Rail travel to 

   Europe: 

   general 

   information 

A beginner's guide to buying & using a

Eurail pass or other European railpass. . .

Explore Europe by train with a Eurail pass

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Buy a Eurail pass or other European railpass online

Buy a railpass in the UK  

UK residents, click to buy an InterRail pass from www.raileurope.co.uk.  To make reservations after buying your pass, call 0844 848 5 848.

Buy Eurail pass in the USA  Buy a Eurail pass in Canada  

US & Canadian residents can buy Eurail passes from www.raileurope.com, or www.raileurope.ca.

Make reservations with a Eurail pass (US residents) 

Make reservations with a Eurail pass (Canadian)

Buy Eurail pass in Australia  

Australian residents, click to buy a Eurail pass from www.raileurope.com.au Make reservations with a rail pass (tick 'I have a railpass' in the 'buy tickets' section).

Buy in New Zealand at www.raileurope.co.nz

Buy in India at www.raileurope.co.in

Buy in Singapore at www.raileurope.com.sg

Buy in Hong Kong at www.raileurope.hk

Buy in Japan at www.raileurope-japan.com

Buy in South Africa at www.raileurope.co.za

Buy in Brazil at www.raileurope.com.br

Buy in Israel at www.raileurope.co.il

Or in any other country www.raileurope-world.com

 

This is a one-stop independent guide to choosing, buying & using a European railpass, either a Eurail pass for overseas visitors or an InterRail pass for European residents.  It aims to answer all your key questions, such as whether a railpass or point-to-point tickets would be cheaper, which railpass to buy, how railpasses work, when you need to pay supplements, and how you make reservations.

On this & other pages...


 

 Why explore Europe by train?

Whether you use a railpass or point-to-point tickets, trains are easily the best way to travel around Europe, no contest.  Here's why:

Seeing Europe with a Eurail pass:  A German high speed ICE train at Brussels   Seeing Europe with a Eurail pass:  A 2-bed City Night Line sleeper as used Amsterdam-Prague or Paris-Berlin   Seeing Europe with a railpass: A table for two in the restaurant car of the Paris-Madrid trainhotel   Seeing Europe with a Eurail pass:  Scenery from the Milan-Paris TGV

Speed & practicality...

European trains link almost every city & town at up to 198 mph, often faster than flying as it's city centre to city centre, no trek to the airport, no 2-hour check-in, no airport security strip-search.  A '1 hour flight' actually means 4-5 hours.  Paris-Amsterdam now takes 3h20 by train, Paris-Geneva 3h20...

 

Comfort & a chance to relax...

...unlike air travel, train travel is low-stress & low-hassle, and unlike bus travel it's high comfort.  After all, aren't you supposed to be on holiday?  On trains, you get space to move around, lots of legroom (remember that?) and often a café, bar or even restaurant.  Overnight sleeper trains cover huge distances while you sleep, such as Amsterdam to Prague or Paris to Barcelona, in effect faster than flying and it saves hotel bill, too.  The train journeys become a welcome chance to chill out between cities...

 

Scenery & the experience...

...and there's often superb scenery, too.  Unlike flights or long distance buses your train journeys become an integral part of your European experience, something to enjoy for their own sake, giving you a real ground-level feel for the countries you're visiting...

Above:  Scenery from a Milan-Paris TGV, with my feet up & a glass of wine to hand...

 

 
 

 
 

 

Trains versus buses, planes & automobiles...

Planes:  In Europe, a 1-hour flight means 4 or 5 hours of taking a bus/train/taxi to a remote airport a long way out of town, a lengthy check-in with humiliating security checks, and a flight that may be delayed.  In Europe, flights average 63%-69% on time, whereas high-speed trains often achieve 90%-95%.  Then there's more airport arrival hassle followed by another long bus/train/taxi ride into town.  You miss out on the relaxing scenic overland journey which should be part of every European holiday.  To get cheap air tickets you must arrange all your flights in advance on a no-refunds, limited-changes basis, compared to the freedom & flexibility of a go-as-you-please railpass.  And the extra cost of airport transfers, baggage fees, check-in fees & credit cards fees must be factored into the cost of the flight.  Finally, short-haul flights cause disproportionate environmental damage, whereas trains are the environmentally-responsible choice.

Car hire:  In Europe, cars and city centres don't mix.  Hiring a car can be a great way to explore a rural area off the main routes, such as Tuscany or the Dordogne, but to see great cities such as Paris, Rome, Barcelona or Florence, definitely don't hire a car.  Driving long distances in foreign countries can be tiring, long hours on motorways can be depressing, traffic in urban areas can be a nightmare, and parking in European city centres is either expensive or non-existent.  Some car hire companies won't let their cars cross borders even within the EU, others charge prohibitive drop-off charges for doing so.

Long-distance bus:  Long distance buses like Eurolines or tourist buses like Busabout use ugly motorways which spoil the scenery they pass through.  At 60 mph, a journey that's only 3 hours by train could be 8 hours by bus.  You're stuck in a bus seat for hours & hours, no restaurant or bar to go to, and at night you sleep in your seat, a horrible experience.  Buses generally only serve the largest cities, often just once a day, making them very inflexible.  You're not allowed to bring your own food & drink and there's certainly no alcohol permitted on board!  Buses are really an option aimed at very, very low-budget travellers...  Avoid them if you can.

Train:  Trains run on a vast rail network covering almost every town & city in Europe, with a range of departures every day.  Trains run at  up to 198 mph (300 km/h), and are now faster than flying for many key journeys such as London to Paris (2h15), Paris to Amsterdam (3h20), Paris to Geneva (3h20), Barcelona to Madrid (2h40) or Florence to Venice (2h40).  Overnight sleeper trains have beds to sleep in and are an experience in themselves.  They cover huge distance while you sleep, such as Paris-Barcelona, Paris-Florence, Amsterdam-Prague or Prague-Krakow, city centre to city centre, saving a hotel bill and saving time over the 4-5 daytime hours that flying would use up.  Trains run city centre to city centre, low-hassle, zero stress.  There's loads of legroom, you can get up and wander to the bar or restaurant car if you like.  Feel free to bring your own picnic and your own bottle of wine or beer if you want, no problem, it's allowed on trains!

So whether you use a rail pass or buy normal tickets, the train is definitely the way to see a lot of Europe in a relatively short time, in comfort.  There's simply no contest.  But more than that, train travel is part of the European way of life, the way we Europeans travel, and an experience in itself.  You might even meet some of us Europeans!


 The quick guide to European railpasses...

Here is a quick (OK, fairly quick) guide to European railpasses, assuming you know virtually nothing about them to start with, and talking you through pretty much all the key points about buying & using a railpass.  If you need more detail, the other sections on this page will help.

What is a railpass?

  • Let's start with the basics.  A railpass is a special ticket which gives you unlimited train travel on the national rail network of one or more countries, so you can travel around freely and explore.

  • 'Unlimited' means just that.  With a railpass, you can take one train or fifty trains, travel 10 miles or 800 miles a day, for the same fixed price.

  • A 'railpass' is different from an ordinary point-to-point ticket.  A point to point ticket allows you to make just one specific journey from A to B.  Point to point tickets vary in price, long journeys cost more than short journeys, booking in advance is often cheaper than buying on the day, and fares in (say) Switzerland are more expensive than fares in (say) Bulgaria.

  • So if all you want to do is make one simple journey from A to B, a point to point ticket is probably what you need.  But if you want to travel round extensively making multiple journeys and travelling flexibly, a railpass may be what you need.

Is a railpass cheaper than buying point-to-point tickets?

  • There's no easy answer to this, because it depends on what journeys you want to do.  The pass price is fixed whatever journeys you make with it, but point-to-point prices vary enormously in price, some are cheap, others expensive, depending on the distance, the country, where you buy them, and whether you book a cheap ticket in advance or a more expensive ticket on the day.  But here are the 'rules of thumb':

  • If you're only making a few short journeys, you're almost certainly better off buying ordinary point-to-point tickets at the station on the day.  For example, Florence to Pisa costs 5.70 euros, so why buy a railpass costing around 40-50 per day just to make a 5.70 journey?  Even Brussels to Amsterdam on the hourly InterCity trains costs only 37, full-price, even on the day of travel.  For help finding out what point-to-point fares would cost, see here.

  • Italy deserves a special mention, as it's such a popular destination.  Rome to Florence costs 44 euros full fare by 'Eurostar Italia' high-speed train, Florence to Venice 42 euros, even bought on the day.  Rome-Venice costs 73 euros.  With passes typically working out at 40-50 euros per day plus a 10 euro passholder surcharge required for every journey on a Eurostar Italia train, railpasses for Italy only make sense if you plan to do the equivalent of Rome-Venice every time you step onto a train.  They do not make financial sense if you're only going Rome-Florence day 1, Florence-Venice day 2, Venice-Verona day 3, etc.  You can check Italian train fares online at www.trenitalia.com.  There are similar issues with railpasses versus normal tickets in Spain and in eastern Europe, see here.

  • For a pre-planned fixed-itinerary trip around Europe, the cheapest option is usually to buy cheap advance-purchase point-to-point tickets online direct from the European train operators.  There are some amazing bargain train tickets available, the rail equivalent of 'budget airline' fares, available up to 3 months in advance at the relevant European train operator websites.  For example, it's not difficult to find a 25 euro Paris-Geneva ticket at the French railways website www.voyages-sncf.com and print out your own ticket or collect it at the station in Paris.  The 25 euro fare includes the 'Lyria TGV' reservation, with no credit card fee, no booking fee & no postage.  Is this 25 deal cheaper than a 40-50 per day railpass, plus travel agency fee & postage, plus the 8 passholder surcharge for the Lyria TGV (I'll explain about surcharges in a minute)?  You bet!  So don't buy a pass for pre-planned trips before checking what cheap point-to-point fares were available, see the advice in this section.

  • For long-distance spontaneous & flexible trips:  That cheap 25 euro Paris-Geneva ticket might be the cheapest option if you can pre-plan, but it means 'no refunds, no changes to travel plans'.  You must book a month or two in advance, and maybe the 25 price will be available when you want it or maybe it won't.  The normal flexible 'on the day' price for Paris-Geneva is around 75.  Does a 40-50 railpass make sense now, even with 8 Lyria TGV surcharge?  Yes, the railpass now saves you money!  The pass gives you the flexibility to change your mind and your plans as you go.

  • To sum up, don't assume you need a railpass.  Short distance and many medium distance trips are best made with an ordinary point-to-point ticket bought at the station on the day.  For a long-distance pre-planned fixed-itinerary trip around Europe, the cheapest option is usually to buy a series of cheap advance-purchase point-to-point tickets from the various European train operator websites booking a month or two in advance, if the cheap deals are available when you want them (and many will be) and if you don't mind a 'no refunds, no changes to travel plans' ticket.  However, if flexibility is important to you, a railpass is a fixed price for go-as-you-please freedom.  Although even with a pass, a few seat reservations may be required and there's the odd surcharge to pay, more about that in a minute.

  • The only way to know for sure whether a railpass or point-to-point would be cheaper is to work out the point to point prices for most of the trips you're planning using the various European train operator websites (not overseas ticketing agency websites which often charge more or ignore the cheap deals, I mean buying direct from the French railways website, the German railways website, and so on, at European prices with all the European special deals).  If you're on a tight budget, taking the time and effort to do this can save you a lot of money, so see this section.

  • Don't be afraid to mix & match a railpass with one or more point to point tickets.  For example, for 11 days of train travel in Europe, it's cheaper to buy a 10-day Eurail Global pass plus one point-to-point ticket for the shortest/cheapest of all your train rides, than to buy the next pass size up, which is the 15-day Eurail Global pass.  If the start of your trip is known and fixed, the rest flexible, you could buy a cheap ticket for the first one or two journeys, then start using a railpass.

What trains does a railpass cover?

  • Railpasses cover all the trains run by the main national train operator in each country covered by the pass, be they local trains, suburban trains, regional trains, inter-city trains & international trains.  Occasionally (notably in Switzerland) they also cover a few private train operators as well.

  • Railpasses do not cover metro or Underground ('subway') trains (or for that matter, buses or trams) within cities.  Nor do they cover some small private operators, such as the Circumvesuviana Railway in Italy (Naples-Pompeii-Sorrento), FEVE or Euskotren narrow gauge local trains in northern Spain, or some private operators in Switzerland such as the Jungfraubahn up the Jungfrau and the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn in Switzerland which operates the line to Zermatt & half of the Glacier Express route.

