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Europe trip

  • 26 October 2023
  • 9 replies
  • 99 views
A

Hello everyone, I am a student in Germany and my parents are going to visit me in Germany and some family in UK. They also want to visit Paris and maybe Switzerland. 

 

This is a temporary itinerary 

They are coming from India and they arrive and depart in UK. 

 

Day 1: Travel from London to Paris (via Eurostar)

Day 2: Travel from Paris to Stuttgart

Day 4: Visit to Switzerland 

Day 7: Travel back to London (Stuttgart to Paris to London)

 

It is  a short trip, but i have some questions. 

Is Eurostar covered under the Global pass? 

Are regional (undergroudn and metro in Germany) trains covered under this? can they travel inside the city without taking another city ticket? 

 

As a student in Germany, can I also use the EU rail pass? 

 

If someone knows the answers to this, please help me out. Thank you very much 

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Best answer by ralderton 26 October 2023, 11:09

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9 replies

ralderton
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Yes, you can use the Global pass on Eurostar, but it costs an extra €30 for compulsory seat reservation. These are limited in number, so your parents should buy the reservation as soon as they can.

They will also need to pay €18 if they take the cross-border ICE/ TGV trains from Paris to Germany. (Other routes are possible)

No - city transport (bus/ metro/ tram) is never covered by Eurail. In German and Swiss cities, you can use the S-Bahn (regional/ commuter trains) which have several stops in the city. But they will probably want to buy a city ticket. In London, it’s valid on the Elizabeth Line, Thameslink and Overground, but not the tube.

If you’re living in Germany, you might need to buy the Interrail pass. Similar to Eurail, but it restricts how much travel you can do in your own country (Germany). It depends on how long you’ve been in Europe. Details here:

https://www.eurail.com/en/help/interested-in-eurailing/do-i-need-a-eurail-or-an-interrail-pass

And lots of useful information on Eurail here

https://www.seat61.com/how-to-use-a-eurail-pass.htm

BrendanDB
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If you plan to travel around Christmas and New Year, please get your seat reservations as soon as possible, especially Eurostar (London - Paris), as there are no good alternatives for that connection.

ralderton
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Your parents should definitely consider buying regular tickets from London to Stuttgart instead of a rail pass.

Ticket 1 London-Paris return, booked on www.eurostar.com (starts at €78 return, even less in a sale)

Ticket 2 Paris-Stuttgart return, booked on www.bahn.com 

This could well be cheaper than using three pass days, plus paying €100 in reservations per person

T
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Userlevel 7
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I'd say it depends on the period + what they want to do in Switzerland.

Around Christmas & New Year Eurostar tickets are well over 100€ one-way.

Are you making a day trip to Switzerland ? Stuttgart - Zurich is already a 3h journey (when the Gäubahn is open) so you won't have much time there.

The ideal option would be to go straight away from Switzerland to Paris and London.

seewulf
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Userlevel 7
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No - city transport (bus/ metro/ tram) is never covered by Eurail. In German and Swiss cities, you can use the S-Bahn (regional/ commuter trains) which have several stops in the city. But they will probably want to buy a city ticket. In London, it’s valid on the Elizabeth Line, Thameslink and Overground, but not the tube.

Yes most Swiss S-Bahn services are covered but 
Carefull Swiss S-Bahn operated by SZU mainlyfrom Zürich  up to Uetliberg and Silthal are not covered :) 

I´ am not working for Eurail or Interrail i just share my knowledge here. Please ask in the Community and not via private message as this is the fastest way to get an answer. I prefer English/German/ Czech for my answers. In case of Reservationquestions please share some details like Route, Date, Trainnumber as otherwise we can just provide general advices or answers
A

Yes, you can use the Global pass on Eurostar, but it costs an extra €30 for compulsory seat reservation. These are limited in number, so your parents should buy the reservation as soon as they can.

They will also need to pay €18 if they take the cross-border ICE/ TGV trains from Paris to Germany. (Other routes are possible)

No - city transport (bus/ metro/ tram) is never covered by Eurail. In German and Swiss cities, you can use the S-Bahn (regional/ commuter trains) which have several stops in the city. But they will probably want to buy a city ticket. In London, it’s valid on the Elizabeth Line, Thameslink and Overground, but not the tube.

If you’re living in Germany, you might need to buy the Interrail pass. Similar to Eurail, but it restricts how much travel you can do in your own country (Germany). It depends on how long you’ve been in Europe. Details here:

https://www.eurail.com/en/help/interested-in-eurailing/do-i-need-a-eurail-or-an-interrail-pass

And lots of useful information on Eurail here

https://www.seat61.com/how-to-use-a-eurail-pass.htm

Thank you so much. This is very helpful !

A

I'd say it depends on the period + what they want to do in Switzerland.

Around Christmas & New Year Eurostar tickets are well over 100€ one-way.

Are you making a day trip to Switzerland ? Stuttgart - Zurich is already a 3h journey (when the Gäubahn is open) so you won't have much time there.

The ideal option would be to go straight away from Switzerland to Paris and London.

Yes I think this would make more sense, As it's only a week we don't plan to do too much or cramp it

A

Your parents should definitely consider buying regular tickets from London to Stuttgart instead of a rail pass.

Ticket 1 London-Paris return, booked on www.eurostar.com (starts at €78 return, even less in a sale)

Ticket 2 Paris-Stuttgart return, booked on www.bahn.com 

This could well be cheaper than using three pass days, plus paying €100 in reservations per person

Yes, but the only reason I am considering the pass is because of its flexibility to travel anywhere without making a plan in advance, which is what I'm looking for (i.e after they enter the EU). But like you said I'll compare the seat reservations charges plus the pass alongside the individual ticket prices. Thank you ! 

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Yes the pass will give you a lot of flexibility in Switzerland and Germany !

But trains with mandatory reservations need to be booked well in advance, especially the Eurostar. This reduces flexibility but it is what it is. When are you looking to travel ?

Check Eurostar availability here : https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Booking/Pass#TravelWish

TGV/ICEs between Paris and Stuttgart are also very popular but you've got alternatives (multiple TGVs to Strasbourg) as opposed to the Eurostar.

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