Approximate train travel times...trying to decide!

[Michael]

I think I've half decided on a trip extension and this is the plan:

I finish my Contiki tour in Athens on June 19. I figured I'd head over to Santorini and Mykonos for a few days then over to my friend's house down by Kalamata for a few more and head out of Greece on either the 26th or 27th to go up to Cinque Terra for about 4 days. I thought then I might go to Nice/Cannes/Marseilles or something of the sort (I speak French so I like this idea) for about 3 or 4 days and then off to Barcelona for about 3 days. Then I would hop on a flight back to London for two days and head home.

So here is the prospective itinerary:

June 19 - Athens > Santorini
June 22 - Santorini > Mykonos
June 24 - Mykonos > Kalamata(ish)
June 27 - Kalamata > Corfu > Brindisi > Cinque Terra
July 2 - Cinque Terra > Nice et al
July 7 - Nice et al > Barcelona
July 10 - Barcelona > London
July 13 - London > Vancouver

I'm wondering approximately what the train times will be because I'm figuring that a Eurail Selectpass Youth will be my best bet for travel from Corfu onward..and a five day one of those is only $279 US.

Would this be the best pass or will I need more days due to longer travel times, etc?

I'm such a n00b! Ah, this trip looks exciting!

[nitsansh]

1. I see only 3 travel days in your itinerary, if you use the 7PM rule.
2. I'm quite sure the cost of travel Patras-Cinque Terre-Nice-Barcelona is less than 279$
3. You don't need to stop at Corfu... take the boat directly from Patras to Italy.

[Michael]

Ok, well and good, I just checked out RailSaver and for second class tix...it should only cost like 150 US for those...guess P2P is a better option in this case.

Do they make P2P passes that are pretty flexible? Or are they scheduled for specific dates?

Thanks for the help!

[Kim]

Point to point are just tickets.. rather than passes. You buy it for the day you want to go and it's good for one way.

Kim

[nitsansh]

In general, international train tickets are valid for 2 months from the day of purchase, and are good for any train during that period. You may have to pay a supplement on some trains, which you can do just before the journey.
Some elite trains require that you get reservation when you buy a ticket, so these tickets are valid only for that specific train. Exchange policies depend on the ticket type.

[nitsansh]

Note the tickets in this picture:
nitsansh.knet.012.net.il/tickets/train%20slovenia.JPG

The one at the top is a domestic ticket Ljubljana-Divaca (both places in Slovenia), and is valid for one day.
The one at the bottom is international ticket Lesce (Slovenia) - Zagreb (Croatia), and its validity period is 2 months.
Neither tickets indicate the time of trains, so you can travel on any train on the day(s) of validity. The ticket Ljubljana-Divaca, though, indicate that it's good for Intercity trains and the supplement for such trains is included in the price.

When you buy train tickets, you should specify the route and type of trains you intend to ride, and any stops you wish to make. Otherwise, the ticket agent will assume you want to ride on the shortest route on the next train.
In particular for domestic trains, tell the agent in case you DON'T want to travel on the same day.

[Michael]

So do I buy the tickets there then or do I call Tracel Cuts here and get them to book?

[Kim]

No, if you buy them over there you will avoid the service fee that Travel Cuts will tack on.

Try to buy the tickets in advance though, especially if it's from one country to another. Also ask if you need to make a reservation for each one.

Definately request non-smoking (even if you smoke, you can always go to the smoking car but it's GROSS - we didn't have a reservation once and had to sit there) and you can also request which way your seat faces - I find asking for a seat in the direction of travel is best. (ie the way the train is going rather than sitting backwards)

Kim

[nitsansh]

Also, if you are under 26 years old (on the first day of travel), allways ask if there is a YOUTH fare.
Youth discount is automatic in international train travel (except some elite trains), but in domestic travel usually requires a discount card.
Travel by ferry may be included in your train ticket and subjected to the same regulations.

When making reservation, you can ask for:
Smoking/non-smoking
Facing/backwards
Window/aisle

There are 2 basic configurations of rail cars. The "open" cars with aisle in the middle and 2 seats on each side in each row (2 and 1 in first class), or the "close" cars with aisle on the side and seperate compartments with "benches" for 4 people (3 in first class).

If you make reservation for couchette or sleeping car, you can ask for top, middle or bottom bunk.

[Michael]

Such a wealth of knowledge...I hope to actually be able to answer the occasional question when I come back.

I'll hardly be seasoned, but a bit of advice is always good to have.

Thanks guys, very helpful.