  • Railpasses also don't cover Eurostar, the high-speed train through the Channel Tunnel between London & Paris or London & Brussels.  In fact that's not totally true, because there's are 'discounted' passholder fares, but as these passholder fares are actually more expensive than the cheapest book-ahead fare (yes, really!) there may as well not do.  Only if you suddenly need to use Eurostar at short notice will the passholder fare be less than the regular fare.

  • You'll find a list of what operators are covered by railpasses in the country by country guide below.

How do passes work?  Seat reservations & surcharges...

  • Generally speaking, you can simply hop on any train you like, find any empty seat to sit in, and show your railpass when asked by the conductor.

  • However (and it's a big 'however'), people who think buying a railpass means there's nothing further to pay sometimes get a shock.  Many premium daytime trains require railpass holders to pay a small surcharge and/or make a seat reservation.  Here are the rough 'rules of thumb':

  • Local, suburban & regional trains almost never require seat reservations or surcharges in any country.  Just hop on!

  • Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Denmark:  With a handful of exceptions, internal & international trains within and between these countries don't require a seat reservation or surcharge, even on premier high-speed inter-city trains like Germany's superb ICE.  You just hop on.  Railpasses retain their 'convenience factor' in these countries, as you can hop on & off trains spontaneously.  However, even though it's optional, making a seat reservation for a long journey can be a smart move as it guarantees you a seat, well worth the 3-5 euro seat reservation fee.  Key exceptions:  Thalys trains between Brussels & Amsterdam and Brussels & Cologne have compulsory reservation & a special fare for railpass holders.  A few scenic tourist trains in Switzerland require a seat reservation & small supplement, such as the famous Glacier Express & Bernina Express.  International journeys from these countries into France, Italy or Spain do require reservations and supplements.  Although they don't participate in the Eurail pass scheme, trains in Britain & Ireland are also 'reservation optional', never compulsory, and there are no passholder surcharges.

  • France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden:  This is the problem area.  Virtually all domestic & international trains to, from, between & within these countries require compulsory seat reservation & payment of a passholder surcharge of some sort, varying from 3 to 20 euros per trip.  I suggest using 10 euros per train ride as a rule of thumb for budgeting purposes.  Railpasses have lost their 'convenience factor' in these countries as you can't just hop on, you need to make a reservation, even though you make a reservation ten minutes before the train leaves (in Italy, simply use the excellent self-service machines at every main station with an English-language touch screen).  Although you'll seldom find trains fully-booked except at key holiday periods, be aware of the possible quota problem with reservation-compulsory trains in these countries, especially France.

  • In Eastern Europe it varies.  Some premier trains require a seat reservation (3-5 euros fee), these will be shown in the timetable with an 'R' symbol.

  • Sleeper trains:  You'll need to pay a supplement and make a reservation for sleepers or couchette on overnight trains, in all countries.  Fr budgeting purposes, reckon on 20 euros supplement for a couchette in a 6-bunk compartment or 50 euros per person for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper, in eastern Europe it's cheaper, reckon on 15 euros for a couchette or 26 euros for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.  Remember that with Eurail and InterRail flexi rail passes, an overnight train leaving after 19:00 counts as running on the following day (as long as the overall validity period has started), so it only uses up one day of your rail pass.

  • You'll find a detailed list of which trains require compulsory seat reservations, and what surcharges cost, in the country-by-country guide below.

  • You'll find a more detailed guide to using a Eurail pass, including validating a Eurail when you first start to use it, in the How do Eurail passes work section.

How to make reservations with a railpass...

  • At stations:  You can easily make seat or berth reservations and pay any surcharges at the station as you travel around, there are almost always places available on any given train even in summer, though of course some trains do get full at peak times.  Notably, the Paris-Italy 'Artesia' sleeper trains do leave fully-booked in summer, as do many high-speed trains in Spain, so think about pre-booking those.  Also be aware of the annoying passholder quota problem, especially in France.  European reservation systems are linked, so you can usually (but not always) make reservations for a journey starting at stations other than the one you're at, even in different countries.

  • In advance, using train operator websites:  Unfortunately, train operator websites usually only sell complete tickets and don't allow railpass holders to make 'reservation only' bookings. The useful exceptions are the German railways website www.bahn.de  (for trains to, from & within Germany, also sleeper trains from Amsterdam to Prague/Copenhagen/Zurich/Munich, and Paris to Berlin/Munich) and the Italian railways website www.trenitalia.com (though this has trouble accepting many non-Italian credit cards, see here).  In both cases, use the journey planner as if you were going to buy a ticket.  On bahn.de you're then given the option to make your booking 'reservation only'.  On Trenitalia.com, select a train, then change the drop down fare box to 'other fares' then 'Global pass'.  As you pay the ticket office price with no fees or postage, this is the best way to make a reservation if you can.

  • In advance, online or by phone from the overseas agency which sells your railpass:   You can usually make reservations by phone or online from the agency which sells you the pass. You can make seat or berth reservations to go with a railpass on many western European trains at any of these agency websites, although bear in mind that agencies will charge a bit more that you'd pay at the station (or online direct from the train operator) and add a booking fee or postage fee on top.
    If you live in the United States   www.raileurope.com
    If you live in Canada   www.raileurope.ca
    If you live in Australia   www.raileurope.com.au
    If you live in New Zealand   www.raileurope.co.nz
    If you live in India   www.raileurope.co.in
    If you live in Singapore   www.raileurope.com.sg
    If you live in Hong Kong   www.raileurope.hk
    If you live in Japan   www.raileurope-japan.com
    If you live in South Africa   www.raileurope.co.za 
    If you live in Brazil   www.raileurope.com.br 
    If you live in Israel   www.raileurope.co.il 
    ...in any other country:   www.raileurope-world.com 

What types of railpass are there?

  • European residents qualify for the InterRail pass range.  They do not qualify for the Eurail pass range.  So if you're a European citizen or an overseas citizen who has been resident in a European country for more than 6 months, go straight to the InterRail pass page where all will be explained.  Citizens of the Russian Federation & Turkey plus a few other north African countries also qualify for InterRail passes.

  • Overseas visitors (Americans, Australians and so on) qualify for the Eurail pass range.  If you are not resident in Europe you cannot buy an InterRail pass.  Citizens of the Russian Federation & Turkey do not qualify for Eurail passes, they qualify for InterRail passes.

  • InterRail & Eurail passes cover exactly the same trains.  So a European and (say) an American can travel together, the European using an InterRail and the American using a Eurail, no problem.

  • There are a handful of other railpasses that anyone qualifies for, for example a Swiss Pass, explained here.

Understanding the Eurail pass range...

  • Eurail is the pass range for overseas visitors who don't live in Europe.

  • Eurail (often mispronounced 'Eurorail') isn't a company or a train operator.  It's simply the brand-name for a range of international rail passes for overseas visitors to Europe, offered jointly by the various national train operators.  There are no special 'Eurail' trains, Eurail passes simply give unlimited travel on all the normal scheduled train services run by the various national train operators.

  • The national railways participating in the Eurail scheme are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic (which joined in January 2009), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden & Switzerland. 

  • You can see the countries covered with this map of rail network in the Eurail countries

  • Eurail Global, Eurail Selectpass & Eurail Single-country:  The first choice is between a Eurail Global pass covering almost the whole of Europe, a 'Eurail Selectpass' covering your choice of any 3, 4 or 5 neighbouring European countries, or a 'Eurail single country pass' covering just the one European country of your choice.

  • 'Continuous' & 'Flexi':  Eurail Global passes come in both 'continuous' & 'Flexi' versions.  The original 'continuous' version gives unlimited train travel around most of Europe for a continuous period of either 15 days, 2 days, 1 month, 2 months or 3 months starting on any date you specify.  The 'Flexi' version only gives either 10 or 15 days free train travel within an overall 2-month period, with the ability to 'spend' those unlimited travel days on whichever days you choose within the 2 month period.  The Eurail Selectpasses all work on the 'Flexi' principle with a choice of 5, 6, 8, 10 or 15 days unlimited train travel within a 2-month period, as do the Eurail single-country passes which offer a choice or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 days unlimited train travel within an overall 1-month period.

  • How do 'Flexi' passes work?  Let's say you buy a 10-days-in-2-months Eurail Global 'Flexi' pass.  The 2 month overall period starts on any date you specify.  There are 10 empty 'boxes' printed on your pass.  Each time you want to 'spend' one of your 10 unlimited travel days, you simply write the date in ball-point pen in one of the boxes, and you then have 24 hours unlimited train travel from midnight to midnight in the area covered by the pass.  In fact, it can be more than 24 hours, because of the 'overnight train rule'.  An overnight train leaving after 19:00 counts as the following day, so you could in theory start travelling just after 19:00 on a sleeper train, then travel all around through the next day until midnight.

  • Adult, Youth & 'Saver':  Each type of Eurail pass comes in adult, youth & saver versions.  Youth means anyone under 26.  'Saver' simply gives a discount for 2-5 people all buying Eurail passes and travelling together.

  • You can mix & match passes:  Don't be afraid to buy a combination of passes.  If you were spending 5 days in France and 5 days in Italy, two 5-day single-country passes would be the cheapest pass option, a 10-day Eurail Selectpass covering both France and Italy costs a bit more, though would give you more flexibility.  A 10-day Eurail Global pass would cost more than either of these options, but to no purpose if you're really only going to visit France and Italy.  Though of course, if you changed your mind and suddenly wanted to see Amsterdam, you could do that with the Global Pass...

  • Detailed advice on how Eurail passes work, including how to validate your Eurail pass at a station when you arrive in Europe.

Other railpasses worth mentioning...

  • There are a few other passes in addition to the main InterRail & Eurail pass ranges.  Key amongst these is the excellent Swiss pass for Switzerland.  For more information on this and other passes, see this section if you're an overseas visitor or this section if you're a UK or European resident.

How do I buy a Eurail pass, browse pass types or check current Eurail prices?

If you live in the United States   www.raileurope.com
If you live in Canada   www.raileurope.ca
If you live in Australia   www.raileurope.com.au or www.railplus.com.au
If you live in New Zealand   www.raileurope.co.nz or www.railplus.com.au
If you live in India   www.raileurope.co.in or www.railplus.com.au
If you live in Singapore & Malaysia   www.raileurope.com.sg or www.railplus.com.au
If you live in Hong Kong   www.raileurope.hk
If you live in Japan   www.raileurope-japan.com
If you live in South Africa   www.raileurope.co.za 
If you live in Brazil   www.raileurope.com.br 
If you live in Israel   www.raileurope.co.il 
...in any other country:   www.raileurope-world.com 

 Should I buy a rail pass or normal tickets?

You'll find the quick answer to this question in the Quick guide to Railpasses section above, but here's the more detailed version...

People seem to think there's a definite answer, such as 'a rail pass is always cheaper than normal tickets if you're going to Switzerland, but normal tickets are always cheaper than a pass if you're going to Italy or Spain or eastern Europe'.  It's true that some rail passes (like the excellent Swiss pass) are better value than others (like railpasses for Italy or eastern Europe where fares are so cheap anyway), as you have to clock up more mileage in Italy to justify the pass, whereas it doesn't take much in Switzerland to make a Swiss Pass worthwhile.  But it depends on how much travelling you plan to do, and on which sort of point-to-point ticket you compare it with.  A $70-a-day railpass (even with a $10 reservation fee on top) is cheaper than a $150 fully-flexible buy-it-on-the-day point-to-point ticket, but much more expensive than a $45 cheap point-to-point ticket bought online in advance on a no-refunds-no-changes-to-travel-plans basis.  So there's no simple answer without working it out for yourself.

OK, so how do I work it out?

Here is a step-by-step guide to checking whether a pass will actually save you money over normal tickets.  If you find this too difficult, can't be bothered or can't afford to spend half an hour working it out, skip this bit and go straight to the Which railpass should I buy section.  But a little legwork can save you a lot of money.  Here's how:

  • Decide where you want to go:  First, decide which countries and which cities you want to visit.  This is the fun bit!  Decide what interests you, and use a good European guide book like the Lonely Planet Guides or Rough Guides.  If possible, sketch out a rough itinerary.  It doesn't have to be detailed, though you can use the invaluable online timetable at http://bahn.hafas.de to plan train times if you like.

