Eugene A

Hey all.

My situation is that I will travel by train from Frankfurt to Vienna using
this site http://www.raileurope.com/us/ to purchase tickets. Anyone ever had
bad experiences ordering online?

Another question. According to this site, Frankfurt Main Hb to Wien
Westbahnhof direct; EuroCity Train service; 14:19 21:35 Vienna 23-EC Daily,
seems to be cheaper then City Night Line service. Is there a reason for
that?

Yet another quesion, is the extra 50 buck for First Class worth it? This may
be a subjective question, but people told me that sometimes the passengers
get robbed if they fall asleep. Maybe it will be safer in the first class
(it sounds naive now that I wrote it....)?

Thanks,

Eugene A.

Barbara Vaughan

Eugene A wrote:
    >
    > Hey all.
    >
    > My situation is that I will travel by train from Frankfurt to Vienna using
    > this site http://www.raileurope.com/us/ to purchase tickets. Anyone ever had
    > bad experiences ordering online?

Buying tickets from raileurope is not a good idea unless you are
arriving in Europe too late to be sure of getting a ticket on a train
you must absolutely catch. They are very overpriced. If you will arrive
in Europe even a day before your journey and if you have even a little
flexibility in which train you catch, then wait to buy the ticket in
Europe.

    > Yet another quesion, is the extra 50 buck for First Class worth it? This may
    > be a subjective question, but people told me that sometimes the passengers
    > get robbed if they fall asleep. Maybe it will be safer in the first class
    > (it sounds naive now that I wrote it....)?

I never bother with first class unless second class is full, in which
case I may go first class if I'm in a hurry and can't wait for the next
train. By the way, if you were a thief, where do you think it would be
more profitable to work, in first or second class?

Barbara

Arwel Parry

In message , Eugene A
writes
    >Hey all.
    >My situation is that I will travel by train from Frankfurt to Vienna using
    >this site http://www.raileurope.com/us/ to purchase tickets. Anyone ever had
    >bad experiences ordering online?

No, but it depends who you buy from! Raileurope.com is notoriously
overpriced - deal with the German railways direct at http://www.bahn.de/

    >Another question. According to this site, Frankfurt Main Hb to Wien
    >Westbahnhof direct; EuroCity Train service; 14:19 21:35 Vienna 23-EC Daily,
    >seems to be cheaper then City Night Line service. Is there a reason for
    >that?

Erm, because CNL is a night train and you get a bed or couchette, while
you just get a seat on the EC.

    >Yet another quesion, is the extra 50 buck for First Class worth it?

a) it's probably less than $50 if you don't buy from RailEurope.
b) depends if you need the greater legroom and the fact there are only 3
seats across the width of the train rather than 4 in 2nd class.

    >This may
    >be a subjective question, but people told me that sometimes the passengers
    >get robbed if they fall asleep. Maybe it will be safer in the first class
    >(it sounds naive now that I wrote it....)?

This is mainly an urban legend and certainly wouldn't happen in a day
train. Don't worry about it.

--
Arwel Parry
http://www.cartref.demon.co.uk/

Helmut Uttenthaler

"Eugene A" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:[email protected]...
    > Hey all.
    > My situation is that I will travel by train from Frankfurt to Vienna using
    > this site http://www.raileurope.com/us/ to purchase tickets. Anyone ever
    > had
    > bad experiences ordering online?
    > Another question. According to this site, Frankfurt Main Hb to Wien
    > Westbahnhof direct; EuroCity Train service; 14:19 21:35 Vienna 23-EC
    > Daily,
    > seems to be cheaper then City Night Line service. Is there a reason for
    > that?



If you're travelling with the City Night Line I recommend buying tickets at
http://www.citynightline.ch.
Unfortunately this site is not available in English, you can buy (and print)
tickets at "Preise/Buchungen"/"Online buchen und Tickets drucken".

The one-way fare in seating car ("Ruhesessel") is EUR 71. Couchette ("Liegen
6er Abteil") is available from EUR 86.


A one-way ticket for other trains (EC) should cost about EUR 92 in 2nd class
or EUR 139 in 1st class. You might buy this ticket at Frankfurt main
station.


--
Regards,

Helmut Uttenthaler
Graz - Austria

Eugene A

Hi Arwel,

"Arwel Parry" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > In message , Eugene A
    > writes
    > >Hey all.
    > >
    > >My situation is that I will travel by train from Frankfurt to Vienna
using
    > >this site http://www.raileurope.com/us/ to purchase tickets. Anyone ever
had
    > >bad experiences ordering online?
    > No, but it depends who you buy from! Raileurope.com is notoriously
    > overpriced - deal with the German railways direct at http://www.bahn.de/

But how? Registration page for purchasing is in German. Wouldnt it be in
English if people from other countries could register and buy their tickets
online? And how would I get the actual tickets?

