Last Updated on April 29, 2025 by Alexx
Eurail adventures are an annual fixture in my calendar these days, I got on the bandwagon in 2022 with my first two month Eurail trip and returned in 2023 and again in 2024, with my 2025 trip in the planning stage as we speak.
But I’ll be honest, travelling with a Eurail Pass isn’t as straightforward as just downloading an app and hopping on trains. You need to set your pass up properly, decode Eurail Pass jargon like “seat reservations” and “not in pass network”, figure out where you can actually go, and understand troubleshooting strategies to avoid station meltdowns and keep your trip running smoothly.
“How does Eurail work?” lands in my inbox constantly, which is totally understandable, considering this single train pass covers thousands of train journeys with hundreds of train operators across 33 countries in Europe, all of which do the whole train travel thing a little differently. Cool, cool, cool, not overwhelming at all.
I’m a ‘wing it and learn as you go’ kind of traveller, which is terrible for me but fantastic for you. I make all the travel mistakes so you don’t have to, and my first Eurail trip had plenty of misadventures amongst the adventures! Three trips and 28,000km of European rail travel later, and I can confidently say I’m fluent in ‘Eurail Pass’ 💃🏼
This comprehensive Eurail Pass guide walks you through everything you need to know as a first-time Eurail Pass user: choosing the best Eurail Pass for your trip, setting it up on your phone, booking train tickets, making seat reservations, and navigating European stations like a pro. This is the Eurail Pass explained in full detail, but broken down into easily digestible steps to save you from overwhelm.
If you already know the Eurail basics and are looking for something specific, use the table of contents to skip to the right place for you. If you’re still trying to figure out whether a rail pass is right for you, check out my Is a Eurail Pass Worth It? guide first. And if you think I’ve missed anything important that needs to be added, please let me know in the comments!
Now let’s get your Eurail adventure on track (pun intended), here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use a Eurail Pass.
P.S. If you book your Eurail Pass or Interrail Pass through the links in this post, you can save 10% using the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK 💰
Before you go: Buying a Eurail Pass
Before setting off on your European adventure, you’ll first need to know what type of rail pass to buy and where to buy it from.
Eurail Pass explained: What is a Eurail Pass?
A Eurail Pass is a rail pass that covers your ticket cost on trains and some ferries across 33 countries in Europe (with a Global Pass) or in one country (with a One Country Pass). It gives you unlimited train journeys for a certain number of days, depending on the pass you purchase.
The pass works by:
- Acting as a prepaid train ticket for all trains across the extensive Eurail network
- Giving you unlimited train journeys for a specific number of days (consecutive passes and flexible passes both available)
- Providing ultimate flexibility to change your plans as you go, without worrying about sky-high last minute train tickets
With a Eurail Pass you don’t have to pay for the train fare itself, but on some trains you might still need to pay a small fee for seat reservations.
Eurail vs. Interrail: What’s the difference?
Eurail and Interrail are different names for basically the same product, a rail pass that covers ticket costs across most of the European train network.
The main difference here is that Eurail Passes are for non-European citizens/residents, and Interrail is what a European citizen or resident would buy. Interrail passes are slightly cheaper, but they don’t let you use travel days in your own country except for one inbound and one outbound journey.
If you are a non-European citizen but you live and work in Europe with a residency permit (like a working holiday visa) then you’re able to use an Interrail Pass, you just need to make sure you travel with proof of residency like a residence permit.
Does a Eurail Pass mean all trains are free?
Despite what many travellers assume, a Eurail Pass doesn’t make every European train journey completely free.
While most European trains are covered in the Eurail network, there are two important things to understand:
- Some private train operators aren’t part of the Eurail network. These trains might still come up in your searches on the Eurail app, but it’ll say ‘Not in Pass Network’ to show you that the pass can’t be used on that train. These are rare though!
- Some trains require seat reservations at additional cost, particularly high speed, international and sleeper trains. Most reservations are cheap, like €3-12, but some operators like TGV and Eurostar charge €25-35 for a 2nd class reservation.
How does Eurail work with seat reservations
Most high-speed international trains, all night trains, and many trains in Italy, France, Spain and Portugal require seat reservations, which is an extra fee on top of the ticket price (and the ticket price is covered by your Eurail Pass).
Reservations usually range from between €3-€12, but for operators like Eurostar or for high speed trains within and to/from France, they might cost €25-€35 for 2nd class seats and up to €48 for 1st class seats.
Sleeper train reservation costs depend on the operator and the type of seat, you can usually get normal train seats for a €3-8 reservation, but beds in a shared sleeping compartment might be €20-60 and private cabins might be €60-150+. These reservation costs might seem high, but booking a sleeper train without a Eurail Pass would likely be a lot more expensive.
But there’s good news! The vast majority of trains in Europe are totally free with a Eurail Pass, particularly on regional networks. For these trains, you can simply:
- Show up at the station when you want to travel
- Add the journey to your Rail Planner app
- Board the train
- Show your Eurail Pass QR code to the train staff when they ask for your ticket
With no-reservation-needed trains you can also jump on and off as you wish, so if you like the look of a town you’re stopping at or you just want a bite to eat you can hop off and explore before catching the next train and continuing your journey (just make sure the right trains are added to your app).
If you want to avoid paying seat reservation fees, you can often find ‘no reservation needed’ routes between major cities, they might just take longer and have more connections than the high-speed ‘reservation required’ trains. You can find ‘no reservation needed’ trains easily in the Rail Planner app by toggling on the reservations filter.
This reservation system is one of the most confusing aspects of using a Eurail Pass for first-timers, I have a detailed reservations section later in this How to use a Eurail Pass guide that covers how to book them and tips for different countries.
The Eurail app: Rail Planner
There is a Eurail app called ‘Rail Planner’, this is where you manage your Eurail mobile pass and track all your travel days. With the Rail Planner app you can:
- Connect your mobile Eurail Pass to show to train staff when they ask for your ticket
- Search train connections across Europe
- Keep on top of your travel days
- Add journeys to your trip itinerary
One important (and annoying) limitation: you cannot book seat reservations directly through the Rail Planner app. Seat reservations can be booked on the Eurail website (totally separate to the Rail Planner app) or directly through train operators, which I’ll explain in the ‘On the Trip’ section of this guide.
Eurail vs. point-to-point train tickets: Is a Eurail Pass worth it?
This is without a doubt the most asked question about Eurail passes!
The short answer is that it totally depends on your Europe rail itinerary, and it’s impossible for me (or anyone) to tell you definitively whether a pass is worth it for you without doing all the calculations for your exact trip.
The long answer is in my blog post ‘Is a Eurail Pass worth it?‘, where you can see my full breakdown of my Eurail itinerary.
But here’s the medium-length answer.
A Eurail Pass is worth it if the cost of the pass + the cost of seat reservations is less than the cost of point-to-point train tickets.
If you know your itinerary and travel dates already then you can search your journeys on Rail Europe or Trainline to find the point-to-point prices, then compare these with the cost of the Eurail Pass plus the cost of any seat reservations (which you can find using the Eurail seat reservation tool).
If you know your rough itinerary but don’t know your travel dates yet, I’d recommend searching the journeys and putting the date as 2-3 weeks from now, this way it’ll give you an idea of what the trains might cost if you book closer to your time of travel.
If you have no idea where you want to go and you want total flexibility, a Eurail Pass will almost certainly be worth it for you. Europe train tickets can be super cheap if you book in advance, but prices rise as seats get booked up and last minute trips can be extremely expensive.
A Eurail Pass lets you avoid these last minute prices, meaning you can wing it and explore at your own pace without needing to worry about ticket prices increasing each day you wait.
✅ A Eurail Pass is particularly beneficial for any of these situations:
- You aren’t sure of your itinerary and you want to be flexible to be able to book a few days in advance of each train trip
- You’re planning to visit five or more cities or countries in one trip
- You’d like to tick off some bucket list train journeys, like the Glacier Express or the Santa Claus Express
- You plan on taking the Eurostar and have missed out on the cheap advance tickets
- Some of your journeys are a bit complicated, going between not-so-major cities with multiple stops in between
- You’d like to travel 1st class without paying significantly more for each separate train ticket
- Plus you can get a 10% discount when you buy your Eurail Pass through this link and use the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK 💰
❌ On the contrary, a Eurail Pass probably won’t be worth it for you if a few of the following apply:
- You already know the exact routes and travel dates that you want to book and know that it’s cheaper to book them point-to-point
- You’re only taking a few train trips
- All of your train trips are reasonably short journeys between major transport hubs
- You’re travelling through Eastern Europe and the Balkans (train tickets are cheap and buses tend to be better in many of these countries)
- You’re spending a lot of time in Spain and France, these countries have quite high seat reservation costs so be sure to calculate if a Eurail Pass would save you money
Finding the best rail pass for Europe: What Eurail Passes are there to choose from
There are two types of Eurail Passes to choose from:
- Eurail Global Pass: Covers all 33 countries in the Eurail network
- One Country Pass: Covers a single country for in-depth exploration
The Global Pass comes in two formats depending on your budget and the flexibility you require.
The Flexi Global Pass is what I’ve used for my previous three trips, this one offers you a specific number of travel days within a set period. The options are:
- 4, 5 or 7 days in one month
- 10 or 15 days in 2 months
A ‘travel day’ gives you unlimited train journeys that day, but you need to manage your travel day usage to make sure you’re not wasting them, i.e. if you’re taking one regional train in Italy that’s €6 for a point-to-point ticket, it’s not worth using a travel day.
Flexi Passes are the cheaper option, and if you have a rough itinerary and know approximately how many trains you’ll take, they’re ideal. If you have no idea of your itinerary and want to wing it as you go, a Flexi Pass will require additional planning otherwise you run the risk of either running out of travel days too early, or not using the pass to its maximum value.
P.S. If you book your Eurail Pass or Interrail Pass through the links in this post, you can save 10% using the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK 💰
The Continuous Global Pass gives unlimited travel for a set period (15 days, 22 days, 1 month, 2 months or 3 months), meaning you have full access to the Eurail network once you’ve activated your pass and can change your plans without worrying about wasting a ‘travel day’.
These passes are considerably more expensive, but they give you completely free rein right across the Eurail network and they cover all the little journeys that you’d probably choose to pay for if you had a Flexi Pass. If you’re spending two or three months in Europe and plan to travel extensively by rail, I think a Continuous Pass is the way to go.
With a One Country Pass you can typically choose from 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 travel days in one month, but some countries offer slightly different passes.
You can also choose either a 1st class or 2nd class Eurail Pass, more on that in a second.
Eurail used to have a pass called the ‘Select Pass’ where you could choose 2, 3 or 4 countries and a set number of travel dates, but this was discontinued in 2019, so anything you’ve read about this is well out of date.
NEW: As of April 2025, there’s a sneaky page on the Eurail website that mentions a ‘Eurail Plus Pass‘, saying that it’s coming soon. This pass seemingly includes seat reservation credits to use on high-demand trains like the Eurostar or TGV trains, but there’s not much info on how this works or prices, and it looks like they’re only offering it for the ‘7 days in 1 month’ Global Pass.
TBC if this Pass would actually be worth it but I’ll keep an eye out and update this with more info as soon as I have it!
How much does a Eurail pass cost?
