Planning a Europe train trip but wondering is a Eurail Pass worth it? Youāre not alone, this was the most-asked question during my recent two month rail adventure! Hereās a super detailed breakdown about Eurail Passes, when theyāre worth it, when theyāre not worth it, how much you could save on example itineraries and exactly how much I saved on my trip.
Letās be honest, weāre all a bit sceptical about ātravel passesā that promise to save you money on attractions or transport when you purchase an upfront expensive pass, and for good reason! Sometimes these passes can be a bit sneaky, knowing that you probably wonāt even use the pass enough to get your money back, let alone actually save any precious travel dollars.
Is Eurail like that? Is a Eurail Pass worth it for real, or is it a waste of money and you should just buy tickets outright instead?
Luckily Iām a Type A travel nerd who is absolutely obsessed with getting the best bang for my buck while travelling, and Iām here to do all the calculations so you donāt have to.
In 2022 I spent two months exploring Europe with a Eurail Global Pass, and I had the time of my life. I visited 25 cities/towns in 11 different countries, travelled almost 10,000km by train, and saved 55% of the cost of point-to-point train tickets by using a Eurail Pass. Yep, 55%!
In 2023 I did a three month trip and saved 45%, and Iām about to kick off another two months of Europe rail travel to finish up 2024, and of course Iāll report back (in extreme detail).
But the potential savings of a Eurail Pass, and whether a Eurail Pass is worth it or not, is totally dependent on your actual trip, your travel style and your priorities. Aaaand whether you use my promocode to save an extra 10% š info on that below!
Hereās a detailed explanation of if a Eurail Pass is worth it for your trip, including how to calculate the potential savings, situations when a Eurail Pass is probably worth it vs. probably not worth it, the actual savings from my exact Eurail trip and some example itineraries with seat reservation prices and point-to-point prices based on different booking timeframes.
BUT WAIT: If youāre brand new to Eurail Passes and donāt quite understand them yet, you might want to read my How to Use a Eurail Pass post first. This post explains in detail how Eurail Passes work, from all you need to know before buying your pass, how to prepare for the trip and then important tips to help you have a stress-free Eurail experience.
Is a Eurail Pass worth it? A quick summary
How to calculate if a Eurail Pass is worth it
There are two calculations you can use to determine if a Eurail Pass is worth it or not for your Europe rail trip.
BONUS: Iāve just got my hands on a discount code to save you 10% on your Eurail Pass or Interrail Pass on Klook, just book your pass with the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK.
If you know your Europe train itinerary already
The first one is super accurate if you have an idea of the trains you will be taking: A Eurail Pass is worth it if the cost of the pass plus the cost of seat reservations is less than the cost of the point-to-point train tickets if you bought them outright. Itās as simple as that!
Cost of Eurail Pass + seat reservations < point-to-point tickets = GET A EURAIL PASS
You can find point-to-point ticket prices at Rail Europe and you can find seat reservation fees using the Eurail seat reservation tool.
Note: If you donāt know what seat reservations are, scroll down to the FAQ section below where I explain seat reservations and other important details about the Eurail Pass.
If you donāt know your Europe train itinerary
If you donāt know your Eurail itinerary yet then that first calculation wonāt help you, so the next, less accurate calculation is to divide the Eurail Pass by the number of days and that gives you an average ācostā per day that youād need to save in order for the pass to be worth it.
For example, a 15 travel days in two months Eurail Global Pass in 2nd class costs ā¬518, and 518Ć·15=34.53.
If you think that each ātravel dayā will save you at least ā¬34.53, then you can be fairly sure a Eurail Pass is worth it for your trip.
Average saving on train ticket = Point-to-point cost ā seat reservations
āCostā of travel day = Cost of Eurail Pass Ć· number of travel days on the pass
āCostā of travel day < average saving on train ticket = GET A EURAIL PASS
If youāre looking at purchasing a consecutive Eurail Pass (one that gives you unlimited travel for 15 days, 22 days or 1, 2 or 3 months) then it might be easier for you to work out the weekly cost of a Eurail Pass rather than the daily cost, because you wonāt be doing long train trips every day during your pass.
