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Hello everyone, I have been given a Eurail pass for my birthday (47!) by my wife to get away from the UK for a week.  I have decided to travel through Germany for a bit of memory lane, Beginning in Cologne (flight really cheap from UK) and making my way from there to Mainz; Munich; Chur - Tirano - I really want to go on the Bernine express route - then fancy trying to fit in Venice and need to end up in Budapest on my fifth day travelling on a 5 day in one month global pass.  I have some questions I would love some advice on: 

  1. Is the regional train from Chur to Tirano the same line  as the Bernine express but just not posh with big windows? 
  2. Tirano to Venice is a long old train but i really wanted to fit Venice in, however I need to be in Budapest for the end of the trip and beyond Tirano had no plans looking for good advice for 2-3 days travel between the two? I was considering the Venice to Vienna overnight train then out of ideas? 
  3. is Trieste an option to visit and get me on my way to eastern Europe? 
  4. I have a pass that needs activating by July 2025 do I only do this when I am ready to go? I wasn’t planning on reserving seats except where necessary to try and keep costs down?
  5. Any hotel tips in those destinations most welcome
  6. Very open to completely different alternatives that get me to an airport for a cheap connection to Istanbul after 5-6 days! 

thank you everyone. 

Hello,

about your 1st and 2nd question:

  1. Yes, it rides on the same tracks like the Bernina Express but with other train sets.
  2. there is no direct service from Tirano to Venice. You take regional express trains from Tirano to Milan and from there you can take Frecciarossa high speed trains to Venice (compulsory reservations). You can take regional express trains on the same route, but they need longer and you have to change in Verona trains.

Some advice:

If you're a British citizen living in the UK you need an Interrail Pass. The country is still part of Europe, same as Switzerland, Norway or Iceland!

About the logical order: the Bernina railway is definitely stunning so good choice!

From Venice you can reach Budapest in a long 11h travel day (via Vienna). But as you said, also possible to take the Venice - Vienna night train (using shiny new carriages!), spending some time there and travelling to Budapest later that afternoon.

About pass days (00:00-23:59): the train's departure time/date is what matters. On night trains only one pass day is required then. For Vienna - Budapest either you use another pass day or you buy a cheap advance ticket instead.

Yes, you should activate the pass on the day you're starting your trip. However some mandatory reservations might need advance booking: night trains, Eurostar, infrequent TGVs, etc. In your case book the night train ahead if you plan on taking one. Milan - Venice (13€) can be booked at short notice: hourly trains, plenty of seats.

Feel free to ask anything. The Man in Seat 61 website is an incredible resource. :)

It sounds like a lot of travel for a week. Up to Tirano is fine. But then trying to get to Venice and Budapest might be stretching it. Venice is a bit of a dead-end.

  1. The regional trains (and the unreserved coaches on the Bernina Express) are great. Windows are big anyway. Absolutely no need to pay for a reservation
  2. As above, you’ll need to change in Milan. Venice is a bit of a dead end based on where you’re going. Sleeper to Vienna seems the obvious way out.
  3. I think your itinerary is already packed, but yes you can stop in Trieste if you want to
  4. Yep, don’t activate your pass until you’re definitely travelling, just in case plans change. Same with each new travel day.
  5. I’ve stayed in a few hotels in Tirano and Chur - none were particularly cheap or memorable! You don’t give an idea of budget, but in Venice I stayed at the Meninger Hostel in Mestre (private rooms too). It’s literally on the platform of Mestre station, so very easy to commute into Venice. Brand new building too. If you stay in Vienna, I really liked the Social Hub near Praterstern station - you can get the S-Bahn there with your pass.
  6. Google Flights allows you to search on the map for the cheapest flights. With a railpass, you can reach anywhere. Look for airports that have good rail connections - I can think Trieste, Munich, Vienna, for example. Loads more. 

But if you’re in Budapest, why not continue all the way by train? 😀 It’s only a hop skip & jump: one sleeper to Bucharest, and another to Istanbul.

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