raileurope tickets
 

hi. please give me an honest suggestion. is it better to buy eurail tickets once we get to the destination or buy online. a lot of my friends told me that it is very cheap there than online. what about the availablity and where should we buy them? we wish to travel by train to the foll places:
paris- frankfurt
munich-salzburg
salzburg-prague
prague-budapest
budapest-vienna
please suggest the prices ,where to buy and if possible time too. if long distances i would prefer an overnight train. what is this youth saver ticket? how much % reduction is there? thank you so much and appreciate your replies.

FYI, Eurail is the name of a railpass brand name, not the name of a railway in Europe. There aren't any Eurail tickets in Europe.

yes, it is usually cheaper in Europe and I would think all of your tickets will be cheaper to buy on site than from Raileurope. I might be wrong, but I suspect so, especially since some of those countries have very cheap rail fares (ie, CR, Hungary for sure).

I don't know the prices of those tickets, it would be a wild guess for me and depends on all kinds of things, such as dates, time of day, whether a holiday, etc. Unless you must hve one specific train time and want to travel on a holiday or its proximity, I wouldn't think you'd have any trouble buying them in Europe. Overnight trains don't exist that much anymore due to high-speed trains, and I doubt if any of those would have such a thing. Maybe Paris-Frankfurt, you can easily check that yourself on raileurope, even if you don't buy there, or www.bahn.de

You can buy tickets for German trains from the site above. It's cheaper the earlier you buy the tickets.

For French trains, the cheapest rates are from 90 days before your journey. To get an estimate of the price enter a date that is 90 days or less from today.

French train site: sncf.com

<< if possible time too >> what does this mean? When to buy the tickets??? Time of day to take the trip???

Go to seat61.com to get lots of info on train travel in Europe?

There is also a site that compares point-to-point ticket prices with train pass prices. Search on this forum for that site.

I buy my tickets for Germany on the DB site. They post their discount fares 92 days prior to travel. I just purchased two first class tickets to Frankfurt to Berlin on the first day they became available for 92E total and the regular fares are about 4x as much.

The site is easy to use - just set up an account.

I prefer to buy my rail tickets from Raileurope. They have the same low prices 90 days out. You do pay a 15.00 fee but that is still less than walking up to the ticket counter on the day you travel and paying a higher price

There is no such thing as Eurail tickets. Eurail is a company that sells train tickets sort of like Expedia can sell you airline tickets. You want to buy train tickets for the German rail company bahn.de unless you are talking about buying a train pass.
http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml

And IMO you should be strongly thinking about a Eurail Select Youth Pass that would cover virtually all of your trains and most importantly let you hop on them any ole time you want - just show up - such fully flexible tickets cost a ton in places like Germany - now for domestic tickets in countries like Germany yes you can score some online discounts if you want to lock yourself into a specific train that cannot be changed nor refunded i believe months in advance (these tickets can sell out their alloted numbers quickly at times)

fodorites are notoriously for saying a railpass is never a good deal and IMO this is from ignorance rather than a bias - but for your trip involving many trains that getting a discount on may be problematic or just not possible look at some kind of Eurail Youthpass, that is if you are under 26 - if you are doing this all in say 15 or 21 days then sometimes the Global Eurail Youthpass for those consecutive day periods may be the ticket to ride - here are some great info-laden sites to help plan your rail journey and have various passes explained: www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com. And yes for train schedules all over Europe i always use the Wunderbar www.bahn.de or German Rail web site as it is very easy to use after you use it a few times.

>>>Eurail Select Youth Pass that would cover virtually all of your trains<<<

That's misleading as the OP was inquiring about night trains where you can't just hop any old train and must pay supplements in addition to the cost of a pass.

