Eurail pass tips, info and personal experiences

I know everyone's all about the Eurail pass, and there's the big debate on whether or not to Eurail pass it or not, but asides from the Spanish bus system, there are lots of other bus options for European travel:

http://www.eurolines.nl/?lang=ENG
http://www.orangeways.com/en
http://www.studentagencybus.com/

Most of these are filled with locals, students, and other backpackers. The stations are sometimes not as conveniently located as the train stations, but I'm pretty sure the buses are cheaper, even though you'd have to pay an extra Euro or two for your pack. If I remember correctly, all you'd need is a confirmation number.

I even blogged about it:
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/lauracat/bus ... urope.html

Some countries have better bus systems than others. I like many of them.

So happens I prefer train travel if it's not exorbitant. Still, I've never travelled so quickly that a eurailpass ever seemed worth the while.

Oh, and in Eastern Europe, I'm not sure its ever worth the trouble and price.

I can't seem to find a reliable source for updates on the French rail strike situation. Basically, I'm flying into Paris May 18th and I HOPE to be travelling within France and Italy. It's getting down to the wire for ship-time for a railpass, but I'm not sure I should buy one because of this strike. The alternative to buying a railpass is just buying one for within Italy, and then taking a bus or short flight from Paris to somewhere in Italy.

What's confusing me is that I read in an article that since flights have been shut down, many people have been taking trains out of France/into France. I was under the impression that there would be next to no train service during a strike, but apparently I'm wrong.

I am so confused.

Someone tell me what to do. haha.

http://www.connexionfrance.com/sncf-tra ... ticle.html

It appears to be over. As I understand it some service was running - at least foreign international trains that run on French track - but the French strike added serious complication to the already screwed up travel the past couple of weeks.

If you're worried they might start again (nothing was resolved, and the French do seem to enjoy their strikes), then you can always forego the pass and play it by ear. Italy is known to be one of the countries where you're less likely to get good value on a pass, anyway. I doubt it'll be a problem, though.

Thanks !!

I didn't arrive at this conclusion easily. I live in Seattle and just north is Rick Steves' store. There, they have a counter dedicated to Eurail passes. They are full of valuable information. For example, when I mentioned that I will be gone for four months, the pleasant lady told me that most people doing this would simply buy two different passes, one for three months and the other for a month.

Well I did reach their voicemails, which caused them to roam around barcelona sants for an hour at midnight.

hi. has anyone been to Czeck Republic? i'm going there for a spa treatment..as i was told there are very good spas due to natural mud and healing properties..could anyone give me any hints?? how do those europeans look like? what to expect from the spa?

Hi everyone!

I'm planing a trip around Europe and I had always thought about using low-cost airlines. Would you say i'd be better to use the Eurorail instead???

Cheers!

Sarah

I'm going to hell for this, but I'm going to hell for dozens of other things anyway, so what the hell.

If you get a Eurail Flexipass, you write in the days you use the pass on the blanks on the pass. 1 changes very easily to 4 or 7 or 11, if you don't enter another date after using it. This way, you can take a train from, say, Strasbourg to Paris on June 1. A few days later, you can alter the "1/6" entry to "4/6" or "7/6" or "11/6", and get two days' use instead of one.

Several years ago, I got 12 days' use out of a 5-day flexipass this way.

I think flying with low cost airlines like ryanair and easyjet is often the cheapest option. Even taking into account airport check in etc its also faster and more comfortable that 15hour eurolines bus journeys and train journeys (high speed express trains in some countries are not included in the eurail pass deal). If you are flexible with your dates and dont have baggage to check in id say the average cost of a flight could work out at €20 - €50

I understand what you say. Firstly your guide is nice. You explained it quite well. I am planning an Europe tour after 1 or 2 years. My tour would be a long one, a 60 days tour. And I think I may need the pass. I prefer rail transportation.

karen121 wrote:I think flying with low cost airlines like ryanair and easyjet is often the cheapest option. Even taking into account airport check in etc its also faster and more comfortable that 15hour eurolines bus journeys and train journeys (high speed express trains in some countries are not included in the eurail pass deal). If you are flexible with your dates and dont have baggage to check in id say the average cost of a flight could work out at €20 - €50

And I also read somewhere that if you opt for odd travel timing in Europe then also you can save much bucks in traveling. It is a nice idea if you are traveling in a group.

Hey everyone,
Sorry if this topic has been discussed already but I couldn't find it, so..

I'm leaving for a backpacking trip Saturday with a Eurail select pass in Spain, France and Italy. However, I haven't reserved any seats on a train yet. My first stop is Seville, can I reserve seats there through a Eurail aid office? If I go to the rail station on Sunday, do you think I'll be able to book a train to Madrid on Tuesday? Thanks so much for any help, I'm very confused on this topic.

Sincerely,
A Eurail newbie

I have never really been convinced by the rail europe pass. If you have the time, and book early enough, I have found it is cheaper and more convenient to buy tickets direct from national operators. This was certainly the case when I traveled from Sweden through Denmark, Germany, Belgium and France to the UK.