Here are the current prices for adult Eurail Global Passes as of 25 April 2025. Prices typically get updated once a year in December so these should be correct for the rest 2025 but if they’re not then please leave a comment and I’ll update them.
2025 Eurail Global Pass prices
| Pass type | 2nd class | 1st class |
| 4 days in 1 month | €283 | €359 |
| 5 days in 1 month | €318 | €404 |
| 7 days in 1 month | €381 | €484 |
| 10 days in 2 months | €447 | €568 |
| 15 days in 2 months | €553 | €702 |
| 15 days | €476 | €605 |
| 22 days | €586 | €744 |
| 1 month | €696 | €884 |
| 2 months | €826 | €1049 |
| 3 months | €956 | €1214 |
Eurail Pass discounts
You can nab a discount on your Eurail Pass in a few different ways.
💰 The first one is for travellers of all ages, you can get 10% off your Eurail Pass when you buy it through Klook, my go-to travel experiences provider. Just use the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK to get your discount.
The promocode doesn’t work on the direct Eurail website, so you’ll need to book it through Klook to redeem it. Klook has the exact same prices as the direct website plus a better cancellation policy too, you can get a full refund on your Eurail Pass any time before you activate it through your Klook account. If you buy your pass through Eurail directly they charge €19 at the time of booking if you want Refund Protection (for free cancellation), if you don’t buy this and you need to cancel you’ll be charged 10% of the pass. Yikes!
There are cheaper prices for different age groups:
- Youth travellers (12-27) get 25% off standard adult pass prices
- Senior travellers (60+) get 10% off standard adult pass prices
- Up to two children aged 4-11 can travel for free per adult with a Eurail Pass
- Children under 4 don’t need a Eurail Pass
Eurail runs occasional sales throughout the year, typically 10-25%, with the highest discount saved for Black Friday or Eurail birthday sales. Sometimes these sales have travel restrictions though, like not being able to use the pass in the summer months, so always read the T&Cs before you buy.
Paper Eurail Pass vs. mobile Eurail Pass
The Eurail Pass was originally a paper pass with all your personal details printed, your travel start date noted down and a travel diary to record your trip. You can still opt for a paper pass if you prefer.
The pros and cons of a paper pass are:
- You aren’t reliant on internet access to show your ticket (the Rail Planner app needs to be connected to the internet every three days for your ticket to be validated and stay active)
- You get a cool souvenir from your trip
- You have to pay for postage
- You have to set a start date when you buy the pass and if you change it it’s a €15 fee
- You can’t replace the pass if it’s lost or stolen during your trip.
The mobile pass is absolutely what I’d recommend:
- No need to pay for postage or wait for delivery
- Activate the pass anytime within 11 months from the day of purchase
- You can get your pass set up on another device if you lose your phone during the trip
Eurail first class vs second class
Deciding which class of travel you’d like is one of the most important choices when booking your Eurail Pass, because they can offer drastic differences in travel experience. The best option for you will depend on your priorities, travel style and budget.
2nd class
Second class is good for:
- Budget-conscious travellers
- Small travellers who don’t require a lot of space or anyone who doesn’t mind sitting in close quarters to other people
- Couples or groups of friends who want to sit together
- Families with young kids
- People travelling with carry-on only
- Travellers taking fairly short trips
- Travellers comfortable in busier environments
Second class trains typically have two seats on one side of the aisle and two seats on the other side of the aisle, sometimes facing another set of two (so it’s a group of four) and sometimes just facing the backs of the seats in front of them.
Second class coaches are pretty much always busier than first class coaches, obviously because tickets are cheaper. If you’re travelling with a big suitcase then on a busy train in 2nd class you might end up needing to just sit the suitcase in the train aisle, because luggage racks get full quickly and the overhead storage space usually isn’t big enough for large suitcases.
Some operators have WiFi on 2nd class coaches but many don’t, and sometimes you need a European phone number to login to the WiFi so I’d always recommend getting an eSIM or local SIM anyway and not relying on train WiFi to work.
On most operators 2nd class coaches are comfortable enough, it’s the most popular way to travel and it’s a significant step up from the sardine-packed airplanes that you experience with European low coast carriers! But if you want more space, better amenities and less people, consider upgrading to a Eurail first class pass.
1st class
I always travel with a first class Eurail Pass, and in my opinion it is absolutely worth the money if you can afford it.
First class is good for:
- Solo travellers, you can book single seats where you don’t have to sit next to/opposite anyone
- Anyone wanting to use a laptop while travelling because you can book a single seat with your own fold down tray, rather than sharing a table with three others
- People with big suitcases or lots of luggage, I’ve only had to deal with full luggage racks in first class carriages a handful of times on my three trips
- Travellers who want to be able to stretch their legs and enjoy more space
- Anyone taking multiple long train journeys, the upgrade is totally worth it for the extra comfort on long trips
- Anxious travellers or anyone particularly worried about pickpocketing on trains, first class felt safer to me purely because there were fewer people, and pickpockets will always target busy, loud train carriages
As a solo traveller and digital nomad, first class is a game changer for me. The first class coaches usually have a layout of two seats on one side of the aisle and one seat on the other side, with bigger seats and more space between the two side-by-side. As in second class coaches, some seats are face-to-face with others and some seats face the back.
For every trip I take, I try to book a single seat facing the back of the seat in front. This means that I can sit by myself with my own tray, my laptop is never imposing on anyone else nor can anyone next to me see what I’m doing, and I’ve managed to get into a great train work routine where I smash out writing or photo editing each trip.
Some 1st class trains have additional amenities like WiFi, food service, even free movies through an entertainment system, but this all depends on the specific train operator and route.
Eurail Pass alternatives: Other ways to travel Europe
A Eurail Pass is by far the best train pass for Europe if you’re visiting multiple countries and plan to travel by rail most of the time, but for trips focused on a specific country, trips with few train journeys, or trips to non-train-friendly places, these alternatives might be easier on your wallet or your cortisol levels (or both).
Buying point-to-point tickets
Many travellers wonder if booking individual tickets is better than a Eurail Pass, and the answer (broken record incoming) totally depends on your itinerary.
On all three of my trips my Eurail Pass was significantly cheaper vs. buying point-to-point tickets, you can see the calculations in my Eurail Pass budget breakdown, but for shorter trips or for people who don’t wing it like I do then the individual tickets might well come out on top.
There are some important things to know about point-to-point train tickets in Europe though:
- Most high speed and international train tickets in Europe are priced dynamically based on demand, similar to airlines
- If you book when tickets are first released (2-6 months ahead of travel depending on the operator) you’ll get the cheapest tickets, with prices increasing as it gets closer to the travel date and as more people book seats
- Last minute prices on some routes can be wild, like 4-5x the price vs. booking early 😲
- The cheap point-to-point tickets are often non-refundable and non-changeable, so you will need to take that exact train at that exact time
- More expensive tickets bought closer to the departure date often come with more flexible conditions
- Trains in Eastern Europe/the eastern side of Central Europe are usually pretty cheap even for long-haul and international trains, so even if you have a Eurail Pass you might want to save a travel day and buy point-to-point tickets for these
If you know your exact route and travel days ahead of time then point-to-point tickets can end up being very cost effective, and you can easily calculate train costs vs. Eurail seat reservation fees to ensure you’re making the best decision.
If you want to have the freedom to choose when and where to travel only weeks or days before you go, rather than months in advance, a Eurail Pass gives you that flexibility without needing to stress about being stuck paying huge fees for last minute train tickets.
I’ve done a deep dive into Eurail vs. point-to-point (complete with calculations, example itineraries and my actual budget breakdown from my trip) in my ‘Is a Eurail Pass worth it?‘ blog post.
You can buy point-to-point tickets from local operator websites, from train stations in person, or from an aggregator like Rail Europe or Trainline.
Buying a Swiss Travel Pass
Eurail offers One Country Passes for 30 different countries if you’re travelling in-depth in a single country rather than exploring multiple, but Switzerland isn’t one of them.
This is because Switzerland have their own travel passes:
- The Swiss Travel Pass covers all trains, buses and boats on the Swiss Travel System network, free access to loads of museums + gives 25-50% off lots of mountain excursions
- The Swiss Half Fare Card gives a 50% discount on all trains, buses and boats as well as 50% off most mountain railways and cable cars
- Regional passes like the Jungfrau Travel Pass or Lake Lucerne Tell Pass offer extensive coverage within a particular region
Switzerland’s own passes cover a lot more than a Eurail Pass. The Eurail Pass covers trains throughout Switzerland (usually reservation-free except for the panoramic trains like the Glacier Express) and covers some lake boats too, but the Switzerland passes include free or discounted travel on trains, buses and boats, public transport in 90 cities, and equal or better discounts on mountain excursions like the famous Jungfraujoch and Gornergrat mountain railways.
If you’re planning on doing a significant amount of travel in Switzerland and not much in other countries, one of these might end up being more cost effective than a Eurail Pass. Or if Switzerland is at the start or the end of your trip, you could consider getting a Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card to cover your time there, and then getting a shorter Eurail Pass for the rest of your trip.
Cheap bus tickets
If saving money is more of a priority than saving time for your Europe trip, you may find it significantly cheaper to travel by bus. Bus is also easier in many countries, particularly in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. A bus-train combo is also an option for many journeys in Europe to make the most of both your time and your money.
FlixBus is probably the best-known budget bus operator in Europe, but I’d recommend using a search tool like Omio or Trainline (be sure to click the ‘coach’ filter to see buses) which can show you the cheapest and fastest routes.
Hiring a rental car or campervan
If you want absolute freedom to explore wherever you please, from rural villages to remote mountain towns to hidden gem beaches that are well off the beaten track, hiring your own vehicle is your best bet.
Hiring a car or campervan in Europe can be expensive, but if you book in advance and can share the cost with a travel buddy or buddies then it’s worth looking into. Just be sure to get an international driving permit before you leave home, as some European countries won’t let you hire a car without one, and if they let you hire a car, you might be stung with a police fine if you’re caught.
Travelling on a group tour
For my first visit to Europe as a solo traveller I decided to travel on a Contiki tour, and I had the time of my life! I wasn’t super well-travelled at that stage so I wouldn’t have been confident enough to travel solo by train for a month, but a group tour was the perfect way to see the main tourist spots, make new travel friends and not have to worry about planning a huge trip myself.
If you’re keen for social group travel by bus with travellers between 18 and 35-39, some of the popular tour companies are Contiki, Topdeck and Travel Talk.
For solo travellers wanting a more mature group, FTLO Travel runs group tours for 25-39 year olds and Flashpack has tours for travellers in their 30s and 40s.
For tours with strong focus on culture or adventure, check out Intrepid Travel and G Adventures.
For sailing trips through the Mediterranean I am a huge fan of Medsailors, but you could also check out Yacht Week and Sail Croatia.
Flying on low-cost airlines
Europe’s low-cost carrier flights often end up being cheaper than trains to get from A to B, if you’re happy with a basic seat-only ticket. This is great news for budget travellers, not so great news for the environment.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve travelled throughout Europe on plenty of cheap flights. When I lived in London we often would find return flights for less than £40 to go away for a weekend, there’s no way a train journey could compete with that in terms of travel time or cost. The cheapest flight I ever took was £13 return from London to Krakow on Ryanair!