Often it's cheaper to fly a budget airline than to use the trains.
www.whichbudget.com

In our fairly limited experience (4 or 5 trips), we've found Raileurope a good site if you're booking the really fast trains (e.g., Madrid/Barcelona, Dijon/Paris in about 2.5-3 hours) where reservations are usually required along with the tickets, at least in high season. Compared to the money you'll spend in Europe, including just getting there, the $15 mailing fee is a small expenditure. Our first trip (2000) involved us (even with Eurail passes) having to visit rail stations in Florence and Venice to buy reservations for actual seats on the trains (Eurail passes don't guarantee you a seat). We found that we wasted a lot of valubale touring time traveling to the stations and waiting in line for reservations (just as we wasted similar time looking for, and hanging around, laundromats for the every three or four day laundry exercise--but that's another story), because travel to Europe is costly but we eventually learned a bit better where to economize by spending a bit more money but freeing up time to do and see the things for which we'd come to Europe in the first place. Many, many years ago I was an economics major but I'd forgotten how to value my own time, and learned much on that first trip about priorities.

Actually, you can buy tickets any travel agency in Italy displaying the Trenitalia logo, along with seat reservations, so there is no need to make a trip to the station.

I book all my seat reservations at one time so no need to make repeat visits.

That's misleading as the OP was inquiring about night trains where you can't just hop any old train and must pay supplements in addition to the cost of a pass.>

"Misleading" my rear! You can hop on ordinary overnight trains just like day trains - albeit more and more overnight trains are now 'hotel trains' where there are no open seating like on day trains and you must pay a supplement to cover the cost of the sleeping accommodation.

As you totally misleading bias expressed against railpasses in the past - like in Italy saying they are always a waste of money - which i proved totally false - i would expect such tactics here.

the way the OP listed the trains i considered to be day trains and yes a railpass valid in all those countries would cover all those trains and for the most if not all you could just hop on. she/he did not say those trains were overnight trains but casually mentioned the possibility - if she had said those trains listed were overnight trains then i would have said the railpass pays for the basic train fare but not optional or mandatory sleeping options.

For detailed timetables for all your routes go to the German Rail site listed by Christina and kybourbon. After you get summary timetables for point A to point B, click on "Show details for all" to see the connecting points, if any.

If you can commit well in advance (up to 90 days) to specific departure dates and times, you often can get discount fare tickets that will be cheaper than a railpass. For example, the standard 2nd class fare for Paris-Frankfurt is 106 EUR. Booked on the German Rail site, the cheapest Europa-Spezial Frankreich fare is 39 EUR.

You didn't include Frankfurt-Munich, but the cheapest Sparpreis fare booked on the German Rail iste is 29 EUR.

2-5 people can travel from Munich to Salzburg on one Bayern-Ticket for 28 EUR. No advance purchase necessary.

Book well in advance on the Austrian Rail site to get a SparSchiene fare as low as 39 EUR for Salzburg-Prague.

A 5-day Flexipass for Youths valid in all five countries the OP is traveling in by train costs $338 total

It would cover all the five train ride previewed (but not sleeping costs on overnight trains - just the basic train fare)

thus each ride would be about $66/day or about 47 euros a day - so for what it gives - totally flexible travel at will anytime on day trains at least the added cost over say 39 euro discounts and 29 euro discounts is not all that much - and that is IF you can get 29 or 39 euro online discounts for all five train trips - how much time do you spend doing the online things for five different trains - and you must decide weeks in advance often...

And on that 5-country Eurail Select Youthpass if you wanted a 6th day the added cost is only about 27 $ for a 6th day over the base of 5 - what is that about 15 euros for totally unrestricted travel on a whole calendar day? and for 8 days what do you pay for the extra 3 - about $55 - or perhaps 35 euros for two more unlimited days.

Cheap online discounts can save lots of money for folks traveling a few times and for adults over 25 who have to pay much more (but then they get first class - much much nicer IME than in 2nd class and well worth the money for the average traveler taking a trip of a lifetime)

So the online discounted fares are great for some profiles - those who do not want any flexibility but for someone like the OP - especially if he/she were say traveling six days or 8 days on trains could actually be more expensive and not give total sponteneity.

The Fodor mantra a pass is always a waste of money is just a fallacy that if you repeat it enough others will blindly repeat it without say even looking at pass prices. And indeed a railpass can be a waste of money for many - just do not say always as some want to do.

