Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• When using the continuous pass, be sure to plan your trip so you can get the most out of
your pass. Start your trip in a country where your pass doesn't work—England, for ex-
ample. You can spend a few days in London and then take a cheap flight to Amsterdam.
Spend a few days in Amsterdam and then validate your pass once you leave Amsterdam.
• When using a Flexi Pass, don't waste a day of your pass for a short cheap trip. Combine
the Flexi Pass with point-to-point tickets to get the most out of your trip. Save your
travel days for more expensive trips.
• Plan your trip and compare different rail pass plans. You don't want to purchase a pass
that doesn't give you enough travel days, but you also don't want to waste leftover days
from a pass that was too large.
HOW TO USE YOUR PASS
Using the pass is simple. The day you want to activate the pass, all you need to do is take it
to any train station and an employee at a ticket window will validate it. Now you're ready to
jump on a train you desire (assuming it doesn't require a seat reservation).
For the passes that give you a specific number of travel days (Flexi, Select, etc.), you'll write
in the date on the pass each day you travel. You need to write in the date
before
the ticket con-
troller comes by to check your tickets or you'll get in trouble. However, some local trains don't
always have a ticket controller, so hold off from writing in the date until you see someone
checking tickets (just don't let him see you writing on your ticket or you could get fined). You
might just get lucky and get a free day of travel.
For overnight trains, you'll only use up one travel day, assuming your train departs after 7
p.m. so don't write in two days on your pass.
Your pass doesn't cover subways, trams, or any other city public transportation (except the
Swiss Pass).
WHERE & HOW TO BUY A EURAIL PASS
The two main companies that sell Eurail passes are
raileurope.com
and
eurail.com
. There is
virtually no difference in price between companies, but sometimes there might be a special so
check both websites.
Eurail passes can only be mailed to addresses outside Europe and you can't buy them once
you arrive. Additionally, your pass must be validated within six months of the purchase date
or it becomes void.
Most companies also offer rail pass insurance. If your pass gets lost or stolen, they'll refund
some of your money (check each site's policies). However, the passes can't be replaced without
insurance so keep a close eye on it as you travel and treat it the same way you treat cash.