  • Decide which railpass best fits this itinerary:  Look for the rail pass that most closely fits your trip, see what rail pass should I buy?

  • Work out the 'pass-price-per-day':  Divide the rail pass price by the number of days train travelling you expect to do, to get a 'pass price per day'.  This is your yardstick.

  • Allow for railpass supplements:  Remember that in addition to the cost of the pass, passholders have to pay a surcharge to travel on many long-distance premium trains.  You'll also need to pay a sleeper or couchette supplement on overnight trains (though these save a hotel bill).  A rough 'rule of thumb' for budgeting purposes is to add 10 euros per journey for any daytime long-distance journey to, from, between or within France, Italy or Spain, but there's seldom any supplement to pay on trains within or between Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, and in eastern Europe there either is no supplement or it is small, say 3-6 euros.  For overnight trainsl, again as a rough rule of thumb, add 20 euros for a basic couchette or 50 euros for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper (per person) for any overnight journey.  For a more accurate and route-specific idea of which trains do and don't have supplements, and how much they cost, see the do I need to make reservations or pay supplements? section.

  • Find out what the point-to-point fares would be:  See how can I find out what the point-to-point fare would be?.  The point-to-point fares produced by the journey planners on railway websites include any supplement or reservation charge, so no supplement worries here.  You'll need to decide if you want flexibility and the ability to vary your itinerary and be spontaneous (in which case, you should compare the rail pass price with the most expensive fully-flexible fare shown in the journey planner search results) or if you are prepared to commit to specific trains on specific dates, to take advantage of cheapest advance-purchase fares.

  • And compare the two:  Compare the pass price per day with the typical point-to-point fare for the sort of journeys you expect to make.  If you've planned an itinerary, compare the cost of the pass with the cost of normal tickets for those journeys.

  • Don't forget that a rail pass is more flexible, usually allows you to hop on and off trains spontaneously, saves you time queuing at ticket offices, and may cover additional trips that you didn't expect to make (for example, if you plan to spend a few days in Paris, it will cover a daytrip to Versailles).  Even if a rail pass is a bit more expensive, it can still be better to buy one.

The examples below show that it pays to do your research.  Don't assume that a rail pass is always the most economical option.  In fact, your working assumption should be the exact opposite:  Assume that normal point to point tickets are the cheapest option unless you can prove that a rail pass will save you money.

Railpasses - a warning about 'quotas'...

  • There's one other problem with railpasses that can occasionally raise its head, especially at busy times and especially (it seems) on TGV services in France and on trains between Paris & Italy, Paris & Switzerland, Paris & Belgium/The Netherlands.  I'm not sure how often it happens, as it's only cropped up in people's emails to me once or twice - but perhaps many railpassholders are simply told the train is full, and go away thinking it really is full when if you're paying cash there's lots of seats left.

  • Here's the problem:  In the old days, if you had a railpass you were treated as having a normal 2nd class ticket, on an equal footing with other passengers.  So if there was one seat left on the train and you were first in the queue to make a seat reservation on that train with your railpass, then you got it and the person behind you didn't.  But many trains in western Europe are now yield-managed, meaning that the number of seats sold at each price is controlled by a quota held in the reservation system, and there's a separate quota for railpassholders.  At busy times this quota can be very small or even zero.  So now, if there's one seat left on the train, a railpass holder is told "Sorry, the train is full" (in other words, there are no passholder places available), and the seat is sold to the passenger behind you willing to pay cash.  They already have your money after all, as you've already paid for the railpass!  Personally, I think this is sharp practice, though as I say it may not be a problem except on certain trains at very busy times.  But you should be aware of how things work.  If you need to be on a specific train on a specific date, a normal point-to-point ticket booked on that train guarantees you a place, whereas simply holding a railpass and expecting to make a reservation at the station on the day may not, even if there are seats available!  Of course, you could buy any mission-critical reservations along with the pass from the same agency in the same phone call, so you only buy the pass if the reservations are OK.

Common railpass mistakes:  Italy...

  • Many people buy a railpass to tour Italy, but fares in Italy are very cheap.  A railpass typically costs 40-45 euros per day (this is the pass price converted into euros and divided by the number of days of free train travel).  Perhaps this sounds good value.  But all fast trains in Italy now require a 10 euro passholder reservation surcharge even with a pass, so there's no 'convenience factor' in having a pass, you still have to make a seat reservation, and with the surcharge added the pass price per day becomes 50-55 euros per day.

  • They then travel from Rome to Florence on day 1, a journey which only costs 44 euros for a full fare point-to-point ticket including high-speed train reservation, bought at the ticket office even on the day of travel.  Next day they do a day trip to Siena, a 16 euros return ticket.  Then they go from Florence to Venice, a 42 euro ticket.  Venice to Verona is less than 25 euros.  So why buy a pass?  Venice to Rome is only 73 euros, so now a pass does save money, but you need to do a journey of this length every day of your pass validity to make it pay.  You can check normal ticket prices for Italy at www.trenitalia.com.  You want 'Base' fares for flexibility, although if you pre-book in advance you can get a 30% or even 60% discount, if you can persuade Trenitalia to accept your credit card.

  • Conclusion:  A railpass seldom makes sense for Italy unless you plan to commute between Milan and Sicily, as passes are overpriced relative to normal Italian point-to-point fares.  Eastern Europe is also cheap, so be careful about buying a pass for those countries, too.  Switzerland is just the opposite, where high point-to-point fares and good-value railpasses make railpasses a good bet.

Common railpass mistakes:  Eastern Europe...

  • Many people buy a railpass to tour eastern Europe.  But as with Italy, normal fares in that part of Europe are so cheap anyway it hardly makes sense to use a pass.  Bought at the ticket office when you're there, you can often find cheap deals too, making point-to-point even cheaper.

  • For example, an InterRail pass (for Europeans) costs around £48 per day.  The normal fully-flexible fare from Prague to Krakow is only 1,068 koruna (£35) if you buy it at the station in Prague, but usually they can do you a cheaper fare of 855 koruna (£29).  So why buy a pass?

  • It's often difficult to buy tickets online (or even just find out the real ticket-office fare) for journeys in eastern Europe, but it's easy to buy tickets at the station when you're there.  Bear in mind that tickets for eastern European journeys bought from UK, US or Australian agencies are usually more expensive than the price you'd pay at the ticket office when you're there.

Common railpass mistakes:  Budget train fares for Spain...

  • A railpass typically costs the equivalent of 40-45 euros per day (the pass price converted into euros and divided by the number of days validity).  But remember that every long-distance train in Spain now requires a reservation even with a pass, and passholders have to pay a supplement of around 6 to 10 euros per train ride.

  • If you insist on flexibility, a pass will probably save money on balance over full-fare buy-on-the-day tickets for long-distance journeys.  For example, railpass-per-day + supplement =  45 + 10 = 55 euros.  A full-fare Madrid-Seville ticket costs around 75 euros.  The pass saves 20 euros on this trip.

  • But if you're prepared to book in advance and commit to a fixed itinerary, you can buy cheap 'Web' fares online at www.renfe.es, in this case Madrid-Seville costs only 28 euros, saving 27 euros over using a railpass.  These blow railpasses out of the water price-wise.  And less queuing at the ticket office as you print out your own ticket and breeze onto the train!

  • Conclusion:  Cheap book-ahead online 'web' fares are a better bet for travel around Spain, if you're prepared to pre-book on a 'no refunds, no changes to travel plans' basis.  Remember to budget for the supplements which apply to all fast trains in Spain

Common railpass mistakes:  Budget train fares in western Europe...

  • Passholders now have to make a reservation and pay a special passholder fare (typically 5 to 15 euros) before boarding most international trains in western Europe, certainly those involving France, Spain and Italy, so passes have lost their convenience factor.  You can no longer just hop on and show your pass, you need to queue up at the ticket office to make a reservation.

  • The same trains have adopted airline-style point-to-point fares, with cheap fares if you book in advance on a 'no refunds, no changes to travel plans' basis, and much more expensive fares if you buy a fully-flexible ticket on the day of travel. 

  • Let's take a typical example.  Paris to Geneva, Bern, Basel or Lausanne in Switzerland by high-speed TGV starts at £25 one-way for a cheap point-to-point ticket if you book in advance, rising to £90 for a fully flexible buy-on-the-day ticket.  This compares with an InterRail pass (for Europeans) costing around £48 per day plus an £8 passholder fare or a Eurail pass (for non-Europeans) costing maybe 45 euros per day plus a 10 euros passholder fare.

  • So if you insist on flexibility, railpasses may save money over normal full-fare tickets for long-distance trips.  In our example, the pass cost was £48 + £8 = £56, the fully-flexible fare was £90.

  • However, if you're prepared to commit to a fixed itinerary, the cheap book-ahead train fares blow railpasses out of the water price-wise.  £25 using a cheap point-to-point ticket versus £56 using a pass, half the cost!  Of course, maybe the £25 tickets have sold out for your date of travel, so maybe you end up paying £35 or £45 instead, whatever, but it's still cheaper than buying the pass.  And you can easily buy the cheap point-to-point ticket online with no booking fee, whereas the railpass and supplement cannot be booked online direct from the train companies, you will probably have to buy them from an agency, and the agency will no doubt add a booking fee or postage charge on top.  So why bother with the pass, just go online and snap up that cheap ticket!

  • A particular example to note are the Paris-Madrid, Paris-Barcelona, Zurich-Barcelona & Milan-Barcelona overnight 'trainhotels'.  For travel in a 4-berth sleeper, a special point-to-point fare of around 75 euros (£67) is easy to get on almost all trainhotels up to a few weeks before departure, when the fare goes up to the fully-flexible fare of 130 euros (not a very sophisticated fare structure, I grant you!).  When I go to Spain from the UK, this £67 sleeper fare is what I always buy.  An InterRail pass costs around £48 per day (or, for non-Europeans, a Eurail pass maybe 45 euros per day), then you have to pay a 75 euros (£67) supplement for the same 4-bed sleeper.  That's right, the supplement is £67/75 euros, exactly the same price as the book-ahead fare that everyone in their right mind pays without a pass.  So why bother buying the pass?  I certainly don't bother with a railpass for any international trips I make from the UK to Spain, Switzerland or Italy.

  • Also worth quoting as an example are the City Night Line sleeper trains on routes such as Amsterdam-Prague, Amsterdam-Vienna, Paris-Berlin, Paris-Munich and so on.  Their budget fares start at 49 euros including a couchette, whereas with a pass you have to pay a 20 euros couchette supplement plus the cost of the pass.  Again, if you're prepared to pre-book an can get the cheapest rates, passes don't make sense.

  • Conclusion:  'Budget train fares' have arrived, as train operators copy budget airlines and offer very cheap point-to-point deals if you book in advance.  If you're prepared to pre-book your itinerary a couple of months in advance on a 'no-refunds, no-changes-to-travel-plans' basis online direct from a European train operator (as opposed to buying from an overseas booking agency), these cheap fares blow railpasses out of the water price-wise.  There's advice on how to book which train tickets on the How to buy European train tickets page.

 

 How do I find out what the point-to-point fare would be?

  • For a journey wholly within one country, use the journey planner on these websites:

Austria www.oebb.at
Belgium www.b-rail.be
France www.voyages-sncf.com
Germany www.bahn.de
Italy www.trenitalia.com
Netherlands www.ns.nl
Portugal www.cp.pt
Switzerland www.sbb.ch
Spain www.renfe.es
Sweden www.sj.se

There is a complete list of websites for all countries on the useful links page.

  • Fares for international journeys in eastern Europe are difficult to find online, so here are some approximate fares as a rough guide.  These are all one-way adult 2nd class fares.  1st class fares are 50% more than the 2nd class fare.  Returns are normally twice the one-way, but in many cases there are reductions for return tickets.  Children under 12 travel at half fare.  You will need to add the same sleeper & couchette supplements to these basic fares as you'd pay with a rail pass.

