Eurail? Confused!?

Question

I'm going to Europe in 7 days! Woohoo! Now I'm trying to figure out the best way to travel, my travel buddy said she wants to go by train but I am so confused just by the sites!

Here is our unplanned itinerary:

We get in Paris July 16, 9 am and are staying at a hostel for 4 nights then going to Blois for a festival for 8 days.

From Blois we plan on going to Amsterdam for 4 nights then down to Italy (Florence, Venice, Milan and maybe Rome) for 6 days then back to Paris by the 11th as our flight's on the 12th.

My question is--->if I buy the Eurail youth passes right now, are the reservations as expensive as they say they are on the site, on top of the Youth pass?? (it says Amsterdam to Venice is $150 for a reservation on top of the pass).

Is it worth it to take the train? Or should I look into flying?

Answer 1

Eurail is typically just as expensive as, if not more expensive, than buying youth rail tickets on local connections.  

Consider getting a bus pass (http://www.eurolines.com/index.php?id=11... or looking into discount flights (Ryanair, Easyjet, and Air Berlin are some of the biggies).

Answer 2

Amsterdam to Venice you should fly.  It's worth it if ONLY for the time savings...use one of those airlines that are flying cheap these days...ryanair or easyflight or whatever they're called.

Buy your tickets individually.  You're probably best that way.  That Eurail Pass thing has gone downhill in terms of value, from what I've heard, and if you really HAVE to have a reservation (I think the days of sitting in the hallways and in the aisles also has gone by the wayside...it's dangerous, you know, but we didn't care), then the whole hop on - hop off thing is gone, too!.  Is it REALLY $150 for the RESERVATION? or the reserved ticket!?  Definitely fly that leg...it's about the same, and much faster!

And do Rome!  Spend as much time as you can there.  I spent a week, and could probably have done more.

If you can't tell, my trip was a while back, but some things remain the same...Notre Dame, the Coliseum!  Florence is GORGEOUS!!! and you can't miss Venice!  (I can't say anything about Milan, except...next time!).

Have a great, safe trip!  Keep your money and valuables safe, and have fun!

Answer 3

The Eurail passes do require reservations fees and/or  supplements on most high speed trains and night trains. You generally don't have additional supplements for the slower regional trains. It's often cheaper to get point-to-point tickets rather than a pass.

Sue is right about the travel time by train from Amsterdam to Venice. The easiest train connection would be the night train from Amsterdam to Milan and change there to Venice - a little over 18 hours. This would, however, save you the cost of the hotel or hostel for the night, but you would have to pay the supplement for the train. Also, much of the travel time would be through the night. There are slightly faster options with more changes - the fastest is 16 hr 35 min.

Transavia is a discount airline flies from Amsterdam to Venice, Verona, or Milan (Orio al Serio in Bergamo) - http://www.transavia.com/hv/en-EU/home. I use them frequently since I live near Verona and Venice. The arrival airport in Venice is in Treviso, but there's an inexpensive bus that meets the flights and takes you to Piazzale Roma in Venice. Most days this month, there's a fare for 106 euro available including all taxes and fees.

Ryanair doesn't fly out of Amsterdam. They have flights from Eindhoven, but to Orio al Serio airport in Bergamo. You'd still need to take the bus to Milan and catch a train to Venice. The train ride is longer than the flight. EasyJet does fly from Amsterdam, but to Malpensa airport in Milan. You would again have to take the bus from the airport to Milan (1 hr) and catch a train to Venice.