Eurail Flexipass and Travel to 6 countries
Feb 7th 2003, 12:14 pm
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Eurail Flexipass and Travel to 6 countries
I am an American who will be traveling for six weeks during this
summer. I will leave in late may and return in the middle of July. I
will be flying in and out of Dublin.
I have decided that I would like to visit the following countries;
Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and Spain. I have taken a
look at both the eurail passes and buying my tickets individually. It
appears that I won't save much if I buy them individually. If you
have made a trek like this, do you have any suggestions?
Price is an issue, but convenience is much more of a priority. That
is why I am leaning more towards the Eurail flexi pass. I will be
staying in hostels and trying to keep unnecessary costs to a minimum.
Will the flexipass get me where I need to go? I can't find much
documentation explaining the difference between the 10/15 day passes.
Does that mean I get 10 travel tickets or travel days? If I go from
Germany to Greece and it takes two days, does that count as one or two
off my 10?
I am going to spend the least amount of time in Germany and France. I
hope to spend a majority of my time in Italy and Greece and the most
in Spain. This will be my first time to Europe. Any suggestions as
to where I should go? I prefer the quiet out of the way places away
from tourists if possible. I don't want a set schedule, I want to
choose my travel days as I go.
I have backpacked around Canada, but that is the extent of my travels.
What should I expect in Europe?
summer. I will leave in late may and return in the middle of July. I
will be flying in and out of Dublin.
I have decided that I would like to visit the following countries;
Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and Spain. I have taken a
look at both the eurail passes and buying my tickets individually. It
appears that I won't save much if I buy them individually. If you
have made a trek like this, do you have any suggestions?
Price is an issue, but convenience is much more of a priority. That
is why I am leaning more towards the Eurail flexi pass. I will be
staying in hostels and trying to keep unnecessary costs to a minimum.
Will the flexipass get me where I need to go? I can't find much
documentation explaining the difference between the 10/15 day passes.
Does that mean I get 10 travel tickets or travel days? If I go from
Germany to Greece and it takes two days, does that count as one or two
off my 10?
I am going to spend the least amount of time in Germany and France. I
hope to spend a majority of my time in Italy and Greece and the most
in Spain. This will be my first time to Europe. Any suggestions as
to where I should go? I prefer the quiet out of the way places away
from tourists if possible. I don't want a set schedule, I want to
choose my travel days as I go.
I have backpacked around Canada, but that is the extent of my travels.
What should I expect in Europe?
Feb 7th 2003, 4:47 pm
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Eurail Flexipass and Travel to 6 countries
If you want fast and cheap I'd look at getting a flightpass from
Europebyair.com. They're not much more than a eurail pass and you can make
unlimited flights to almost any city in Europe.
"Kevin" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I am an American who will be traveling for six weeks during this
> summer. I will leave in late may and return in the middle of July. I
> will be flying in and out of Dublin.
> I have decided that I would like to visit the following countries;
> Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and Spain. I have taken a
> look at both the eurail passes and buying my tickets individually. It
> appears that I won't save much if I buy them individually. If you
> have made a trek like this, do you have any suggestions?
> Price is an issue, but convenience is much more of a priority. That
> is why I am leaning more towards the Eurail flexi pass. I will be
> staying in hostels and trying to keep unnecessary costs to a minimum.
> Will the flexipass get me where I need to go? I can't find much
> documentation explaining the difference between the 10/15 day passes.
> Does that mean I get 10 travel tickets or travel days? If I go from
> Germany to Greece and it takes two days, does that count as one or two
> off my 10?
> I am going to spend the least amount of time in Germany and France. I
> hope to spend a majority of my time in Italy and Greece and the most
> in Spain. This will be my first time to Europe. Any suggestions as
> to where I should go? I prefer the quiet out of the way places away
> from tourists if possible. I don't want a set schedule, I want to
> choose my travel days as I go.
> I have backpacked around Canada, but that is the extent of my travels.
> What should I expect in Europe?
Europebyair.com. They're not much more than a eurail pass and you can make
unlimited flights to almost any city in Europe.
"Kevin" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I am an American who will be traveling for six weeks during this
> summer. I will leave in late may and return in the middle of July. I
> will be flying in and out of Dublin.
> I have decided that I would like to visit the following countries;
> Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and Spain. I have taken a
> look at both the eurail passes and buying my tickets individually. It
> appears that I won't save much if I buy them individually. If you
> have made a trek like this, do you have any suggestions?
> Price is an issue, but convenience is much more of a priority. That
> is why I am leaning more towards the Eurail flexi pass. I will be
> staying in hostels and trying to keep unnecessary costs to a minimum.