Prague-Krakow 35 euros*

Prague-Budapest 57 euros*

Prague-Vienna 48 euros*

Prague-Bratislava 44 euros*

Prague-Bucharest 153 euros

Prague-Belgrade 82 euros

Budapest-Krakow 64 euros

Budapest-Prague 69 euros

Budapest-Bratislava 28 euros

Budapest-Bucharest 80 euros

Budapest-Vienna 37 euros

Budapest-Warsaw 83 euros

 

Budapest-Moscow 97 euros

Budapest-Istanbul 124 euros

Budapest-Belgrade 39 euros

Budapest-Sofia 84 euros

Budapest-Thessaloniki 118 euros

Budapest-Kiev 69 euros

Budapest-Zagreb 36 euros

Warsaw-Budapest  73 euros

Warsaw-Prague 54 euros*

Warsaw-Vienna 63 euros

Warsaw-Budapest 83 euros

Sofia-Istanbul 18 euros

 

Vienna-Prague about 50 euros*

Vienna-Budapest 37 euros**

Vienna-Warsaw 63 euros

Bucharest-Istanbul 40 euros

Bucharest-Belgrade 142 euros

Belgrade-Istanbul 43 euros

Belgrade-Sofia 45 euros

Belgrade-Zagreb 44 euros

Belgrade-Budapest 39 euros

Belgrade-Venice 80 euros

 

* You can find special cheap fares from just 18 euros (496 Czech Koruna) available on daytime trains if you pre-book using www.eshop.cd.cz & print out your own ticket!

** You can find special cheap fares from 19 euros if you pre-book online at www.oebb.at.

  • Some American travel agency websites show sample point-to-point fares for comparison with the rail passes they sell.  These point-to-point fares are often the most expensive fully-flexible fares, not the cheap deals that you can now get on many international trains in western Europe if you book in advance.  It's best to check the actual fares quoted on the European train operator websites.

  • European trains normally only open for reservations 90 days before departure (or sometimes 60 days) and most websites will only show train times and ticket prices within this time period.  So if your European trip is still many months away, choose a random date within the next 60 days and enquire about fares for that date.  The prices won't change much in 6 months!

 Rail passes for UK & European residents...

Rail passes for Overseas visitors

       You can buy these rail passes if you live in the UK or another European country, or can prove you have been resident in a European country for more than 6 months.  If you live overseas, for example in the USA, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, see the next section.

Rail passes for just one country...

Any country in Europe:  

You can buy a single-country InterRail pass for almost any country in Europe, giving unlimited train travel in that country for either 3, 4, 6, or 8 days within an overall 1-month period.  The days of unlimited travel don't have to be used one after the other.  Each time you want to use up one of your train travel days, you just write the date in one of the empty boxes printed on your rail pass.  This is a good option if you are only going to be making train journeys occasionally, with long periods staying in one place between trips.  Note:  Eurodomino passes were withdrawn from April 2007, replaced by this new range, as was the France pass.

France  

The France Pass was replaced with the single-country InterRail pass in April 2007.

Switzerland  

Swiss Pass:  3, 4, 5, 6, or 8 days unlimited travel in Switzerland within 1 month.  The Swiss Pass is very good value and highly recommended, as Swiss rail fares can be expensive.  Unlike many other railpasses these days, you don't have to rack up a huge mileage to make a Swiss Railpass worthwhile.  And as virtually no Swiss train requires a supplement or reservation, a railpass gives you that wonderful 'hop on, hop off' convenience.  You can check Swiss point-to-point fares at www.sbb.ch Map of Swiss routes showing which routes are covered by a Swiss rail pass and which only give a 50% discount for passholders.

A few other singe-country rail passes are also available.

Rail passes to visit several countries...

InterRail pass  

InterRail is one of the best pass deals there is.  Unlimited train travel for 5 days in any 10 day period (flexi), 10 days in any 22 day period (flexi),  22 days continuous or 1 month continuous, covering almost all of Europe.  Adult or child 2nd class, adult or child 1st class, youth (under 26) 2nd class versions are available.  For more information, see the InterRail page.

Benelux Railpass   5 days unlimited train travel within 1 month in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.  Also consider the similar Benelux InterRail pass.
European East Pass  

5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 days unlimited train travel within one month in Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia & Poland.  Choose 1st or 2nd class.

Balkan Flexipass  

5, 10 or 15 days unlimited 1st class train travel within one month in Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Serbia, Macedonia, and Montenegro.  However, normal fares in these countries are already extremely cheap, and ordinary tickets are often cheaper.

ScanRail pass  

ScanRail passes used to give unlimited train travel in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, but were withdrawn from sale in December 2007.  They have been superseded by the new range of InterRail passes.

Rail passes for a grand tour of Europe...

  • If you want to travel extensively across most of Europe, an InterRail pass is ideal, see the InterRail page.

 Rail passes for overseas visitors...

Rail passes for UK & European residents

            This is the range of rail passes available if you live outside Europe, for example, in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India or Singapore.

Help choosing a railpass...

Rail Europe has a pretty good system for choosing which rail pass or combination of passes would be best for you, depending on which countries you're visiting, how many days actual train travel you plan to do, an how many total days you plan to spend in each country.  Pick the Rail Europe website for where you live and use their online pass chooser system:

If you live in the United States   www.raileurope.com
If you live in Canada   www.raileurope.ca
If you live in Australia   www.raileurope.com.au or www.railplus.com.au
If you live in New Zealand   www.raileurope.co.nz or www.railplus.com.au
If you live in India   www.raileurope.co.in or www.railplus.com.au
If you live in Singapore or Malaysia   www.raileurope.com.sg or www.railplus.com.au
If you live in Hong Kong   www.raileurope.hk
If you live in Japan   www.raileurope-japan.com
If you live in South Africa   www.raileurope.co.za 
If you live in Brazil   www.raileurope.com.br 
If you live in Israel   www.raileurope.co.il 
...in any other country:   www.raileurope-world.com 

The rail pass for a grand tour of Europe:  Eurail global pass

  • If you plan to travel extensively across most of Europe, the famous Eurail pass is the top-of-the-range rail pass which gives unlimited train travel in 18 participating countries, covering most of western Europe plus Hungary, Romania & Greece.  It's available in both 'Continuous' and 'Flexi' versions for varying periods of time.  Map of rail network in the Eurail countries

  • See the Eurail section below for an explanation of the Eurail pass range and how Eurail passes work.

Rail passes for just one country...

Here are the main single-country rail passes.  Eurail is the main pass range, but there are others.  The links below go to raileurope.com in the USA, if you live elsewhere see the list of Rail Europe websites above.

  • Single country Eurail passes for most western and some eastern European countries.  More on Eurail

  • France Pass for France.  For comparison, you can check French point-to-point fares at www.voyages-sncf.com.  Remember that most long-distance French trains require a reservation before boarding, even with a pass.

  • Paris Visite card:  Unlimited travel on the Paris metro, and more.  Eurail passes for France cover the national rail operator (SNCF) but not the Paris metro.

  • Swiss pass for Switzerland.  The Swiss Pass is very good value and comes highly recommended, as Swiss rail fares can be expensive.  Unlike many other railpasses these days, you don't have to rack up a huge mileage to make a Swiss Railpass worthwhile.  And as virtually no Swiss train requires a supplement or reservation, a railpass still gives you that wonderful 'hop on, hop off' convenience that railpasses have lost in France, Spain or Italy where every long-distance train now requires a reservation.  You can check Swiss point-to-point fares at www.sbb.ch Map of Swiss routes.

  • German Rail pass for Germany.  A good deal, as no supplements or reservations are required on most German trains, you just hop on and show your pass.  For comparison, you can check German point-to-point fares at www.bahn.de, there are some amazingly cheap point-to-point fares available if you're prepared to pre-book and commit to a particular date and train.

  • Czech Flexipass for Prague & the Czech Republic.  Though Czech rail fares are very cheap anyway, so don't buy this pass unless you're sure it will save you money.

  • Spain Pass for Spain.  The issue here is that every long distance train in Spain requires a reservation and 6-10 euros supplement in 2nd class, or 10-30 euros 1st class (the first class supplement may include an at-seat meal & drinks).  For comparison, you can check Spanish point-to-point fares at www.renfe.es, and the fares quoted here include the reservation and supplement.

  • Portuguese Rail pass for Portugal.  You can check Portuguese point-to-point fares at www.cp.pt.  Most Portuguese long distance trains require reservation before boarding.

  • BritRail Pass for Britain.  Reservation is never compulsory on British trains, and there are no supplements to pay, so you can always just hop on and show your pass, making BritRail passes very easy to use.  For comparison, you can check British point-to-point fares using the online form here or at www.nationalrail.co.uk.  There's advice on understanding the different types of UK rail fare on the UK page.  For unlimited travel on the London Underground for 3 or 7 days when staying in London, you can get a London Visitor Travelcard, easily bought in London at an Underground station.

Rail passes to visit several countries...

'Eurail' is the brand name for the main multi-country railpass range.  The links below go to raileurope.com in the USA, if you live elsewhere see the list of Rail Europe websites above.

See Europe by train with a railpass: Eurail Pass

 The Eurail pass range

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Which countries are included?

The national railways participating in the Eurail scheme are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic (which joined in January 2009), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden & Switzerland. 

Who qualifies for a Eurail pass?

You can buy a Eurail if you live in the USA, Canada or the rest of the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and most of Asia and Africa.  If you are a European citizen or if you live permanently in Europe, Turkey, Russian Federation, Morocco, Algeria or Tunisia, you cannot buy a Eurail pass, but you qualify for an InterRail pass instead.  Eurail passes should normally be bought before leaving your home country.

Eurail pass...

The original Eurail 'Global' pass is the deluxe option, giving unlimited 1st class train travel across all 18 participating countries for a continuous period of either 15 days, 21 days, 1 month, 2 months or 3 months.  If two of you travel together, the 'Saver' version of the Eurail pass gives you a discount.  If you are under 26 years of age, there is a cheaper 'Youth' version of the Eurail pass which gives 2nd class travel.

Eurail Flexi pass...

If you don't want continuous unlimited travel - for example if you will stay put for long periods between train trips - the Eurail Flexi pass gives 10 or 15 days unlimited 1st class travel within any 2 month period.  You choose when the 2-month period starts, and you choose which days within those 2 months you do your train travelling.  You simply write the date in one of the ten or fifteen spaces provided on your Eurail pass each time you want to 'spend' one of your 10 or 15 days unlimited travel.  If two of you are travelling together there's a 'Saver' version of the Eurail Flexi pass, which gives a discount.  If you are under 26 years old there's a discounted 'Youth' version of the Eurail Flexi pass which gives 2nd class travel.

Eurail Selectpass...

If you don't want to tour all 18 Eurail countries you can save money by choosing a Eurail Selectpass giving either 5, 6, 8 or 10 or 15 days unlimited 1st class train travel within any 2 month period on the national rail networks of any 3, 4 or 5 bordering countries.  Again, if two of you are travelling together there is a discounted 'Saver' version of the Eurail Selectpass.  If you are under 26 years old there is a 'Youth' version of the Eurail Selectpass giving 2nd class travel.

Eurail 2 or 3 country passes...

There are also special deal Eurail passes covering just two or sometimes 3 countries, such as the popular France-Italy Eurail pass, France-Spain Eurail pass or Switzerland-Austria Eurail pass.  These all work on the 'flexi' principle, of 4 or more days of free travel within an overall 2-month period.

Eurail single-country passes...

There is a range of single-country Eurail passes covering just one country, all based on the 'flexi' principle of 3 or more days of free travel within an overall 2-month period.

How do Eurail passes work?

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Validating your Eurail pass...

  • Before starting to use your Eurail pass, you need to 'validate' it at any main station when you arrive in Europe, before you get on your first train.  You do this by going to the ticket office, where the booking clerk will enter the start date on your pass.  Your Eurail pass is then valid for the overall pass period.  See the video below about validating your pass.  It really is that simple!

Using your pass...

  • 'Continuous' type Eurail passes are then valid for unlimited train travel for the whole pass validity period.

  • 'Flexi' type Eurail passes give you a certain number of unlimited travel days during the overall pass validity period, which is usually 2 months starting on the date you choose.  If the number of days is, say, 5, there will be five empty boxes printed on your Eurail pass.  On a day when you want to use one of those 5 free days of travel, you simply write in the date in one of those boxes in ball-point pen.  You now have unlimited train travel from midnight to midnight on that date.  You do not have to decide in advance which 5 days these will be, you can decide as you go, simply writing the date in a box each time you want to 'spend' a day of free travel, until all your boxes of free travel are used up.  Simple!

