How does the eurail pass actually work

Be aware there are booking fees associated with each ride—more on that below. A One-Country pass, meanwhile, offers travel within one country or a particular region like Benelux, covering Belgium, the Netherlands , and Luxembourg, or Scandinavia.

Instead, passengers upload the mobile pass into the route planner app while connected to Wi-Fi and organize their trips from there. Once on board, inspectors validate the pass by scanning the barcode in the app. Those digital enhancements have been increasingly popular, especially for U. Ding says the features have added an extra layer of flexibility and convenience for passengers, many of whom now plan trips a few weeks in advance instead of months—one of several pandemic-fueled shifts in buying patterns.

If you have an idea of how many cities and countries you want to visit over a certain number of days, you can price your options both ways—via a rail pass and then point-to-point tickets.

Since you already purchased the pass, you might need to call Eurail to see if they add the Free Child Pass to your current pass. Children aged on their first day of travel, also go for free! A maximum of two children can travel for free with one adult.

If more than two children are traveling with one adult, a separate Youth Pass needs to be purchased for the additional children. Do they mean 8 days in a month or in 30 days? As long as that week in September and October happen within 30 days, you will be fine.

I have a 3 month continuous global pass. I want to use it for my commute to office using s-Bahn in Germany during weekdays and during weekends I want to travel outside Germany using this pass.

Is that fine? OR, can you write them small so two trips fit on one line? Yes, you can. Just be aware that your 30 days or specific length purchase start on the day you activate. With this, you can travel to cities in 10 countries, as long as your Eurail Pass is valid in all the countries you travel through.

The S-Bahn can be recognized by its logo a white S on a green background. Can this benefit be used without burning a travel day? Or can I use this multiple days while I am in Munich to explore the city? If nothing has changed recently, I believe for every day you use the free benefit, you will have to mark a travel day. Actually, this is the current wording on their site:.

First of all, you need to have a Eurail Pass. Got yours? Then you can take advantage of Eurail Pass Benefits during the period that your Eurail Pass is valid. If you have a Flexi Eurail Pass with for example, 7 days of travel within a period of 1 month You may only use free benefits on dates that you have added in the Travel Calendar on your Eurail Pass. If the benefit is a free overnight ferry, you can enter the date of departure or arrival in your Travel Calendar — either option will do!

If you have a Continuous Eurail Pass with for example, travel on every day within a period of 15 days You can take advantage of all our benefits on any date that your Eurail Pass is valid.

To arrange using a benefit, you can contact the individual company in advance or show your Eurail Pass when you book. Some benefits ferry journeys in particular need booking in advance.

Hi Norbert, My husband and I are planning a 3 months Europe trip next year. You have posted your 3 months Eurail route map in this post. Can you share your itinerary? You are so experience, I plan just follow your foot steps. For the three months, I actually used two global passes with 15 travel days, as each lasted two months.

Basically, it started in Greece, went through Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary. Then back to Germany, Switzerland, and ended my trip in Italy. I used my travel days to move between major cities, and decided to book regional train tickets which are cheap to visit smaller cities close to major cities. That is unless I decided to visit that regional city as a day trip on the way to another major city traveling that same day. I usually stayed in major cities for 2 to 3 days maximum since I wanted to cover a lot of ground in just three months.

Basically, with both passes giving me 15 days of travel each 30 days total that averages as one travel day every 3 days. Then, add a travel day for each additional city in each country you want to visit.

Then, if you go over the travel days limit, consider how many regional trains can you purchase separate or how many can you visit using just one travel day as a day trip to reach your intended major city.

Your guide is by far the most comprehensive one Ive read! But still I want to clarify something if you dont mind. If I buy a global pass with 5 travel days, the count of the travel days is not per country right? Because I am confused about the other comments above. Lets say I travelled from Amsterdam to Munich but I stopped at Luxembourg just to visit a church then hopped again and continued to Munich.

So thats 3 countries in one day. That will still be considered as one travel day right? I would still have 4 travel days left? Yes, in your example, it would count as only one travel day if you take all those trains on the same day. I am looking at taking a train from Algeciras to Barcelona over night with 2 stops. Will I have to get off the train during the layovers or can I stay on? I plan to purchase a sleeper cabin spot. Norbert, my wife and I are planning a trip for next summer.

This is all over the course of 23 days. What is your gut feel about whether it would be more economical to buy some form of the Eurail pass versus simply buying tickets on the go? Thanks and sorry for the late reply. Usually, these tend to be a bit expensive when bought independently. Search each ride on RailEurope and note down their cost. Tally them and see how it compares to a Global Pass. From my experience, it could go either way.

The one in Spain, it was cheaper to go with independent tickets, while the one in Italy, the Italy pass ended being slightly cheaper. Norbert I just read your site and find very useful, though I still need your expert advise on my Itinerary, could you please suggest which pass suits the best? I am off to Europe for 5 weeks with my wife and 10YO daughter.

Hi Norbet, We arrive in France in 3 days. I am travelling with a 3 country 8 day pass with my wife and 10 year old. What is the luggage allowance? Also — can I reserve a fare before my pass is activated? I have tried to reserve online for a Paris — Genoa trip but it will not allow me to reserve on the main leg even though it is required.

