I did the railsaver website and it told me that the 5 country in 10 days pass would be the best for my trip. Is this typically accurate. It seems that many people are against purchasing a rail pass. I am going in September and traveling...
Athens taking the boat to Bari, to Rome, Venice, Cinque Terra, Barcelona, Madrid, San Sebastian, Santader (flying to Frankfurt) from Frankfurt to Munich, Prague and then up to Berlin. I am going to so many cities that it seems the rail pass would work the best for me. Any thoughts?

Definitely your itinerary warrants a railpass if you do all that by train - it's a no-brainer and the five-country Eurail Select pass is probably your best bet but i would also look at consecutive day Eurailpass, especially if you're under 26 and can get a youth pass. Even though railsaver.com uses RailEurope fares i believe and these are not correspond to those on sale at ticket windows in Europe you are traveling so much that there is no doubt in my mind a pass of some type would be warranted. Three good sources of info on European trains, passes and fares: www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com (on the site ask for their excellent free European Planning & Rail Guide with loads of rail info and itineraries, etc. and they'll answer any questions, unlike other agents, without obligation (800-441-2387) and www.euraide.com. The RailEurope site - www.raileurope.com has railpass prices but little else - they also apparently charge $25 to talk to someone.

That was so helpful. Thanks a bunch!!

Also note that:

In Spain, the train is not convenient to and between the northern coast cities.

The point to point prices in Italy are not expensive.

Germany, however, is a different matter. The train fares are quite expensive. It does not take much to make the pass worthwhile.

Has anyone ever bought rail tickets from Budget Europe Travel Service?

Not sure if you realize it but Monterosso to Barcelona is an 18hr train ride, with at least one connection. You may be far better off flying from Italy to Barcelona (see www.whichbudget.com) and buying point-to-point tickets in Italy and Spain.

Assuming that Budget Europe Travel Service uses the acronym BETS, PalQ, who wrote to you upstream, is one of its biggest cheerleaders. He'll probably respond in a few minutes and tell you so himself.

ttt

Please read last sentence
Author: TheSauls
Date: 07/23/2006, 03:48 pm
New poster....first trip to Europe coming in September. We are flying into Prague. I plan to buy a Eurail Pass for three countries. We will spend 3-4 nights in Prague, train to Vienna for 3-4 nights, then to Milan for 3-4 nights. My questions (how much time is EVER enough for new and wonderful cities): 1) Is this a good split of our time? We will use Milan as a 'base' to go to Florence, Riviera, Venice for day trips as time allows. 2) Will the Eurail Pass give us good passage in Italy to major cities, or will we also need the Trenitalia?

Thanks!




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Author: Travelnut
Date: 07/23/2006, 03:50 pm
If you're only traveling by train between these cities, tickets might be cheaper than passes.
Go to www.railsaver.com and enter your itinerary to see which is best in your case.
Maybe it's a combination of point2point tickets and an Italy pass..



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Author: Dukey
Date: 07/23/2006, 04:19 pm
You may be confusing a couple of concepts.

Travelnut has given excellent advice re comparing the cost of point-to-point tickets with the cost of a pass. I also would NOT rely on ticket agency prices for point-to-point tickets (such as Railsaver, Raileurope, etc., because sometimes there can be significant mark-ups.

If point to point tickets are the best deal then you can consider waiting until you arrive in Europe and then buy all the tickets at once.

You ask about the pass vs. relying on Trenitalia.

Trenitalia is the name of the main Italian railroad company on which passes are honored. For your particular routes you will undoubtedly be taking Trenitalia trains.

I am assuming you have picked Milan as a base point due to its being central to the other places (and probably cheaper to stay in than Venice) you want to visit vs. going from Vienna to Venice and then westward.

Although technically it can be done I question the utility of a day trip from Milan to Venice but if that works best for you then go for it.



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Author: hopscotch
Date: 07/23/2006, 04:22 pm
For a European rail virgin and Fodor's newbie I suggest that you start by using the "search this forum" box above and enter rail europe. Then use the search box for the cities you plan to visit. There is a huge knowledge base here.

To save time and money use the night trains, especially from Vienna to Milan.





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Author: treble
Date: 07/23/2006, 04:29 pm
I don't think Milan is a good base for Florence or Venice. Just go to Venice and then to Milan. (and Florence if you want) A three hour train ride coming and going plus a full sightseeing day is a bit long. We really enjoyed Milan, used two and a half full days of sightseeing there, also took a half day to see Como/Bellagio, and spent 4 total nights. We spent six nights, five sightseeing days in Vienna, and did not run out of interesting stuff to do. We don't spend much time shopping. Also, Venice could use up 3 days, 4 if you get lost!!! If you want to fall in love with any city, and treasure your trip, then stay long enough to do all the sights you feel you must see, then have an extra day to discover the city off the beaten track. You could also consider Verona, and day trip to Venice (though it is not the same as staying there!) and Milan. I had good service from BETS re train questions and reservations