    > --
    > Arwel Parry
    > http://www.cartref.demon.co.uk/

Thanks,

Eugene.

Jcoulter

"Eugene A" wrote in
news:[email protected]:



    >> No, but it depends who you buy from! Raileurope.com is notoriously
    >> overpriced - deal with the German railways direct at
    >> http://www.bahn.de/
    >
    > But how? Registration page for purchasing is in German. Wouldnt it be
    > in English if people from other countries could register and buy their
    > tickets online? And how would I get the actual tickets?
    >
    >> --
    >> Arwel Parry
    >> http://www.cartref.demon.co.uk/
    >
    > Thanks,
    >
    > Eugene.
    >
    >
    >

Lower your anxiety level a bit. Rail Europe is such a rip that when I had
my travel agency I regularly talked my clients out of purchasing tickets
from them (and I got commission on those inflated tickets) I was just too
afraid that someone would find out what the "real" cost was!

If the German page doesn't have an English version either find someone who
speaks German for you or just wait till you get to Europe. Life is good
take it easy.

Eugene A

Hi Helmut,

"Helmut Uttenthaler" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > If you're travelling with the City Night Line I recommend buying tickets
at
    > http://www.citynightline.ch.
    > Unfortunately this site is not available in English, you can buy (and
print)
    > tickets at "Preise/Buchungen"/"Online buchen und Tickets drucken".
    > The one-way fare in seating car ("Ruhesessel") is EUR 71. Couchette
("Liegen
    > 6er Abteil") is available from EUR 86.
    > A one-way ticket for other trains (EC) should cost about EUR 92 in 2nd
class
    > or EUR 139 in 1st class. You might buy this ticket at Frankfurt main
    > station.

Guys, I do not understand. This is pretty much the same price that
Raileurope is giving me. Why are you saying it is overpriced? My price is
$160 first class. 139 * 1.17 rate is 162. Could it be that prices on
Raileurope website are outdated?

    > --
    > Regards,
    > Helmut Uttenthaler
    > Graz - Austria

Eugene.

Helmut Uttenthaler

"Eugene A" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:[email protected]...
    > Hi Helmut,
    > >
    > >
    > > A one-way ticket for other trains (EC) should cost about EUR 92 in 2nd
    > class
    > > or EUR 139 in 1st class. You might buy this ticket at Frankfurt main
    > > station.
    > Guys, I do not understand. This is pretty much the same price that
    > Raileurope is giving me. Why are you saying it is overpriced? My price is
    > $160 first class. 139 * 1.17 rate is 162. Could it be that prices on
    > Raileurope website are outdated?


Raileurope prices are indeed relatively low actually. Graz - Vienna costs
USD 33, thats EUR 28,1. If bought in Austria it costs EUR 26,9.
The difference used to be much more significant some time ago, but
Raileurope will maybe react soon to the stronger Euro.

However, there is no need to buy tickets in advance. A ticket doesn't
guarantee a seat (even if bought from www.raileurope.com) and is not subject
to availability.
It only might make sense to buy a reservation in advance, but on daytime
trains it shouldn't be a problem to get a reservation 24 hrs before
departure.

BTW, don't forget the USD 15 handling fee of Raileurope!

--
Regards,

Helmut Uttenthaler
Graz - Austria

Brahmama

so glad to find this thread. We are flying to Gatwick London and then
are to take the "Chunnel" to Brussels or Paris to hook up with a train
to Stockholm - using our 15 day Eurail Pass.

I am baffled about the Chunnel - I can mangage (fairly well) after I
get to the continent - and 30 years ago (sigh) we did Eurail trips all
over europe for 25 days. But now we are in our 60's and moving much
slower and I can't seem to remember all the details.

Any suggestions for older train travelers? I expect the obvious - pack
just as light as you possibly can - will surface, but I would like
some more tips and suggestions if available from some kind soul!

We are hoping to go to some places we haven't been before - EG:
Stockholm, Budapest, Athens, Barcelona and then back to Brussels (or
Paris) to chunnel back to London for a 3 night stay.

The only information I have found (and I have done a bunch of
searches) don't tellme how we get from gatwick to the chunnel
connection. And how we get BACK from the Chunnel to London for our 3
night stay.

