Sandy317

Ciao fellow travelers! I somehow have become the "tour guide" for a group of 6 going to Italy/Switzerland in October. I've got planes, hotel, car booked, no problem. I'm stressed about the train travel though, and have some questions for those more experienced.

We have 5 days of train travel. I'm considering a 5-day Eurail 3-country pass. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it. The only online site that I can find train ticket prices is raileurope.com. My q's:

1. Are the raileurope prices realistic, or are the high?
2. If they are high, is there somewhere else online I can find the prices I would pay for point-to-point when I got to Europe?

Also,
3. What's the difference between 1st and 2nd class. (This might be what makes my mind up. Most likely if we decide to go 1st class, I'll buy the passes.)

And finally,
4. If I do buy a pass, I know (I think?) I still need to get reservations. How do I go about doing that?

Many, many thanks for any help you can provide.

Edward2005

RailEurope can give you point-to-point (PTP) prices. This is another good site for figuring out all the rail options:

http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/rail_menu.htm

My advice is to go with the rail passes even if they cost a little more than PTP (unless your group is very cost sensitive or the price difference is large given your itinerary). The reason is that you would have to stand in line to buy tickets every time you would want to use the train. With a rail pass you can bypass the ticket window and just board the train you want.

My experience with traveling in a group is that it's like herding cats, so being able to cut out the ticket-buying step would save some headaches and time.

1st class generally has larger seats and is less crowded.

If you buy a pass you do not need reservations. Just get on the train before it starts moving. The only time a reservation *might* be needed is if you want a sleeper car for an overnight trip. Since you're traveling in October the tourist crowds will be way down so I doubt you'd even need reservations for this. If you did want reservations, you would need to stop by the ticket window, ideally at least the day before you want to travel.

Edward2005

Looking at the Rick Steves railpass site, it looks like the best pass is the SelectPass Saver. It covers 3 countries for 2 or more people traveling together (you may have to buy them together). And it is a first class ticket, no 2nd class option, for $316 per person.

Intrepid1

You can compare railpass and point-to-point prices by going to www.railpass.com or www.railsaver.com

You should be able to buy a pass which covers both Switzerland and Italy..HOWEVER..what part of Italy are you planning to visit. A small part of Northern Italy is also covered by the SwissPass.

Sandy317

Thanks for your help, everyone!

PalenqueBob

BETS European rail hotline answers all such questions and in my experience gives an objective look at whether a pass is good or not (800-441-9413) - if you give your itinerary by train here i can pretty much tell you whether to even consider a pass or not - a Swiss Pass plus point-point in dirt-cheap trains in Italy is often the best options - especially since Swiss Pass covers many things Eurail (including Select) doesn't cover.

simpsonc510

The one time I traveled on a train in 2nd class, I ended up sitting on my own suitcase rather than on a seat. So now I always opt for first class. I don't do long train trips, just from airport to another city, usually not more than about 2 hours, but I don't want to have to sit on my suitcase for that length of time ever again!

Carol

Desert_Sue

Train travel is fantastic - I just returned from both those countries and we traveled by train. I don't buy passes, but use www.trenitalia.com and www.sbb.ch to buy tickets. If you are going to major cities, you can use the kiosks to retrieve your tickets. You can easily buy tickets as you go. If you post the cities you are visiting, you might get more detailed info about the stations.

My only warning - be sure that you can lift your suitcase! The steps into the trains are steep and you have to hoist your bag onto racks above the seats. Also, the smaller stations have steps rather than escalators to get from level to level. Pack lightly.

First class, in my opinion, is the only way to travel on the train. The seats are bigger and it's less crowded.

suze

I have not traveled enough during any single trip to considered a pass, but I have bought point-to-point tickets at train station(s) in Switzerland and Venice a number of times. It was very easy and straight-forward once you are there. For me, much less intimidating than trying to get one more thing organized from home.

For longer trips I find first class worth the price, less crowded, more room for luggage, usually more quiet, larger seats.

Sandy317

Thanks again for the wonderful information. Can we get back to the question of reservations again? I'm still unsure about them.

Say that I do buy the railpass....do I still need to reserve seats? Some people here are saying no, but when I go to the sbb website, a number of the trains I plan to take show "reservation required."

Again, many thanks for your help!

Desert_Sue

I always get a seat reservation so I'm sure I have a seat. I like knowing that I'm in seat 75. In our recent trip, my husband bought tickets and failed to ask for seat reservations. Getting on the train, I didn't know where we were allowed to sit. I kept imagining that the conductor would boot us out of the compartment cars and the one 1st class car with seats was full. We ducked in an empty compartment and the conductor didn't say a thing when he punched our ticket. I'm sure if the train was full, it would be another story, but 1st class was pretty empty.

Sandy317

Sue, thanks. Also, do reservations always cost extra? Or just sometimes?

thx, Sandy

fritz77

If money is not an issue, I'd really recommend first class. Oftentimes kind of empty, with lots of room to strech out, and and for luggage. 2nd class is ok, but more stressful.

Ricksteves.com has a lot of train pass information. You have to buy them in US. Another thing, having the pass really makes it easy getting on the trains. After you register it in Europe, you just go to the train station and hop aboard. Of course, they check it when you get on the train. Just not waiting in lines to buy the tickets is well worth the cost to me.

PalenqueBob

I've ridden Swiss trains for years and years and never have gotten reservations - of course i always have a first-class pass and in first class always empty seats and room to spread out. 2nd class usually OK but during rush hours groups of students or commuters can crowd aboard - as can groups of hikers - definitely go first class in my opinion.
The only trains in Switzerland that require reservations to my knowledge are specialty trains like the Glacier and Chocolate Expresses. Cisalpino trains do not unless you're taking them into Italy then they do, but not inside Switzerland. TGV trains that go on to France, as they all do, also require reservations, even for domestic links - but no other to my knowledge, and i study Swiss trains pretty seriously and have for years.

sandi_travelnut

reservations cost about 9-12euro per ticket