How to Get the Cheapest Europe Rail Pass?
Most Europe rail passes can only be purchased in your home country, but with the Internet this isn't such a problem.
If you're already in Europe, or on your way there, you can order it online, have it sent to your parents or friends and then get them to forward it to you.
The more difficult task is selecting the right rail pass.
You can't bargain your way to a cheaper rail pass, but there are several ways to get more for your money: 1) If you plan to stay in one spot for a while, try to time it at the beginning or end of your journey so your active pass isn't sitting idle more than it need be.
2) Consider a Flexi Pass (certain number of travel days allowed within a fixed time period) instead of an unlimited travel pass.
You don't want to spend everyday on a train anyway.
3) Supplement a Flexi Pass with cheap, shorter trips.
If you calculate the per-day value of a Flexi-Pass, it's around $25.
if you're traveling, say, the 97km from Florence to Siena in Italy, a second class ticket costs $17.
Typically, if the journey is less than an hour and you're not on a high speed train, it's going to be cheaper to buy a ticket at the window and save travel days on your pass.
4) Check for weekend deals before using your Flexi- Pass.
In Germany for example, you can land bargains with Deutsche Bahn's "Happy Weekend" ticket.
5) Don't be afraid to use flights just because you have a rail ticket.
You'd spend a few days of your trip on the train (and use up a few days of your rail pass) to get from London to Portugal or Greece.
With cut-throat budget airlines practically giving tickets away, chances are you can find a one-way flight for less than $100, possibly even less than $40.
that will save you time and roughly $50-75 worth of your Flexi Pass, plus overnight and reserved-seating supplements that will push the total over $85.
6) As a rule of thumb, the less flexible the rail pass, the cheaper it is.
In other words, if you know more or less where you plan to go (and you don't feel obligated to hit every single region or country), you can get a much better deal.
However sometimes it's not much of a bargain.
For example, youth travelers can get ten travel days in two months in five adjoining countries for $361 with the Select Pass.
To access all seventeen countries with the same number of traveling days, it's just $404.
Forty euros seems like a good value for the extra flexibility.
If you're on a shorter trip or know you're not going to visit more than three adjoining countries, the $313 Three-Country Pass offers a more significant saving 7) If you only want to travel in one country and can't decide which, know that some single country passes cost more than other.
In Portugal, you get four travel days within fifteen days for $87 (first class); France, four days within one month for $180 (second class); and Norway, three days within one month for $173 (second class).
If you're already in Europe, or on your way there, you can order it online, have it sent to your parents or friends and then get them to forward it to you.
The more difficult task is selecting the right rail pass.
You can't bargain your way to a cheaper rail pass, but there are several ways to get more for your money: 1) If you plan to stay in one spot for a while, try to time it at the beginning or end of your journey so your active pass isn't sitting idle more than it need be.
2) Consider a Flexi Pass (certain number of travel days allowed within a fixed time period) instead of an unlimited travel pass.
You don't want to spend everyday on a train anyway.
3) Supplement a Flexi Pass with cheap, shorter trips.
If you calculate the per-day value of a Flexi-Pass, it's around $25.
if you're traveling, say, the 97km from Florence to Siena in Italy, a second class ticket costs $17.
Typically, if the journey is less than an hour and you're not on a high speed train, it's going to be cheaper to buy a ticket at the window and save travel days on your pass.
4) Check for weekend deals before using your Flexi- Pass.
In Germany for example, you can land bargains with Deutsche Bahn's "Happy Weekend" ticket.
5) Don't be afraid to use flights just because you have a rail ticket.
You'd spend a few days of your trip on the train (and use up a few days of your rail pass) to get from London to Portugal or Greece.
With cut-throat budget airlines practically giving tickets away, chances are you can find a one-way flight for less than $100, possibly even less than $40.
that will save you time and roughly $50-75 worth of your Flexi Pass, plus overnight and reserved-seating supplements that will push the total over $85.
6) As a rule of thumb, the less flexible the rail pass, the cheaper it is.
In other words, if you know more or less where you plan to go (and you don't feel obligated to hit every single region or country), you can get a much better deal.
However sometimes it's not much of a bargain.
For example, youth travelers can get ten travel days in two months in five adjoining countries for $361 with the Select Pass.
To access all seventeen countries with the same number of traveling days, it's just $404.
Forty euros seems like a good value for the extra flexibility.
If you're on a shorter trip or know you're not going to visit more than three adjoining countries, the $313 Three-Country Pass offers a more significant saving 7) If you only want to travel in one country and can't decide which, know that some single country passes cost more than other.
In Portugal, you get four travel days within fifteen days for $87 (first class); France, four days within one month for $180 (second class); and Norway, three days within one month for $173 (second class).
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