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Hello!

I'm heading to Europe this summer, my first solo and DIY trip in the region! I'm particularly heading to the ff areas in a span of 40 days:

SPAIN - Barcelona (June 27- June 30)

ITALY (flying in from Barcelona) - Rome, Florence, Venice (July 1 - July 11)

SWITZERLAND - Geneva, Aigle, Montreux, Sion*, Lausanne*, Leysin* (July 11 - 16)

CROATIA (flying in from Geneva) - Dubrovnik, Split, Plitvice, Zagreb (July 16 - July 21)

AUSTRIA - Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck (July 21 - August 4)

HUNGARY* - Budapest* (sometime between July 21 - August 4)

 

*not yet sure if I'm heading to these destinations but good to have them as options

 

I hope someone can provide clarification and other details to my following questions:

(1) I couldn't count yet how frequent I need to take the train, and I prefer to be flexible. Is the Eurail global pass my best option? It's a bit pricey for me but would consider if I can make the most out of it (i.e. most number of trips, most convenient for traveling with a luggage).

(2) If I'm buying a Eurail global pass, do I have access as well as unlimited rides to all the destinations I listed down? Kindly let me know which places I can't access by train / using a Eurail pass.

(3) If I'm buying a Eurail global pass, will I have access to all train stations of my destinations (and hopefully more in case I decided to visit other Schengen countries)? What would be the limitations?

(4) Do you advise that I also take the train when I travel within a city (e.g. exploring Venice)?

(5) Where can I check the train schedules, especially the operating hours for each train stop? Specifically for Rome and possibly for Switzerland too, I'm arriving late at night / wee hours of the morning. If in case there are no more train trips when I arrive, what are my other options?

(6) Can I just walk-in and take the train anytime I need to? Are there always options for these destinations for trains that don't need reservations? How and where do I check for this?

(7) If you have cheaper / alternative options, I'm open to receiving them.

 

Thank you so much for all the help!

 

Hey!

  1. For some of the destinations the pass might be useful but as you are flying half of the trip, I am not sure if it will pay off. In Switzerland you could also think about buying the Swiss Travel Pass (or if you don’t use buses/boats the Swiss One Country Interrail  Pass). Actually I see it only paying off for you in Switzerland - in Italy you might buy cheap train-bound tickets on trenitalia website before (but then you can only use a specific train), Croatia to Hungary is cheap as well, Austria has OK’ish prices
  2. Except Dubrovnik and Plitvice you can access all destinations by train. To Dubrovnik and Plitvice you have frequent buses from Zagreb/Split.
  3. Yes, you can go to all places by EURAIL except Dubrovnik+Plitvice, see (2)
  4. For most of your destinations EURAIL doesn’t include local transportation (except for S-Bahn in Vienna for example). In Venice you don’t need to use transportation to see the main stuff, you can just walk around.
  5. Best to check on German railways website… bahn.de for a general overview. And for really 100% up-to-date check with the local railway company websites (also for prices to compare with EURAIL). Other options: sometimes night buses, sometimes only walk (or taxi)
  6. In Switzerland yes, in Austria too, Croatia partly, in Italy yes - but the reservation-free options can take a while longer than the ones with reservations… You can check it in the Rail Planner App. Just tick “no reservation needed” and it will show you the options without a reservation.
  7. As written above it could be cheaper to buy single tickets for your route. Check with the local railway companies the prices.

Thank you, @MartinM! 

Could I also use the Rail Planner App to purchase tickets? I read I could but I couldn't find how, or maybe I'm so terrible at navigating the app 😅 Thanks again!

Could I also use the Rail Planner App to purchase tickets? I read I could but I couldn't find how, or maybe I'm so terrible at navigating the app 😅 Thanks again!

You already have a ticket: your pass.

The rail planner app can't book reservations. It can only forward to some of the websites where you can book.

Please see this thread for ways to book reservations:

And also this page:

https://www.seat61.com/interrail-and-eurail-reservations.htm

If you have any questions about a particular reservation, then please mention route, date and departure time.

Thank you, @rvdborgt! The links you sent were a big help! 😊

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