While I listed a few discout fares just for the record, I agree that a railpass can be a good choice, especially for people young enough to qualify for a youth pass.

thanks for the info..i am traveling 10 days from now so i guess booking online is ruled out!i know eurail is company n it involves the passes i just used the term in short..thats all!!!i checked online for the dates we are traveling,its very very expensive!!!so i guess i'll just get there n buy it n cross my fingers that it wont cost me so much!!!

You say, "I'll just get there and buy it." Places where you can buy railpasses in Europe are quite limited--and they'll cost you 20% more than if you buy them at home. You can buy them now from a US distributor like raileurope.com or ricksteves.com. Or you can buy then at either Gare du Nord or Gare de Lyon in Paris.

You'll need to buy a seat reservation for Paris-Frankfurt. Buy it as soon as you get to Paris. SNCF (French National Rail) limits the number of seats it allocates for passholders. People have reported being told that the passholder seats are gone for the train of their choice, leaving them with having to either pick another train or pay full fare for the train they wanted to take.

If you buy a railpass at Eurail Aide offices in Europe - in a few dozen key train stations in Europe then IME the price is adjusted about 20% above the dollar price you would pay in the U.S. This has been true each of the zillions of times i have checked at Gare Saint-Lazare in Paris - International Ticketing Bureau - there was never one at Gare du Nord before but makes sense that there is now (TimS is never wrong!).

TimS- could you give me details of where in Gare du Nord? I know in Saint-Lazare it is a very separate office and not at regular ticket windows.

PalenQ I hope with your zillions of times you are not overstaying your Schengen visa, would be really upset not to see your 'valuable' contribution. By the way, are you an agent
for Raileurope? Because no respectable European would buy those passes.
Over and out.
Wobbers

I don't think Europeans are allowed to buy those passes, respectable or not. Which is exactly why there are only a few places where you can buy them in Europe, they are specifically for tourists and foreigners. I think you have to show your residency or citizenship to buy one.

PalenQ,

I only listed two of them, but the Eurail site shows three Eurail Aid offices in Paris (Gare de Lyon, Gare du Nord, and Gare Saint-Lazare) plus one at the Terminal 1 RER Station Bureau SNCF at CDG. The site doesn't give specific locations in the train stations.

I am not sure that all Eurail Aide sites sell Eurailpasses - i think all i've seen outside of Paris do but in Paris i think it could be still at the only International Ticket window in Paris the SNCF has operated for years.

But things change since i last looked in those stations a few years back.

I will look next time

for now one could try any station and be told perhaps to go to Saint-Lazare - in any case OP has ample time to order here and avoid the 15-20% or whatever markup that has been in effect for years (again no knowledge of current policies)

Well, I am certainly not the expert others are on this board but I will offer a few comments. I see you have a 2 year old and apparently a fairly ambitious itinerary. I wonder if you have booked all your places to stay at night (and so have a firm schedule).

I have used a select country rail pass, point to point tickets and driven and there are advantages to each. But with your schedule, if it is firm, I would highly recommend that you look at the pass. You do spend a lot of time in lines without one and I would not want to do that with a 2 year old. And I think you would likely save money too. (I do not know your ages though or how many are traveling.) One thing that surprised me was the (what I considered) high reservation fee you had to pay for many trains in addition to the pass. Some you do, others not.

I see you are considering renting a car for the day in Austria. You could look into Rail Fly combinations or just renting a car separately for several days, and not using the train those days.

I have not used them but have heard that BudgetEuropeTravel.com (mentioned above) is a great resource. It is not too late to get your railpass before you leave, or order tickets online. Hope you have a great time.

for Raileurope? Because no respectable European would buy those passes>

you are saying that every railpass - hundreds of them no European would ever buy?

Well i have never heard such an idiotic statement on Fodors before - you are saying that every version of every railpass is a rip off?

Well a lot of less than respectable Europeans would love to buy some of these passes - like the OP above could well buy a 3-country Eurail Select Pass good in just about any 3 countries they select - say Benelux - Belgium, Netherlands and Luzembourg as one country for pass purposes - and say Germany and France.