> Will the flexipass get me where I need to go? I can't find much
> documentation explaining the difference between the 10/15 day passes.
> Does that mean I get 10 travel tickets or travel days? If I go from
> Germany to Greece and it takes two days, does that count as one or two
> off my 10?
> I am going to spend the least amount of time in Germany and France. I
> hope to spend a majority of my time in Italy and Greece and the most
> in Spain. This will be my first time to Europe. Any suggestions as
> to where I should go? I prefer the quiet out of the way places away
> from tourists if possible. I don't want a set schedule, I want to
> choose my travel days as I go.
> I have backpacked around Canada, but that is the extent of my travels.
> What should I expect in Europe?
Feb 7th 2003, 7:53 pm
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Eurail Flexipass and Travel to 6 countries
Kevin wrote:
>
> I am an American who will be traveling for six weeks during this
> summer. I will leave in late may and return in the middle of July. I
> will be flying in and out of Dublin.
>
> I have decided that I would like to visit the following countries;
> Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and Spain. I have taken a
> look at both the eurail passes and buying my tickets individually. It
> appears that I won't save much if I buy them individually. If you
> have made a trek like this, do you have any suggestions?
>
> Price is an issue, but convenience is much more of a priority. That
> is why I am leaning more towards the Eurail flexi pass. I will be
> staying in hostels and trying to keep unnecessary costs to a minimum.
> Will the flexipass get me where I need to go? I can't find much
> documentation explaining the difference between the 10/15 day passes.
> Does that mean I get 10 travel tickets or travel days? If I go from
> Germany to Greece and it takes two days, does that count as one or two
> off my 10?
For a trip like this, you are probably better off getting fewer days and
using the Flexipass only for the long-haul trips. Train tickets within
Italy, Greece and Spain are pretty cheap, and it would be a waste to use
one of your Flexipass days for a trip between (let's say) Venice and
Rome.
As I understand it, if you board a train after a certain hour in the
day, it doesn't cound as a Flexipass day. I don't remember what the hour
is, but for example, if you get on a train at 8PM and arrive at your
destination the following day, it counts as just one day.
I would also look into cheap airlines for the long distance trips. For
instance there is an airline that flies from Italy to Barcelona for
fares that can be as low as $20 (depending on the day you travel).
Barbara
>
> I am an American who will be traveling for six weeks during this
> summer. I will leave in late may and return in the middle of July. I
> will be flying in and out of Dublin.
>
> I have decided that I would like to visit the following countries;
> Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and Spain. I have taken a
> look at both the eurail passes and buying my tickets individually. It
> appears that I won't save much if I buy them individually. If you
> have made a trek like this, do you have any suggestions?
>
> Price is an issue, but convenience is much more of a priority. That
> is why I am leaning more towards the Eurail flexi pass. I will be
> staying in hostels and trying to keep unnecessary costs to a minimum.
> Will the flexipass get me where I need to go? I can't find much
> documentation explaining the difference between the 10/15 day passes.
> Does that mean I get 10 travel tickets or travel days? If I go from
> Germany to Greece and it takes two days, does that count as one or two
> off my 10?
For a trip like this, you are probably better off getting fewer days and
using the Flexipass only for the long-haul trips. Train tickets within
Italy, Greece and Spain are pretty cheap, and it would be a waste to use
one of your Flexipass days for a trip between (let's say) Venice and
Rome.
As I understand it, if you board a train after a certain hour in the
day, it doesn't cound as a Flexipass day. I don't remember what the hour
is, but for example, if you get on a train at 8PM and arrive at your
destination the following day, it counts as just one day.
I would also look into cheap airlines for the long distance trips. For
instance there is an airline that flies from Italy to Barcelona for
fares that can be as low as $20 (depending on the day you travel).
Barbara
Feb 7th 2003, 8:48 pm
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Eurail Flexipass and Travel to 6 countries
[email protected] (Kevin) wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> I hope to spend a majority of my time in Italy and Greece and the most
> in Spain.
FYI: Greece is difficult (not impossible) to reach by train, since it is
remote from Western Europe, and the journey involves a lengthy trip either
by train through the balkans, or by ferry from Italy. Inside Greece your
pass will be near useless, since Greece's rail network is small. Most
domestic transport is by coach or ferry, where the pass will not be valid.
Regards
--
Ihre d-box wird gerade gestartet.
news:[email protected]:
> I hope to spend a majority of my time in Italy and Greece and the most
> in Spain.