Any help will be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
Carol


"Helmut Uttenthaler" wrote in message news:...
    > "Eugene A" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > Hey all.
    > >
    > > My situation is that I will travel by train from Frankfurt to Vienna using
    > > this site http://www.raileurope.com/us/ to purchase tickets. Anyone ever
    > > had
    > > bad experiences ordering online?
    > >
    > > Another question. According to this site, Frankfurt Main Hb to Wien
    > > Westbahnhof direct; EuroCity Train service; 14:19 21:35 Vienna 23-EC
    > > Daily,
    > > seems to be cheaper then City Night Line service. Is there a reason for
    > > that?
    >
    >
    >
    > If you're travelling with the City Night Line I recommend buying tickets at
    > http://www.citynightline.ch.
    > Unfortunately this site is not available in English, you can buy (and print)
    > tickets at "Preise/Buchungen"/"Online buchen und Tickets drucken".
    >
    > The one-way fare in seating car ("Ruhesessel") is EUR 71. Couchette ("Liegen
    > 6er Abteil") is available from EUR 86.
    >
    >
    > A one-way ticket for other trains (EC) should cost about EUR 92 in 2nd class
    > or EUR 139 in 1st class. You might buy this ticket at Frankfurt main
    > station.

Eugene A

Hi Helmut.

"Helmut Uttenthaler" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Raileurope prices are indeed relatively low actually. Graz - Vienna costs
    > USD 33, thats EUR 28,1. If bought in Austria it costs EUR 26,9.
    > The difference used to be much more significant some time ago, but
    > Raileurope will maybe react soon to the stronger Euro.

Its not all Raileurope. They are just a travel agency. Its the railway that
makes the most most money and that stands to lose the most from decreased
tourist traffic.

    > However, there is no need to buy tickets in advance. A ticket doesn't
    > guarantee a seat (even if bought from www.raileurope.com) and is not
subject
    > to availability.
    > It only might make sense to buy a reservation in advance, but on daytime
    > trains it shouldn't be a problem to get a reservation 24 hrs before
    > departure.

Well unless reservations made 24 hrs before departure are cheaper, it makes
sense to buy the tickets and reservations at the same. If I buy a
reservation though, I want to make sure that I have a window seat. I wonder
if that is possible. I really do not want to miss the views since I will be
travelling during the day.

    > BTW, don't forget the USD 15 handling fee of Raileurope!

Or course....

    > --
    > Regards,
    > Helmut Uttenthaler
    > Graz - Austria

Thanks Helmut,

Eugene.

Jcoulter

"Eugene A" wrote in
news:3a2262d4c9a6db0cbb60fa2683bf3c2....teranews.com:

    > Hi Helmut.
    >
    > "Helmut Uttenthaler" wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    >> Raileurope prices are indeed relatively low actually. Graz - Vienna
    >> costs USD 33, thats EUR 28,1. If bought in Austria it costs EUR 26,9.
    >> The difference used to be much more significant some time ago, but
    >> Raileurope will maybe react soon to the stronger Euro.
    >
    > Its not all Raileurope. They are just a travel agency. Its the railway
    > that makes the most most money and that stands to lose the most from
    > decreased tourist traffic.
    >
Actually they are a wholesaler and they have made a lot in the past6 with a
mark up of up to 50%. It sounds like they have not adjusted to the drop in
value of the dollar (16% in the last two months alone) if they are even
close to competitive. My experience has been with French and Italian
tickets as well and the seat reservation charge there was over 2x (4USD
versus 10 for TGV reservations).

Eugene A

"jcoulter" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > "Eugene A" wrote in
    > news:3a2262d4c9a6db0cbb60fa2683bf3c2....teranews.com:
    > Actually they are a wholesaler and they have made a lot in the past6 with
a
    > mark up of up to 50%. It sounds like they have not adjusted to the drop in
    > value of the dollar (16% in the last two months alone) if they are even
    > close to competitive. My experience has been with French and Italian
    > tickets as well and the seat reservation charge there was over 2x (4USD
    > versus 10 for TGV reservations).

The price for that route is unavailable on bahn.de. Plus I have less then
three weeks before the trip. Since I dont have the Bahn card I have to have
them sent to my house. Will there be enough time?

Thanks,

Eugene.

Hatunen

On 31 May 2003 10:35:15 -0700, [email protected] (Brahmama)
wrote:

    >so glad to find this thread. We are flying to Gatwick London and then
    >are to take the "Chunnel" to Brussels or Paris to hook up with a train
    >to Stockholm - using our 15 day Eurail Pass.

First advcice: don't call it "chunnel"; it seems to sit with some
the way "Frisco" does to San Franciscans.

We took the Nord Express from Brussels to Copenhage in 1996; it
was a night train, but it is no more. I think you'll hae to
change twice to get to Stockholm. Check it out at
http://bahn.hafas.de (click on English).

    >I am baffled about the Chunnel - I can mangage (fairly well) after I
    >get to the continent - and 30 years ago (sigh) we did Eurail trips all
    >over europe for 25 days. But now we are in our 60's and moving much
    >slower and I can't seem to remember all the details.

Don't worry; I'm over 60 and we get around just fine. No mystery
to the Eruostar under the Channel. You get on the train at London
Waterloo station and you get off in Brussels or Paris. Back when
we did it on the Nord Express we only ahd one change of train, in
Copenhagen: we arrived in the morning and left on another night
train to Stockholm, giving us a day to wander around Copenhagen.

