Should i get eurail pass

Business Travel. Packing Tips. The Future of Travel. Travel Etiquette. Travel Tips. Trending News. Sign up for our newsletter. Subscribe to magazine. Give a gift. Customer Service. Photo by Shutterstock Eurail Passes can be used on scenic trains, too, like this one in Switzerland. How do Eurail Passes work? The validities for flexible passes include: Four travel days within one month Five travel days within one month Seven travel days within one month 10 travel days within two months 15 travel days within two months There are also passes available for unlimited travel days during set periods of time.

Those continuous train passes include durations of: 15 days 22 days One month Two travel months Three travel months The pass is sold by the number of travel days you are planning on using it. Article continues below advertisement. How much does a Eurail Pass cost?

What European countries does the Eurail Pass cover? Products we write about are independently vetted and recommended by our editors. AFAR may earn a commission if you buy through our links, which helps support our independent publication. Other recent upgrades include a simplified pricing structure and more discounts for youth and senior fares. On the flip side, critics say Eurail passes have lost some of their luster because of increasing restrictions and additional fees in recent years, as well as competition from budget airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet.

Considering a pass for your next European adventure? First off: Eurail itself is not an operator. Under a newer, more simplified pricing system, passengers can now choose between a Global Pass and a One-Country Pass. On each travel day, pass holders can ride as many trains as they want from midnight to midnight. Be aware there are booking fees associated with each ride—more on that below.

So, is the Eurail Pass worth it? Does it actually save you any money? After using a Eurail pass twice once sponsored by ACP Rail and once paid on my own dime , I consider myself a bit of an obsessive Eurail expert.

The very annoying and vague answer is it depends on your specific set of needs. That said, all the information below should apply for the Interrail pass too which is a very similar pass but for European residents. Eurail passes are actually on sale right now until November 30 for Black Friday.

Click here to score the best deal. At the moment, the Eurail Black Friday sale their biggest of the year is on, so click here to grab the cheapest passes before they run out. Other sale times tend to be in the off-season, like last year for instance they ran a promo for travel up until May where you got a first class upgrade for free! Whether or not a Eurail pass is worth it for your trip depends on a variety of factors, so to help you decide, here are some key considerations you need to ask yourself before buying.

Everybody prioritizes different things when they travel. So, the first thing that you need to ask yourself when considering whether a Eurail pass is worth it is what your 1 priority actually is. If your travel priority is budget-friendliness…. If your travel priority is budget-friendliness, honestly, there are cheaper ways to travel around Europe than using a Eurail pass. Click here for my roundup explaining different methods.

If you're planning a whirlwind trip all around the continent, a pass specifically, a Global Pass is almost certainly the way to go. No matter what, it's smart to figure out Roughly how much would your point-to-point tickets cost? You don't have to laboriously look up exact train fares — to get a rough idea of what you'd pay for tickets if you didn't get a rail pass, check my cost-estimate maps.

How does your point-to-point ticket cost compare to the price of a pass? Look up the cost of a pass that covers the region you'll be in and the number of days you'll be on the train see the country-specific pages linked in the sidebar, and see my tips for choosing among passes.

Several countries, mostly in southern and eastern Europe, have train fares so low that rail passes rarely beat out point-to-point tickets. If you're sticking to moderate distances in Italy, for example, it's unlikely a pass will save you money. If you're traveling in Germany, however, a pass is likely a smart move.