  • Unlimited travel really does mean unlimited travel.  I'm not sure which part of 'un' people don't understand, the 'u' or the 'n'!  You can take as many trains as you like that day, you can stay on trains all day of you really want to!  Though there may be seat reservations or small supplements to pay on certain trains, more about that below.

The 'overnight trains leaving after 19:00' rule...

  • Although a Flexi pass day normally runs from midnight to midnight, direct overnight trains leaving after 19:00 count as running the following day, so this only uses up one day of your pass.  So for example, if you travelled on the 'Phoenix' sleeper train from Amsterdam to Prague, leaving Amsterdam at 19:01 on August 2nd arriving Prague 09:38 next morning, then travelled on to Cesky Krumlov later that day, this would only use up one day of free travel, and the date you'd write in the box on your pass would be August 3rd.  You will need to pay the normal supplements for overnight travel in a couchette or sleeper, see the couchette & sleeper page

  • Important:  To use this sleeper train rule, your pass validity period must have started on or before the day the sleeper train leaves.  In other words, in this example the pass validity must have started on or before 1 August, even though the first day written into any of the five 'boxes' on the pass would be 2 August.  Obviously with continuous passes this isn't an issue, the rule just applies to 'Flexi' type Eurail passes.

What trains can you use with a Eurail pass?

  • A Eurail pass gives unlimited free travel on all the normal scheduled train services run by the national train operator in each of the countries it covers, although you'll need to make a reservation and/or pay a supplement on some trains, see the country-by-country list below.  Eurail passes also cover the main private operators in Switzerland and a few other countries, as shown in the country by country guide Map of rail network in the Eurail countries.

  • You're given a small timetable booklet with your pass.  People often think that the trains in the booklet are the only trains you're allowed to take with your Eurail pass.  Of course not!  You're allowed to use any normal scheduled train run by the operators covered by your pass, whether it's in that booklet or not, read the bullet point above!

  • However, Eurail passes do not give free travel on underground or metros in big cities, or on some small private train operators such as FEVE narrow-gauge trains in Spain or the Circumvesuviana railway (Naples-Pompeii-Sorrento) in Italy.  If you want unlimited Paris metro travel for a day or more, you can buy a Paris Visite card for US & Canadian travellers, or a Paris Visite card for Australian, NZ, Asian or African travellers.

  • To find train times, go to the excellent German Railways online timetable at www.bahn.de (English selector upper right).  It covers the whole of Europe.  As a general rule, any train shown in its database can be used with an Eurail pass when travelling within a country covered by the pass, although supplements or special fares must be paid on some.  It will also show which trains have compulsory reservations.

  • Some Eurail pass agencies give out a Eurail timetable booklet, and people sometimes think these are the only trains they can use.  Nonsense!  You can use any train operated by the national rail operators covered by your pass, and the booklet contains only a tiny fraction of the thousands of trains you can use.

  • Eurail only covers certain countries.  For example, it does not cover the UK, Russia or Ukraine.  It does not cover Eurostar trains between Paris & London, although passholder fares are offered.

What about supplements & reservations? 

  • Just about every international train in western Europe and many internal trains, require passholders to make a reservation or pay a supplement before boarding, see the country-by-country guide which explains this and gives you an idea of the cost on each route.

  • You can make reservations (and pay supplements) in advance with the agency that sells you your Eurail pass (although they may charge you a booking fee), or you can make them when you get to Europe at station ticket offices.

What if my Eurail pass doesn't cover a city I want to visit, like Prague or London?

  • No problem, you just need to buy a ticket to cover the section of journey within the country that's not covered by your pass.  For example, Eurail passes do not cover the Czech Republic but lots of people want to visit Prague.  So if you want to travel from (say) Berlin to Prague, you need an extra ticket to cover the section from the German/Czech frontier to Prague.  You should buy this at the station before you start the journey, you cannot buy it at the frontier. 

  • Prague Excursion passThere's no need for this any more, as the Eurail global pass now includes Prague & the Czech Republic as of January 2009.

  • Eurostar London-Paris:  Eurail doesn't cover Eurostar trains between London & Paris, or trains within the UK.  However, Eurostar offers a passholder fare to Eurail passholders from Paris or Brussels to and from London. To buy a Eurostar passholder fare, click here if you're in the US or Canada, click here if you're in Australia, NZ, Asia or Africa

  • London Underground visitor Travelcards:  Once in London, a Visitor Travelcard is a good idea, giving unlimited bus and Underground travel:  London Visitor Travelcard for US & Canadian travellers London Visitor Travelcard for Australian & NZ travellers.

How can I find out more?

Where can I buy a Eurail pass?

It's easy to buy a Eurail pass online at either www.raileurope.com (USA), www.raileurope.ca (Canada), www.raileurope.com.au or International Rail Australia, (Australia, New Zealand or worldwide) or www.raileurope.com.au (Australia) or www.raileurope.co.za (South Africa).  To buy a Eurail if you're already in the UK but have an overseas passport, try railchoice.co.uk.


 Will I need to make reservations or pay supplements?

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This is often the biggest surprise for people who thought their rail pass gave them unlimited train travel with nothing further to pay.  For example, almost all long distance trains to, from and within France, Italy, Spain & Portugal now require railpass holders to pay a small surcharge of some sort and make a seat reservation before they board the train.  This doesn't mean you shouldn't buy a railpass, but you should be aware of these supplements and factor them into your budget and your assessment of the cost of a pass versus point-to-point tickets.

Which trains require a seat reservation or payment of a supplement?    See the country-by-country guide

How do you make reservations or pay supplements with your rail pass?

  • At the station as you travel around:   You can make reservations and pay any supplement or special fare at the station ticket office either in advance or on the day of departure, normally up to half an hour or less before the train leaves.  Just show your rail pass at the ticket window and ask for the reservation.  Many European railway staff speak some English, but if you don't speak the language, just write down what you want and show it to the booking clerk.  Easy!  In Italy, you'll find it easier to use the self-service ticket machines, which have a touch screen with an English language facility, and accept cash and credit cards - look for the 'global pass' option when you're offered a list of fares.

  • In advance, either online or by phone from the agency that sells you the rail pass:  You can make reservations when you buy your rail pass (or after you bought it), from the same agency which sells the pass, though most agencies charge a booking fee and possibly postage as well.  You can make reservations to go with a railpass online at the various Rail Europe websites (but unfortunately not the Rail Europe's UK website), using the 'Buy tickets' section and tick the 'I have a railpass' box.  Be warned, I've come across a few cases where it was cheaper to buy a cheap advance-purchase point-to-point ticket online direct from the train operator as if no pass was held and print out your own ticket, than to pay an overseas agency for the passholder reservation charge plus their booking fee plus postage!  Here's that list of Rail Europe websites again, to make reservations with a railpass online:

If you live in the United States   www.raileurope.com
If you live in Canada   www.raileurope.ca
If you live in Australia   www.raileurope.com.au or www.railplus.com.au
If you live in New Zealand   www.raileurope.co.nz or www.railplus.com.au
If you live in India   www.raileurope.co.in or www.railplus.com.au
If you live in Singapore   www.raileurope.com.sg or www.railplus.com.au
If you live in Hong Kong   www.raileurope.hk
If you live in Japan   www.raileurope-japan.com
If you live in South Africa   www.raileurope.co.za 
If you live in Brazil   www.raileurope.com.br 
If you live in Israel   www.raileurope.co.il 
...in any other country:   www.raileurope-world.com 
  • Online direct from the train operators, either before or after buying your rail pass:  Unfortunately, most ticket selling websites will only sell complete tickets (including a reservation), they don't allow 'reservation only' bookings for passholders.  This notably includes the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com and the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.es.  However, there are a couple of rail operator websites that do allow 'reservation only' bookings to go with a rail pass.  The German Railways website www.bahn.de and the Italian Railways website www.trenitalia.com allow 'reservation only bookings' if your train is a domestic German or Italian train, or an international train starting in Germany or Italy.  On www.bahn.de, proceed as if you were buying a ticket, then select 'reservation only' at the purchase stage.  On www.trenitalia.com, again act as if you were buying a normal ticket, when you see the search results select a train to see the fares, in the list of fares choose 'other fares', then 'global pass' in the list of fare types (warning:  Trenitalia.com has a very bad record in accepting non-European credit cards, but by all means try)..

 

Making a reservation with a Eurail pass...

Making a reservation with a Eurail pass at a station when you're in Europe is easy, as this Eurail video shows.  The video refers to a timetable booklet supplied with your Eurail pass:  Please be aware that the handful of trains shown in that booklet aren't the only trains in Europe (only a tiny fraction are shown) and they certainly aren't the only ones you're allowed to take with your Eurail pass.  You can take any train run by the national train operators covered by your pass, subject to paying any required supplement or reservation charge.

Can I avoid paying a supplement?

  • Sometimes you can avoid the supplement if you don't mind a slower or less comfortable journey.  For example, different types of train may serve one route, and a supplement may be charged only for the faster or more comfortable ones.  From Rome to Florence there are high-speed Eurostar Italia trains which carry a 10 euro surcharge, but on the same route there are comfortable and reasonably-fast 'InterCity' trains with only a small 3 euro surcharge, and finally there are 'InterRegional' trains which are much slower and much more basic, but there is no supplement or compulsory reservation at all.  The choice between speed and comfort or saving the supplement is yours!

  • In other cases, the only way you can avoid the supplement is to take a succession of local trains, taking hours longer and involving several changes of train.  It may be better to bite the bullet and pay the supplement.  To find out if there is a reasonable non-supplement alternative, use the Europe-wide online timetable at http://bahn.hafas.de, but change the 'means of transport' box at the bottom of the page from 'standard search' to 'without ICE/IC/EC'.

  

The cheapest and easiest way to buy any European rail pass is online.

Click to buy rail passes at the www.raileurope.co.uk.

Click to buy a rail pass at www.raileurope.com or www.raileurope.ca Make train reservations to go with your rail pass in the USA  ...or in Canada.

Click to buy a rail pass in Oz at www.raileurope.com.au Make reservations with a rail pass (use the 'buy tickets' section & tick the 'I have a railpass' box).

Buy in New Zealand at www.raileurope.co.nz

Buy in India from www.raileurope.co.in

Buy in Singapore at www.raileurope.com.sg

Buy in Hong Kong at www.raileurope.hk

Buy in Japan at www.raileurope-japan.com

Buy in South Africa at www.raileurope.co.za

Buy in Brazil at www.raileurope.com.br

Buy in Israel at www.raileurope.co.il

...or in any other country at www.raileurope-world.com

 

 Guidebooks & Timetables...

Thomas Cook European Timetable -  click to buy onlineThomas Cook Rail Map of Europe - buy onlineThe Thomas Cook European timetable has train, bus & ferry times for every country in Europe (eastern and western) plus currency and climate information.  It is definitely worth buying if you're planning an extensive rail pass tour - having your own comprehensive timetable puts you in control of your own trip, and saves you hours in queues for station information desks or struggling with station timetables which show only the most basic information.  It costs around £13.99 from the bureau de change section of any UK branch of Thomas Cook, or you can buy online at www.thomascooktimetables.com (with worldwide delivery).  Alternatively, you can buy the twice-yearly  Independent Traveller's edition at Amazon.co.uk also with shipping worldwide.

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe is easily the best and most comprehensive map of train routes all over Europe.  High speed and scenic routes are highlighted - well worth buying to go with your rail pass!  Buy online at Amazon (with worldwide delivery).

The all-Europe online timetable:  You can check train times for almost any European train journey online at http://bahn.hafas.de.  This is an extremely useful resource for trip planning, provided by the German Railways.

Europe by Rail - click to buy online at Amazon.  Ideal for railpass users..!Lonely Planet Western Europe - click to buy onlineLonely Planet Western Europe - click to buy onlineRecommended guidebooks...

If you're planning a grand tour, I strongly recommend investing in a Thomas Cook European Timetable for in-depth train information, and the relevant Lonely Planet Guide for in-depth country information on the sights to see, places to stay, places to eat.  Alternatively, the Europe by Rail guide combines basic train info with country information.

Click the images to buy online at Amazon.co.uk...

Or buy Lonely Planet guides direct from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.

 

Which train companies in each country are covered by Eurail?  

Which trains require a reservation or supplement?  How much are the supplements?