Flying does come with additional costs though, both monetary and otherwise. The super cheap fares are often extremely basic, sometimes only allowing a seat and a bag under the seat in front of you. You always need to pay extra to check in a bag, and sometimes you need to pay extra even just to have a bag in the overhead locker. Take these costs into account before settling on flights over trains.
You also need to consider the cost of getting to and from the airport, as many European airports are located out of the city, and some low cost carriers even use secondary airports that are even further away.
Train stations on the other hand are usually in the central city with fantastic access to fast and efficient public transport, and you can arrive only 20-30 minutes before your train, rather than two hours ahead of a flight.
And then there’s the elephant in the room, the carbon footprint of flying vs. trains.
I’m never going to demonise people for flying, as a travel blogger it’s a necessary evil of my job, and as an expat from an island country tucked into a little corner of the world, my life will always involve annual trips home. But I’m certainly more aware of my carbon footprint now than when I first began travelling, and for continents like Europe where trains are efficient, cost-effective and comfortable, rail travel will always be my first choice provided the journey fits into my budget and timeframe.
If you need to get between two destinations that are far apart or that have tricky train connections, check out your flight options and don’t let the guilt consume you, it’s about making a conscious choice based on your priorities. After all, you’re not Kylie Jenner taking a private jet for a one hour drive, and you’re not a high-flying CEO who flies first class between New York and London on a weekly basis.
But if you’re just wanting to get from two major hubs with easy train journeys running throughout the day, consider saving yourself the stress of the airport, avoiding extra baggage fees and enjoying countryside views for half a day to get to where you need to be.
Other benefits of using a Eurail Pass
Travelling with a Eurail Pass also gives you some extra benefits on hotels, hostels, activities, public transport, city cards, luggage storage and more in various cities around Europe, which you can see in the Eurail benefits portal.
I haven’t ever used any of these while travelling, to be honest I always forget about them and the portal isn’t great for user experience, but it’s worth checking if there are any deals that might save you money.
Getting started: How to set up and activate your Eurail Pass
You can activate your Eurail Pass through the Rail Planner app, available on Android 6.0 or later and iOS 16.0 or later (and if you don’t have access to a phone that meets these requirements then a paper pass would be your best bet).
Step 1: Adding your Eurail Pass to the Rail Planner app
- Open the Rail Planner app and go to ‘My Pass’
- Tap the ‘+’ sign in the top corner
- Enter your last name and Pass number (this will be in your confirmation email or in the voucher details on your Klook account if you’ve booked through them, it’s a six-character code like ABC123)
Your Pass is now connected to the app and you can find it in ‘My Pass’.
Step 2: Connecting a trip to your Pass
- Click ‘Create a new trip’
- Name your trip something descriptive in case you use another Eurail Pass in the future (I go for ‘Europe 2025’)
- Connect it to your Pass
- If you’re travelling with a friend/partner/in a group, it is possible to keep all your passes on one phone as long as you will be travelling together for every journey. To do this you need to add each pass, create a trip for each person (e.g. ‘Alexx 2025’ + ‘Sarah 2025’) and connect each pass to the relevant trip. If you try to connect a pass to a trip that’s already connected to someone else’s pass, the app will crash and it won’t give you an error to explain what you did wrong, but this is why!
Step 3: Activating your Pass
- Enter your passport number (ticket inspectors might ask to see ID)
- Choose your start date (you can do this any time before you travel and up to 11 months after you bought the Pass, so if you don’t know for sure what day you need your Pass to start then just leave this last step until you know)
I only had my ID checked a few times during my two month Eurail trip but you should always keep your passport in whatever bag you have close to you on the train for this reason and for safety, rather than packing it in a big suitcase or backpack in the luggage storage area.
Understanding Eurail seat reservations
I briefly touched on seat reservations earlier in this Eurail guide, but I’ll give you a more detailed explanation on how to reserve seats with a Eurail Pass now that you’re ready to actually start booking your trip.
This seat reservation system is one of the most confusing aspects of using a Eurail Pass for first-timers, from figuring out what trains need them, to how to book them in the first place, to how to avoid them altogether. This section will cover what seat reservations are, when you need to book them, what optional seat reservations mean, how much they cost on average, and then the next section will explain in detail how to book them.
What are seat reservations?
Seat reservations guarantee you a specific seat on a train. Eurail Passes cover your train fare, but some trains require an additional reservation fee to secure your spot on that journey, especially high-speed, international and overnight trips.
Seat reservations are also available for non-rail-pass passengers on some trains, i.e. normal travellers booking point-to-point tickets. Some point-to-point tickets in Europe include the seat reservation in the ticket fee, some can be booked for an additional cost on top of the ticket, some don’t have the option for seat reservations at all and all travellers are either given a seat or get to sit wherever they want, it really depends on the train you’re taking.
Another term for ‘seat reservations’ is ‘passholder fare’, this is used by Rail Europe and B Europe and just refers to seat reservations for rail pass travellers, so don’t let this confuse you.
What types of trains require seat reservations?
- Most high speed trains (TGV in France, AVE in Spain, Frecciarossa in Italy etc.)
- Many international long-haul trains
- All sleeper trains
- Some scenic/panoramic trains like Switzerland’s Glacier Express and Bernina Express
What countries require seat reservations?
Different countries have vastly different reservation requirements for Eurail Passholders.
The best countries for domestic Eurail travel are Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, the UK, Belgium, Czechia, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden, where reservations are either not needed or very cheap.
Portugal trains only have cheap reservation fees but annoyingly you can only make them at a station in Portugal, you can’t reserve them online.
Spain, Italy and France in particular are notorious for having expensive seat reservation fees on many of their trains, so if you are planning on travelling through these countries I’d recommend finding out if a Eurail Pass is worth it by checking your itinerary and what it would cost outright, vs. what you’d pay for the pass and seat reservations. The high speed intercity trains in these countries can be very expensive for last minute tickets though, so *often* a Eurail Pass is still worth it for additional flexibility.
How much do seat reservations cost?
Prices vary by country, operator and the type of train.
- Most local and regional trains in Europe don’t require any reservations
- Most trains within Switzerland, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark are no-reservation-needed, but you could choose to purchase a reservation for €3-6 if you want to guarantee a seat on a busy route
- Reservations for are mandatory for most intercity trains in Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Portugal, Norway and Sweden but they’re cheap, even for international journeys, generally €1-7
- Standard reservations on intercity services (not high speed) in Italy and Spain are typically €3-7
- High speed trains in Italy, Spain and France can have reservation fees of €10-20 per journey
- International high speed trains between France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK can cost €10-45
- Some panoramic trains in Switzerland like the Glacier Express and Bernina Express have mandatory reservations
- Sleeper train reservations depend on the seat/bed you choose and the operator, normal seats might have reservation fees of €3-8 but shared cabins could be €20-40 and private sleepers can be €70-150
How do you know what trains need a reservation?
Super easy, just search the route you’re taking on the Rail Planner app and in the results page it’ll say one of the following:
- Seat reservations required (you cannot take this train without paying for a reservation)
- Seat reservations recommended (busy routes, if you don’t have a seat reservation you can still catch the train but might have to stand in the aisle or move seats as people get on and off)
- Seat reservations optional (book a seat if you want to guarantee a window seat or particularly carriage but it’s not necessary)
- Nothing (if it doesn’t mention seat reservations at all then you don’t need them)
How do you find no-reservation-needed trains?
Also easy! In the Rail Planner app there’s an easy filter to show you trains that don’t require a seat reservation.
How do you book Eurail seat reservations?
There are a bunch of different ways to book seat reservations depending on the train you’re wanting to catch, some common reservation methods are:
- The Eurail website
- Local train operators
- Rail Europe
- b-europe
- In person at train stations
You can easily see the reservation methods available in the Rail Planner app or on the Eurail website, just find the journey you want and click ‘how and when to book’.
*But* you can’t book seat reservations on the Rail Planner app
There’s one reeeeeally important thing to understand before we continue, you cannot make seat reservations through Rail Planner app. Yes, the app is the official Eurail app, but it does not integrate with any seat reservation systems. You can search for journeys, find the reservation methods available, and add that train journey to your pass, but this doesn’t guarantee you a seat.
To make things more confusing, you can book seat reservations on the Eurail website, but this is completely separate from the Rail Planner app and you need to create different accounts for each of them. More on that in the step-by-step reservations section below.
Easy option: Booking seat reservations on the Eurail website
The Eurail website has a centralised reservations system where you can search journeys, find the possible reservation methods, and book your seats then and there for eligible journeys, including most reservation-needed or reservation-optional trains within and to/from France, Italy, Germany and Austria.
There are pros and cons with this way of doing it, the pros being:
- User-friendly interface in English
- Keep all your reservations in one easily accessible account
- Avoids language barriers or having to navigate 20+ different local train operator websites
- Access to English-speaking customer support
But the cons are:
- Eurail adds a €2 service fee per reservation, so a €3 reservation becomes €5, and if one trip includes three reservation-required journeys that’s €6 in fees
- Can’t book specific seats or carriages (like the quiet carriage or family zone)
- Couples or groups may not get seats next to each other, Eurail’s seat reservation system doesn’t necessarily assign couples/duos/groups together even if you’re reserving them at the same time
Cheap option: Booking seat reservations directly with operators
A handful of train operators in Europe allow you to book seat reservations directly on their website, with the easiest ones being ÖBB (Austria) and DB (Germany). I’ve explained how to book reservations through both of these in more detail in the next section.
The benefits of booking through local operators are:
- They won’t charge an additional booking fee like Eurail, saving €2 per journey
- If you book with the primary operator you can usually select specific seats and carriages, or at least make requests for single seats/window seats etc. If you’re booking through a partner operator then this might not be possible though.
- Websites might not be in English or translations might be clunky
- Customer service might not be able to help in English if something goes wrong
- Some websites might require you to make an account which is just extra hassle
- Most websites will email you your seat reservation details, but there have been times where I haven’t received an email and didn’t write down the details from the booking page, and I had to talk to customer service at the train station to find what seat I booked
This is my preferred way of making seat reservations these days because I’m clued up on how the various operator websites work, but if you’re a Eurail first-timer and don’t mind the extra booking fee then the Eurail website is more straightforward.
How far in advance can you book seat reservations?
Seat reservations can usually be booked around three months in advance, some operators open them slightly earlier, some slightly later.
For my Eurail trips from September to December I’ve never had issues with making reservations within 7-10 days for most trains, but if you’re travelling in the summer months, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, or on popular routes like France high speed trains, Switzerland panoramic trains or night trains, you’ll need to book further in advance to avoid missing out.
Seat reservations vs. ‘additional supplements’
Some trains in Europe charge an additional supplement which is different to compulsory seat reservations. The supplement might be for use of a cabin on an overnight train, for a high season/summer journey, or for some specific train journeys like the EuroCity Brenner Route in Italy (which has a supplement of €10 for 2nd class and €15 for 1st class).
If a train has an additional supplement it’ll tell you on the Rail Planner app or Eurail website.
How to book Eurail seat reservations: Step-by-step guide
Booking seat reservations with your Eurail Pass might seem complicated at first, but these step-by-step instructions will help you navigate the process smoothly whether you’re booking through Eurail’s website, a local operator, Rail Europe or on the ground at the station.
