Traveling to Europe is every person’s dream. From Austria to Croatia to Italy to the stunning Switzerland, Europe has many popular destinations for the visitors. Every year, millions of tourists travel Europe from all over the world. Many opt for airplanes while others prefer cruise ships and trains. While cruise ships provide you an ultimate travel experience through the water, trains are an amazing alternative for those who want to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of each moment while traveling. That’s absolutely true. Europe trains give everyone a chance to travel on trains with a scenic view. Traveling on trains is not only economical but also gives you a lot more to enjoy as compared to airplanes and cruise ships. This ultimate Eurail Passes guide will help you plan the perfect trip.
The Ultimate Eurail Passes Guide
If you are traveling to Europe and it is highly recommended to use Eurail, then there are many options available. In this comprehensive Eurail Passes guide you will find tips and information on how to choose the best rail passes. With trains you can travel around Europe with much ease. You should review about each pass and then decide which one suits you the most.
What is a Eurail Pass and how many types are there?
Photo Credit: JourneyWonders
The Eurail pass or Europe rail pass is a train pass that allows every pass holder to travel in 28 countries across Europe on almost all European railroads. There are a few types of Eurail Pass that you can buy:
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Select Pass
This pass lets you travel in 2, 3 or 4 bordering European countries via train. You can choose any European countries of your choice and enjoy your rail adventure. The most popular choice of many tourists is Italy – Switzerland and France-Italy.
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Global Pass
This Global Pass lets you travel in 28 European countries. You can explore 5 or more destinations with just one rail pass. Get your Eurail Global pass now and enjoy your adventurous trip on budget.
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One Country Pass
The One Country Pass is perfect for those who want to spend their vacations in just one European country. Buy this pass and travel around your favorite country without any hurdle. You can use this pass in one month period and can take multiple trains each day.
Get more information about Eurorail Passes here.
Photo Credit: Plannedtraveller
Eurail Pass or Interrail Pass?
Eurail pass is for every foreigner who wants to travel across Europe whereas Interrail Pass is for European citizens. Interrail pass lets every European travel on almost all the trains in around 30 European countries.
Get more information about Interrail Pass here.
Here are a few things you need to know about Eurail Pass:
Cheaper tickets for Spain, Italy and Eastern Europe
If you buy train tickets at the station for these countries, they will save you a lot of money. Traveling in Switzerland via train is really very expensive but if you buy a cheaper rail pass, you can travel more for less not only to Switzerland but many other European countries.
Paying for Reservations
If you are planning to travel on high-speed trains or overnight train, then you have to book in advance which requires you to pay a small fee. The reservation fees depend on the duration of your travel. On average, reservation fees usually start from $5.
Plan your journey before you travel
Plan your journey a month or two before you travel as it will save you a lot of money. There are also many cheap deals going on all over the year. You can avail whatever suits you best and enjoy your ultimate Europe travel experience on the train.
Traveling in a group and save money
If you are travel in a group of 2 to 5 or more, then you can get huge discounts on your Eurail passes. However, you are going to get just one ticket with everyone’s name on it. Plan your rail trip with your friends and family today and enjoy traveling on a budget around Europe.
Passes don’t include Trams or Subways
Your rail pass will only cover the trains across Europe. It won’t work in any intra-city trams or subways. However, if you need to travel on trams or metro, you can get their information for discounted tickets.
Youth & Adult Pass
Anyone who is under 27 can get 20% discount on the standard adult rail passes. However, if you are over 27, you have to buy an Adult pass without discount.
Choose to travel anytime you like!
Eurail passes give you the flexibility of timings and places to which you want to travel. You can visit the relevant train station and choose the destination you want to visit and get in. If you’d choose another mode of traveling, it’d cost you a lot to travel from one place to another in Europe. Thanks to Eurail passes!
Photo Credit: Outsideonline
Continuous Pass & Flexi Pass
The continuous pass allows visitors to travel every day on the train during the period their pass is valid. For example, if you have a Eurail Global Pass of 30 days continuous, you can travel every day on train with until the pass is valid. Currently, only Global Pass is available as continuous pass.
Flexi Pass allows you to travel on specific number of day until the pass is valid. For example, if you have a Global flexi pass of 5 days within one month and your pass is valid from 1st March to 30th April, you can choose to travel on any 5 days during this period. You have this option of deciding your own days when you want to use this card.
All the Eurail passes are available as flexi pass.
For further information about these passes and the countries, you can visit Eurail.
Some other Eurorail passes you should consider
BritRail Pass
Photo Credit: BritRail
Are you planning to spend your vacations in England this year, Wales or Scotland this year? Choose the BritRail pass for an ultimate travel experience across these destinations. With this pass, you can travel unlimited on the national rail networks of Britain. This pass also includes the Thames link trains. You’ll have the flexibility of choosing the timings and destinations you want to visit with this pass. There are many travel bonuses available for the BritRail passes. Make sure to check them before you travel.
Swiss Travel Pass
Photo Credit: Zuerich.com
Do you want to travel Switzerland and enjoy every bit of it? Then this Swiss Travel Pass is perfect for you. This card not only allows you to travel on trains across Switzerland but you can also travel on buses or boats with the same pass. Isn’t it amazing? You have to reserve in advance and also pay little reservation fees. Start planning your amazing Swiss tour today and have an experience of your lifetime.
German Rail Pass
Photo Credit: RailEurope.com
The German Rail Pass lets you travel on the train from 3 days to one month on the national rail network of Germany. There are some discounted offers available to anyone who is under 27 years of age, for a group and for children under 11 years of age. This rail pass is also valid to travel Brussels (Belgium), Venice, Salzburg (Austria), Verona and many other destinations.
For further information about train travels across Europe and discounted offers, you can visit RailEurope.
If you want to visit multiple destinations across Europe, then I recommend you to buy Eurorail passes. It will give you the option of traveling on a budget and you can also enjoy breathtaking scenery on the way. Remember one thing, some European countries may provide better train coverage and offers than others. It’s better to do your research about Eurorail passes and the countries they operate in. Plan now and travel across Europe with ease. Train travel in Europe is an amazing experience and we hope that this Eurail Passes guide will help you plan an awesome Europe travel.
Have a great Euro trip! Do share your experiences with us.
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