very confused about eurail- please help =/

[bvonro01]

Hi there!
I used this website when I was planning to travel last summer and even though I simply went on a tour, I really appreciated the help from people here. Now that I am for sure backpacking this summer, I decided to ask about the Eurail. Ive been on the site like crazy but for some reason, (im sorry if it's simple and im just..not smart lol) I JUST DONT GET THE OPTIONS!
Here were my thoughts...

I will be backpacking with a friend for about 4 weeks through basically 5 Eurail "areas", Benelux (NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM), France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland.

I would have to take a train, at the moment with the itinerary i have worked out, 10 days (with 2 overnight). Would purchasing the "Eurail Select Pass 5 Countries" make sense since they all border? If so, would I do the "10 days within 2 months" or "15 days within 2 months" (just in case)?

Do these 2 options mean within two months, you can travel as much as you want on 10/15 days?

Next, if this is the pass we buy, would we still have to BOOK the train for which we want to take? If so, do we do that on the Eurail site or in the city or somewhere else online?

FINALLLY, I assume that if a city is not on the Eurail map, then more local trains would have to be used to get somewhere and those would have to be bought when arrive (for example, going from Nice - Cinque Terre, take a Eurail train to Genova, then when there, buy a local train ticket to get from there to one of the towns...?)

Those are I think the tip of the iceburg on my transportation questions but I really appreciate any help someone can give on these questions! Thanks so much!

;D

[Eagle]

bvonro01,

First of all, to clarify one point - Eurail is a marketing entity, so not always a good place to go for specific advice on Railpasses.

If you have a more-or-less definite Itinerary worked out, you might try entering the details into www.railsaver.com to see which pass the website recommends. I've found it to be reasonably accurate, but not perfect. It might provide some ideas though.

Rather than use a Railpass for the entire trip, you might find it more cost effective to use a combination of a Pass for the longer (more expensive) trips and P-P tickets for shorter routes. One important point to note is that some trains require compulsory reservations in addition to the ticket/pass cost (I assume that's what you were referring to when you mentioned having to "book" a train?).

Reservations are typically required for the "fast" trains such as the TGV in France. I wouldn't bother trying to buy reservations on the net, as that will "lock" you into a particular train and will probably cost extra if you need to change your plans. It's VERY easy to just buy reservations at the stations in Europe (generally a good idea to buy them a day or so before you'll be travelling).

If you need to buy reservations for trains while in Paris, stop by one of the SNCF Boutiques which are scattered throughout the city. If you need reservations in some places in Italy, you can buy these from selected Travel Agencies (I also found that in some places in Germany). If you need help with reservations or other rail information while in Munich, stop by the Euraide office in the Munich train station - they are VERY helpful (and speak English).

You might find it very helpful to have a look at www.ricksteves.com/rail/rail_menu.htm (you could also download the free PDF Rail Guide from the same site - click the "Go Green" tab at the bottom).

FINALLLY, I assume that if a city is not on the Eurail map, then more local trains would have to be used to get somewhere and those would have to be bought when arrive (for example, going from Nice - Cinque Terre, take a Eurail train to Genova, then when there, buy a local train ticket to get from there to one of the towns...?)

DON'T use a Eurail Map to plan rail trips! As you've found, the information is limited so it's not exactly "user friendly". Just to clarify, there's no such thing as a "Eurail train". The rail systems are operated by rail networks in each country (SNCF in France, Trenitalia in Italy, Deutsche Bahn in Germany, etc.).

One of the BEST sites for researching rail journeys is www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml. It's very easy to use and provides excellent information (although prices are not always shown). One important point to note is that the schedules are only posted a few months at a time, so it's not always possible to get information on trips which will be taking place a long way into the future. I often just enter the day of the week that I'll be traveling, to get an approximate idea of the train departures.

The trip from Nice to the Cinque Terre is VERY easy (provided the French train crews aren't on strike, which is a situation I faced last year). On that particular trip, you'll depart Nice Ville and will most likely have to change trains at Ventimiglia (border crossing) and Genova Piazza Principe. Depending on which train you choose, the trip will be about 5 - 6 hours or so.

Note that you can purchase Railpasses from this website. AFAIK, the cost is the same as elsewhere.

One final (but important) point on Railpasses. Travelling with a Pass is not the cost saving benefit it used to be. There's a huge number of different types of Passes, and it's somewhat confusing to try and pick the most appropriate one. I'd suggest trying to do a "rough" calculation of the cost of P-P tickets for each of your trips, and compare that to the cost of a Pass, with reservation fees added where necessary (use the "Compare The Cost of Point-to-Point tickets" worksheet in the website link I provided above).

Good luck with your planning!

[bvonro01]

Thanks so much eagle... this helps a bit... i went onto the website railsaver.com and put in my itinerary....
if you dont mind (and whoever else can help)... im going to post my itinerary right now and in parenthesis, put what they suggested...


*Amsterdam to Brussels (use the 2nd class Youth City-to-City tix for Ams to Roosendaal; then same for Roosendaal to Brussels)
*Brussels to Paris (use the 2nd class Youth City-to-City tix for Brussels to Lille, France; then Eurail 3 country France/Italy/Switz 5 day 2nd class youth select pass from Lille to Paris)
*Paris to Madrid OVERNIGHT (use Eurail 3 country select pass for Paris to Irun, Spain; then 2nd class youth city-to-city from Irun to Madrid)
*Madrid to Barcelona (use 2nd class youth city-to-city tix for Madrid to Barcelona)
*Barcelona to Nice OVERNIGHT (2nd class youth city-to-city tix for Barcelona to Portbou, Spain; then Eurail 3 country select pass from Portbou to Nice)
*Nice to Cinque Terre (2nd class youth city-to city tix for Nice to Ventimiglia, Italy; then same tix from Ventimiglia to Corniglia)
*Cinque Terre to Florence (2nd class youth city-to-city tix for Corniglia to Florence)
*Florence to Venice (2nd class youth city-to-city tix for Florence to Venice)
*Venice to Interlaken (Eurail 3 country select pass from Venice to Iselle Italy; then same pass for Iselle to Interlaken)
*Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen (2nd class youth city-to-city tix from Int-Laut)
SAME BACK TO INTERLAKEN
*Interlaken to Geneva (Eurail 3 country select pass for Interlaken to Geneva)



So basically its telling me to use 2 different passes....
Eurail 3 Country France/Italy/Switzerland 5 day 2nd class Youth Select Pas....
AND
2nd class Youth City to city Ticket.. (DONT REALLY UNDERSTAND THIS..)


If you guys think this is okay for the itinerary i have posted, please let me know...
also, i will be going in July/Aug (i know its busy)...when and where should i buy these passes??

Im sorry if im slow to understand this... its just so much about one topic that ive been looking at online, and really want to get it! thanks!