Figure out the weekly Eurail Pass cost (pass Ć· number of weeks youāre travelling), then assume youāll take 2-3 train journeys each week and see what your saving is likely to be with a pass.
Eurail Pass FAQs
For a more thorough guide with all you need to know about Eurail Passes you can check out my very detailed How to Use a Eurail Pass Guide, but hereās a quick rundown on what Eurail Passes are, what benefits they provide, how much they cost and more.
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 (if you get the Global Pass) or in one country (if you choose a One Country Pass).
If you travel with a Eurail Pass you donāt have to pay the ticket cost for the trains you take, but you may still have to pay a seat reservation fee.
Eurail Passes are only able to be used by non-European residents, but if you live in Europe then you can get an Interrail Pass which is basically the same thing (just check the rules for departing and returning to your home country).
Note: People often mistake the āEurail Passā for the names āEurorailā, āEuro rail passā or āEuro Passā. If you hear anyone mention these, theyāre talking about the Eurail Pass!
What are seat reservations?
Many trains in Europe are totally free with a Eurail Pass, but some trains require seat reservations at an additional cost.
This is the case for most high-speed trains, night trains, commercial scenic trains (like Switzerlandās Glacier Express) and many trains in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
Seat reservations usually cost between ā¬3-ā¬12, but sleeper trains, the Eurostar and long, high-speed trips can cost between ā¬25-45. If youāre determined to stick to a budget you can find āno reservation requiredā routes between many major cities, this is a search option on the Rail Planner app (the Eurail/Interrail app).
Seat reservations are typically the same price on a route*, they donāt change based on demand or when you book. In saying that though, many railway companies limit the number of seats available for rail pass holders, so if youāre travelling during summer or on a popular route (London to Paris on the Eurostar on a Friday evening for example) you may need to book in advance to ensure you can get one of the rail pass seat reservations.
*The one exception to this is the panorama trains in Switzerland which have different reservation prices for low season and high season.
What are the Eurail Pass options?
You can choose from a Eurail Global Pass which gives you access to the whole Eurail network of 33 countries, or you can choose a One Country Pass if youāre spending all your time in a single country.
With the Global Pass you can choose from a Continuous Pass or a Flexi Pass.
A Continuous Pass is where you get to use the pass any (or every!) day during a 15 day, 22 day, or 1, 2 or 3 month period, itās more expensive but allows for total freedom.
The Flexi Pass on the other hand lets you choose a set number of travel days within a set period, either 4, 5 or 7 travel days in 1 month, or 10 or 15 travel days in 2 months. This pass is cheaper and gives you the flexibility to choose when to use a travel day, but that means you do need to plan a bit more to make sure youāre using the travel days on the train journeys where a Eurail Pass saves the most money.
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.
How much is a Eurail Pass?
Here are the current prices for adult Eurail Global Passes as of 12 October 2024.
Prices typically get updated once a year in December so these should be correct for the rest 2024 but if theyāre not then please leave a comment and Iāll update this section.
You can get 10% off these prices if you book your Eurail Pass through Klook using the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK, they have the same prices as booking direct (no mark up) and they actually have a better cancellation policy than if you buy direct. Click here to have the promocode added to your Klook wallet so you donāt forget to use it!
Eurail Pass Prices for adults
| Pass type | 2nd class | 1st class |
| 4 days in 1 month | ā¬283 | ā¬359 |
| 5 days in 1 month | ā¬318 | ā¬404 |
| 7 days in 1 month | ā¬381 | ā¬484 |
| 10 days in 2 months | ā¬447 | ā¬568 |
| 15 days in 2 months | ā¬553 | ā¬702 |
| 15 days | ā¬476 | ā¬605 |
| 22 days | ā¬586 | ā¬744 |
| 1 month | ā¬696 | ā¬884 |
| 2 months | ā¬826 | ā¬1049 |
| 3 months | ā¬956 | ā¬1214 |
Does Eurail offer discounts for youth travellers?
