eurarail passes

[gavin24]

i was planning on heading over to europe in the fall from canada and im still not sure on where we will be goin to as of yet. i seen the you have to reserve seats on my trains and payfor the reservation to, i was just wondering how much these reservations would cost cause i cant really find the prices for that anywheres. thanks for any help.

[Eagle]

gavin24, welcome to the boards!

Regarding the reservation fees, these vary a bit between countries and sometimes according to the type of train. The highest fees are generally for the "fast" trains such as the TGV in France or the EuroStar Italia. If you're travelling on the slower "local" trains, then no reservation fees are charged.

If you're travelling with a Rail Pass, this will cover the cost of the "ticket" but you'll have to pay reservation fees separately (if these are required on the train you'll be using).

You won't be able to get too much of an idea on the costs until you have some idea of where you're going. The first step will be to plan a "rough" Itinerary.

Cheers!

[gavin24]

thanks for the help there...i guess i will have to look a bit more into where we will be heading and that will make it alittle cleared for us.

[gavin24]

do eurarail passes cover most all trains (fast trains,slow trains) or are they for specifec trains/?

[Eagle]

gavin, Eurail Passes generally cover all trains in the countries you've selected if using a Flex Pass or as applicable with the Global Pass. However, as I mentioned these do not cover reservation fees on trains where these are compulsory, or Couchette / Sleeper fees (if you decide to use those).

You may wish to download the PDF Rail guide at www.ricksteves.com/rail/railpdf.htm (click on the appropriate tab). I'd also highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door before you get too far in your planning. It will provide you with a lot of information on things like Itiinerary planning, Rail skills, languages, money issues, etc.

Cheers!