P.S. If you book your Eurail Pass or Interrail Pass through the links in this post, you can save 10% using the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK 💰
How to book seat reservations through the Eurail website
The Eurail website lets you book most trains that require reservations in Italy and France + most international trains between Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and Austria. If you’re wanting to book a reservation and the Eurail website doesn’t have the option to book it, click ‘more information’ below that train to find other ways to book.
Setting up your Eurail website account
(If you bought your Eurail Pass directly through the Eurail website you can skip steps 1 & 4 as your pass will already be connected to your account)
- Create an account on the Eurail website (remember the website is not connected at all to the Rail Planner app)
- Click on the account menu in the top right corner and click ‘My Trips & Travelers’
- Create a trip and name it something descriptive like ‘Europe 2025’
- Under that trip, click ‘Add a traveler’ and fill out the details to connect your Pass
- Your Eurail website account is now set up to make reservations!
Booking seat reservations through Eurail’s website
- Go to Eurail’s seat reservations booking platform
- Select the relevant trip and traveller/s that you’re booking for
- Search the journey and find the train you want to book
- If it’s bookable on the Eurail website it’ll show you prices with a select circle next to it
- Select the reservation you want and click ‘Add to cart’
- Complete traveller details and place the order
- You’ll receive an email from Eurail with your seat reservation details including the carriage and seat, these are also accessible in your Eurail website account at any time
- I’d recommend setting up a spreadsheet to track all your trains if you haven’t already, this way you can easily manage the reservations you’ve booked so far, know what trains you need to book next, and I also like noting down point-to-point ticket prices for each journey so I know how much my Eurail Pass is saving me!
Booking seat reservations on Rail Europe
Rail Europe is a trusted rail aggregator that sells train tickets throughout Europe, as well as Eurail Passes and Interrail Passes, and seat reservations for some trains. They’re a French company so their main coverage for seat reservations is within and to/from France, so you can use their website to book seats on the Eurostar, high speed TGV services connecting France with Italy, Switzerland and Spain, and more.
💡 Helpful to know: The term Rail Europe uses for ‘seat reservations’ is ‘passholder fare’, this is because French trains
To book seat reservations on Rail Europe, follow these steps:
1. Go to Rail Europe’s website and fill out your journey details
2. Click ‘Add rail pass’ and select the relevant pass
3. Click search
4. It’ll show you what trains can be reserved through Rail Europe, select the journey you want to book
5. If you have a 1st class pass it will give you a dropdown field to select if you want a 2nd class or 1st class reservation (and prices may be different)
6. For some trains you can put in your seat preference (aisle/window, upper deck/lower deck for duplex trains, etc.) but these aren’t guaranteed
7. Add in your details and your Eurail Pass number, the pass doesn’t need to be activated, it’ll just validate that the pass exists
8. Add to your basket and purchase it, all sorted!
Note: If you search your route and it says ‘Reservation is not possible for the whole journey, please split your search’, this means the journey is made up of multiple trips and you can only purchase a seat reservation for certain segments on Rail Europe. Click into the fare and it’ll show you what segments can be reserved on Rail Europe and what segments either can’t be reserved or don’t require a reservation, then change your search to only show the segment that is possible to reserve on here.
Booking seat reservations through ÖBB
Austria’s national train company ÖBB offers a user-friendly reservation system for most trains within/to/from Austria, as well as some trains between Switzerland and Italy.
Some of these trains require reservations, some are optional but recommended for peak travel times, some don’t require any reservations at all but you can choose to reserve if you want a specific seat or carriage, and some require additional supplements but no seat reservations.
There is a way to make passholder reservations through their website and it’s not what you’d expect, so read this carefully!
1. Go to https://shop.oebbtickets.at/en and put your journey into the search box
2. Do not tick the box that says ‘seat reservation only’
3. Instead, in the box that says ‘1 x adult’, click ‘change’, add however many travellers you’re booking for, and under each one click ‘add discount’, search for Eurail, click ‘Confirm’ and then ‘OK’
4. Now search your journey and it’ll show you the price for any required reservations or passholder supplements. The price should be €2 cheaper than what it comes up with on the Eurail website.
5. Select the train you want and it’ll take you to the ‘Our fares and products’ page which will explain the reservation details, e.g. what the reservation costs, if there’s an additional supplement, etc.
6. In the ‘Extras’ section you can tick if you want a 1st class seat (only tick this if you have a 1st class Eurail Pass otherwise you’re not eligible to reserve a seat in the 1st class carriage) and if you want to reserve a seat
7. Some trains will allow you to choose an exact seat with the train seat map, some will ask you for your preference of carriage (e.g. family, quiet, etc.) and seat (window, aisle, with a table etc.)
8. Confirm your booking, pay the money and you’re all sorted! Take a photo or screenshot of the confirmation page just to make sure you have the details of your booking, ÖBB will send it in an email too but my ÖBB emails always went to spam (and it took me a few train trips to realise!) so it’s a good habit to get into just in case.
Booking seat reservations through DB (Deutsche Bahn)
Similar to ÖBB, Germany’s national railway operator has a user-friendly system for seat reservations on most trains within/to/from Germany.
It’s super easy:
1. Go to https://int.bahn.de/en (make sure you’ve got the English website and not the German one with automatic translations)
2. Put in your journey and toggle on ‘Book seat only’
3. It’ll show you all journeys, click into ‘Details’ to see if the journey is available to reserve
4. Select the journey you want and it’ll take you to the seat reservation page. Some trains will let you select a seat from the seat map but some will automatically select a seat for you (this happens if DB is a partner operator rather than the primary operator, a bit like how code-sharing works with airlines).
6. Add your passenger details and make the booking
💰 Money-saving tip: Unlike most operators who charge a seat reservation fee per train journey, DB charges a single fee of €5.20 for 2nd class or €6.50 for 1st class for the whole trip, even if there are three separate journeys to get you from A to B. So for single trips that are also bookable on other operator websites like ÖBB you’d be best to book a €3 reservation through them instead, or for a route with three separate trains it’s best to book via DB for €5.20 instead of via ÖBB which would cost €9.
Booking seat reservations at train stations
You can book seat reservations for many reservation-required or -optional trains at ticket desks in any European train station, even if you’re in a different country to the trip you’re wanting to book. This means if you’re starting your Europe trip in Milan you could go to the station with your list of trains, and reserve a bunch of them there and then.
There are some exceptions to this rule though, like Portuguese trains only being able to be booked in Portugal itself, it’ll let you know if this is an option on the Rail Planner app under ‘How to book this train’ for the journey you’re wanting to take.
Self-service ticket machines at train stations sometimes offer reservation-only bookings but many don’t, you can try find out by adding a discount and searching for Eurail on there.
Some train companies also allow you to book over the phone, but these calls can sometimes cost per minute, have long waiting times to reach an English-speaking representative, and I had a few issues where my non-EU credit card wasn’t accepted for payment.
Booking Eurail seat reservations for night trains
How to make sleeper train reservations depends on the operator. Most sleepers can also be booked on the Eurail website but the Eurail website doesn’t always show all seating/bed options (e.g. women-only couchettes or idfferent sized berths) so I’d recommend booking with the operator instead.
⚠️ Important: Night trains in Europe can get booked up well in advance, especially during weekends, school holidays and around public holidays. If you’re relying on a night train during your Europe trip then you need to prioritise getting this locked in as early as possible, most night trains can be booked between 2-6 months in advance.
Here are the best ways to book the main night trains in Europe:
- ÖBB Nightjet trains can be booked on the ÖBB website or the Nightjet website (highly highly recommend a Mini Cabin on the new generation Nightjets, my favourite sleeper train in Europe as a solo traveller!)
- European Sleeper trains can be booked on their website
- EuroNight trains connect lots of cities in Central Europe and can usually be booked via ÖBB or CD
- Swedish night trains (like the epic Stockholm to Narvik train I took during my three weeks in Scandinavia) can be booked through SJ, just toggle on ‘Travel card’ and select Eurail from the dropdown
- The Caledonian Sleeper from London to Scotland can be booked on their website, tick ‘Room Supplement only’
- InterCity Notte night trains in Italy can be booked on Rail Europe (only seats or private sleepers for 1-2 people, no shared couchettes/cabins), ItaliaRail (seats, shared couchettes/cabins and private sleepers for 2 people, but you can’t book a 1-bed private sleeper for solo travellers on here, shows USD only) or the Eurail website (seats, mixed/female-only couchettes which are called ‘promiscuo’ and ‘donna’ respectively, and private sleepers)
- Intercités de Nuit night trains in France are best booked on Rail Europe which clearly lists the different cabin options, you can also book on the Eurail website or b-Europe but it’s not clear whether you’re booking a 4- or 6-berth cabin
- The Snälltåget night train from Stockholm to Germany should be bookable through the Snälltåget website but it wouldn’t accept my mobile Pass reference or the Pass Cover number I generated (info on that here) so you might need to book this by calling Snälltåget customer service, more info here
- The Santa Claus Express night train from Helsinki/Turku up to Finnish Lapland can only be booked at the station or by calling VR (Finnish Railways), more info here
- Night trains between Romania, Bulgaria and Türkiye can only be booked at the station
And some important info to help you prepare for night trains:
- Sometimes night train reservation prices are dynamic, early bookings will get the best deal but as the train get booked up the reservation fee will get more expensive
- Typical pricing for early bookings in Western Europe would be €3-12 for a normal seat, €20-60 for a bed in a shared sleeper cabin, and a private sleeper from €60-120 per person. Central and Eastern countries like Poland, Romania, Serbia and Czechia will be cheaper.
- If you want a ladies only cabin then you’ll probably need to book through the rail company that operates the train, these aren’t always available to book on the Eurail website or even at the train station for some reason!
Seat reservation overview for specific countries
The Man in Seat 61 (a brilliant rail website) has an extremely in-depth seat reservations guide which has all the information you’ll ever need about reservations, super helpful but slightly overwhelming. If that’s too much info for you then here’s a more basic overview of my experience with reservations in different countries throughout my three Eurail adventures.
Keep in mind that the prices I list here are based on reservations only, not including the additional €2 fee that Eurail charges if you make the reservation on the Eurail website.
Italy
- There are lots of different train types in Italy but these are the main ones to know: R & RV are regional trains, IC are intercity slow trains, ICN (InterCity Notte) are intercity night trains, Frecce trains are high-speed Trenitalia trains (the national operator, covered by Eurail) and Italo high-speed trains (a private operator and competitor to Trenitalia, these are not covered by the Eurail Pass so don’t accidentally get on one!)
- Most regional trains in Italy don’t require reservations but are also very cheap, it’s almost never worth using a Eurail travel day for these (but if you’ve got a consecutive pass then by all means go for it)
- InterCity train seat reservations cost €3 per train journey
- Frecce high-speed trains have mandatory reservations for €10-13 per train journey
- EuroCity trains between Northern Italy & Switzerland are €13
- Railjet Brenner trains between Italy & Austria/Germany have optional reservations but a mandatory supplement, €10 for 2nd class or €15 for 1st class if you book online before the trip, or you can buy the supplement onboard (this is meant to cost €5 extra but I recently took this trip, sat in a 1st class unreserved seat, and only had to pay €15 so they didn’t charge me the onboard fee, not sure if this is a change or if they made a mistake!)
