For those interested in traveling through Europe by train, Eurail may be the easiest and cheapest way to get train tickets and passes for an extended or multi-leg voyage. Eurail offers a single, easy-to-use ticket for use in many countries and train systems, making travel that much easier and enjoyable. So check out your train ticket options to decide if Eurail is right for you.
Background: What is Eurail?
Eurail is a joint program run by the rail systems of most countries in the European Union, as well as by many other countries in Eastern and Western Europe. Eurail offers train passes for travel across Europe, catering mainly to backpackers, students, or other travelers hoping to travel across multiple borders and regions. Eurail countries include almost all of Europe, including most EU countries, several countries not in the EU such as Switzerland and Monaco, and many EU candidate countries.
Eurail passes allow the traveler to change plans as many times as they want because they are not working with location or date-specific tickets. Instead, the traveler gets a pass, valid for train travel in any number of countries for a set number of days. The traveler can choose when and where they would like to use the pass, and they can take as many trains as they want in the established time frame. And because Eurail is a combined effort among many rail services of Europe, there is a huge variety of trains and schedules to choose from.
Clientele: Who uses Eurail?
Offering travel in a variety of countries and regions and across many borders, all on the same pass or ticket, Eurail is a common choice for international travelers and first-time visitors to Europe. Many people like the freedom of choice that the Pass allows, letting them choose their own destinations and times, giving them a wide range of choices to design their own perfect trip. Eurail is also popular among the youth and student traveler crowd, who get discounts on ticket prices. And because most Passes last up to two months, Eurail has become very popular for summer travelers who wish to spend more time seeing Europe.
Passes: What are the options?
Eurail offers several varieties of passes with a variety of countries and time frames available. Here is a summary of the types of passes, as well as their different specifications.
Eurail Pass – The basic Eurail Pass is good for practically unlimited rail travel within 17 European countries, including most of Western Europe (excluding England), Scandinavia, and several Eastern European countries, including Hungary. The pass is valid for a set period ranging from 15 days to three months, depending on the amount of travel you expect to do. Additionally, there are several major boat lines which are covered by the Eurail Pass. The basic Eurail Pass offers the greatest flexibility within the core 17-country region with essentially unlimited travel during the chosen time period.
Eurail Flexipass – For travelers expecting to do a medium-amount of travel within a longer period of time, there is the Eurail Flexipass. The Eurail Flexipass is valid for two months and incorporates the same countries and shipping routes as the basic Eurail Pass. Instead of unlimited travel the entire duration of the pass, however, the Eurail Flexipass allows the traveler to choose a set number of travel days, within a two-month period, in which to do the travel. Flexipass travel days can vary, having either 10 or 15 travel dates. The days do not have to be used consecutively. In fact, they can be used whenever and however the traveler wants.
Regional Pass – In addition to the two basic passes, Eurail offers a selection of Regional Passes for combinations of specific countries. Like the Flexipass, travelers can choose up to 10 travel days in the two-month deadline. Travelers have a number of country combinations to choose from, including France/Italy, France/Spain, Spain/Portugal, and Germany/Denmark. In addition, Regional Passes are available for countries outside the core country group of the Eurail and Eurail Flexipass system. Combinations such as Austria/Slovenia/Croatia, Romania/Hungary, and Hungary/Slovenia/Croatia, give a number of more exotic locations and destinations.
Select Pass – For the ultimate in tailor-made travel, the Select Pass lets travelers choose a number of destination countries and the number of travel days during the two-month period. Travelers can pick up to five bordering European countries within which to travel from a list of 22 countries. Passes can range from 5 or 6 to as many as 15 travel days within the two-month period. And with the Select Pass, travelers can choose from any of the countries in the Eurail system as long as they are a contiguous region. For travelers intending to plan out their own trip, this is often the best option.
