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I have a global Eurail pass -- I know i can book Eurostar trains to travel to and from Paris <> London.

  1. Though the global Eurail Pass is meant for cross country travel, it also functions within France itself right? i.e. i can travel from Paris EST/Gare de Lyon to Colmar, Bordeaux, Lyon, Loire Valley, etc? 
  2. If I purchased the First Class Global Eurail Pass, what tier of seats does that entitle me to on Eurostar? (I see there are standard, standard premier, business)

Thank you!

Pass is valid on most rail services in the countries it applies to. There are numerous exceptions and it differs between countries but the main one being it mostly isn’t valid on city transport: trams, metros, underground systems. Long distance, regional and local trains are for most places included.

1st class pass is valid on Standard Premier on Eurostar,


@1. In most countries all TRAINs are included-but as /en/ is rather ambiguous-it uses that word also for what we call metro/underground etc. this may be confusing for someone who @ home only has the MRT (that we would not call train). And less as 1km of ´real´ train by KTMB.

I most countries all trains are run by some state-entity, like in France. In others there is privatisation or what they call it and there may be a confusing amount of different companies. In FRance in general all trains are included-except-funny-a few low-cost only online bookable ones, also run by the state SNCF-you will not find these in any planner.

Do note that about all long-distance trains in FR are now TGV (hispeed) or IC-and all must be REServed-and this will cost you 10 or 20€ extra per trip+ a varying amount of hassles. There are also many more TER=local trains, which cannot even be RES. In FR most even those trains-still also have 1st-in many other countries not. RES for this €* cost 30/more for 2nd/1st and is at busy times also quota-controlled and hence hard to get, if not done long advance


Thanks @Al_G and @mcadv -- Yes you’re right that in Singapore we only have MRT and LRT (MRTs for the more remote regions but work the same)

Just some follow up:

  • For TERs or other main “Trains” in other towns  -- Would the general mode of commute be just waiting for the “trains” at their designated stations and buying their tickets (e.g. TER tickets on the spot at the train station themselves and hopping on the next one?)
  • Buses -- Is there any sort of card where we can store value (like London’s oyster card) then we tap in? Or would it be just telling the bus driver where we’d like to stop and pay the fee in cash?
    • If there’s some form of card for all of this, it’d be best to get it right from the start to add some value in it so we won’t have constraints on transport as we move around even in other cities like Bordeaux / Colmar

Appreciate the help guys!


If you have a global Eurail pass, then that is your ticket for the train. For TER you only add the train as a journey to your pass in the aop and create the ticket (QR code). You don't need to buy a ticket for TER if you have a Eurail pass.

If you travel with trains that require reservations you need a reservation in addition to the ticket in your app.


Re your question on local buses and non-included metro/undergrounds, these are invariably not included in your pass. Since they are operated by local governments and operators they all have different pay schemes and many have gone cashless or pre-payment.

Depending on how long you are staying in each place you will need to do a little research on landing for the best option. For example in Venice they charge a high price for a single journey on the water buses, but sell a range of day tickets that allow unlimited use on almost all land and water based services operated by ATCV. (still quite pricey but much better value).

One confusion can be Germany where the S-Bahn trains (city and regional trains) are operated by D Bahn so included in your pass, but U-Bahn (Local metro) is not included.


Thanks @Yorkie and @AnnaB -- Btw @AnnaB what is aop?

  • I also suppose there might be reservation fees for the TER ticket?
  • Do i have to print out the ticket or will the QR code be in the mobile app for scanning toO?

Reservations are not available for most TERs. They're only needed in the TERs between Paris and Normandy (and only if you're travelling from or to Paris).

If you have a pass, then your pass is your ticket. With a mobile pass, only the barcode in the app is the valid ticket.

Reservations available electronically mostly don't need to be printed. Only for night trains (with sleepers or couchettes) it's a good idea to print them.


Thanks @Yorkie and @AnnaB -- Btw @AnnaB what is aop?

  • I also suppose there might be reservation fees for the TER ticket?
  • Do i have to print out the ticket or will the QR code be in the mobile app for scanning toO?

Almost all TER trains in France do not require reservations - I believe the main exception are trains from Paris to Le Havre and area, but the planner on the app should give you a guide (or the operators website). The same goes for most non express trains across Europe.

There is no problem presenting the QR phone code - If there is a problem with their code reader all the necessary info also shows on the app. There is no need to print the daily QR code.

It is though worth printing copies of any reservations, although it is normally OK to show the pdf on your phone, but paper is always a good backup and eases arguments if anybody is in your seat.


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