- High-speed TGV train journeys between Milan/Turin and Paris cost €31 for 2nd class and €45 for 1st class
- The local railway company (Trenitalia) doesn’t have a way to book seat reservations on their website, but you can book reservations at oebb.at to avoid the Eurail website’s booking fee
- The panoramic Bernina Express train from Tirano in Italy to Chur/St Moritz in Switzerland requires reservations from 28-36CHF and seats do get booked up in advance, more info in my Bernina Express guide
Switzerland
- Most trains in Switzerland don’t require any seat reservations, even the Switzerland segments of high-speed trains are no-reservation-needed and you can just sit in any unreserved seat
- Panoramic trains for tourists (like the famous Glacier Express and aforementioned Bernina Express) require seat reservations which can be pricey, but the Eurail saving on these trains is significant so I think they’re still worth it
- If you want to do the panorama routes without paying the expensive reservations you can find local trains that run on the same route for free, you’ll just need to change trains at a few stations along the way
- Mountain railways and cable cars up to alpine viewpoints aren’t included in Eurail Passes but many of them offer Eurail discounts of 25-50%
- If you’re spending a lot of time in Switzerland then it might be better value for you to buy a Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Half Fare Card for your Swiss adventures and then a shorter Eurail Pass or just point-to-point tickets outside of Switzerland
- EuroCity trains between Northern Italy & Switzerland are €13
- Reservations for the TGV-Lyria high-speed trains from Switzerland into France are expensive, €29 for 2nd class and €39 for 1st class (and if you need a high-speed connecting train within France to/from Paris that’s another €10-20)
- But there are slow regional trains with no reservations needed that service some cross-border routes, like Geneva-Lyon and Basel-Mulhouse
- I highly recommend the fairly under-the-radar scenic route from Zurich to Graz (EC163/164), it runs once a day with panoramic 1st class carriages with no reservation required (but €3 if you want to guarantee a window seat) and it’s got some of the most epic scenery of any train fully covered with the Eurail Pass
France
- Train tickets in France can be veeeery expensive but so can seat reservations. If you’re booking in advance then you might find it better value to just book the ticket outright and not use a travel day, but I’ve saved hundreds of €€€ on last minute trains in France despite the high reservation costs.
- On my most recent trip for my barge cruise in Burgundy a friend and I stupidly left our Lyon to Nice train booking to the last minute, she paid €100 for a 2nd class seat (1st class would’ve been €139 🫠) but I got my 1st class seat reservation for just €20
- Regional TER trains do not require seat reservations, you can find a way from A to B in many parts of France using the TER network but these trains are old and slow and may require multiple stops compared to the high-speed, direct trains
- For TGV high-speed trains within France they have limited rail pass seats available for €10, then once these are sold out the seat reservations go up to €20 until the train has sold out of all seats
- Some high-speed international trains to/from France have limited numbers of ‘passholder fares’ (i.e. seat reservations for Eurail travellers), so seat reservation booking systems might say there are no seats available even though you can see normal point-to-point tickets are still for sale. There’s nothing you can do here, once passholder seats are gone they’re gone, you need to find another route or travel on another day. This is the case for Eurostar trains as well as TGV trains to Spain and Italy amongst others, so for these trains it’s super important to book in advance.
Spain
- Reservations for trains within Spain used to only be bookable at Spanish train stations, but as of 2025 many trains within/to/from can be reserved on Rail Europe or the Eurail website
- Eurail Passes cover all Renfe trains within Spain (the national operator)
- Almost all trains in Spain require seat reservations that cost between €4-€13 per journey
- From 1 April 2025 Eurail’s Spanish coverage expanded to include Iryo (competitor to Renfe) high-speed trains between major Spanish cities
- For TGV trains from Barcelona to Paris seat reservations cost €25 for 2nd class and €35 for 1st class
- When I booked my train on this route back in November 2022 there was no e-ticket option and it only offered a paper ticket which had a €9 delivery fee and required a postal address which I obviously didn’t have as I was travelling. Not ideal! To get around this I called SNCF (their contact details are here, press #85 for English) and booked through them, but they wouldn’t accept my New Zealand or Australian credit/debit cards, they only accept USA/UK/Europe cards over the phone. Luckily I have a UK Monzo card! From what I can see the e-tickets are now accepted on this route so hopefully this is no longer a problem.
Portugal
- I haven’t travelled through Portugal with a Eurail Pass yet, but it’s on my list for my 2025 trip!
- Regional trains don’t require reservations but high-speed intercity trains have a €5 reservation fee and can only be booked at train stations in Portugal
Austria
- Almost all daytime ÖBB trains within Austria are totally free with your Eurail Pass, with an optional €3 reservation if you want to guarantee a seat on busy routes (like Friday evenings for example)
- Westbahn is a private railway operator that is also available to rail pass holders and reservations are optional, €4.90 for standard class or €9.90 for comfort class if you have a 1st class pass
- Austria has train links to many different countries (Hungary, Czechia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany etc.) and the reservation fees (if any) vary depending on the route, best to search your journey on the Eurail website for correct info
- Railjet Brenner trains between Italy & Austria/Germany have optional reservations but a mandatory supplement, €10 for 2nd class or €15 for 1st class if you book online before the trip, or you can buy the supplement onboard
- Many train journeys in Austria are spectacular but the standouts for me are Zurich to Graz and then the Semmering Bahn which is part of the Vienna-Graz line, both included in Eurail with reservations optional (but recommended for a window seat)
- ÖBB’s new generation Nightjets are my favourite sleeper train in Europe for solo travellers, they have these capsule-style mini cabins which are private and lockable without having to splurge on an unnecessarily large single private cabin. Reservation fees are dynamic but I paid €39.90 from Vienna to Hamburg.
Hungary
- Reservations are either not required or very cheap, even on international trains to or from Budapest. I travelled from Vienna to Budapest with no reservation required and then from Budapest to Prague with a €6 reservation, both in 1st class.
Czechia
- Similar to Hungary, reservations are either not required or very cheap
Germany
- Most daytime trains within Germany don’t require reservations, you can choose to reserve a seat for €5.20 in 2nd class or €6.50 in 1st (that’s the total reservation fee for one journey A to B no matter how many different trains you take on the way)
- Trains from Germany to other countries reservation fees (if any) will depend on the route
Netherlands
- Trains within the Netherlands and IC/ICE daytime trains to countries like Switzerland, Germany and Belgium do not require reservations, you can choose to reserve seats if you wish and these are typically quite cheap
- Trains to Belgium, France or the UK using the Eurostar network have pricey reservations (€22-43) and limited passholder seats so book in advance
Norway
- You can make Eurail seat reservations for VY + SJ + Go Ahead Nordic trains on entur.no
- 2nd class pass holders need to pay for seat reservations on day trains for 50NOK (around €4.50 at time of writing)
- 1st class pass holders need to make reservations but they’re free
- Sleeper trains within Norway can also be booked via Entur, expect to pay around 1200-1400NOK (€102-119) for a private compartment on Oslo-Bergen, Oslo-Trondheim or Trondheim-Bodo (that last one is currently out of service for the foreseeable future)
- Norway-Sweden night trains (like the epic Stockholm to Narvik train) can be booked through SJ, just toggle on ‘Travel card’ and select Eurail from the dropdown
- Eurail Passes don’t cover the iconic Flamsbana between Myrdal and Flam but passholders do get a 30% discount, info on how to book that in my Flam Railway guide
- Norway’s train infrastructure can be heavily impacted by weather, if a train route gets hit with flooding then it can be out of service for months at a time and require annoying changes or bus replacements. Check your route on the Entur or VY website prior to travel to make sure you’re aware of any route changes because these might not show up in your Rail Planner app (as I learnt 🙃)
Sweden
- Regional trains don’t require a reservation but are recommended for busy times, 40SEK (€3.60 at time of writing) for 2nd class and 50SEK (€4.55) for 1st
- Intercity trains are 40SEK (€3.60) for 2nd class or 95SEK (€8.60) for 1st class
- High speed trains are 75SEK (€6.80) for 2nd and 165SEK (€15) for 1st
- Eurail Passes also give you discounted rates on ferries between Sweden and Finland, Latvia and Estonia, more info here
Denmark
- Daytime trains within Denmark and some international trains to Sweden don’t require seat reservations
- Denmark to Germany InterCity trains have mandatory seat reservations from 1 June to 1 September and are recommended year-round because they get super busy, €5.20 for 2nd class or €6.50 for 1st class via DB
Finland
- Finland’s train network isn’t huge but if you want to visit Rovaniemi (i.e. Santa’s hometown!) you can get day trains for 25% of a full fare ticket, or a private cabin on the Santa Claus Express sleeper for 50% of a full price ticket
- You can’t book Finland reservations online, you can only book through the VR call centre (the national operator) or at local train stations
- I called VR to make my night train booking and it was really quick and easy, they have lots of English-speaking staff and you just make payment over the phone with your credit card
- You also get discounted tickets on ferries to Sweden and Estonia, more info here
Poland
- Reservations are recommended or required on intercity trains, ranging from €1-9
How to use your Eurail Pass: Step-by-step guide
The process of planning and booking your Eurail travels can be a bit confusing, and there are a few different steps you need to go through.
I’d recommend setting up a spreadsheet (I use Airtable) to take note of the trains you want to take (train numbers + times), whether you need a seat reservation (and if so, if/where you’ve booked it) and if you’ve saved it to your Rail Planner app so you can show the ticket to the inspector. You can also use this spreadsheet to keep track of what you spend on seat reservations, and you could also note down the price of the ticket if you paid outright that day in order to track how much your Eurail Pass is saving you.
I’ll run through each step with you in detail, but first there’s one important thing I want to remind you of: the Rail Planner app (the official Eurail/Interrail app) and the Eurail website are totally different systems and aren’t connected.
You would think that you could save a train trip on the app and see it on the website, or book a seat reservation on the website and see it on your app, but no, this is not how it works. This is where the main confusion comes in! Take note of when I say ‘Rail Planner app’ and ‘Eurail website’ in these instructions because they are two different platforms that don’t speak to each other.
1️⃣ The first step is to find the train you want to take.
There are loads of ways to do this, you can use the Rail Planner app, the Eurail website, a local train operator’s app/website, a physical Europe rail timetable book, an online train aggregator like Rail Europe or Trainline, or go to a train station in person.
For the most up to date train schedules, a local train app/website is best, as it will generally show any route changes due to technical issues or any known delays or time changes in advance.
The annoying thing here is having to have loads of apps for different countries you’re visiting, but the good news is that the apps/websites of DB (Germany), ÖBB (Austria) and SBB (Switzerland) tend to have up to date info for *most* European countries so you could just try those.
If you look on the Interrail/Eurail Facebook groups (Interrail & Eurail Travellers and Interrail & Eurail Travelers Buddies are both great) you’ll see that the rail experts all hate the Rail Planner app and Eurail website due to their lack of real-time information and they highly recommend local apps/websites instead, but I personally prefer the user experience of Rail Planner compared to the other apps (sorry rail experts, please don’t hate me).
I use Rail Planner to do my initial searches to find the routes I wanted to take, then I checked these on DB or ÖBB to make sure the timing was up to date. In my three Eurail trips there have been a few train routes that were slightly different due to a track closures, but the vast majority of trains have been exactly as Rail Planner said.
