passengers to the other main Brussels stations. There are often lines of people trying to buy a ticket to Brussels or on off hours, there may not be anyone at the station booth at all. Plus, they do not have schedule boards, if I am recalling, of the International trains. You are better off going to Brussels Nord or Midi (Zuid) and making your reservations there.

usbeauty, thanks for the tip about the train station at the airport. We arrive on Tuesday, June 22, and we will be going from Brugges to Paris (via Brussels, Thalys) on the following Saturday, the 26th, probably in the middle of the day. Do you suggest that we get our reservation for that trip now or will it be OK to wait until we get to Brussels?

Now.

agreed

OK, thanks. I did reserve yesterday, but it was expensive because of mailing costs. Advice to others: if you're going to reserve, do it at the same time you order your rail pass.

By the way, I ended up calling RailEurope. The directions on the website for reservations were impossible! I couldn't find a phone number at first, but buried within the site I finally did. The young man who answered was very helpful.

can you share the phone number for raileurope?

It's &quot;hidden&quot; under CONTACT US:

1-877-257-2887 in the US
1-800-361-RAIL in Canada

You can also order railpasses from www.ricksteves.com, and get a few 'freebie' items thrown in. They have a consultation line, and also give an email contact for followup. Sometimes they email a discount on their travel products.