Firenze 2006-2007

Travel Guide Part XIV: Eurail Passes

Traveling by train is one of the best ways to see Europe. And Eurail passes make that process a bit easier and cheaper. Eurail runs in seventeen countries across Europe and goes pretty much everywhere. There are many different types of passes with all sorts of options on which ones to buy, and because they are fairly expensive- you’ll want to look into the passes before you buy them.
Here is a basic overview on the different types of passes. Note that all the prices I've listed are current as of 2005, and will probably change sometime in 2006. I've also listed the youth prices in tickets because youth is under 26, and as all of students are going to be under 26, that seemed to be the best price to put.
The first type of pass is a regional pass. This is the most basic type of pass and is limited to travel in travel in two bordering countries to be specified at the time of purchase. These passes are good for a specified amount of time (four to ten days) within in two months. The way the passes work is that you buy the pass, then activate it- that starts your time limit. Once the pass is activated- then you travel at will on it and mark off days as you go. This pass is good for a light few months of travel or a heavy week. Look into it because it is limited in the places you can go and the days amount of days you can use it, but it is much cheaper than the other passes. These passes run from about $200 to $330 (youth prices)depending on the countries you travel between and the amount of days you travel.
The next step up from the regional pass is the select pass. This pass allows you to travel for 5, 6, 8, 10, or 15 days within two months of activation within three to five bordering countries. This pass is kinda tricky because of the countries and days you have to choose from. Where the regional pass is preset on regions, you can make your own country combinations for the select pass. This means you can choose any five countries as long as they are connected. Youth passes on this one range from $240 to $550, that is a large gap- check this one out on eurail’s website if you’re thinking about it. It’s kinda complicated. www.eurail.com
The next pass is the most commonly bought pass by students from Pepperdine. It is the flexi pass. This pass can be used for either ten or fifteen days within a two month period, and this pass can be used to get you to any of the seventeen Eurail countries. It is fairly basic and seems to be student oriented. You can use it to go anywhere for a weekend and then the next, for two months. Just be sure you plan ahead so you don’t waste those valuable days because you run out of time. These passes are $451 for the ten day pass and $591 for the fifteen pass.
The last pass is the standard Eurail pass. This pass allows unlimited travel within a specified time period. This means once activated, you can travel as much as you want until the pass expires- across any of the seventeen Eurail countries. You can buy this pass in 15 and 21 days fashion, and also in 1, 2, and 3 month form. These passes would be best for those people that want to travel before the group arrives, during winter break, or after the group leaves. This pass is only worth it with repeated use over long distances, so before yo buy one, be sure you’re gonna be up to use it.
Some other things. Most of these passes are the second or third class tickets. If you need to get a class upgrade (which some trips require) that is an extra charge. Also, you still need to make reservations in most cases, especially if you want a bed compartment (extra charge for those too). And, should you want to ride the Chunnel, that is not covered by Eurail, but for having a pass, you do get a good discount (I think...)
This is a basic guide to Eurail. Some things might change before we get over there, so I may have to revise this at some point. And if I have forgotten anything I’ll be sure to put it in when I remember it.

posted by Daniel Williams @ 12:08