Here is a country-by-country guide to which train operators are covered by Eurail & InterRail passes in each country, which trains require a reservation or payment of a passholder supplement, and how much that supplement is likely to be.  It is not 100% complete, so always check in the timetable to see if the train you want to take is 'supplement payable' or 'special fares apply' and check prices when you book.  If you can provide more accurate information, please email me!  Supplement are generally the same whatever type of rail pass you have.  You can pay the supplement and make a reservation in your own country from the agency that sells you the rail pass (a booking fee may be charged) or you can pay at the ticket office before boarding the train.  The supplements shown below are per person, per journey, with any type of 2nd class rail pass including Eurail and InterRail passes.  The first class supplement is usually the same as the 2nd class one, but is sometimes higher.

Austria

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

OBB (Austrian federal railways)

National trains:

No supplements for pass holders to pay on any normal internal train, even Austrian InterCity services.

Overnight trains from Vienna to Bregenz (per person):  couchette in 6-bunk compartment 22 euros, couchette in 4-bunk compartment 30 euros, bed in 3-bed sleeper 50 euros, bed in 2-bed sleeper 65 to 79 euros

International trains:

To Germany by IC or ICE train from Vienna, Salzburg or Innsbruck:  No supplement.

To Budapest by InterCity, EuroCity or Railjet train from Vienna or Salzburg:  No supplement.  Reservation optional.

To Prague by EuroCity train from Vienna:  Supplement 7 euros, reservation compulsory.

To Venice by EuroCity train from Vienna:  Supplement 7 euros 2nd class, 9 euros 1st class.  Reservation compulsory.

To Florence or Rome by EuroCity from Innsbruck:  5 euros supplement, reservation compulsory.

To Hamburg or Berlin by overnight train from Vienna:  Couchette in 6-bunk compartment 22 euros, couchette in 4-bunk compartment 30 euros, bed in 3-bed sleeper 50 euros, bed in 2-bed sleeper 65 to 79 euros.

To Cologne or Venice or Rome by EuroNight train from Vienna:  Couchette in 6-bunk compartment 22 euros, couchette in 4-bunk compartment 30 euros, bed in 3-bed sleeper 50 euros, bed in 2-bed sleeper 79 euros.

Belgium

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

SNCB (Belgian National Railways)

National trains:

No supplements to pay on any normal internal train, even Belgian InterCity trains.

International trains:

Brussels to Amsterdam:  No supplement or seat reservation required on the hourly InterCity trains, but a 13 euros passholder fare with compulsory reservation for the high-speed Thalys trains (28 euros in 1st class).

Brussels to Cologne:  No supplement for travel on an ICE train, but 13 euros passholder fare for travel on Thalys trains (28 euros in 1st class), seat reservation compulsory.  You can avoid Thalys by using the three daily ICE trains or by using much slower hourly local trains, changing trains at Aachen.

Brussels to Paris:  Thalys trains passholder fare 13 euros (28 euros in 1st class), seat reservation compulsory.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

InterRail passes are valid on:

ZFBH/ZRS (Railways of Bosnia-Herzegovina)

Not covered by Eurail.

Bulgaria

InterRail passes are valid on:

BDZ (Bulgarian State Railways)

Not covered by Eurail.

National trains:

Local trains, 'barz' & 'patnicheski' slow trains do not require reservations. Seat reservation is compulsory on all express trains ('Expresen'), this costs around 0.50 euros, and can only be done when you're in Bulgaria.

International trains:

Reservation is obligatory on all main international trains.

Croatia    

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

HZ (Croatian national railways)

National trains:

A 5 euros supplement is charged for the premier air-conditioned ICN daytime train from Zagreb to Split.  1 euro supplement for InterCity trains Zagreb to Rijeka.

Czech Republic    

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

CD (Czech national railways)

National trains:

A 7 euros supplement is charged for SuperCity trains.  No supplement on other trains.

International trains:

Prague to Vienna by EuroCity train:  7 euros supplement, reservation compulsory.

Prague to Dresden & Berlin by EuroCity train:  No supplement, reservation optional.

Prague to Budapest or Bratislava by EuroCity train:  No supplement, reservation optional.

Prague to Amsterdam, Cologne or Basel by City Night Line sleeper train:  Seat 10 euros, couchette in 6-bunk compartment 20 euros, 4-bunk couchette 30 euros, berth in 4-berth sleeper 40 euros, berth in 2-berth sleeper 50 euros - see www.bahn.de/citynightline.Prague to Krakow or Warsaw by sleeper train: 10 euros per person in 6-bunk couchette, 14 euros in 4-bunk couchette, 15 euros sharing far more comfortable 3-bed sleeper (recommended).  You can check Polish sleeper and couchette supplements online at www.wars.pl.   The sleeper supplement includes complimentary tea/coffee and croissant.

 

Prague to Venice by sleeper train:  Similar to City Night Line supplements above.

Denmark

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

DSB (Danish State Railways)

 

Other InterRail benefits:

25% discount on DFDS Seaways Copenhagen-Oslo overnight ferry, only bookable online at www.dfdsseaways.com/railpass (not Commodore class).

30% discount on Stena Line ferries (including Frederikshavn-Gothenburg)

50% discount on Color Line ferries (including Frederikshavn-Oslo).

National trains:

No supplements to pay on any normal internal train, including Danish InterCity trains. 

International trains:

Copenhagen to Hamburg by EuroCity train:  No supplement.

Copenhagen to Stockholm by X2000 125mph train:  supplement 7 euros, reservation compulsory.

Copenhagen to Cologne, Amsterdam, Basel, Munich by City Night Line sleeper train:  Seat 10 euros, couchette in 6-bunk compartment 20 euros, 4-bunk couchette 30 euros, berth in 4-berth sleeper 40 euros, berth in 2-berth sleeper 50 euros - see www.bahn.de/citynightline.

Finland

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

VR (Finnish state railways)

InterRail passes give free travel Stockholm-Turku on Silja Line ferries (cabin berths extra)

InterRail passes also give free travel on Veljekset Salmela bus service Kemi/Tornio-Haparanda (across the top from Sweden into Finland)

Other InterRail benefits:

50% discount on Viking Line ferries Stockholm-Helsinki and Stockholm-Turku.

Up to 30% discount on Superfast Ferries Rostok (Germany) to/from Helsinki.

National trains:

A supplement is charged on InterCity trains:  between 2 and 6 euros depending on distance. 

A supplement is charged on premier Pendolino tilting trains:  between 2 and 12 euros depending on distance.

France

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

SNCF (French national railways)

Other InterRail benefits:

50% discount on Nice-Digne private railway

50% discount on Corsican Railways

50% discount on SeaFrance Dover-Calais ferries

30% discount on Irish ferries (including direct Ireland-France ferries).

National trains:

There is no supplement to pay on local or regional trains, or basic 'InterCités' long distance trains which still operate on a few routes such as Boulogne-Paris.

TGV high-speed trains:  These run on most long distance routes, and seat reservation is compulsory.  A supplement is charged which includes the reservation fee, 3 euros 'off-peak', 10 euros 'peak'.

Téoz trains: These run on routes such as Paris-Limoges-Toulouse, Bordeaux-Toulouse-Marseille-Nice.  Seat reservation compulsory, 3 euros reservation fee.

Overnight trains in France (per person):  Couchette in 6-bunk compartment about 20 euros, bed in 2-bed sleeper about 65 euros.

International trains:

To the UK:  Eurostar Paris to London:  Passholder fare about 70 euros one-way, 140 euros return.  The cheapest regular fares are cheaper than the special passholder fare, if you can commit to a particular date & train in advance.

To Belgium, Netherlands:  Thalys TGV high-speed trains from Paris to Brussels & Amsterdam:  Special passholder fare applies, 13 euros in 2nd class, 28 euros in 1st class.  Your pass must cover all the countries travelled through, a higher passholder fare applies for anyone with a pass that covers just one of the countries.

To Germany:   TGV/ICE from Paris to Munich or Frankfurt:  5 euro in 2nd class, 20 euros in 1st class, reservation compulsory.  Thalys from Paris to Cologne:  13 euros in 2nd class, 28 euros in 1st class, reservation compulsory.

CityNightLine sleeper train from Paris to Munich or Berlin:  Seat 10 euros, couchette in 6-bunk compartment 20 euros, 4-bunk couchette 30 euros, berth in 4-berth sleeper 40 euros, berth in 2-berth sleeper 50 euros - see www.bahn.de/citynightline.

To Switzerland:  Lyria TGV high-speed trains from Paris to Lausanne, Geneva, Basel, Bern & Zurich:  If your pass covers both France and Switzerland, the fare is 10 euros.  If your pass only covers France, the fare is about 35-45 euros.  Reservation compulsory.

To Italy:  Artesia TGV trains Paris-Turin-Milan:  Supplement 10 euros including seat reservation.  Artesia overnight sleeper trains from Paris to Rome/Florence/Milan/Venice:  For supplements for each type of couchette or sleeper, see the passholder fares in the fares tables on the London to Italy page.  A lower passholder fare applies if your pass covers both France and Italy, a higher fare is charged if your pass only covers one country.

To Spain:  A special passholder fare is charged for the Elipsos overnight trainhotel Paris to Madrid & Paris to Barcelona, for anyone holding a pass covering either France or Spain or both:  The passholder fares are shown for each type of sleeper on the London to Spain page.  They are also quoted on www.elipsos.com.  It's about 70 euros for a bed in a 4-bed sleeper.  Note that there are regular advance-purchase fares without a pass for the same cost!  The two daily Talgo trains from Montpellier, Narbonne & Perpignan to Barcelona also carry a supplement, 17 euro in 2nd class or 38 euro in 1st class.  By all means take local trains and change at the frontier instead!

To Portugal:  There's a small supplement to pay for the TGV Paris to Irun on the Spanish border (maybe 4-10 euros), then a supplement for the overnight Sud Express from Irun to Lisbon:  7 euros in a seat, 30 euros for a berth in 4-bed Turista sleeper, 62 euros for a berth in a Preferente 2-bed sleeper, 112 euros for a single-bed sleeper, 91 euros in a 2-bed Gran Clase sleeper with shower, or 152 euros in a single-berth Gran Clase with shower.

Germany

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

DB Deutsche Bahn (German Federal Railways)

Other InterRail benefits:

Up to 30% discount on Rostock-Helsinki ferry (www.superfast.com )

National trains:

There is now no supplement to pay with a Eurail or InterRail pass on high-speed ICE (InterCityExpress) trains, InterCity, EuroCity, regional or local trains wholly within Germany.  A seat reservation must still be made on a handful of services marked in the timetable as 'reservation obligatory', for about 4 euros.

Overnight trains within Germany:  Couchette in 6-bunk compartment about 15 euros, couchette in 4-bunk compartment about 20 euros, bed in 3-bed sleeper about 45 euros, bed in 2-bed sleeper about 60 euros.  If you have an InterRail pass you can make 'reservation only' bookings for overnight trains online at www.bahn.de/citynightline (English button top right) and print out your own reservation in .pdf format.

International trains:

To Copenhagen by EuroCity train from Hamburg:  No supplement.  Reservation optional.

To Amsterdam by IC, EC or ICE daytime train from various cities:  No supplement.  Reservation optional.

To Vienna by IC or ICE or RailJet from various cities:  No supplement.  Reservation optional.

To Budapest from Munich by RailJet:  No supplement.  Reservation optional.

To Prague, Vienna or Budapest from Berlin or Dresden by EuroCity:  No supplement.  Reservation optional.

To Warsaw by Berlin-Warszawa Express:  From 4 euros, reservation compulsory.

To Krakow by EuroCity train from Berlin:  Small supplement (4 euros?), reservation compulsory.

To Florence or Rome by EuroCity from Munich:  5 euros supplement, reservation compulsory.

To Paris by Thalys high-speed train from Cologne:  Special passholder fare 13 euros 2nd class, 28 euros in 1st class, reservation compulsory.

To Paris by TGV/ICE from Frankfurt or Munich:  Supplement 5 euros in 2nd class, 20 euros in 1st class, reservation compulsory.

Berlin or Hamburg to Vienna by sleeper train (per person):  couchette in 6-bunk compartment 21.90 euros, couchette in 4-bunk compartment 30 euros, bed in 3-bed sleeper 50 euros, bed in 2-bed sleeper 65 to 79 euros.

Cologne to Vienna by sleeper train (per person) - reclining seat 10 euros, couchette in 6-bunk compartment 20 euros, 4-bunk couchette 30 euros, berth in 4-berth sleeper 40 euros, berth in 2-berth sleeper 50 euros - see www.bahn.de/citynightline.