Yes, there are great discounts available on Eurail Passes for youth travellers!
If youāre 27 or under on your first travel day then you can purchase a Youth Eurail Pass which gives you a discount of up to 25% on the adult pass price. If you turn 28 during your trip thatās no problem, as long as your trip starts at least one day before your 28th birthday.
When do Eurail Passes go on sale?
Eurail Passes go on sale for short periods throughout the year, but unfortunately there are no set dates they adhere to.
As a general rule you can expect a Black Friday sale in November and usually one pre-summer in February or March. Discounts vary (Black Friday 2022 was 10%, but in 2023 it was 25% off, weāll find out 2024ās discount soon), most sales are 10-15%, some of them are for all passes but some might be the global pass only or a specific country, and some sales have usage limits like the pass must be activated in the next three months or might not be valid for summer travel.
Sometimes there will be promotions where the pass isnāt discounted but instead you might get a free upgrade to 1st class, which can save a decent chunk of money if you were planning on purchasing a 1st class pass anyway.
Different Eurail partners also could have their own sales which include the passes, here are some quick links for you:
Check Klook for any Eurail/Interrail specials >>
Check Rail Europe for any Eurail/Interrail specials >>
Check Trainline for any Eurail/Interrail specials >>
Check Eurailās direct website for any specials >>
How do I buy a Eurail Pass?
You can buy a Eurail Pass from a few different suppliers.
If you buy your Eurail Pass through Klook you can save 10% with the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK, this is a decent discount which lets you spend more money on fun stuff!
You could also purchase a Eurail Pass directly through the Eurail website, or through other third parties like Rail Europe (Iāve used them a lot, excellent customer service) or Trainline.
What trains can I use the Eurail Pass on?
You can use your Eurail Pass on all national railways and many private railways in 33 different countries, the Eurail website has the full list of countries and providers.
Eurail Passes can be used on popular train routes like the Eurostar, high speed international trains like the InterCity Express, tourist scenic trains like the Glacier Express, sleeper trains like the Nightjet or the Caledonian Sleeper, and even on some buses and ferries (seat reservations and other additional supplements may apply).
My Ultimate Eurail Guide has loads more info on the different trains and other transport companies that you can use with a Eurail Pass.
How to calculate if a Eurail Pass is worth it for your trip
We touched on this earlier in the blog post, but I wanted to go over the calculations more in-depth with specific examples to show you what I mean.
If you know your exact itinerary and travel dates
Letās start with a really easy scenario:
Letās say I know that I want eight train journeys in one month and I already know my route and dates two months ahead of my trip. I want to travel in 2nd class and Iām happy to get the cheapest tickets possible which are typically not flexible or refundable, but I donāt want to waste time with long journeys or many changes just to save money, Iāll prioritise direct journeys as long as theyāre a reasonable price.
London to Paris
Paris to Interlaken
Interlaken to Venice
Venice to Vienna
Vienna to Prague
Prague to Berlin
Berlin to Amsterdam
Amsterdam to London
The first step would be to check the actual train prices for my actual travel days. You can do this through some European railway companies (DB and OBB generally have the full European network available) but I prefer the user experience of Rail Europe so I always check prices there. The prices of those specific journeys if I booked today would be:
London to Paris ā¬79
Paris to Interlaken ā¬82
Interlaken to Venice ā¬77.40
Venice to Vienna ā¬32.90
Vienna to Prague ā¬14.30
Prague to Berlin ā¬79.50
Berlin to Amsterdam ā¬37.90
Amsterdam to London ā¬65
Total cost of point-to-point tickets: ā¬468
So the total price of buying the tickets outright would be ā¬468. The Vienna to Prague journey is only ā¬14.30 which isnāt worth using a Eurail Pass for, so weāll purchase this one outright as a point-to-point ticket even if we get the pass.