Now it seems you will have to change trains at least three times,
save for the night trains from Brussels or Paris which only
require two changes: Hamburg and Copenhagen.

Since you have a Eurailpass, take the X2000 from Copenhagen. It's
direct and first class is quite nice (we had a Eurailpass, too).

    >Any suggestions for older train travelers? I expect the obvious - pack
    >just as light as you possibly can - will surface, but I would like
    >some more tips and suggestions if available from some kind soul!

There's not really much in the way of tips if you were doing this
all 30 years ago. There tend to be faster trains, and many
require you to make seat reservations with the tickets, but
otherwise ...

    >We are hoping to go to some places we haven't been before - EG:
    >Stockholm, Budapest, Athens, Barcelona and then back to Brussels (or
    >Paris) to chunnel back to London for a 3 night stay.

Las May in Stockholm we stayed at the Queens Hotel on
Drottninggatan, http://www.queenshotel.se/english.htm. Quite
European with the hotel starting on the first level above street
level. Very nice breakfast comes with the room.

Unfortunately, the hotel has seen fit to turn its rooms in en
suite by sticking those modular bathroom units in one corner of
the room, but the original in-the-hall bathrooms are still tehre
and quite nicer.

Drottninggatan (Queens Street) has been made vehicle free and is
rather long, lined with shops and restaurants, and leads right on
down to Gamla Stan, the old town. The hotel is only a few blocks
from the central station, although our cabdriver managed to take
us on a bit of an unwanted tour getting there. Leaving, we
dragged our luggage to the station.

    >The only information I have found (and I have done a bunch of
    >searches) don't tellme how we get from gatwick to the chunnel
    >connection. And how we get BACK from the Chunnel to London for our 3
    >night stay.

Eurostar departs from Waterloo International, which is tacked
onto Waterloo station. Trains from Gatwick come into Victoria
Station, so you need to get from the one to the other. The
Underground can do it, but it's a bit of bummer schlepping your
bags around (although my wife and I do take our bags on the
Underground almost every time we're in London; chacun a son
gout). You'd probably be best served taking a taxi.


************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

Arwel Parry

In message , Eugene A
writes
    >Hi Arwel,
    >"Arwel Parry" wrote in message
    >news:[email protected]...
    >> In message , Eugene A
    >> writes
    >> >Hey all.
    >> >
    >> >My situation is that I will travel by train from Frankfurt to Vienna
    >using
    >> >this site http://www.raileurope.com/us/ to purchase tickets. Anyone ever
    >had
    >> >bad experiences ordering online?
    >> No, but it depends who you buy from! Raileurope.com is notoriously
    >> overpriced - deal with the German railways direct at http://www.bahn.de/
    >But how? Registration page for purchasing is in German. Wouldnt it be in
    >English if people from other countries could register and buy their tickets
    >online? And how would I get the actual tickets?

Go to http://www.bahn.de/ click on "Int. Guests" to bring up the English
page and enter your journey details on the left of the page. Because the
journey is not wholly in Germany the system won't be able to quote you a
price, but they do endeavour to quote the lowest price available except
for a few things like the GutenAbend Ticket, which wouldn't affect your
journey anyway. It's 3 or 4 years since I used their service, but I
ordered the tickets at 9.50 p.m. on a Saturday, I got a confirming email
at 8 a.m. on the Monday, and the tickets arrived in the mail on my
doormat in Britain at 9 a.m. on the Wednesday. How quickly they would
arrive at your house is of course at the mercy of the USPS, but the
German part of the transaction is very efficient! For some ticket types
these days you can actually print them out on your own printer.

--
Arwel Parry
http://www.cartref.demon.co.uk/

Phil Richards

On Sat, 31 May 2003 22:43:12 +0100 Arwel Parry
said...

    > Go to http://www.bahn.de/ click on "Int. Guests" to bring up the English
    > page and enter your journey details on the left of the page. Because the
    > journey is not wholly in Germany the system won't be able to quote you a
    > price, but they do endeavour to quote the lowest price available except
    > for a few things like the GutenAbend Ticket, which wouldn't affect your
    > journey anyway.

Agree www.bahn.de is great for ticket pricing in Germany, but
pretty useless for beyond the German border. A great shame as the
timetabling facility on the site covers most of Europe, the "commercial"
side of the site (i.e. on-line booking = revenue for German Rail) hasn't
been developed to match it.

French Railways - www.sncf.fr which AFAIK is the only European rail site
to offer an on-line pricing and booking facility for journeys beyond its
respective borders might be better in getting a idea of the fare (in
Euros). However, it doesn't offer delivery of tickets to North America,
instead refers you back to www.raileurope.com

--
Phil Richards
London, N4