Munich to Rome by City Night Line sleeper train:  Seat 10 euros, couchette in 6-bunk compartment 20 euros, 4-bunk couchette 30 euros, berth in 4-berth sleeper 40 euros, berth in 2-berth sleeper 50 euros - see www.bahn.de/citynightline.

Greece

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

OSE (Greek national railways)

National trains:

InterCity trains (for example Athens -Thessaloniki):  supplement varies from 5 euros to 40 euros depending on distance.  Patras-Athens by InterCity train around 7 euros supplement.

InterCity Express trains (e.g. Athens -Thessaloniki):  supplement 9.80 euros to 31 euros depending on distance.

Greece-Italy ferries:

InterRail passes give free travel on Blue Star & Superfast (Attica Group) Bari-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Patras, Ancona-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Patras, and on Minoan Lines Venice- or Ancona-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Patras.

InterRail passes provide 'deck class' travel which means a place on the ferry but with no specific seat or berth.  There is space under cover on deck to use a sleeping-bag if you have one, and many backpackers do this.  Or you can pay extra for a reclining seat or cabin berth.  Very helpfully, Minoan Lines give free travel to InterRail flexi pass holders without requiring them to use up a 'flexi day' of travel.

Port taxes (a few euros) must be paid (there's no port tax on ferry routes to or from Venice).

Supplement for reclining aircraft-style seat:  About 16 euros on Superfast Ferries, 12 euros on Blue Star Ferries.

Supplement for cabin berths:  26 to 76 euros, depending on type of cabin.

High season supplement:  Superfast and Blue Star charge InterRail holders a summer supplement, about 16-25 euros.

Hungary

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

MAV (Hungarian State Railways)

National trains:

No supplement to pay for travel on local or regional trains.

A supplement is charged for InterCity trains (2.50 euros) & InterPici trains (0.80 euros).

International trains:

Budapest to Vienna by EuroCity, InterCity or RailJet trains:  No supplement. No reservation necessary.

Budapest to Berlin by EuroCity train:  No supplement. No reservation necessary.

Budapest to Munich by RailJet train:  No supplement. No reservation necessary.

Budapest to Munich, Berlin or Venice by sleeper train:  Couchette in 6-bunk compartment around 18 euros, 4-bunk couchette 25 euros, berth in 4-berth sleeper 35 euros, berth in 2-berth sleeper 45 euros (all approximate).

Budapest to Krakow or Warsaw by sleeper train:  Couchette in 6-bunk compartment around 16 euros, 4-bunk couchette 23 euros, berth in 4-berth sleeper 32 euros, berth in 2-berth sleeper 40 euros (all approximate).

Ireland

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

IE (Ironrod Eirean, Irish republic railways)

Other InterRail benefits:

30% discount on Stena Line Ireland-UK ferries (Dublin-Holyhead, Rosslare-Fishguard, Belfast-Stranraer)

30% discount on Irish Ferries Ireland-UK & Ireland-France ferries (Dublin-Holyhead, Rosslare to Cherbourg & Roscoff, Rosslare to Pembroke)

National trains:

No supplement to pay on any internal trains.

International trains:

No supplement on the Enterprise Dublin-Belfast trains.

Italy

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

FS/Trenitalia (Italian State Railways)

InterRail is not valid on the local Circumvesuviana Railway Naples-Pompeii-Sorrento.

National trains:

No supplement to pay on local or Regional trains.

InterCity trains:  supplement 3 to 5 euros per journey.  Seat reservation now compulsory on all IC trains.

Eurostar Italia & Eurostar City trains:  Supplement 10-20 euros per journey, including compulsory seat reservation.

International trains:

To Switzerland by Cisalpino trains:  supplement 8 euros, reservation compulsory.

To Paris by Artesia TGV from Milan: 10 euros if your InterRail covers both countries, 75 euros if it only covers one country.  Reservation compulsory.

To Paris by Artesia sleeper train:  A special passholder fare is charged, a lower one if your InterRail covers both France and Italy or a higher one if it only covers one of those two countries.  The passholder fares for the overnight trains are shown for each type of couchette and sleeper on the London to Italy page.  Reservation compulsory.

To Nice by EuroCity train from Milan or Genoa:  Supplement 5 euros, reservation compulsory.

To Vienna by EuroCity train from Venice or Rome:  Supplement 7 euros 2nd class, 9 euros 1st class.  Reservation compulsory.

To Innsbruck or Munich by EuroCity train from Verona, Venice, Florence or Rome:  5 euros supplement, reservation compulsory.

Rome to Innsbruck or Munich by City Night Line sleeper train:   Seat 10 euros, couchette in 6-bunk compartment 20 euros, 4-bunk couchette 30 euros, berth in 4-berth sleeper 40 euros, berth in 2-berth sleeper 50 euros - see www.bahn.de/citynightline.  Reservation compulsory.

Rome or Florence to Vienna by EuroNight sleeper train:   Seat 10 euros, couchette in 6-bunk compartment 20 euros, 4-bunk couchette 30 euros, berth in 4-berth sleeper 40 euros, berth in 2-berth sleeper 50 euros (all approximate).

Venice to Prague or Budapest by sleeper train:  Couchette in 6-bunk compartment around 18 euros, 4-bunk couchette 25 euros, berth in 4-berth sleeper 35 euros, berth in 2-berth sleeper 45 euros (all approximate).

Italy-Greece ferries:

InterRail passes give free travel on Blue Star & Superfast (Attica Group) Bari-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Patras, Ancona-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Patras, and on Minoan Lines Venice- or Ancona-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Patras.

InterRail passes provide 'deck class' travel which means a place on the ferry but with no specific seat or berth.  There is space under cover on deck to use a sleeping-bag if you have one, and many backpackers do this.  Or you can pay extra for a reclining seat or cabin berth.  Very helpfully, Minoan Lines give free travel to InterRail flexi pass holders without requiring them to use up a 'flexi day' of travel.

Port taxes (a few euros) must be paid (no port tax on Venice routes).

Supplement for reclining aircraft-style seat:  About 16 euros on Superfast Ferries, 12 euros on Blue Star Ferries.

Supplement for cabin berths:  26 to 76 euros, depending on type of cabin.

High season supplement:  Superfast and Blue Star charge InterRail holders a summer supplement, about 16-25 euros.

Luxembourg

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

CFL (Luxembourg State Railways)

Other InterRail benefits:

An InterRail pass gives free travel on buses run by CFL

National trains:

No supplements to pay on any normal internal train.

International trains:

To Brussels or Amsterdam:  No supplement. Reservation not necessary or even possible.

To Paris by TGV:  3 euro supplement, reservation compulsory.

To Germany:  No supplement on local or even IC trains.

Macedonia

InterRail passes are valid on:

CFARYM (Macedonian Railways)

Not covered by Eurail.

National trains:

A small supplement must be paid on all domestic express trains including those to and from Belgrade, but not on purely local trains.

Montenegro

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

ZCG (Railways of Montenegro)

Not covered by Eurail.

National trains:

A small supplement must be paid on all domestic express trains including those to and from Belgrade, but not on purely local trains.

Netherlands

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Dutch national railways)

An InterRail or Eurail pass also gives free travel on these private local train operators who now run trains on lines that were part of the main NS network:  Veolia, Syntus, Noordnet, Arriva, DB Regio, Prignitzer Eisenbahn.

 

Other benefits:

30% reduction on Harwich-Hoek ferries with Stena Line.

25% reduction on Amsterdam-Newcastle DFDS ferry, see www.dfdsseaways.com/railpass.  Only bookable online, no discount in Commodore Class.

National trains:

No supplement to pay on any Dutch internal train.  No seat reservations are necessary or even possible on Dutch internal trains.

International trains:

Amsterdam to Brussels by hourly ordinary InterCity train:  No supplement to pay.  Seat reservation is unnecessary and not even possible on these trains, you turn up and hop on, show your InterRail when asked.

Amsterdam to Brussels & Paris by Thalys high-speed train:  Special passholder fares are charged, about 12 euros with InterRail pass including seat reservation.  Seat reservation compulsory.

Amsterdam to Germany (Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt & so on) by IC, EC or ICE train:  No supplement, reservation optional.

Amsterdam to Zurich, Munich, Prague, Warsaw or Copenhagen by CityNightLine overnight sleeper train (per person):  Reclining seat 9 euros, couchette in 6-bunk couchette 19 euros, couchette in 4-bunk couchette 29 euros, berth in 4-berth sleeper 39 euros, berth in 2-berth sleeper 49 euros, see www.bahn.de/citynightline.  If you have an InterRail pass you can make 'reservation only' bookings to go with your pass online at www.bahn.de/citynightline and print out your own supplement/reservation in .pdf format.

Norway

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

NSB (Norwegian State Railways)

 

Other InterRail benefits:

25% discount on UK-Norway ferries with DFDS Seaways.

25% reduction on Oslo-Copenhagen DFDS ferry, see www.dfdsseaways.com/railpass.  Only bookable online, no discount in Commodore Class.

50% discount on Color Line ferries (including Oslo-Frederikshavn in Denmark)

50% discount on many regional bus services

30% discount on the Flåm Railway.

More information on InterRail ferry discounts

National & international trains:

No supplements to pay on any normal Norwegian internal train. 

Seat reservations optional on long-distance trains, 6.30 euros per seat.

Note:  The InterRail guide claims reservation is compulsory on Norwegian long-distance trains.  The Thomas Cook European Timetable only says that reservation is 'recommended'.

Oslo to Stockholm by IC train:  3 euros supplement, reservation compulsory.

Oslo-Stockholm by sleeper train:  Seat 3 euros, couchette in 6-bunk compartments 10 euros, bed in 3-bed sleeper 16 euros, bed in 2-bed sleeper 30 euros (all approximate).

Poland

InterRail passes are valid on:

PKP (Polish State Railways)

Not covered by Eurail.

National trains:

No supplement to pay for local or regional trains.

InterCity trains:  Supplement 5.30 euros, reservation compulsory.

'Ex' (Express) trains:  Supplement 3 euros, reservation compulsory.

International trains:

Warsaw to Berlin by 'Berlin-Warszawa Express':  supplement from 4 euros if your pass covers both Germany and Poland.  Special reduced fare charged if your InterRail covers just Germany or just Poland.

Krakow to Berlin by EuroCity:  Small supplement to be paid (4 euros?), reservation compulsory.

Warsaw or Krakow to Vienna or Prague by EuroCity train:  Small supplement to be paid (4 euros?), reservation compulsory.

Krakow-Prague, Krakow-Budapest, Warsaw-Budapest, Warsaw-Berlin by sleeper train:  10 euros for a couchette in a 6-bunk couchette, 15 euros for a couchette in a 4-bunk couchette, 18 euros for a bed in a much more comfortable 3-berth sleeper (recommended), 25 euros for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper (also recommended).  You can check Polish sleeper and couchette supplements online at www.wars.pl.   The sleeper supplement includes complimentary tea/coffee and croissant.

Portugal

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

CP (Portuguese national railways)

National trains:

No supplement to pay on local or InterRegional trains.

InterCity trains (for example Lisbon - Faro):  supplement 4 euros, including compulsory seat reservation.

Alfa Pendular fast tilting trains Lisbon - Porto:  supplement 8 euros, including compulsory seat reservation.

International trains:

Lisbon-Madrid:  Special passholder fares apply for the 'Lusitania' trainhotel Lisbon-Madrid:  With InterRail passes, a reclining seat is 30 euros, bed in 4-berth sleeper 55 euros, bed in 2-berth sleeper 75 euros, 1-berth sleeper 119 euros.  With a Eurail pass:  Seat 7 euros, 4-berth sleeper 30 euros, 2-berth sleeper 49 euros, 1-berth sleeper 89 euros.

Lisbon-Paris:  Supplement for the Sud Express from Lisbon to Hendaye (for TGV to Paris):  7 euros in a seat, 30 euros for a berth in 4-bed Turista sleeper, 62 euros for a berth in a Preferente 2-bed sleeper, 112 euros for a single-bed sleeper, 91 euros in a 2-bed Gran Clase sleeper with shower, or 152 euros in a single-berth Gran Clase with shower.  A small supplement is also payable for the TGV from Hendaye to Paris, maybe 4-10 euros.