Can I assume I can do it once in Paris prior to the journey? It is much more relaxed than airlines. Not sure. But yes, you can reserve once in Paris. Great info about the validation of passes! I have a dilemma though. I want to use the pass to get on Eurostar from London to Brussels. The passes were pre-activated when I bought in on the website. My questions are, 1. Does that count as 1 travel day?

I think you might be able, as the validation is a physical stamp, unless things have changed. Thanks for letting me know. It seems that Eurail no longer uses printed timetables and now are using their app which works offline too to find routes and make e-ticket reservations, among other things. You can get the app through this link.

They also have a web based timetable search on their website, should you not have an iPhone or android. Should you still prefer a printed timetable, Eurail now recommends to buy them since they no longer provide them printed. You can check them here.

Thanks Norbert! Five countries… 10 weeks… lots of planning! That sounds like an amazing trip!! Let me know if you need any additional info or have any question! I have a travel plan…. The train leave Hannover at around My travel date is Apr So which date should I consider on my Global pass?

I am still curious as to when we are travelling that day with a Eurail pass that I will not need to purchase anything unless its a reservation train that travel day? So I can basically find a train route and time hop on it and not have any problems? Thank you for your article! It really did help a lot. If no reservation is needed, you can just walk in, grab a seat, and just wait for the train conductor to check your pass.

Have in mind, though, that now some stations have gates before the platform that only open after scanning your ticket. Hi Norbert, First of all let me put it on record that yours is by far the best blog on Eurail passes. My congratulations to you. You have done a great service to the entire world of travellers. We are a family of 3 adults travelling to Europe in April I have a few questions:- 1. The transfer time at Zurich main station is 14 minutes for catching another train to Lucerne and it involves moving from platform numbers 6 to 9 with three large suitcases.

Will it be possible or not? Reservation on Eurail. Regarding your questions: 1. As long as it is not a reserved seat, yes, you can just walk in and sit wherever available within your class — 1st or 2nd. Have in mind, though, that lately some major train station have put some automated gates to access the platforms that open with a valid ticket.

In these cases, you should head to an agent so they produce a valid ticket with your passes. Tough to say, but I think you should be ok. Swiss trains tend to be on time, but delays could happen at any time. I would recommend being ready and standing by the door the moment the train arrives so you can just walk out and change to platform 9.

Hmmm, you should be able to book them through trenitalia. Not sure if the site is glitchy at the moment? Here are some instructions on the Eurail site showing you how to make reservations via trenitalia and even via their app. This is a great guide! The most comprehensive so far. Still, could use some advice.

Traveling as 2 adults and 2 kids, both 9, for 2 weeks. I feel like the Europass is the way to go. And could I make reservations now for a trip in late September? Hi Kelly, thanks! So, Eurail now only has two passes, with are the country-specific passes and the global passes. From the route you mentioned, you will need a global pass — probably a flexipass for either 5 or 7 travel days within a one-month window.

Hi, I have a question regarding the eurail global pass. When I buy online 3 days within 1 month it gives me an option to activate the pass. It needs a starting date though. Is the starting date just the start of the 1 month clock or its considered the first day of the use of the card and I will have 2 more days left?

Seems like back then it could be used for the streetcars, buses, subways and ferries basically anything but a taxi. I was just wondering if that is still the case or even if my memory of me doing that is correct? Not sure if buses are included, but maybe some do. These all depend on the country. Do I go to any kiosk and get them with my Eurail number? Do I have to go to a ticket window and get tickets? Thank you in advance for the help. If you do not need a reservation for that specific train, you just validate the travel day on your pass at the stamp machine at the station, and go straight to the train sit wherever you like.

If you need a reservation, then you must go to a ticket kiosk at the station or purchase it online if available.

Then, just head to the appropriate reserved seat. How do you know if you need a reservation or not? You find that out when checking the routes online on the Eurail website or their app. I am currently 27 and looking to purchase my Eurail Pass in the next couple days. But, I will be 28 by the time I get to Europe. Can I still get a youth pass or will they see my Date of Birth on my passport and wind up charging me full price on all of my train rides?

For the 7 PM rule, if I ride a train in the afternoon on Monday and then later that same day take a 7 PM train to a new city that arrives at 12am on Tuesday, does that count as 2 days travel? Does the answer change if the train arrives at 4 am Tuesday? I believe you should purchase the adult pass as they check your passport and pass when activating the pass.

On the 7 pm rule, if your train after 7 pm arrives after midnight but before 4 am of the next day, it still counts as 1 day, with that day being the day you boarded the train Monday. The original trip was to Germany, but he has also mentioned interest in Scotland, Ireland, and Italy. Could such a trip be done on Eurail Passes in two weeks time with very specific destinations and 3 — 4 days per country?

After the trip my grandson will be going into the military. What tickets would I purchase, etc.? Any help and information would be deeply appreciated! Thank you very much. Hi Rebecca — Apologies on the delayed reply. You can easily spend two weeks just in Germany and Italy which seems to be the easiest option. It also depends on how many cities you wish to visit. You can spend two to three days per major city in each country.