2️⃣ The second step is optional, and that’s to see if this particular journey is worth using a Eurail ‘travel day’.
If you have a Flexi Eurail Pass with a limited number of travel days, in order to make the most of your pass you need to make sure you’re using your travel days on the most expensive train journeys during your trip.
You don’t want to use a travel day on a trip that would’ve only cost €20 for a full fare ticket, and then end up having to pay for an train journey at the end of your trip because you ran out of travel days! Take it from me, I made that mistake on my first Eurail trip.
To see if it’s worth using a Eurail travel day you can just search the train on Rail Europe or one of the local apps to see what it would cost to purchase a ticket outright. If the outright ticket is cheap and you know you have more train journeys than travel days, perhaps it’s not worth it. But if the outright ticket price is more than the average ‘cost’ of a travel day (just divide your Eurail Pass cost by the number of travel days) then you know that using your Eurail Pass will save you money on this journey.
If you have a continuous Eurail Pass (which gives you unlimited train journeys over a set number of consecutive days) then you won’t need to do this step, but you could still note down the price of the outright ticket to track your savings thanks to your Eurail Pass.
And if you want to do a more detailed calculation, I’ve got a full blog post discussing if a Eurail Pass is worth it with a step-by-step process to see what you can save with a Eurail Pass and how to use your travel days efficiently.
3️⃣ The third step is to book your seat reservation if necessary.
The Rail Planner app or the Eurail website will tell you whether a seat reservation is required, not required, optional or recommended (they use this for busy trains that don’t require reservations but that may be full and end up with you needing to stand or sit in the aisle).
If a seat reservation is required, you cannot take this journey with your Eurail Pass without booking a seat reservation first. You can’t just jump on the train and stand in the aisle, your Eurail Pass won’t bve valid for travel on that train unless you have a seat reservation too.
To find out the options to book your reservation you can go to the Eurail website or Rail Planner app, search your origin, destination and travel date, find the exact journey you want, then if it says seat reservations are required or recommended, it’ll have a little info message that says ‘how and when to book’. Click on this and it will bring up a pop up to show you the options you have to book that particular reservation.
Follow the seat reservation steps in the section above for whatever reservation method you’re using to book.
Note: If you want to keep your Eurail trip cheap and cheerful, you can use the Rail Planner app or Eurail website’s filter function to select ‘no reservation needed’, which will show you all the train options that are totally included with your rail pass, no need to pay extra for reservations.
4️⃣ The fourth step is to save your journey to ‘My Trip’ on your Rail Planner app.
Once you’ve decided which train to take (and booked a reservation if necessary), add the journey to the ‘My Trip’ section on the Rail Planner app. This is where you can find the details of each train journey and toggle on the ‘travel day’ switch if you’re using a travel day of your Flexi pass.
A good habit to get into is to only toggle on a travel day when you are literally about to take the first train of that day, because if you have a travel day toggled on when it clicks over to midnight, the day will be officially used from your pass and you won’t be able to toggle it off if your plans change.
If you’re buying train tickets outright (like if they are too cheap to waste a travel day, or if you’ve run out of travel days) you can still add these journeys to My Trip for easy travel planning. Just search the train details to find the right journey, add it to My Trip and ensure the ‘travel day’ switch is toggled off so it doesn’t count as a travel day. I found this helpful just to keep track of my whole trip, including non-Eurail journeys.
5️⃣ And the fifth and final step is to show the ticket in the app when requested by train staff.
Once you’re on the train, there will be train crew that come by and ask to see your ticket. If you’re travelling with a Eurail Pass you can just click into the ‘My Pass’ section of the Rail Planner app, and there will be a ‘show ticket’ button to bring up a scannable QR code.
You’ll also need to show your seat reservation if it’s required for that journey, so make sure you’ve got that downloaded onto your phone or printed.
Most seat reservations are fine to be shown as a digital document on your phone, the train company or Eurail will send it to you by email so you can download that (in case of no phone reception on the trip) to show the train staff.
Some train companies send you the document by email but tell you it must be printed (Trenitalia is an example), but I found that for almost all trips it was fine to just have the document on your phone and zoom into the QR code when the reservation needed to be scanned. Better to be safe than sorry and print the reservations when they tell you to, and then you can check with the train staff to see if a digital document is fine for them so you don’t need to worry about a printer for next time.
Travelling with a Eurail Pass: What you need to know
Catching a train with a Eurail Pass
The process of catching a train is usually much quicker and easier than catching a flight, which is one of the best things about train travel in Europe!
No need to arrive 2/3 hours before your flight, no need to wait in long lines to check in your luggage, and no need to go through security and throw out that iced tea you just bought without thinking.
Here’s what you need to know about the logistics of travel days.
When to get to the train station
Most Europe train stations suggest arriving 20-30 minutes before your train departs, so that you can get your bearings and ensure you’ve got time to get to the right platform. Many train stations are also in the centre of the city, or at least aren’t too far from the centre, so they’re typically easier and cheaper to get to than airports.
The one exception to this rule is the Eurostar to and from London, this has much stricter security checks in place and you need to check into the train, go through UK customs and go through security. Check in closes 30 minutes before departure but Eurostar suggests arriving 60-90 minutes before your train leaves.
How do you find your train platform?
Each train station is different, some allow you to walk straight onto the platforms from the street without showing a ticket, some have designated entry points that are sometimes manned and sometimes unmanned, and some have station crew checking tickets or machines that scan the ticket to open the gate.
If you are at a station with a machine, you can open your Eurail Pass QR code in the ‘My Trip’ part of the Rail Planner app and scan this to open the gates. If this doesn’t work, find a staff member or the intercom machine for customer service and they’ll be able to manually open one of the gates for you.
Once you get to the platforms you can check the departure board to find your train and see what platform it will be departing from. The platform is usually shown by about 10 mins before your train departs, so if you have time to spare before that you could stock up on snacks from a café or convenience store.
Some train stations have helpful screens on the platforms that show what coach number will be at what stage of the platform, e.g. coach 21 will be at ‘A’ and 22 will be at ‘B’, so you can walk to the exact part of the platform to get onto your carriage.
Some stations don’t show the actual coaches but will show where 2nd class and 1st class carriages will be.
Some stations don’t show anything and you’ll just need to find the correct carriage once the train arrives, most trains have the coach numbers next to the door as well as the seat numbers to avoid having to squeeze past people going the other way in the aisle (e.g. if you’re seat 1 you should hop on through the door closer to the front, seat 60 should hop on the carriage at the rear door).
What to do once you’re on the train
Once you’re on the train you can store your suitcase in a luggage rack (usually near the door, sometimes an extra one or two in the middle of the carriage), I’d recommend using a cable lock to lock the bag to the luggage rack to prevent it from being stolen, or you if you have smaller bags or a backpack you can keep them on the overhead rack above you or sometimes fit them underneath or between the seats.
If you’ve got a seat reservation then find your seat and get settled in for your journey.
If you don’t have a seat reservation then you can sit in any free seat provided it doesn’t say that it’s reserved, keeping in mind that 2nd class pass holders can only sit in 2nd class but 1st class pass holders can sit in either class.
Each train is different but on many European trains there are little electronic labels that say whether a seat is reserved (and if so, for what part of the journey) or if it’s free. They’ll usually be on the luggage rack above the seat, on the train wall above the seat or on the side of the seat itself.
If you see a label that says ‘free’, ‘not reserved’ or shows a different part of the destination (e.g. if you’re travelling from Milan to Florence and the label says someone is sitting there from Florence to Rome, so you’ll be gone by the time they get on) then you can sit there.
If your train has these labels and you can’t find any that are available then you’ll need to check another carriage or sit/stand in the aisle or the space between the carriages, this is allowed as long as the train doesn’t require a seat reservation (in which case you will be kicked off the train for not buying one, or be asked to buy a full price ticket on the spot).
What are trains in Europe like?
European trains are totally different depending on the route, the operator and the country, there’s no set standard of what to expect.
Some trains I caught were super clean, really comfortable, modern, spacious, had fancy things like nice meal cars. Some trains were pretty old and dingy without any of the nice extras.
Some trains have power sockets and some don’t, some have WiFi and some don’t, some have full restaurants, or vending machines, or no food at all.
Some trains have carriage options for specifically for families, sometimes with kids’ play rooms at the end of the carriage, and extra space for prams. Some trains have dedicated ‘quiet coaches’ for business travellers or those that want to sleep. You can’t reserve specific cabins like these on the Eurail website though, you’ll need to reserve your seat through the train operator directly or at a train station.
I wish I could be more helpful but it really just depends on where you’re going!
The one constant is that 1st class coaches, when they are available (some regional trains don’t offer 1st class), are always more spacious than their 2nd class counterparts.
Staying safe on trains
As I’ve mentioned above, I do feel a bit safer in first class due to having a more spacious, strict ticket checks and fewer people.
Some cities in Europe have small issues with petty crime like pickpocketing or personal theft, and train passengers are an easy target as short train stops allow the thief to get away before you’ve even realised something is missing. Some of the second class trains I went on (when I bought point-to-point tickets separate to my Eurail Pass) were absolutely packed with people standing in the aisle for hours, so if someone manages to grab your suitcase, backpack or phone as they’re disembarking the train, you’ve got no chance of getting it back.
In saying that, I met many other Eurail Pass users at hostels throughout my trip, all of them in 2nd class, and none of them had had anything stolen so it’s not a common occurrence, but you should try to prevent it by using luggage locks, AirTags and sitting close to your bags if possible.
Useful apps and websites for travelling Europe by train
This probably deserves its own full blog which I’ll add to the list but here is a quick easy list of apps that I used on a daily basis while travelling for two months in Europe.
Apps/websites relating to train travel
- Rail Planner app, obviously
- The Man in Seat 61, the website is super basic and looks like we’re still in the 90s haha but it is such a wealth of resources and you will find the answer to many train questions here
- ÖBB app or website for Austria trains + booking other seat reservations
- SBB Mobile app or website for Switzerland trains
- DB Navigator app or DB website for Germany trains (and some others in Europe)
- Bahnhof Live app for live info on German train stations, platforms and delays
- DSB app for trains in Denmark
- Eurostar app if you’re travelling to London
- SNCF app for French train info
- Muj vlak for Czech Republic trains
- National Rail for UK trains
- NS for Netherlands trains
- Renfe for Spain trains
- SJ for Sweden trains
- SNCB for Belgium trains
- Rail Europe to cross-check outright ticket prices and buy them if it’s not worth using a Eurail day
- Trainline to cross-check outright tickets and also look at other options like bus connections
- Trenitalia for Italy trains
- Trenit! for Italy trains with some live travel information
- Vy for Norway trains
Non-train travel apps but helpful apps for other things in Europe
- Wise to be able to load various currencies onto a travel card and use it with super low fees. You’ll need to sign up for a card before you go to receive it at home. I use my Wise card for almost all purchases while I’m travelling, I use it to pay back friends that I’m visiting in various countries without having huge bank fees, and I use it to receive income since I get paid in lots of different currencies. I’m obsessed, best travel card ever!