Romania

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

CFR (Romanian National Railways)

National trains:

InterCity trains require a supplement, between 3 to 18 euros depending on distance, and seat reservation is compulsory on all long distance trains.

International trains:

Reservation is compulsory on all international trains from Romania.  Couchette supplement Bucharest-Budapest about 10 euros, Bucharest-Istanbul about 6 euros.  Sleeper supplement for bed in 3-bed sleeper Bucharest-Budapest about 18 euros, Bucharest-Istanbul about 12 euros.

Serbia

InterRail passes are valid on:

ZS Serbian Railways

Not covered by Eurail.

National trains:

A small supplement must be paid to travel on most domestic express trains, but not on purely local trains.

Slovakia

InterRail passes are valid on:

ZSR (Slovak Republic Railways)

Not covered by Eurail.

National & international trains:

Seat reservation is compulsory on all InterCity and EuroCity trains, supplement 3 euros.  SuperCity tilting trains 7 euros supplement.

Slovenia

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

SZ (Slovenian railways)

National trains:

Seat reservation is compulsory on all ICs trains, free in advance or 4.50 euros on board the train.

International trains:

Ljubljana to Innsbruck or Munich by EuroCity:  Supplement to pay, about 5 euros.

Spain

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

RENFE (Spanish National Railways)

InterRail & Eurail passes are not valid on regional train operators www.euskotren.es and www.feve.es.

There is no longer any InterRail discount on Trasmediterranea ferries to Ibiza or Majorca, or to Morocco.  However, normal fare tickets for these ferries can be booked at the Seat61 Ferry Shop.

National trains:

Rail fares in Spain are very cheap, but if you have an InterRail pass,  every Spanish long-distance train requires you to make a reservation and pay a supplement, and even most shorter distance regional trains require a seat reservation.    It's safest to assume that the only trains in Spain which don't require at least a seat reservation are suburban trains ('cercanias') around the big cities.

AVE and Talgo200 high speed trains (Madrid to Seville, Cordoba, Cadiz, Malaga):  Supplement 10 euros in 2nd class or 24 euros in 1st class (includes meal in 1st class).

EuroMed (Barcelona-Valencia-Alicante), Alvia (Madrid-Barcelona), Alaris (Madrid-Valencia), Altaria (e.g. Madrid-Algeciras) trains: 6.50 euros supplement in 2nd class or 24 euros in 1st class (includes meal in 1st class).

Most other long distance trains (Talgo, Arco) charge a supplement, about 6.50 euros in 2nd class or 10 euros in 1st class.

Unusually, even many shorter-distance regional trains in Spain such as those classified 'TRD' (Regional Diesel Train) require a seat reservation, 3 or 4 euros seat reservation fee payable.

Trenhotel overnight trains:  reclining seat 3 euros, 4-berth sleeper 24 euros, 2-berth sleeper 43 euros, 1-berth sleeper 83 euros.

International trains:

'Elipsos' overnight hotel trains Madrid to Paris, Barcelona to Paris, Barcelona to Zurich, Barcelona to Milan:  Special passholder fares are charged to anyone holding a pass covering at least one of the countries travelled through:  See the fares shown on the London to Spain page or see www.elipsos.com.

A supplement is charged for the two daily Talgo trains from Barcelona to Perpignan, Narbonne & Montpellier international 'Talgo' trains:  With Eurail, it's just 5 euros.  With InterRail, it's 17 euros in 2n class, 38 euros in 1st class.

'Lusitania' trainhotel Madrid to Lisbon with an InterRail pass:  Seat 30 euros, 4-berth sleeper 55 euros, 2-berth sleeper 75 euros, 1-berth sleeper 119 euros.  With a Eurail pass:  Seat 7 euros, 4-berth sleeper 30 euros, 2-berth sleeper 49 euros, 1-berth sleeper 89 euros.

Sweden

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

SJ (Swedish national railways) which runs most Swedish mainline trains.

Connex (part of Veolia Group, it operates the sleeper trains from Stockholm & Gothenburg up to the north of Sweden)

Free travel on Arlanda Express airport rail link.

Free travel on the Inlandsbanen private local railway.

Free travel on Silja Line ferries Stockholm-Turku (for train to Helsinki). Cabin berths extra.

Free travel on Veljekset Salmela bus service Kemi/Tornio-haparanda (across the top from Sweden into Finland)

Other InterRail benefits:

50% discount on Viking Line ferries Stockholm-Helsinki and Stockholm-Turku.

30% discount on Stena Line ferries (including Gothenburg-Frederikshavn in Denmark)

National trains:

A supplement is charged for travel on 125mph X2000 tilting trains (for example, Stockholm to Gothenburg or Malmö):  about 7 euros in 2nd class or 17 euros in 1st class with 1st class pass (includes light meal in 1st class).

Night train supplements within Sweden (per person):  Seat 3 euros, couchette in 6-bunk compartments 10 euros, bed in 3-bed sleeper 16 euros, bed in 2-bed sleeper 30 euros.

International trains:

Stockholm to Copenhagen by X2000:  Supplement 7 euros in 2nd class, 17 euros in 1st class.

Stockholm to Oslo by IC train:  3 euros supplement, reservation compulsory.

Switzerland

Eurail & InterRail passes are valid on:

SBB Swiss Federal Railways (which runs most inter-city main lines)

InterRail & Eurail passes also give free travel on these private railways:

BLS Bern-Lotschberg-Simplon (which runs the main Bern-Interlaken-Brig line)

FART Ferrovie Autolinee Regionall Ticinesi

MOB Montreux Oberland Bernois

RhB Rhatische Bahn (Disentis-Chur-Davos/St Moritz)

SOB Sudostbahn

SOB-bt Bodensee Toggenburg Bahn

SSIF Societa Subalpina di Imprese Ferroviarie

THURBO Mittelthrugau Bahn

ZB Centralbahn

InterRail & Eurail pass holders get 50% discount on these other private railway & bus services:

AB Appenzeller Bahnen
ASM Aare Seeland Mobil
BB Kehrsiten - Bürgenstock
CJ Chemins de fer du Jura
FB Forchbahn
GGB Gornergratbahn
LAF Adliswil - Felsenegg
LEB Lausanne - Echallens - Bercher
MBC Bière - Apples - Morges
MGB Matterhorn - Gotthard Bahn (Zermatt-Brig-Disentis), only with a youth InterRail, not adult or child)
MVR Transports Montreux - Vevey - Riviera
NStCM Chemin de Fer Nyon - St-Cergue - Morez
PB Pilatusbahn (Alpnachstad-Pilatus Kulm/Kriens-Fräkmüntegg-Pil. Kulm)
RA RegionAlps Martigny - Orsières / Le Chàble
RB Rigi-Bahn
RBS Regionalverkehr Bern Solothurn
SMF-lsm Stöckalp - Melchsee - Frutt
SMtS St-Imier - Mont-Soleil
SthB Stanserhornbahn
SZU Sihltal - Zürich - Uetliberg
TMR Martigny - Châtelard
TPC Transports publics du Chablais
TPF Transports publics Fribourgeois
TRAVYS SA
TRN Transports régionaux Neuchâtelois
WB Waldenburgerbahn
WSB Wynental & Suhrentalbahn

There's no discount at all for passholders on the Jungfraubahn. 

National trains:

Using an InterRail or Eurail pass in Switzerland is easy, as there are no supplements to pay on any normal internal Swiss train, including Swiss InterCity trains.  There's no supplement to pay when using German ICE trains or French TGV trains for journeys wholly within Switzerland.  However, reservation is required and a supplement (CHF10-20) is payable on one or two narrow-gauge panoramic trains, such as the famous Glacier Express from Zermatt to St Moritz, the Bernina Express from Chur & St Moritz to Tirano or Golden Pass Panoramic trains from Montreux to Zweisimmen.

Note that InterRail & Eurail passes only give free travel on the RhB section of the Glacier Express route (Disentis-Chur-St Moritz), you'll need to buy a ticket for the MGB (Zermatt-Brig-Disentis) section.  Youth passholders get 50% discount on MGB, but adult & child passholders must pay full fare.  Both ticket and Glacier Express supplement can be bought before boarding the train, at any Swiss station.

International trains:

To Milan by daytime Cisalpino trains from various Swiss cities:  Supplement 8 euros.

To Innsbruck, Salzburg & Vienna by EuroCity train:  No supplement or reservation necessary.

To Germany by IC & ICE trains:  No supplement or reservation necessary.

To Paris by Lyria TGV high-speed trains from Zurich, Basel, Lausanne, Bern & Geneva:  Special passholder fares charged, about 10 euros.

CityNightLine sleeper trains from Zurich or Basel to Amsterdam, Prague, Berlin or Hamburg (per person): Reclining seat 10 euros, 6-bunk couchette 20 euros, 4-bunk couchette 30 euros, 4-berth sleeper 40 euros, 2-berth sleeper 50 euros - see www.bahn.de/citynightline.  If you have an InterRail pass you can make 'reservation only' bookings to go with your pass online at www.bahn.de/citynightline and print out your own supplement/reservation in .pdf format.

Turkey

InterRail passes are valid on:

TCDD (Turkish State Railways), see the Train Travel in Turkey page for routes, train times & information.

Not covered by Eurail.

National trains:

Supplement and reservation required for all pullman seats (1 or 2 euros), couchettes (maybe 5 euros) or sleepers (maybe 10 euros for a bed in a 2-bed room) on most long distance trains in Asian Turkey.

International trains:

Reservation obligatory on international trains from Istanbul to Sofia, Belgrade, Bucharest, Thessaloniki.  Couchette supplement about 9 euros, sleeper supplement about 15 euros for bed in 3-bed room, 25 euros for bed in 2-bed room.



 Finding hotels & accommodation in Europe...

Hotels & guesthouses...

It's easy to book hotels online to go with your rail pass, but there are almost too many hotel booking websites to choose from!  I recommend these sites to find a hotel in most European countries:

  • Hotels Combined.  This isn't a hotel booking site, but a free search tool that checks all the other sites, saving you hours on the internet going round in circles.  Highly recommended as the place to start when looking for a hotel anywhere worldwide!

 

◄◄◄ Search all the major hotel

booking websites at once...

Hotel reservations? Find the right hotel first. Compare here.

Powered by Hotelscombined.com
  • www.laterooms.com lists a huge number of hotels in any given town or city on a single page showing price and availability for your specific dates.  As its name suggests, Laterooms gets big discounts for hotel rooms booked within 3 months of travel, making it ideal for anyone buying a rail pass within the normal 90 days of travel.  These discounted prices are shown in orange.

  • Click to find hotels in Italy with Venere.comwww.venere.com has a more personal approach than laterooms.com.  On Venere, the price you see is the price you pay, no hidden extras, and you simply pay the hotel when you get there.  After you've booked, you can change or cancel your reservation in line with the hotel's own change and cancellation policy.

  • www.tripadvisor.com is a huge resource, and a good place to browse independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

Budget backpacker hostels...

  • www.hostelbookers.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about the hostels.  Hostelbookers allows online booking of dorm beds or ultra-cheap private rooms in backpacker hostels in most European cities at budget prices.


 Travel insurance & health card...

Get travel insurance..

 
   

Never travel without insurance from a reliable travel insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash (up to a limit) and belongings, and cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

If you live in the UK, get quotes from Columbus Direct or Go Travel Insurance, or go to Confused.com to run a price comparison on a whole range of travel insurance providers for your dates of travel, seeing their policy's features at a glance.

Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, but European international rail conditions of carriage (known as the 'CIV') contain consumer protection provisions that entitle you to travel forward by the next available train if you miss a connection because of a delay to the first train, irrespective of who operates which train, and even if your ticket is in theory train-specific and non-changeable.  Feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, see Columbus Direct Australia.

   If you live in the USA or Canada, see Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card...

If you're a UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the NHS.  This replaced the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available from www.ehic.org.uk.  It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.

Get a pre-paid euro currency MasterCard from Caxton FX...

You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a Caxton FX euro currency MasterCard, or indeed the multi-currency 'Global Traveller' MasterCard.   Find out about these cards & sign up here.

Get an international SIM card...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're not careful you can return home to find some huge bills waiting for you.  I've known people run up over £1,000 in data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a simple trip to Europe.  However, if you buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company such as www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid.  Go-Sim cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide, and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries.  It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills when you get home.  It also allows cheap data access for laptops & PDAs.  A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone number' for life.

 

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