Despite all my European travel, I’ve never really been able to say I’ve “railed” across the continent. I am usually so scattered in my plans that I take a few trains and lots of planes. I end up in Venice and decide Amsterdam is fun and meeting my friends in Barcelona sounds like a great idea. My plans are never consistent enough for trains. This time around, I really wanted to experience what it was like to take the trains, see the countryside, and figure out if a Eurail pass was really a cheap option. I get a lot of questions about it, and while I have some knowledge of the pass, I don’t have first hand experience. It time was to get that experience.
So, I emailed Rail Europe and asked “Would it be possible to get a pass for an article on Eurail passes?” Surprisingly, they said yes. I actually didn’t think they would. I would have purchased one regardless, but I’ll never turn down a freebie of something I would have used anyways. So with my free pass in hand, I was off to ride the rails, like any good budget traveler.
What did I find? A Eurail pass is great value if a) you use ALL your segments and b) you are traveling great distances. To begin, here is a breakdown of costs with and without a Eurail pass for all my trips:
| With Eurail | Without Eurail (1st class) | Without Eurail (2nd class) | |
| Valencia->Barcelona | 6.75 | 67.50 | 41.10 |
| Barcelona->Madrid | 12 | 164.40 | 110 |
| Bordeaux->Paris | 6 | 106 | 68.50 |
| Paris->Brussels | 8 | 108 | 80 |
| Brussels->Brugge | 0 | 19.90 | 12.90 |
| Brugge->Den Bosch | 0 | 52.40 | 23 |
| Den Bosch->Rotterdam | 0 | 19.90 | 13.90 |
| Rotterdam->Den Haag | 0 | 7.50 | 4.40 |
| Den Haag->Amsterdam | 0 | 17.20 | 10.10 |
| Stockholm->Goteberg | 10 | 73 | 45 |
| Goteberg->Copenhagen | 8 | 37.75 | 50 |
| Copenhagen->Berlin | 3 | 205 | 130 |
| Berlin->Munich | 5 | 183 | 113 |
| Munich->Vienna | 5 | 131.20 | 79.40 |
| Total | 70.75 | 1192.50 | 781.30 |
Note: All these prices are in Euros. I convert them into dollars based on the average exchange rate of $1= €0.67. The first column is the reservation fee I paid. Moreover, these train prices are based on what was told me at the time I booked a ticket. Different trains might be a little more or a little less. All trains are roughly in the same price range, though. Prices change frequently, and you might not get the prices as I did.
The pass clearly saved me money. But there are very important things to note: First, what type of pass you get will greatly affect how much you save. There are a lot of different passes, two main passes most travelers use are the 1st class and 2nd youth (for those under 26) global flexi passes. A two month 15 day 2nd class ticket costs $774, with a value of $51.60 per trip. A 1st class adult ticket costs $1,190.00, with a value of $79 per trip. These passes let you travel all over Europe and give 10 or 15 trips in a one or two month period. Consecutive day passes can be bought for up to 3 months, but aren’t really that good of a deal if you aren’t traveling every other day since everyday you don’t use them is a lost day.
Did I Save Money?
The value of my travels would have cost $1,294 for the reservation fees and the pass. The cost without the Eurail pass would have been $1,767. For a second class ticket, assuming the same reservation fees, I would have spent $878, whereas the trip would have cost $1,157 without the pass.
Hundreds of dollars were saved.
But…
I saved money because I took long inter-country trains. I mentioned the value of each trip because looking back at my travels, some train rides cost below the value of a Eurail trip. Many trains I took cost a lot, and in these cases, the Eurail saved me money. But for short trips, using one of my Eurail trips would actually cost me money. The Brussels to Brugge ticket only cost €12, far below the $79 value of that segment. If you are just taking short trips around Europe, then getting a Eurail pass will cost you more. However, if you only take it across vast distances or on overnight trains, you’ll save money.
Conclusion
I wasn’t a believer in these passes before, but after seeing how the numbers add up, I think Eurail passes can be a great way for budget travelers to save money, if used correctly. Even in an age of RyanAir, Eurail tickets make a lot of budgetary sense. Just make sure you know how many trips you take and for how long. If you miscalculate cost and distance, the pass could end up costing you more than it is worth. If used properly though, Eurail you will save hundreds. And in Europe, that extra money can be a lifesaver.
Great rundown. With the cost of discount airfare so low, and quality buses as well, I think the trains are almost a luxury these days. Unlike, say India, they are no longer such a necessary part of the backpacking experience in Europe. At least not for me.
Interesting, I’ve never used a Euro-rail pass but I’ve considered them in the past. Unfortunately they don’t apply to many of the countries I’ve spent a lot of time traveling in within Eastern Europe and the Balkans. I do think they are a good value for some though.
It would be a lot easier to understand the total costs if you added the railpass costs into your table.
I price out the pass prices in the paragraph below.
I took the Eurorail over 15 years ago, and back then it was a real bargain. Now it seems sooo expensive. But then again, it’s Europe and everything to me seems expensive after central america!
But the fact is, I can’t wait to get back on it again:)
what you say is true. But you do not mention that the prices are not applicable to every nationality. North American prices are cheaper. If a french buy this ticket it will cost even more. Or last time i check not even possible for european to buy. This is very important to mention.
Europeans can purchase an Interrail ticket…pretty much the same thing…but for europeans.
I love to travel by train – I did it across Canada and through Asia, and will do again as much as possible. It’s a great way to actually see something of the country you’re visiting, and it’s better for the environment too. Thanks for the article!
I agree. I really loved going through the countryside. It was very beautiful.
Well, for Europeans (especially under 25), Interrail is a really good option. They have different time scaling and travelling conditions but they have saved me a lot of money.
For example, 250 Euros to travel 4000 kilometers all across Europe with 7 long stops in big cities (and quite a few more day stops in little cities): now that’s a bargain.
Nice summary. I travelled with Eurail some years ago when air travel was more expensive and I priced out well ahead. I think as you imply that its real value is if you want to “sample” europe and spread travel across the continent – especially exploring the more expensive Scandinavian countries along with Germany and France. It also included (I assume it still does) some nice extras like free or 50% discounted ferries, boats on major rivers (Rhine/Danube) and private trains in Switzerland. As a bigger bonus, it also means not buying train tickets all the time – often just being able to leap on the train (though reservations can be a bit of a catch at times).