- Citymapper for showing you how to get around public transport (not included in your Eurail Pass)
- Google Maps obviously, but I prefer CityMapper for more up-to-date info with delays taken into account
- First Table for cheap restaurant deals in the UK or Ireland, save up to 50% on your meal just by booking an early or late table
- Uber, Bolt or Gett for ride-share around many European cities
- Mobimatter for the best value Europe eSIMs (get extra cashback with promocode FINDINGALEXX)
- Roamless for emergency data/local phone calls in any country, in case your eSIM runs out of stops working
- Not an app but AirTags, to pop into each of your bags and then you can track them using the ‘Find My’ app on iPhone, or there are some Android alternatives too. I keep an AirTag in my suitcase, my carry on wheeled bag and my backpack, as well as one in my wallet, one in my tech gear with my hard drives, and one in my passport cover. So all the important things are covered! These were a lifesaver recently when my bags were delayed days from London to Abu Dhabi, then one was returned to me and the other was delayed a further three days and had to be sent to me in Sri Lanka. Nightmare!
Troubleshooting: Common train travel problems in Europe
Just like any type of travel, train adventures can also come with some misadventures. Here is how to deal with some common train travel disruptions.
What to do if there are train strikes
Industrial action by railway workers in Europe is fairly common, especially in countries including (but not limited to) the UK, France, Austria, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Strikes are usually announced a week or so in advance, sometimes longer. The unions want to give notice before a strike to try and negotiate for what they want with their companies, so strike plans are typically made public beforehand so you can make alternative arrangements.
National rail websites will always have information about upcoming strikes if they’ve been announced, and the Eurail website has a dedicated travel disruptions page to give you information on any upcoming strikes too.
If your plans are being affected by a strike then you can either change your itinerary to stay longer or leave earlier, look at alternative transport like flying or catching the bus, or even just looking for another train operator as sometimes it’ll only be one operator striking rather than the whole network.
If you have already booked a reservation and the train you’ve reserved is cancelled, you can request a refund from the company you booked through or ask to change your reservation to another day. If you’d like to change it to another day then make sure you contact the company you booked through as soon as you see the cancellation, as there will likely be thousands of other passengers who are also trying to change their tickets to the days before or after the strikes.
What to do if you miss a train in Europe with a Eurail Pass
If you are travelling on train routes that don’t require reservations then no need to stress about missing trains, simply change the train saved in your ‘My Trip’ section of Rail Planner to the new train you want to take, toggle on the ‘travel day’ switch (if you have a flexi pass) and you’re good to go.
If you miss a train connection due to your earlier train being delayed and you have a seat reservation, speak to train staff at the station and they will be able to put you on the next train with a new reservation free of charge. This has happened to me a few times and the staff are always super easy to deal with, but if you have a 1st class pass and 1st class on the replacement train is full you might need to take a 2nd class seat for the rest of the journey.
If you miss a train due to your own lateness then the customer service staff are not obliged to help you but it won’t hurt to speak to them nicely and see what they can do for you, they might be able to give you a new reservation for no additional cost. If not then just book another seat at the station for the next train available.
What to do if your train is delayed
I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how well the European trains usually run to schedule but I have had a handful of significant delays between 30 minutes to 2 hours. A delayed departure doesn’t always mean a delayed arrival either, long-haul trains often make up time along the way.
If your train is delayed and you think you’re going to miss a connection, you can speak to crew on the train and ask them what to do for your next train. They might be able to organise a new reservation for you or tell you in advance what platform you need to go to for a quick connection. If they can’t help then don’t stress, just see the staff at the station when you arrive and they’ll help you sort it.
If your train is delayed and you arrive 60 minutes after your intended arrival, you’re entitled to a small amount of compensation due to EU travel compensation rules. You’ll need proof of delay and you can put a claim through, as well as see what you’re entitled to, on Eurail’s delay compensation page.
What to do if your train doesn’t include a specific seat
If you’re on a train that doesn’t require seat reservations then you can sit anywhere you want in your class provided there’s no label saying the seat is reserved.
These labels will be above the seat or on the side of the seat, not all trains have them but if they do it’ll either say ‘free’ or ‘reserved’ with the part of the journey it’s reserved for.
What to do if there are no seats on your train
If you’re on a train that doesn’t require seat reservations and there are no seats, you’ll need to stand in the aisle or sit in the connector that links two carriages.
How to avoid train fines
You may get fined on European trains if you don’t have the correct ticket or seat reservation.
Always check if a seat reservation is needed for a journey by searching the exact journey in the Rail Planner app or Eurail website, and double check when you get to the train station that you’re hopping on the right train.
Be aware that two different train companies might be running trains on the exact same route at similar times, and not all train operators allow Eurail passes. So if you’ve booked a seat reservation from Paris to Milan on a TGV train but accidentally hop on the Frecciarossa international train (which isn’t valid with a Eurail Pass) you might get kicked off the train, fined, or made to pay for a very expensive last minute ticket.
You also need to make sure you sit in the right section of the train for your Eurail Pass, as 2nd class holders can get fined for sitting in a 1st class coach.
Train staff can vary drastically in their tolerance to Eurail Pass holders, most of the crew I’ve spoken to on my trips have been friendly and helpful, but there were a few on my first Eurail trip who were impatient with me when I was fiddling around with my phone trying to find the correct email with the right seat reservation (so their impatience was absolutely warranted!). They have to check hundreds of people on each train so try to ensure you’ve got your pass and reservation just a click away to make their day easier.
If you have messed up and got on the train or in the wrong place, your best option is to be sincere and ask crew on the train what to do in your predicament, rather than trying to hide it from them (which won’t work by the way).
Just find them in the train and let them know you are new to Europe train travel and seem to have gotten on the wrong train, could they let you know if there is a particular train station you could get off at which has good options for your next connection, or could they let you know how far away the next return train is if you get off at the next stop. You’re much less likely to get fined if you admit to a mistake rather than trying to sneakily get away with a plan to save money.
Planning your Eurail adventure: Eurail travel inspiration
Europe’s most scenic train trips
If you’d like to include some particularly stunning train rides in your Eurail trip, here are some of the most scenic train trips in the continent:
- The Glacier Express in Switzerland (read my Glacier Express guide)
- The Bernina Express in Switzerland and Italy (read my Bernina Express guide)
- The West Highland Line in Scotland
- The Cinque Terre coastal train from Levanto to La Spezia in Italy (read my Northern Italy & Switzerland itinerary)
- The Black Forest railway in Germany
- The Flåm Railway in Norway (read my Flåm Railway guide)
Suggested Eurail itineraries
With a Europe train itinerary, the continent is your oyster! Your Eurail Pass covers 33 countries, thousands of towns and cities, and tens of thousands of trains to choose from. Exciting? Yes. Overwhelming? Also yes.
Here are some popular Eurail itineraries to give you some ideas for your trip:
- Classic Europe: London > Paris > Brussels > Amsterdam > Berlin > Prague > Vienna
- Foodie hot spots: London > Paris > Lyon > Milan > Bologna > Vienna > Prague
- Italy in-depth: Milan > Cinque Terre > Pisa > Florence > Naples > Rome > Bologna > Venice
- Scandinavia by train and ferry: Copenhagen > Oslo > Flåm > Bergen > Trondheim > Lofoten Islands > Stockholm > Helsinki > Rovaniemi
- Scenic Switzerland: Milan > Zermatt > St Moritz > Tirano > Lugano > Milan
- A taste of Eastern Europe: Vienna > Prague > Budapest > Lake Bled > Bratislava > Vienna
- Iberian Peninsula: Barcelona > Valencia > Alicante > Seville > Faro > Lisbon > Porto > Madrid
- European Christmas markets by train: Frankfurt > Cologne > Strasbourg > Basel > Innsbruck > Salzburg > Vienna > Preague > Dresden
I also have detailed itineraries for two months in Europe and three months in Europe (that are far too long to list here haha).
P.S. If you book your Eurail Pass or Interrail Pass through the links in this post, you can save 10% using the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK 💰
Eurail must-haves
You’re almost ready to head out on your Eurail trip, but make sure you have these essentials to help your trip run smoothly!
- A luggage cable lock for connecting your bag to the luggage racks
- A lockable suitcase to ensure no one can open them even while locked to the racks
- AirTags (or Tiles if you have an Android) to put in your bag and wallet in case anything gets lost or stolen
- Noise-cancelling headphones for peaceful train rides
- Hand sanitiser and wipes for train tables and trays (I prefer slim hand sanitser that easily fits into my handbag)
- A drink bottle to minimise plastic usage (keep in mind that the bathroom taps on most trains aren’t drinkable so fill up at the station beforehand)
- A handy fast-charging universal power adapter
- A portable battery pack in case there’s no plugs on your train (just remember to charge it the night before a trip)
- Packing cubes to keep your bag in order, if you’re travelling in winter then compression packing cubes are a great idea for squishing down your bulky winter clothing (but they’re a bit heavier due to hardier zips)
- SNACKS, the food on-board can be expensive and average, stock up before your trip if you can
Eurail Pass FAQs
General Eurail Pass questions
What is a Eurail Pass?
A Eurail Pass is a Europe rail pass that covers your ticket costs on trains and some ferries across 33 European countries, giving you unlimited travel for a set number of days.
What’s the difference between Eurail and Interrail?
Eurail is for non-European residents, while Interrail is for European residents. They offer very similar benefits but at different prices, with Interrail being slightly cheaper, and restrictions on using the pass within your home country if you’re a resident.
How does Eurorail work?
There’s no such thing as ‘Eurorail’, it’s just a mistaken name for ‘Eurail’. If anyone mentions a Eurorail Pass to you, they just mean Eurail Pass.
How does Europass work?
Same thing with Europass! It’s not a thing, the only rail passes that cover most of Europe are Eurail Passes and Interrail Passes (the same pass but for European residents).
How much does a Eurail Pass cost?
Eurail Pass prices range from €283 for a ‘4 days in 1 month’ 2nd class pass to €1214 for a 3-month consecutive 1st class pass. Prices vary based on duration and class of travel.
Is a Eurail Pass worth it?
It’s impossible to say without calculating the cost of individual tickets for your planned journey, and comparing that to the cost of a pass plus seat reservations.
A Eurail Pass is often worth it if you’re planning multiple long train journeys across different countries, want flexibility to travel without advance booking, or are travelling last-minute when point-to-point tickets are expensive.
How far in advance can I buy a Eurail Pass?
You can buy a Eurail Pass up to 11 months before you plan to start using it. The pass must be activated within 11 months of purchase.
How do you get a discount on a Eurail Pass?
You can save 10% on your Eurail Pass when you book through Klook using the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK (first bookings only, make a new account if you’ve used Klook before).
There are also age-based discounts, youth travellers (12-27) get 25% off adult pass prices and seniors (60+) get 10% off adult pass prices.
Using your Eurail Pass FAQs
How do I activate my Eurail Pass?
Activate your mobile Eurail Pass through the Rail Planner app by adding your pass, creating a trip, connecting your pass to the trip, and entering your passport details and start date.
Can I use my Eurail Pass on any train?
You can use your Eurail Pass on all national railways and many private railways in 33 different countries, the Eurail website has a map of the Pass coverage.
While some specific private trains might not be included in the Eurail Pass, and some trains will require seat reservations, you can typically find a way to get from A to B anywhere in Eurail’s rail network.
What’s a Eurail “travel day”?
A travel day is a 24-hour period from midnight to midnight where you can take as many trains as you want. With a Flexi Pass, you have a set number of travel days to use within a longer period.