FYI: Greece is difficult (not impossible) to reach by train, since it is
remote from Western Europe, and the journey involves a lengthy trip either
by train through the balkans, or by ferry from Italy. Inside Greece your
pass will be near useless, since Greece's rail network is small. Most
domestic transport is by coach or ferry, where the pass will not be valid.
Regards
--
Ihre d-box wird gerade gestartet.
Feb 8th 2003, 12:09 am
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Eurail Flexipass and Travel to 6 countries
On 7 Feb 2003 17:14:56 -0800 Kevin said...
> I have decided that I would like to visit the following countries;
> Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and Spain. I have taken a
> look at both the eurail passes and buying my tickets individually. It
> appears that I won't save much if I buy them individually. If you
> have made a trek like this, do you have any suggestions?
>
> Price is an issue, but convenience is much more of a priority. That
> is why I am leaning more towards the Eurail flexi pass.
Cut out one of the countries and you could save money by getting a Eurail
Select Pass. See www.eurail.com for prices and further details.
My suggestion would be cut out Ireland unless you plan to travel a lot by
train you could get individual tickets (train or bus) when there. Use a
budget airline like Ryanair to fly from Ireland to France/Germany.
Remember having Greece included on a Select Pass will give you free
travel on the ferry from say Brindisi to Patras.
--
Phil Richards
London, N4
> I have decided that I would like to visit the following countries;
> Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and Spain. I have taken a
> look at both the eurail passes and buying my tickets individually. It
> appears that I won't save much if I buy them individually. If you
> have made a trek like this, do you have any suggestions?
>
> Price is an issue, but convenience is much more of a priority. That
> is why I am leaning more towards the Eurail flexi pass.
Cut out one of the countries and you could save money by getting a Eurail
Select Pass. See www.eurail.com for prices and further details.
My suggestion would be cut out Ireland unless you plan to travel a lot by
train you could get individual tickets (train or bus) when there. Use a
budget airline like Ryanair to fly from Ireland to France/Germany.
Remember having Greece included on a Select Pass will give you free
travel on the ferry from say Brindisi to Patras.
--
Phil Richards
London, N4
Feb 8th 2003, 3:48 am
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Eurail Flexipass and Travel to 6 countries
Wolfgang Schwanke wrote:
>
> [email protected] (Kevin) wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> > I hope to spend a majority of my time in Italy and Greece and the most
> > in Spain.
>
> FYI: Greece is difficult (not impossible) to reach by train, since it is
> remote from Western Europe, and the journey involves a lengthy trip either
> by train through the balkans, or by ferry from Italy. Inside Greece your
> pass will be near useless, since Greece's rail network is small. Most
> domestic transport is by coach or ferry, where the pass will not be valid.
Many ferries from Brindisi (Italy) to Greece honor the Eurail pass,
giving either a discount or free deck passage.
Barbara
>
> [email protected] (Kevin) wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> > I hope to spend a majority of my time in Italy and Greece and the most
> > in Spain.
>
> FYI: Greece is difficult (not impossible) to reach by train, since it is
> remote from Western Europe, and the journey involves a lengthy trip either
> by train through the balkans, or by ferry from Italy. Inside Greece your
> pass will be near useless, since Greece's rail network is small. Most
> domestic transport is by coach or ferry, where the pass will not be valid.
Many ferries from Brindisi (Italy) to Greece honor the Eurail pass,
giving either a discount or free deck passage.
Barbara
Feb 8th 2003, 3:56 am
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Eurail Flexipass and Travel to 6 countries
On Fri, 7 Feb 2003 23:47:59 -0600, "Todd"
wrote:
>If you want fast and cheap I'd look at getting a flightpass from
>Europebyair.com. They're not much more than a eurail pass and you can make
>unlimited flights to almost any city in Europe.
Those passes cost you $99 per *flight*. If you have to change planes
you will pay $99 for each leg. In fact, the wording at the web site
seems to imply that if the plane makes an intermeidate stop you have
to pay $99 for each leg.
Click on RULES AND CONDITIONS at
http://Europebyair.com/eba/map/default.jsp# to see that you buy $99
coupons in advance, and it's a case of use 'em or lose 'em.
This hardly seems better than a rail pass, and many of these trips can
be made far more cheaply on some of the discount airlines.
************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
wrote:
>If you want fast and cheap I'd look at getting a flightpass from
>Europebyair.com. They're not much more than a eurail pass and you can make
>unlimited flights to almost any city in Europe.
Those passes cost you $99 per *flight*. If you have to change planes
you will pay $99 for each leg. In fact, the wording at the web site
seems to imply that if the plane makes an intermeidate stop you have
to pay $99 for each leg.