The next step is to calculate what the seat reservations would cost for this journey, you can do this by searching the journey in the Rail Planner app or on the Eurail website.
Note: If you book seat reservations through the Eurail website thereās an additional ā¬2 charge per reservation which I am including in these prices, just because I find the Eurail website is easier to use when searching for info on multiple trains. You can also book seat reservations directly through specific rail companies, this will save the ā¬2 Eurail fee but the booking process varies for different companies.
These are the reservation prices for these journeys:
London to Paris ā¬32
Paris to Interlaken ā¬12
Interlaken to Venice ā¬25
Venice to Vienna ā¬12
Vienna to Prague (buying point-to-point ticket separately)
Prague to Berlin ā¬0
Berlin to Amsterdam ā¬0
Amsterdam to London ā¬37
Total cost of seat reservations: ā¬118
Keeping in mind that the Vienna to Prague ticket is better as a point-to-point ticket, weād need a 7 days in 1 month Eurail Global Pass (2nd class) which is ā¬352. Add that to the cost of the seat reservations and weāve got ā¬470, and then with the Vienna=Prague point-to-point ticket which weāre buying separately and itās ā¬484.30.
Cost of all point-to-point tickets: ā¬468
Cost of Eurail Pass + seat reservations + Vienna-Prague point-to-point ticket: ā¬484.30
Verdict: Slightly cheaper to buy point-to-point tickets
So knowing our itinerary two months in advance and being able to book then and there would be just slightly cheaper, saving ā¬16.30 vs. buying a Eurail Pass and paying for seat reservations.
Keep in mind that those point-to-point tickets are not flexible at all, not changeable and non-refundable. So paying just ā¬16.30 more to get a Eurail Pass gives you the freedom to change your plans, switch travel dates or change your route. If youāre fully set on your route and know you wonāt change it then the point-to-point tickets make sense, but a Eurail Pass offers a bit more flexibility for just a small amount more.
If you know your rough itinerary and travel dates
What makes this calculation a bit confusing is that point-to-point train tickets can vary drastically in price depending on how far in advance you book, and many travellers donāt know what train tickets they require a few months before their trip. The beauty of Europe train travel is the flexibility it provides, and having to plan in advance can really ruin the magic of the trip for some people.
If you are able to, Iād recommend at least trying to estimate a rough itinerary to find the routes you are likely to take, then to check prices in 1-2 weeksā time. This will give you a bit of an idea of what you can expect to pay if you choose to book your trains as you go while youāre already on the trip.
Lets assume that the route stays the same, but that the travel dates are now in 10 daysā time instead of 2 months.
London to Paris ā¬118
Paris to Interlaken ā¬88
Interlaken to Venice ā¬78.20
Venice to Vienna ā¬94.30
Vienna to Prague ā¬21
Prague to Berlin ā¬59.90
Berlin to Amsterdam ā¬79.90
Amsterdam to London ā¬125
Total cost of point-to-point tickets: ā¬664.30
If we do the same calculation with the Eurail Pass, the seat reservations will be the same (ā¬118), the Eurail Pass is the same (ā¬352) and weāll still buy that cheap Vienna to Prague point-to-point ticket outright for ā¬21, coming to total ā¬491.
Cost of all point-to-point tickets (buying 10 days in advance): ā¬664.30
Cost of Eurail Pass + seat reservations + Vienna-Prague point-to-point ticket: ā¬491
Verdict: A Eurail Pass would save ā¬173.30, more than 25% cheaper than point-to-point tickets
So you can see how beneficial a Eurail Pass is when you want to be able to book tickets during your trip, rather than having to pre-plan your itinerary months in advance!
If you have no idea about your itinerary or travel dates
If youāve got absolutely no idea of your itinerary or travel dates, itās pretty hard to do a calculation! So instead you can break the Eurail Pass cost down to a āper travel dayā cost for the Flexi Pass, or a āper weekā cost for the Continuous Pass (because you wonāt be using your Eurail Pass every single day of a one month Continuous Pass). From here you can see what a Eurail Pass would need to save you each day/week in order to make it worth the money.