Do I need to book trains in advance with a Eurail Pass?
For trains that don’t require reservations, no advance booking is needed. For trains requiring reservations, you should book as soon as you know you want to take that train, because seats can sell out especially during peak seasons.
How far in advance can you book Eurail tickets?
You can buy a Eurail Pass up to 11 months before you want to use it, but train operators open their booking calendars for specific journeys anywhere from 2-6 months before travel.
Can I hop on and off trains with my Eurail Pass?
Yes, on trains that don’t require reservations. For trains requiring reservations, you’ll need a separate reservation for each train journey.
Eurail seat reservation FAQs
Which trains require seat reservations?
High-speed trains (especially in France, Italy and Spain), international long-distance trains, night trains, and scenic panoramic trains typically require reservations.
How much do seat reservations cost?
Reservation fees typically range from €3-7 for standard trains, €10-35 for high-speed trains, and anywhere from €3-150+ for night trains depending on the seat/bed type you book.
How do I know if my train needs a reservation?
Check the Rail Planner app or Eurail website, they’ll tell you if a reservation is required, recommended, optional or not necessary.
How do I find trains that don’t need reservations?
Use the “No reservation needed” filter in the Rail Planner app or Eurail website when searching for trains.
Can I book seat reservations online?
Yes, you can book most reservations through the Eurail website, local operator websites or third parties like Rail Europe. Some trains require booking at a station or by phone.
FAQs about night trains & special routes
Can I use my Eurail Pass on night trains?
Yes, but seat/bed reservations are almost always mandatory and have additional fees depending on your accommodation choice (seat, couchette or private sleeper).
Does a night train use one or two Eurail travel days?
A night train only uses one travel day (the departure date), even if you arrive the next day, as long as you don’t take another train after midnight. If you change trains after midnight or take another train straight after your night train has arrived then this will require a second travel day to be used.
Can I use my Eurail Pass on the Eurostar?
Yes, the Eurostar is included in your Eurail or Interrail Pass! Getting discounted tickets on the Eurostar is one of the best benefits of a Eurail Pass.
Seat reservations are required and are pretty expensive, with prices dependent on the route you’re looking at. As an example, 2nd class from Belgium to the Netherlands on Eurostar is €22, whereas 1st class from London to Amsterdam is €43.
Eurostar ticket prices are based on demand and they often have advance sales, so if a Eurail Pass is worth it for your Eurostar trip will totally depend on point-to-point prices for that day. Advance bookings during a sale could have tickets for as low as €44, so a Eurail Pass wouldn’t save much at all, but booking closer to departure at a busy time could be as expensive as €200+ so a Eurail Pass could save loads if there are passholder seats still available.
Are scenic trains like the Glacier Express included in a Eurail Pass?
Yes, but they often require mandatory seat reservations that can be expensive (20-50CHF) and can sell out in advance. Local trains along the same routes don’t require reservations, but it might take a few train changes to follow the exact route.
Are cable cars in Switzerland included in a Eurail Pass?
No, cable cars and mountain railways in Switzerland aren’t covered by a Eurail Pass. Some offer Eurail travellers a 25-50% discount though, you can see more info here.
Country-specific questions
Which countries are best for avoiding seat reservations?
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and most Central European countries have minimal reservation requirements or very cheap reservations.
Which countries have expensive or mandatory reservations?
Italy, France and Spain are the toughest countries for Eurail travellers, particularly on high-speed and international routes.
Can I use my Eurail Pass for public transportation in cities?
Unfortunately public transport within a city isn’t usually covered by a Eurail Pass, so you’ll need to purchase separate tickets for local trains/trams/buses once you arrive in a city.
There are some exceptions though, like the S-Bahn in Germany and the Overground and Elizabeth Lines in London (but the Underground & DLR aren’t included). These journeys would almost certainly not be worth using a travel day, but if you have a consecutive pass they could save you a bit of money.
Can I use my Eurail Pass on ferries?
Eurail Passes give you discounted rates on a range of ferries in Greece, Italy, Croatia, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Poland and Ireland. You can see all the specific ferry companies here.
Ferries typically require seat reservations and the discounts usually range from 10% to 50%, but the Eurail ferry process is notoriously confusing, with some ferry companies requiring you to pay the full fare and then apply for a refund, some requiring additional supplements on top of seat reservations and some not honouring the Eurail discount at all.
If you’re wanting to use your Eurail Pass on ferries then I’d recommend heading to one of the Interrail Facebook groups to hear from rail experts who live and breathe this stuff.
Can I use my Eurail Pass on high speed trains?
Many high speed trains are included in the Eurail network, including TGV in France, AVE in Spain, Le Frecce trains in Italy and the Eurostar. Seat reservations for most high speed trains are mandatory and not included in your Eurail Pass.
Practical train travel FAQs
What should I do if I miss my train?
For non-reservation trains, simply take the next one. For reserved trains, speak to station staff who can often rebook you on the next available train.
What should I do if there’s a strike?
Check the Eurail website’s travel disruptions page and local operator websites for information. You may need to reroute or change travel plans.
What happens if my train is delayed?
If you miss a connection due to a delay, station staff will help you rebook. For delays over 60 minutes, you may be entitled to compensation which you can request through Eurail.
What if I run out of travel days on my Eurail Pass?
You’ll need to purchase regular tickets or a second Eurail Pass for any remaining journeys, you can’t add travel days to a Eurail Pass after purchase.
Can I get a refund if I don’t use all my Eurail travel days?
No, unused travel days cannot be refunded. Plan your travel days carefully to maximise value.
Technical Eurail FAQs
What’s the difference between the Rail Planner app and Eurail website?
They’re completely separate systems that aren’t integrated at all, you have separate accounts for each one and they don’t talk to each other. The app is for managing your pass and your route, while the website is for buying reservations and accessing benefits.
Do I need internet access to use my mobile Eurail Pass?
You need to connect to the internet at least once every three days to keep your pass validated. Download any reservations before travelling in case of poor connectivity, train WiFi isn’t always reliable.
What if my phone dies or gets stolen/lost?
You can recover your mobile pass on another device by logging into the Rail Planner app with your account details, it will ask you if you want to block the pass on the previous device and you can select yes.
Yes, you can add multiple passes to one phone as long as everyone travels together for every journey. You’ll need to create a separate trip for each person, then you can easily add trains to multiple trips at a time.
Congratulations, you’re now equipped with everything you need to make the most of your Eurail Pass! From setting up your Pass to navigating seat reservations to handling any travel hiccups, you’re ready to explore Europe by rail with confidence.
Have questions I didn’t cover? Drop them in the comments below, and I’ll do my best to help. And when you return from your adventure, I’d love to hear which routes you loved most!
Safe travels and happy rail adventures 🚃
P.S. Don’t forget to bookmark this ‘How to use a Eurail Pass’ guide for quick reference during your trip, and check out my other European travel guides for city-specific tips and itinerary ideas!
PLANNING A EUROPE TRAIN TRIP? READ MY EUROPE ITINERARIES:
- Europe in two months: The ultimate itinerary
- Europe in three months: The ultimate itinerary
- How to spend 10 days in Switzerland
- How to spend 1, 2 or 3 weeks in Northern Italy & Switzerland
- How to spend 3 weeks in Scandinavia
- How to spend 2 weeks in Norway
- How to spend 2 weeks in Poland
MORE EUROPE TRAIN GUIDES:
- Is a Eurail Pass worth it?
- Is a Swiss Travel Pass worth it?
- Is a Swiss Half Fare Card worth it?
- Is a Jungfrau Travel Pass worth it?
- Is a Lucerne Tell Pass worth it?
- See all train travel blogs
MORE EUROPE TRAVEL INSPIRATION:
- 27 European holiday ideas to inspire your next trip
- 50+ of the best things to do in Italy
- 33 of the most beautiful places in Switzerland
- The most scenic train journeys in Europe
- See all Europe blogs
MY GO-TO TRAVEL PLANNING RESOURCES
Flights ✈️ I use Skyscanner to find the best flights for my trip and then I’ll always book direct with the airline to protect myself from having to deal with dodgy third parties if anything goes wrong.
Trains 🚂 If I’m travelling through Europe, I try to travel by train wherever possible! For an extended trip (2+ weeks) I’ll calculate if a Eurail Pass is worth it, or I’ll book point-to-point tickets through RailEurope or the local train operator.
Accommodation 🛎️ I book almost all of my accommodation through booking.com, they have a user-friendly website + app and many of their options are free cancellation, easily cancelled with a simple click of a button.
Activities 🗽I use GetYourGuide, Klook and Viator to look for activities in the places I visit, or I just Google ‘things to do in [city]’! P.S. If you book anything on Klook you can use the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK to get 10% off
Travel cards 💳 I’m a Wise gal through and through, they’ve been my chosen travel card for more than five years now. You can easily top up your card from your bank account or through Apple Pay, convert your money to local currency, and spend money with minimal fees and the best exchange rates around.
Travel insurance 🩺 I use Cover-More NZ travel insurance for my own trips, I have a comprehensive policy and I’ve only had good experiences with them. Cover-More also has an Australian company, but if you’re from elsewhere then two popular insurance options for global travellers are SafetyWing (cheaper policy, lower coverage) and World Nomads (more expensive but significantly better coverage).
Luggage 💼 I travel with Samsonite Cosmolite suitcases, one 75cm check in bag and a 55cm carry on bag, and I absolutely adore them and will never travel with anything else! They are SUPER lightweight (2.8kg and 1.9kg respectively) so I have much more space for my actual stuff.
Camera gear 📸 I use a iPhone 15 Pro Max for phone photos/videos, and my camera kit includes a Lumix S9 (incredible lightweight full-frame camera, a game changer for travel creators!) with a 20-60mm lens, a Lumix G9 with an 8-18mm and 12-60mm lens, a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone and a GoPro Hero 10. I do all my writing and editing on my ASUS Zenbook 14, it’s lightweight but powerful enough for photo editing and intense blogging sessions.
Thanks you, thank you, THANK YOU for this detailed post! You answered all my questions and more on Eurail. 😍😍😍😍
Thank you for your feedback, so glad it is helpful 🙂
Hello Alexx, we are arriving into Zurich in a few weeks and on that day just taking a train into HB, we know when the flight arrives however we dont know how long it will take to get out of the airport. How do we know what train to book or can we buy the tickets once we are ready to catch the train.
Thanks
Darren
Hey Darren! There are constant trains running from the airport to the main station and there are clear signs showing you where to go, so you can just follow the signs and jump on the next train. You can buy tickets at the machines by the platform, or I think there’s an SBB info centre in the arrivals hall, or you can get them on the SBB website or app. The train network in Switzerland is SUPER easy to navigate and very efficient, and there are helpful info centres at every main station if you have questions once you arrive. Enjoy your trip 🙂
Thanks Alexx, I am currently wading through our itinerary for trains and reading your blogs on the Eurail pass and how to use them to see if and when we should use a pass and when to simply book direct. I have really appreciated your insight on this.
Do you know if we are able to see the train schedule before buying a global pass?
Sorry I’m not sure what you mean, like the train schedule for a specific train you want to take? European train schedules usually come out between 2-3 months in advance, sometimes 6 months, sometimes one month, it just depends on the train operator. What train are you looking for?