He/she buys a Eurail Selct Youth Pass for 3 countries - minimum 5 days of unlimited travel to be used anytime over a 2-month period - a 'flexipass'

He/she pays the equivalent of 40 euros a day - unlimited rides midnight to midnight - that's for a 5-day pass

For a 6-day/2 mo pass he.she pays 225 euros - yup only 25 euro for the extra or sixth day or about 37 euros a day

For an 8-day youthpass he/she pays 260 euros - yup only 35 euros more for TWO whole unlimited days more above 6 - 33 euros a day

So no respecting European would buy for 40 euros/day; 37 euros/day or 33 euros/day for unlimited unrestricted fully flexible travel to hop practically any train anytime in those countries?

Well if they thought that they would be daft - totally daft

wobbers - take the 8day in 2mo youth flexipass select 3 countries - over two months you move anywhere in France, Germany and Benelux for 33 euros a day - if doing 8 train trips - not unusual for young folk traveling around - even Europeans on Inter-Rail Passes, which zillions of European youths buy at approximate prices Americans and others buy Eurail Youthpasses - or often even more - are these European kids not 'respectable'

ladies and gentlemen i present the ultimate foolish statement = 'that no respectable European would ever buy any of those passes' -zillions of European youths do buy the very same version - InterRail every year

Beware when anyone says 'railpasses are always a bad idea' for they absolutely have not examined the very passes and are literally speaking out of......

and again this is not to say everyone will benefit from a pass - many will not and will use the online discounts better but even those discounted tickets don't always better a pass.

You have to do your homework - look at the online discounts and decide whether you want flexibility or not and whether you can commit to non-changeable trains months in advance, etc. If yes and not going all over the place then that may be the best way to go - if no then a railpass - for fully flexible travel may be priceless.

Beware anyone like wobbers saying railpasses are always a bad idea for they know not of which they speak.

wobbers - RailEurope does not create Eurailpasses - guess who does - the European Railways themselves thru the Eurail Committee, sitting in Utrecht, Netherlands - at least get something right if you are going to criticize RailEurope, which is often justly criticized and by me as well when warranted. But throwing the baby out with the bathwater is just so so naive.

The bottom line to all of this is you must do your homework. One size does not fit all. You must fit your railpass and or point to point tickets as well as local area tickets into your itinerary. Take a look at all prices home and abroad. If you can nail down trips way ahead of time the specials are the way to go. When the dollar is very low you are better off buying your pass in Europe. I saved $80.00 on a German Rail Pass that I purchased upon arrival in Frankfurt. The internet is a wonderful shopping tool. Use it.

When the dollar is very low you are better off buying your pass in Europe.>

but this applies to relatively few of the zillions of railpasses, many of which are not sold in Europe and must be purchased before arrival. Like all types of Eurailpasses - though as discussed above you can buy Eurailpasses at a few Eurail Aide offices in Europe they are IME pegged 15-20% higher than the $ price you would have paid back home.

Now the German and Swiss passes you can buy in those countries - sometimes cheaper and sometimes more expensive due to currency fluctuations. When i checked recently on Swiss Passes they were considerably cheaper if bought in the U.s. than the same exact pass in Switzerland. But at other times it could be the reverse.

haxter1 IMO gives some great advice about doing your homework and having it pay off!

Eurailpasses are not sold in Europe. AND they are only rarely the best way to get from point A to point B.
RailEurope is never the most economical or even the best way to buy tickets.
The internet is such a tool for not only being informed but also saving money. It is worth doing homework, in this case.

"RailEurope is never the most economical or even the best way to buy tickets."

While that may well be true for the majority of point to point tickets, it is also a sweeping generalization.

Many passes are ONLY available through RailEurope as has been accurately pointed out in this thread.

We also often buy passes when we travel in Europe and which pass is dependent on the country or countries we are visiting. We find the flexibility to be a great asset and do enough significant day trips - often spontaneous - that the cost differential is negligible. We also travel first class as that is our choice.

