Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EURAIL & INTERRAIL PASSES
Generally speaking, you'll need to cover a lot of ground to make a rail pass worthwhile. Before buy-
ing, consider where you intend to travel and compare the price of a rail pass to the cost of individual
tickets on the
Trenitalia
( 892021;
www.trenitalia.com
)
website.
InterRail
(
www.interrailnet.com
) passes, available online and at most major stations and student-
travel outlets, are for people who have been a resident in Europe for more than six months. A Global
Pass encompassing 30 countries comes in five versions, ranging from five days' travel within a 10-day
period to a full month's unlimited travel. There are four age brackets: child (4 to 11), youth (12 to 25),
adult (26 to 59) and senior (60+), with different prices for 1st and 2nd class. The InterRail one-country
pass for Italy can be used for three, four, six or eight days in one month and does not offer senior dis-
counts. See the website for full price details. Cardholders get discounts on travel in the country where
they purchase the ticket.
Eurail
(
www.eurail.com
)
passes, available for non-European residents, are good for travel in 24
European countries (not including the UK). They can be purchased online or from travel agencies out-
side of Europe.
The original Eurail pass, now known as the
Global Pass
, is valid for a continuous period of 10
days, 15 days, 21 days, one, two or three months. Youth under 26 are eligible for a 2nd-class pass; all
others must buy the more expensive 1st-class pass (offered at half-price for children aged between
four and 11).
Eurail offers several alternatives to the traditional Global Pass:
»
The
Select Pass
allows five to 15 days of travel within a two-month period in three to five border-
ing countries of your choice.
»
The two-country
Regional Pass
(France/Italy, Spain/Italy or Greece/Italy) allows four to 10 days of
travel within a two-month period.
»
The
One Country Pass
allows three to 10 days of travel in Italy within a two-month period.
Train Passes
Trenitalia offers various discount passes, including the Carta Verde for youth and Carta d'Argento for seni-
ors, but these are mainly useful for residents or long-term visitors, as they only pay for themselves with reg-
ular use over an extended period.
More interesting for short-term visitors are Eurail and InterRail passes.
