What type of Eurail pass for my itinerary?? SOO CONFUSED!!! :(
 

Hello friends,
I'm taking a month trip to Europe with my friend. We are both less than 26 yrs old. I have no idea what type of rail pass to get or whether i should purchase point to point tickets. I would prefer the most economical approach and I don't mind purchasing first class tix for comfort if that is strongly recommended. Anyway, I may need to fly from Paris to Rome because a train ride may be too long and tiring. I dunno what is everyone's thoughts on the best transportation method for the following itinerary? I find the whole train system/Eurail passes options very confusing so any guidance in this area would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you in advance!!!

june 8 - arrive in PARIS at 940am
june 12 - PARIS to ROME
june 16 - ROME to FLORENCE
june 18 - FLORENCE to VENICE
june 20 - VENICE to PRAGUE
june 24- PRAGUE to BERLIN
june 28 - BERLIN to AMSTERDAM
july 2 - AMSTERDAM to PARIS
july 4 - leave PARIS at 11:40am to HOME

A good place to start is the German rail website, www.bahn.de. I like to use that site for train schedules all over Europe. You won't see prices for routes outside Germany. For those you'd use the websites for the respective countries.

i.e. www.trenitalia.com for Italy.

For your itinerary you'll probably find that a pass is not the best way since flying some legs will be better, (and maybe even cheaper).

Here's what I recommend.

Paris to Rome - fly
Rome - Florence - train. 90min on the fast ES trains. 2nd class is fine - more comfortable than a coach airplane seat.
Florence - Venice - train, about 3hrs, 2nd class.
Venice to Prague - fly (may require connection)
Prague to Berlin - train, ~4.5hrs, again, 2nd is fine. I recommend you stop over in Dresden for a day as it's 1/2 way enroute. You have plenty of time between June 20 & 28 for a day in Dresden.
Berlin - AMS. Train or fly. You may find a good flight fare and the Berlin airports are convenient to the city.
AMS - Paris train.

A few comments on this itinerary. I like how you've left enough time in each location, so you're not changing hotels each and every day.

But, you are only going to major cities. There is another side of Europe you'll see if you get OUT of the cities. Beautiful countryside, small villages, beach / ocean, and a slower, quieter pace of life. You actually have time for some 1d side trips from each of these cities. If that interests you then others here on fodors can give you good recommendations.

Cayla - on your other thread you had a lot of advice about buying rail passes rather than point-to-point tickets and advice on flying between destinations.

Rick Steves has a very good 4-step Guide to Eurail Passes at
http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/rail_menu.htm

Start with Step 1: How Railpasses Work. Spent a hour on reading them, you'll have a better understanding on Eurail passes afterward.

Go a lot pass was good backpacker value 30 years ago

when it cost 90% less than it does today.

www.seat61.com Escellent train info and pass discussion.

Simply figure your pass cost per day

Unless training relentlessly daily you will almost

ALWAYS lose money on pass so pass is bad value.

TONNES of surcharges do not work to Prague usually in the East

These days I simply hop on train like a local point to point

always save using regional trains.

Econoair skyscanner.net booked in advance can save

for your long legs.

If you are super budget and do not mind bus travel

eurolines.com is the one pass that makes sense

for young backpackers wanting to circumnavigate all over.

Careful research will yield better experience.

eurocheapo.com

backpackeurope.com

good budget sites for you... Happy Planning!

www.eurolines-pass.com

fron 175 euro for 2 weeks of unlimited travel

no supplements surcharges like train

so might check that out and cost out compared to train

11 euro/da bus pass cost usually double or more for train

plus the surcharges can easily take you up to 30 euro/da

even on days you do not train.

There are lots of budget airlines in Europe and they can often be cheaper than trains. They are very strict about luggage weight and check in times so pay attention to all their rules/restrictions.
www.whichbudget.com
www.skyscanner.net

Thanks guys! Awesome recommendations!!! Gonna spend another day looking at the different transportation options again and checking those websites u guys gave me haha.

Adrienne, I had to completely redo my itinerary so my transportation options changed.

J62, I would definitely be interested in venturing outside of the major cities to get a better feel of Europe. That's what I've been hearing from ppl so far. WOuld love to hit the beaches and country for a day. I'm gonna incorporate that into my itinerary. THanks so much!

