KimB
Full Travel Member
Posts: 17
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Post by KimB on Nov 10, 2002 23:32:57 GMT -5
I have a quick question about Railpasses versus point-to-point tickets - I will only be travelling for about 2 weeks, in France and Italy, with about 4 days train travel.
The difference between the best Railpass and point-to-point tickets is about $40. This seems like nothing in a budget of a few thousand - is the convenience of a Railpass worht the extra cost?
Thanks.
K.
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Post by nitsansh on Nov 11, 2002 4:00:14 GMT -5
Railpasses are more convenient because you don't need to buy ticket for every rail journey you make. But if you need (or want) to make reservation for these trains, you have to visit the ticket office anyway, so there isn't any time saving...
If you know when and where you want to go, you can usually buy all tickets at once (at least for the same country) and save time even further...
Another advantage of rail passes is that they allow you to change plans and go anywhere the train goes in the countries you chose until your travel days expire... but in order to make the most of a rail pass, you need to limit your travel to a pre-set # of days... there's no such limit with point-to-point tickets, the limit is on the route and not travel days...
Some people find it more convenience to pay for most transportation expenses in advance, so they don't need to budget that on the road...
One more consideration... if you don't have a railpass or a pre-booked rail ticket, you are free to choose whichever mean of transportation suits you better... you may find a flight between France and Italy cheaper than train... for example Paris to Pisa on AirLib for only 28 Euro... but such bargains usually need to be booked a long time ahead...
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KimB
Full Travel Member
Posts: 17
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Post by KimB on Nov 11, 2002 16:26:06 GMT -5
Thanks for that info. Two more questions:
Firstly, I remember reading something about point-to-point tickets - is it true that on long-distance trips you can take several days to complete the journey? If so, perhaps I can buy fewer tickets.
Secondly, if I were to wait til Europe to buy tickets, can I buy tickets for Italy in Paris or London?
Thanks for your help.
K.
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Post by nitsansh on Nov 11, 2002 16:52:53 GMT -5
If you are under 26 y/o, you can buy a ticket called BIJ, which is valid 2 months and allows unlimited stops on route.
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Post by Kim B on Nov 11, 2002 17:36:09 GMT -5
I was originally going to fly, but decided to enjoy a few sights on the way (ie. French/Italian Riviera). So thank you for the advice about planes, but I'm happy with the trains.
Essentially I'll just be taking one train trip - Paris to Rome, over the course of about 7 days. Not much travelling. That's why I thought point-to-point might be better. I'll be travelling in the off-season, so on the basis of this advice I might wait till Europe to buy tickets. I'm only concerned about one thing - I may need a sleeper train one night. Shouldn't this be reserved quite a way in advance? (ie. before I get to Europe)
Thanks everyone!
K.
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Post by nitsansh on Nov 11, 2002 18:13:45 GMT -5
Just curious... where did you get point-to-point fares from?
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KimB
Full Travel Member
Posts: 17
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Post by KimB on Nov 11, 2002 18:25:54 GMT -5
I've been websearching for a few weeks now, so I can't remember all the sites I've visited. There's about three US sites like RailEurope that give point-to-point fares. I also checked the French rail site. But I'm in Australia, which makes things exceedingly difficult. We have one site (Railplus.com.au) which gives prices in A$ - I've relied on that mostly.
I don't know how dodgy my calculations have been (there's a lot of currency conversion involved) but the cost of Paris to Rome fares (outside Europe) ranges from about A$320 to A$375 (railpass). Would everyone agree that waiting til Europe would be cheaper?
K.
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Post by nitsansh on Nov 11, 2002 19:03:15 GMT -5
Point to point fares should be no different once there from that which you are finding online. The price difference would be purchasing an 'out of Europe' advance pass vs. an incountry pass once there. If you are going point to point, makes no difference at all. Oh no... it makes a huge difference... point-to-point tickets purchased from Rail-Europe agents abroad are more expensive than tickets bought in Europe... You better check rail fares on this site: www.railsaver.com/railsaver.asp |
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KimB
Full Travel Member
Posts: 17
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Post by KimB on Nov 11, 2002 19:14:48 GMT -5
I think we've come full circle to my original question - should I wait and buy point-to-point fares in Europe, or should I just buy a France/Italy Railpass before I go.
The cheapest Railsaver.com can get me is approx. A$345, whereas a railpass costs A$375.
Any opinions?
BTW My trip: Paris, Nice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Siena, Rome. (approx. 11 days all up)
K.
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KimB
Full Travel Member
Posts: 17
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Post by KimB on Nov 11, 2002 19:29:19 GMT -5
Re: going the long way round - it's 11.30am here in Aus, and I'm writing this at work. I'm very grateful for you North Americans for staying up so late for this little issue!
Just to throw a final spanner in the works, on Rick Steves website he gives a few rough estimations of point-to-point fares, and his work out just under A$300.
Quick question: can I reserve a seat without a ticket?
K.
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KimB
Full Travel Member
Posts: 17
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Post by KimB on Nov 11, 2002 20:04:51 GMT -5
I'm definitely attracted to the BIJ point-to-point ticket mentioned before - because I can use it like a Railpass, perhaps for much less cost. But I can only buy it in Europe, so I have to make my mind up whether to buy a Railpass now or wait.
I guess that's my ultimate problem. I need some more concrete fares. They vary too much.
K.
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Post by Kim on Nov 11, 2002 21:51:41 GMT -5
I'm a big fan of the pass as well-you end up using it for day trips, side trips.. you just have so much more freedom.
For the small amount of money that might be the difference, you may spend valuable time in the station waiting to buy point to point tickets.
Once, I waited 2 hrs.... it was ugly.
Kim
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Post by nitsansh on Nov 12, 2002 4:03:01 GMT -5
The fare I get on railsaver.com for your trip is 123US$. This is about 220AUS$ according to my calculation...
France&Italy pass cost 199$ for 4 days and 21$ for each extra day. If these are the right prices, the difference is 76US$...
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KimB
Full Travel Member
Posts: 17
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Post by KimB on Nov 12, 2002 17:37:58 GMT -5
I emailed a few UK travel agents, and they quoted me about 96 pounds for the trip - which works out at about A$272. That's almost A$100 less than the pass, which kinda makes up my mind for me.
Will keep my fingers crossed about queuing for any side trips!
Now my greatest problem is trying to get seat reservations for a busy time of year. Has anyone tried to work with the French rail booking site? Every time I try I get different trains, and availability changes by the day. The German site says there are trains, but the French site refuses to acknowledge them.
Any ideas?
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KimB
Full Travel Member
Posts: 17
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Post by KimB on Nov 12, 2002 18:18:30 GMT -5
Ging,
No no no! You were right, and your advice has been invaluable. I am travelling in winter time, and have no intention of getting train reservations for most of my trip. But I want to take an overnight train between Paris and Nice two days before Christmas, and the annoying French rail site keeps telling me that the trains are all booked up!!
I'd be happy to make a reservation a few days before, if I knew I could.
Any ideas?
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