Know that the Eurail pass does not work for Ireland. It does work for Scotland, Germany, and Italy, so for that, I recommend a Global Pass with 5 or 7 days of travel within one month.

My recommendation… if it were me planning this trip. Focus on Germany and Italy. That will keep you busy those two weeks and more! Hi Maureen — Thanks for letting me know. The 7 pm rule is no longer in effect. Now, the travel day that counts on overnight trains is the departure date. Great post. We want to go to Switzerland on the last leg of our journey. My question is … if we used up all 7 days on pass.

Can we still book the freebies train tour in Switzerland? Normally, if the transportation benefit is a discount, it does not count as a travel day, so you can use it at any time. If it is for free like a free ferry , then it does count as a travel day. If the benefit is for tours and other stuff not transportation-related, then it does not count as a travel day either. My 1st visit country is Switzerland, can I validate my Italy pass in Switzerland?

I think you may be able to validate both passes in Switzerland. Should you not be able, ask them what is the best option to validate the Italian pass before crossing the border, or, quite probably depending on the train you take , you will change trains right at the border when crossing from Switzerland to Italy, so you can head quickly to a clerk, validate, and hop on the next train.

Morning Norbert, Thanks. Afraid that time not permitted for the ticket pass validate. I did get advise from agent before make any arrangement and hope to they will help. Anyhow, good to known about ur Globotreks! But do you know what train stations in Paris might sell the Eurail pass? Have in mind, though, that it will cost more, so you might want to check the point by point ticket prices to compare them.

Hi Very good and useful post. I am planning a trip for more than 3weeks -Italy, Switzerland, France. But how can I puchase and get it as I live in Bangladesh? I have days only before starting the journey. So I was checking the shipping info on their site to see if things have changed, and they now ship worldwide! Ask the hotel for permission to use their address too, just in case. Hello Norbert. Good tutorial. When boarding non reservation trains do you just hop on and fill out the pass Tony.

Thanks, Tony! That is correct. For non-reservation trains you can just hop on and fill out the pass. Kudos to you for being available in the comment section for over 7 years and counting. Allow me to share my itinerary. I bought the Eurail Global Pass 7 Days in 1 Month and had to strictly follow the plan because of several accommodations and attractions booking. I will be spending 1 day for most of the cities, and travelling the next morning.

Is registering an account on Eurail website mandatory? However, all of the trips except for one says Reservation Optional. What does that mean? Everybody prioritizes different things when they travel. So, the first thing that you need to ask yourself when considering whether a Eurail pass is worth it is what your 1 priority actually is.

If your travel priority is budget-friendliness…. If your travel priority is budget-friendliness, honestly, there are cheaper ways to travel around Europe than using a Eurail pass. Click here for my roundup explaining different methods. Of course, booking point to point tickets comes with a major downside, which is that they tend to be inflexible and locked to a certain date and time, leaving no wiggle room at all in terms of travel dates.

In most cases, this works out to be cheaper than buying a Eurail pass for the same trip. A wonderful thing about using a Eurail pass is with a few exceptions where reservations are mandatory , you can usually just hop onto the train with your rail pass and take any journey that you want. This is really, really great if you have a more spontaneous travel style or if you just want more flexibility when it comes to your travel plans. In these cases, if I had purchased tickets on the day of, that would have been upwards of euros per ticket, but because of the pass I was able to just go whenever the flowers commanded for about 30 euros per travel day, and it was perfect!

And lastly, if you really value comfort and convenience when you travel, then a Eurail pass may be a good choice for you. Another key factor to consider is that train stations tend to be in the center of cities rather than the outskirts like most airports, which means travelling by train can save you lots of time and money in that regard too. Because of all those factors, I do think that train travel makes sense if your priority is comfort and convenience, and using a Eurail pass can help you save quite a bit of money.

Another key consideration is which Eurail pass you intend to buy. The first distinction that you need to make is in terms of the geographical area that your pass covers.

Please see my disclosure policy for more information. A Eurail Pass sometimes referred to as a Eurorail Pass is the official name of a Europe train pass for tourists. Travelling by train is a fantastic way to get around Europe and if you plan on making a number of train trips, the most economical way to travel could be with a Eurail Pass. As a Eurail Pass holder you have the freedom to hop on and off the extensive rail network as you wish and your pre-purchased Pass means your travel costs are already covered.

A Eurail Pass is a prepaid ticket for train travel in Europe. Eurail Passes cover train travel on a specific number of days that you have nominated in countries covered by your Pass. You determine the number of travel days you require and the countries you wish the Pass to valid in at the time of purchase. Generally speaking, yes, the Eurail Pass covers all trains in the countries for which the pass is valid but there are a couple of exceptions.

Many high-speed trains, such as the TGV, night trains and scenic trains accept Eurail Passes but an additional seat reservation fee is required further details below. Can you use a Eurail Pass on local trains? In most cases, yes, unless the train is on a private line, for example the sector between Eigergletscher and Jungfraujoch.

In these instances, a separate ticket must be purchased. No reservation fees apply. Eurail Pass holders pay only a reservation fee to travel on the Bernina Express train which operates between Chur and Tirano and St.