Okk guys, I worked out the transportation details. Yay!! TOTAL transportation costs = 336.25EUR. Beats getting Eurail Pass. Awesome!!! Thanks so much for all your kind advice. It really helped me out. Below is my plan of attack!! haha. Can u guys tell me wat u think of my plan of transporation from VENICE to PRAGUE? That one is kinda sketchy lol

june 12: PARIS to ROME - fly Ryanair (only 2 seats left - dont have to pay for taxes on this flight). Duration=2hrs. Depart 09:15, arrive 11:15am. cost for 1 checked bag = 64.99. No checked = 44.99 EUR. Only one of us needs to do checked bag. So works out to 55 Euros per person

June 16: ROME to FLORENCE - ES Train. Duration= 1:35. Depart 09:15, arrive 10:50am. Time of departure is very flexible for this train.35 EUR

June 18: FLORENCE to VENICE - ES Train. Duration= 2:03. Depart 11:30, arrive 13:33. Flexible departure times I think. 26 EUR

June 20: VENICE to PRAGUE- ok this one is kinda sketchy. Flights are very expensive. There is no direct train. Would have to connect to Vienna (from venice to vienna is 8-9hrs via train. Then we would have to train from vienna to prague which 6hrs. TOTAL duration via train would be 14-15hrs. YIKES!! No thank u).
-Anyway, the best way is take ES train from Venice to Milan. Duration=2:53. Depart 05:32, arrive 08:25am. 9 EUR
-Then take Easyjet plane to PRAGUE (only 2 seats left). Duration-1:30. Depart 10:45, arrive 12:15p. One of us will need to check in a bag=52.99EUR. Other person wont check bag=41.99. Works out to 47.50 EUR per person
-What are your thoughts on my plan? I'm just worried we might miss our flight from milan to prague. We get into Milan 8:25am and we need to jump on plane and depart at 10:45am. But we prolly need to check in an hr early so check in at 9:45am. Do u think we have enough time? Ughh

June 24: PRAGUE to BERLIN Hbf- Duration=4:43. Depart 06:31, arrive 11:14.Tickets mailed.
-2nd class w/o reservation = 31EUR.
-1st class w/o reservation = 50.75EUR. I was thinking we could do 1st class bc its almost 5hr train ride???

June 28: BERLIN to AMSTERD: train vs. plane (I think we should plane it bc cheaper and much faster)
-Train: duration=6:43. Depart 12:20p, arrive 19:03. 54 EUR
-Plane: duration-1:30. Depart 07:00, arrive 08:30am. 52.99EUR for 1 checked bag. 41.99 no checked bag. Works out to 48EUR per person

July 2: AMSTERD to PARIS: Thalys train. Duration= 3:19. Depart 10:16, arrive 13:35. 65 EUR.

Make sure you read & understand RyanAir's checked & cabin bag limitations. They are quite strict and costly if you don't adhere.

Cabin bag (aka carryon) limit = 1 bag per person, 10kg (22lb) limit. One means one. One does not mean one plus a purse, or one plus a small back pack. Countem. One means one.

Size limit = 55cm x 40cm x 20cm

Checked bag.
1st bag = €20 online, or €40 at the airport. Weight limit = 15kg = 33 lb.
limit 2 checked bags per person
2nd checked bag fee = €40 online or €80 at the airport

Check Wizz air. They fly non-stop Venice to PRG.

Another alternative is to switch the order of Berlin & Prague. You will find more Venice-Berlin flight options (EasyJet & Air Berlin), and Prague - Amsterdam (EJ, KLM, Czech)

I think you need to look at Easy Jet from Paris (Orly is closest airport to city) to Rome as the airport Ryan Air uses is a long way outside the city.

You might also consider changing your itinerary for Italy if you haven't already bought tickets. It might be cheapest to take Easy Jet from Paris to Venice, then train south to Florence/Rome as there might be cheaper flights from Rome to Prague. Check prices for the various budget airlines and see. There also might be cheap flights to Prague from Milan (Easy Jet, Wizz, Germanwings, Air One), so you could keep your current itinerary and fly from Milan to Prague.

>>>>>Make sure you read & understand RyanAir's checked & cabin bag limitations. They are quite strict and costly if you don't adhere.<<<<<

Ditto for all the budget airlines. You have to be checked in on time, not just in line to check in.

Yeah I hear Ryanair makes a lot of their money through people's mistakes. There are so many rules in fine print that passengers need to adhere to and one lil mistep = a hefty penalty charge. Maybe it's not worth the trip??? I cant seem to find a decent flight from paris to rome and it costs more from paris to venice. Sighhh. Ps the flight form paris to rome via Ryanair went UP today lol. I havent booked anything yet. Any other ideas guys?? THanks so much J62 and kyboubon!!!

Man the taxes on Ryanair flights are hefty. Vueling airlines offer paris to rome for 89Eur. Maybe that's a better airline?? Anyone know?

Here are the changes I made to my transportation:

June 12: PARIS to ROME -Vueling Airlines. Depart 09:40am, arrive 11:40am. 74eur+11euro(1 checked lug) = 85 EUR

June 20: VENICE to PRAGUE- Wizz Airlines. Depart 12:05PM, arrive 1:20pm. 39.99Eur+15EUR (1 checked lug) = 54.99 EUR

June 28: BERLIN to AMSTERD: Easyjet plane. Duration=1:30. Depart 07:00, arrive 08:30am. 52.99EUR for 1 checked bag

July 2: AMSTERD to PARIS: Thalys train. Duration= 3:19. Depart 10:16, arrive 13:35. 65 EUR. Anyone know a better train option or is it only the Thalys train???

TOTAL transportation costs = 332.23 EUR...not bad huh! :)