What can I use the EURail for?

The Eurail Pass is your ticket for all European trains. It is not valid on buses (except when they replace trains due to engineering works) or subways.

The pass is generally good value in the UK as it gives you full flexibility (you basically hop on hop off any train) while last-minute tickets are very expensive.

If you'd like to take the Eurostar between London and Paris, book well in advance as it is a very popular (and expensive) route : 30€ mandatory seat reservation. Those trains also have a passholder quota.

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

Do not hesitate for further questions !

Oh! Okay that’s awesome. So if I were to use an app like Rome2Rio to find transportation between two places (like York and Edinburgh) and it shows that a train is available, then the EURail pass will work for that train service? And the only thing I’d have to possibly purchase is a seat reservation NOT an actual ticket?

Sorry, I’ve been trying to research transit for the last week and I am so confused.

Rome2Rio should not be used for detailed planning. The best is to use national planners, e.g. www.nationalrail.co.uk for the UK. For international travel, bahn.com or the DB Navigator app is a good choice. The rail planner app, used to manage the Eurail pass, also comes with a planner but it should not be trusted. Just use it to register journeys and nothing else.

You should make out an itinerary and go from there, it doesn’t have to be exact but it will give you an idea of the journeys you will be taking.

You can then work out how many of those days a pass will be useful for.

For days you spend in a city then a Eurail pass will not be any use as buses, trams, metros/underground are not valid, a local ticket of some kind will be the best option.

For short trips such as Nice - Monaco, if that is the only rail journey you take that day, a pass will be valid but bad value as a regular ticket bought at the station would be less than €5.

A pass day on a flexi pass costs between €25 and €65, longer duration passes being cheaper per day and depending on if you qualify for the youth or senior discounts.

Thank you! Yes I’ve created an itinerary and am planning to use local public transit when in the city, but between cities… I am trying to find the best option for that. Idk if I am just looking in the wrong places, but it’s really hard to find the matching prices or passes for those. So just trying to get as much info as I can before buying a pass.

I appreciate your input! Definitely helps and gives me more direction. Thank you!!!

The link @rvdborgt provided will give you all train schedules and regular ticket prices for Britain.

For France https://www.sncf-connect.com/

For Ireland https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/

For Northern Ireland https://www.translink.co.uk/

The rail network in Ireland is limited, in Northern Ireland it is very limited. You may find that bus services are more useful especially for places away from the main population centres.

For any day with travel only in Northern Ireland a Eurail pass day would almost certainly not be worth it as a day ticket valid on all train and bus is £18.50

If you post up your plan we can give it a look and advise on the likely best options, also do say what your priorities are re cost saving or convenience or speed etc.

Oh wow! Thank you so much. I’ve listed below the places I am hoping to hit. As for priorities, I’d say all round just good value without compromising on timing (I know some transit options have highe time differences). So the cheapest and shortest would be great, but I am flexible. Within each place, I plan to make use of just walking around or bussing, so I am mainly trying to make sure I choose the best option for getting between cities.

Luton - Bath

Bath - Swansea

Swansea - Tenby

Tenby - Portmeirion

Portmeirion - Traeth Porth Wen Brickworks

Traeth Porth Wen Brickworks - Bethesda

Bethesda - Liverpool

Liverpool - Manchester

Manchester - York

York - Edinburgh

Edinburgh - The Kelpies

The Kelpies - Inverness

Inverness - Glenfinnan

Glenfinnan - Glasgow

Glasgow - Belfast

Belfast - Donegal

Donegal - Galway

Galway - Killarney

Killarney - Cork

Cork - Dublin

Nice - Monaco/Antibes/Cannes/Grasse/Villenfrance Sur Mer/etc

Nice - Marseille

Marseille - Arles

Arles - Lyon

Lyon - Paris

Paris - London

Thanks again!!

You'll definitely save money with a pass.

A 15 days within 2 months pass costs 575 USD or 448£ = 30£ per day. Some journeys will be way more expensive than that.

You'll only need a reservation for Arles - Lyon if you take a TGV : 10€ limited fare, then 20€.

TGVs Lyon - Paris have pretty much always seats at 10€ (even last-minute) so you're a bit flexible.

You could also do the journey on reservation-free TER regional trains but it takes much longer and connections are infrequent.

Book Eurostar well in advance : 30€ + 2€ booking fee on eurail.com

Okay perfect, thank you so much for the info. Seems like it the best option is to buy the 15 days within 2 months pass for the larger train travels and the rest, I’ll just buy the tickets/use bus passes.

Thanks for your help!

The Eurail Pass allows you to travel on most trains operated by national railway companies in participating European countries. This includes high-speed trains, regional trains, and night trains, offering you the opportunity to visit various cities and regions. I hope you understand it.