Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
Step1
Choose your pass carefully. If you don't plan to travel on consecutive days, a Flexi-pass may be the way to go. If your travel is restricted to just a few destinations, consider single-country passes, or get a Europass, Benelux pass or other specific combination. Ask your travel agent about the various features of each pass.
Step2
Plan carefully, using guidebooks, a map of Europe and your Eurail timetable.
Step3
Negotiate with your travel companions so that you all get to visit the destinations that are most important to you, and plan to take the most direct routes possible between destinations.
Step4
Validate your pass at the railway station for the first time before you board a train, or you risk being penalized. Make sure that the pass is validated with the correct date.
Step5
Take night trains whenever possible; you can cover a lot of distance overnight and save the cost of a hotel. Booking a sleeperette, couchette or sleeper is less expensive than most hotel rooms, though it may be more expensive than some hostels. Remember to reserve sleeping accommodations in advance.
Step6
Start your Eurail travel in the evening. If your trip begins after 7:00 p.m. and ends after 3:00 a.m. the next morning, you can write the next day's date on the pass when you depart and save a full day of your pass. Read the small print on your pass for the details, or ask your travel agent for clarification.
Step7
Bring your own food and drink, and lots of bottled water. Dining facilities on trains are expensive, and you shouldn't drink the water from the bathroom taps.
Comments
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 1. Several weeks before you go, get a very good map of Europe. If you plan to visit both western and eastern Europe, try to find good maps for both.
2. Go to the library or to the book stores and get Fodor's books or travel guides on the the countries you think you may visit.
3. As you read the books, mark the maps.
4. When you get to a city that you wish to make some day trips from, you can take the the map to the tourist information (some time other than rush hour), point to a place on the map that is near that city, and ask if you can take a train in the morning that arrives there before noon and then take a train back after 7pm. If they say no, ask about another spot you have marked.