Click on RULES AND CONDITIONS at
http://Europebyair.com/eba/map/default.jsp# to see that you buy $99
coupons in advance, and it's a case of use 'em or lose 'em.
This hardly seems better than a rail pass, and many of these trips can
be made far more cheaply on some of the discount airlines.
************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
Feb 8th 2003, 8:54 am
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Eurail Flexipass and Travel to 6 countries
Kevin wrote:
>
> I am an American who will be traveling for six weeks during this
> summer. I will leave in late may and return in the middle of July. I
> will be flying in and out of Dublin.
>
> I have decided that I would like to visit the following countries;
> Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and Spain. I have taken a
> look at both the eurail passes and buying my tickets individually. It
> appears that I won't save much if I buy them individually. If you
> have made a trek like this, do you have any suggestions?
>
> Price is an issue, but convenience is much more of a priority. That
> is why I am leaning more towards the Eurail flexi pass. I will be
> staying in hostels and trying to keep unnecessary costs to a minimum.
> Will the flexipass get me where I need to go? I can't find much
> documentation explaining the difference between the 10/15 day passes.
> Does that mean I get 10 travel tickets or travel days? If I go from
> Germany to Greece and it takes two days, does that count as one or two
> off my 10?
>
> I am going to spend the least amount of time in Germany and France. I
> hope to spend a majority of my time in Italy and Greece and the most
> in Spain. This will be my first time to Europe. Any suggestions as
> to where I should go? I prefer the quiet out of the way places away
> from tourists if possible. I don't want a set schedule, I want to
> choose my travel days as I go.
>
> I have backpacked around Canada, but that is the extent of my travels.
> What should I expect in Europe?
Kevin,
For six weeks I would chop either Ireland or Greece. Each requires a
couple days round trip by ferry plus trains to the ports. In Italy this
means a long boring trip to the heel just to reach Greece.
My page http://www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap17/rail.htm can give you a
general introduction to using the trains in Europe.
Being as how this is your first trip to Europe I would recommend a visit
to The Netherlands, especially at that time of the year. A good quiet
out of the way place is Haarlem, half way between Amsterdam and the
North Sea.
Regarding your Germany to Greece Q, if you board a train after 7pm and
it doesn't arrive until 7am it counts as one day. Check your map and
you'll see that Germany to Greece direct goes through non-Eurailpass
countries so your pass is worthless there. Another poster advised using
coaches and ferries in Greece. I agree. The trains there are not very
good so take the buses; they are inexpensive. Ireland also has a limited
and under par train system.
John Bermont
--
------------------------------------------------------
* * * Mastering Independent Budget Travel * * *
http://www.enjoy-europe.com/
------------------------------------------------------
>
> I am an American who will be traveling for six weeks during this
> summer. I will leave in late may and return in the middle of July. I
> will be flying in and out of Dublin.
>
> I have decided that I would like to visit the following countries;
> Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and Spain. I have taken a
> look at both the eurail passes and buying my tickets individually. It
> appears that I won't save much if I buy them individually. If you
> have made a trek like this, do you have any suggestions?
>
> Price is an issue, but convenience is much more of a priority. That
> is why I am leaning more towards the Eurail flexi pass. I will be
> staying in hostels and trying to keep unnecessary costs to a minimum.
> Will the flexipass get me where I need to go? I can't find much
> documentation explaining the difference between the 10/15 day passes.
> Does that mean I get 10 travel tickets or travel days? If I go from
> Germany to Greece and it takes two days, does that count as one or two
> off my 10?
>
> I am going to spend the least amount of time in Germany and France. I
> hope to spend a majority of my time in Italy and Greece and the most
> in Spain. This will be my first time to Europe. Any suggestions as
> to where I should go? I prefer the quiet out of the way places away
> from tourists if possible. I don't want a set schedule, I want to
> choose my travel days as I go.
>
> I have backpacked around Canada, but that is the extent of my travels.
> What should I expect in Europe?
Kevin,
For six weeks I would chop either Ireland or Greece. Each requires a
couple days round trip by ferry plus trains to the ports. In Italy this
means a long boring trip to the heel just to reach Greece.
My page http://www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap17/rail.htm can give you a
general introduction to using the trains in Europe.
Being as how this is your first trip to Europe I would recommend a visit
to The Netherlands, especially at that time of the year. A good quiet
out of the way place is Haarlem, half way between Amsterdam and the
North Sea.
Regarding your Germany to Greece Q, if you board a train after 7pm and
it doesn't arrive until 7am it counts as one day. Check your map and
you'll see that Germany to Greece direct goes through non-Eurailpass
countries so your pass is worthless there. Another poster advised using
coaches and ferries in Greece. I agree. The trains there are not very
good so take the buses; they are inexpensive. Ireland also has a limited
and under par train system.
