Train or plane?
 

My friend and I are planning a trip to Europe soon. Since United does not fly into Spain, we plan to take a train from Paris-Lourdes-Bourdeaux-Saragossa, Spain. Is it cheaper to purchase rail tickes in Europe rather than use a eurail pass? Anyone knows the approximate roundtrip cost for these destinations? Any advice will be greatly apprecated

Here is a site that has good train info to help you decide: <BR>www.footloosetravel.com

Thank you so much for your reply. I studied the site and it was very informative. I appreciate your advice very much. <BR> <BR>Aloha, <BR> <BR>Joe

Hi Joe. I looked up the fare for a town in Spain called Saragosse in French. <BR>I presume that is the same as Saragossa in English. <BR>The one way fare, second class, from Paris to Saragosse is 615 francs or about $88. <BR> <BR>The trip is a long one and the schedule is not to my personal liking!! You leave Paris about 4:00 in the afternoon, but arrive in Saragosse at 4:10 AM. You also have a wait for the next train in a border station called Irun for over an hour. <BR> <BR>I think you would be more comfortable on such a long trip in first class, but that boosts the cost considerably. On the SNCF webside, the first class fare comes out at 1784 francs (about $250) Darn near triple!! I was surprised at the difference. <BR> <BR>You can get a little better schedule if you lay over for a night in Bordeaux. <BR>That way you can avoid that 4 AM arrival. <BR> <BR>But, you don't have a whole lot of choice in the matter. <BR> <BR>I don't know what the closest airport is to Saragosse or Saragossa, but I would try to find it so I did not have to ride a train on a 12 hour trip.

What about flying one of the airlines that has the inexpensive flights? Try www.europebyair.com. There are others, so maybe more knowledgeable Fodorites will chime in.