This will always be a hotly debated topic but the only fact is that one must do their homework and then make a decision based on their personal travel style and priorities. For us, a pass is our preference for the majority of our trips. We have a 3 country Flexipass purchased for our upcoming trip in November and it will certainly be a cost effective option for our particular itinerary as well as afford us the complete flexibility we prefer.

Definitely go to BudgetEuropeTravel.com. Call their 800 number. bob there was extremely helpful when we took a couple of trips by train. They know all the discount passes, and will recommend the most economical way to go. They do not charge more than in Europe, and will mail paper tickets to you if you want. They have an office in the Munich train station, as I recall.

For Munich to Salzburg, for example, the Bayern Pass is cheap for day-trips. Going into and out of Prague, there was a 'Czech us out' pass that they recommended, too. But as you change country borders, you need a different ticket. budgetEurope knows how to navigate all this. They are an invaluable resource.

"For Munich to Salzburg, for example, the Bayern Pass is cheap for day-trips. "

Just beware that the there is a cost for these budge tickets in terms of time and convenience. In the example above, it takes about an hour longer on the cheaper regional trains that the Bayern Pass covers and that is about 30% longer than it takes on the RailJet.

Just beware that the there is a cost for these budge tickets in terms of time and convenience.>

and for the first-time tourist hopping on the right, or wrong, train can be flummoxing as the Lander Passes are like kfusto says only valid on regional trains and not the much faster ICE and IC trains - jump on one of those by mistake with a Lander Card and you are considered to be traveling without a valid ticket.

Things like Bayern Passes are great deals but just understand on what they can and cannot be used and expect to take much longer if that is important.

"PalenQ - no respectable European would buy those passes.
Over and out.
Wobbers"

wobbly what do you call the thousands and thousands of Europeans who do annually purchse Inter-Rail Passes (only available to European residents), passes that with some minor nuances, are just the same as Eurailpasses - the name is about the only difference - oh one more difference is that Inter-Rail Passes seem always to be a bit higher in price than the equivalent Eurailpass.

wobbly - are all those thousands of Europeans not respectable? Well in your terms they are not but in their terms they thought it good enough deals to buy them, despite, like you, having all the various online fares at their disposals.

The Bayern Pass, if used properly, is a great price, non?

I think our family of four went Munich-Salzburg RT, in one day a few years ago, and it was only about 36EU for all four of us. We also went Munich-Fussen using the pass.

As tourists, we weren't concerned so much about the time in transit, because we wanted to see the countryside. Just so we could get to Munich at night.

Coming back from Fussen, for instance, we missed the last direct train, so we took two slow regional trains back to Munich, connecting in some little town whose name I forget. It was actually fun, because we had dinner in a tiny town we never would have seen otherwise.

Yes the Bayern Pass is a tremendous deal, especially for the more numbers traveling toghether and as long as you understand the restrictions and, like me and PeaceOut, enjoy riding local trains that actually stop at sleepy stations, etc. And it can be used on virtually all transports in places like Munich - S-Bahns, U-Bahns, buses, etc the rest of the day when you return or just to get to the train station from your hotel.

and on these local or regional trains you can use the Bayern Pass on you get a whole different glimpse of Germans than on the bullet trains - like the rural folk who board at sleepy rural stations faster trains speed thru - but one thing that could unnerve some is the penchant to use these local trains as school buses - it is not uncommon on school days in Germany IME on local trains for swarms of school kids to board filling up the whole 2nd class train car - so it is like riding a school bus full of teens - somewhat interesting but somewhat uncomfortable to me at least.

I have experienced the school bus scene that PalenQ speaks of. At times some of the older students drink beer on their way home. This has never bothered me because other than being a little loud their behavior was not unacceptable.

haxter - i agree with you - never bothered me and as a former high school teacher i rather like seeing what German students are like - the only problem is when there are not enough seats and it is a cattle car scene - but they are usually only on the train for a few stops. so it is kind of fun - like being back in high school!