John Bermont
--
------------------------------------------------------
* * * Mastering Independent Budget Travel * * *
http://www.enjoy-europe.com/
------------------------------------------------------
Feb 8th 2003, 4:59 pm
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Eurail Flexipass and Travel to 6 countries
"Kevin" writes:
> ... I am leaning more towards the Eurail flexi pass. I will be
> staying in hostels and trying to keep unnecessary costs to a minimum.
> Will the flexipass get me where I need to go? I can't find much
> documentation explaining the difference between the 10/15 day passes.
If you pay for more travel days, you get more travel days.
> Does that mean I get 10 travel tickets or travel days?
Days.
> If I go from Germany to Greece and it takes two days, does that
> count as one or two off my 10?
If you start out after 7 pm AND don't change trains before midnight,
it's one day. Otherwise, two days.
> I prefer the quiet out of the way places away from tourists if
> possible.
Trains to such places are slower and less frequent, if they exist
at all. You will find yourself changing between these local trains
and inter-city express trains for your long travel legs, making the
trip more complicated. You will need to prepare yourself with
suitable schedules, either in advance or when in the area of
interest. (And when I was in Spain 1992, printed schedules were
hard to find; you had to ask at the stations for times, or use the
Thomas Cook international timetable book. But this may have changed.)
> I don't want a set schedule, I want to choose my travel days as I go.
The so-called Flexipass is not so good for a flexible travel schedule
like this, because you only get so many travel days on the pass and
you want to use them for the most expensive trips. Each day that you
take a train, you will have to decide whether to use a travel day on
the pass, or just buy an ordinary ticket. If you run out of travel
days, your final trips may be expensive; if you don't use them all up,
you get no benefit from them.
But that's the price of "price being an issue". A continuous pass for
6 weeks would cost a lot more. You just need to realize that this is
how it will be, and plan to have a good time anyway.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto, [email protected]
"A system which depends upon the secrecy of its algorithm
is effectively a single-key code." -- William Brown II
My text in this article is in the public domain.
> ... I am leaning more towards the Eurail flexi pass. I will be
> staying in hostels and trying to keep unnecessary costs to a minimum.
> Will the flexipass get me where I need to go? I can't find much
> documentation explaining the difference between the 10/15 day passes.
If you pay for more travel days, you get more travel days.
> Does that mean I get 10 travel tickets or travel days?
Days.
> If I go from Germany to Greece and it takes two days, does that
> count as one or two off my 10?
If you start out after 7 pm AND don't change trains before midnight,
it's one day. Otherwise, two days.
> I prefer the quiet out of the way places away from tourists if
> possible.
Trains to such places are slower and less frequent, if they exist
at all. You will find yourself changing between these local trains
and inter-city express trains for your long travel legs, making the
trip more complicated. You will need to prepare yourself with
suitable schedules, either in advance or when in the area of
interest. (And when I was in Spain 1992, printed schedules were
hard to find; you had to ask at the stations for times, or use the
Thomas Cook international timetable book. But this may have changed.)
> I don't want a set schedule, I want to choose my travel days as I go.
The so-called Flexipass is not so good for a flexible travel schedule
like this, because you only get so many travel days on the pass and
you want to use them for the most expensive trips. Each day that you
take a train, you will have to decide whether to use a travel day on
the pass, or just buy an ordinary ticket. If you run out of travel
days, your final trips may be expensive; if you don't use them all up,
you get no benefit from them.
But that's the price of "price being an issue". A continuous pass for
6 weeks would cost a lot more. You just need to realize that this is
how it will be, and plan to have a good time anyway.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto, [email protected]
"A system which depends upon the secrecy of its algorithm
is effectively a single-key code." -- William Brown II
My text in this article is in the public domain.
Feb 16th 2003, 11:27 am
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Eurail Flexipass and Travel to 6 countries
Trains in Spain don't seem as comprehensive or convenient as in other
continental European countries. I found it was more often convenient to take
long distance buses (which a train pass is clearly no use for) for journeys
within Spain. Fares for both buses and trains are low though. The buses are
run by a variety of companies so timetable information can be a little
tricky as can finding the bus station you want.
--
Andrew Nightingale of Cambridge (UK)
continental European countries. I found it was more often convenient to take
long distance buses (which a train pass is clearly no use for) for journeys
within Spain. Fares for both buses and trains are low though. The buses are
run by a variety of companies so timetable information can be a little
tricky as can finding the bus station you want.
--
Andrew Nightingale of Cambridge (UK)