Letās go with a two month Continuous Pass for this example. The Pass is ā¬768, if we break the two month pass into weeks itās approximately 8.5 weeks, which means each week the Eurail Pass would ācostā around ā¬90. For a Eurail Pass to be worth it, weād need to save at least ā¬90 per week.
Letās assume for this scenario that weāre taking two trains a week, so that per week ācostā can be broken down into needing to save ā¬45 per trip on average to make the Eurail Pass worth it.
The first step would be to see what a typical train journey between major hubs might cost (Iāve included prices for booking 2 months in advance as well as 10 days in advance), second step is to check seat reservations, and third step is to calculate what a Eurail Pass would save for these journeys.
Please note that all these prices are obviously subject to change, most European long-haul/high-speed journeys use dynamic pricing based on demand so these prices can change drastically. I just wanted to include them here to give you a bit of a ballpark range of what to expect, but prices may be significantly more or significantly less for your travel dates depending on the exact route you want, demand on that route, time of year, any events, etc.
London to Paris
Seat reservation: ā¬32
Point-to-point ticket in 2 months: ā¬79 (Eurail saves ā¬47)
Point-to-point ticket in 10 days: ā¬118 (Eurail saves ā¬86)
Paris to Rome
Seat reservation: ā¬45
Point-to-point ticket in 2 months: ā¬103.90 (Eurail saves ā¬58.90)
Point-to-point ticket in 10 days: ā¬125 (Eurail saves ā¬80)
Rome to Venice
Seat reservation: ā¬12
Point-to-point ticket in 2 months: ā¬42.90 (Eurail saves ā¬30.90)
Point-to-point ticket in 10 days: ā¬42.90 (Eurail saves ā¬30.90)
Venice to Zermatt
Seat reservation: ā¬25
Point-to-point ticket in 2 months: ā¬67.40 (Eurail saves ā¬42.40)
Point-to-point ticket in 10 days: ā¬84.40 (Eurail saves ā¬59.40)
Zermatt to St Moritz (on the Glacier Express panorama train)
Point-to-point ticket (price is always the same, not based on demand): 152CHF + high season seat reservation of 49CHF
Seat reservation: 49CHF only
Eurail Pass saves: 152CHF (about ā¬161 as of 13 Feb 2024)
St Moritz to Vienna
Seat reservation: ā¬0
Point-to-point ticket in 2 months: ā¬56.90 (Eurail saves ā¬56.90)
Point-to-point ticket in 10 days: ā¬104.50 (Eurail saves ā¬104.50)
Vienna to Berlin
Seat reservation: ā¬0
Point-to-point ticket in 2 months: ā¬49.90 (Eurail saves ā¬49.90)
Point-to-point ticket in 10 days: ā¬139.90 (Eurail saves ā¬139.90)
Berlin to Amsterdam
Seat reservation: ā¬0
Point-to-point ticket in 2 months: ā¬37.90 (Eurail saves ā¬37.90)
Point-to-point ticket in 10 days: ā¬79.90 (Eurail saves ā¬79.90)
As you can see, the price you can save with a Eurail Pass varied drastically by country and by time of booking. The main benefit of a Eurail Pass if you donāt know your itinerary is that you can wing it as you go, and you donāt need to lock yourself into an inflexible itinerary just to get cheaper train tickets.
And if youād like to get some inspiration for where to go on your Eurail trip, check out my ultimate two month Europe trip itinerary.
When a Eurail Pass probably is worth it
A Eurail Pass is probably worth it in these situations:
- You know your itinerary already and the point-to-point tickets would be more expensive than the Eurail Pass plus seat reservations
- You donāt know your itinerary yet and you want to stay flexible and be able to book your route as you go
- You plan on using international high-speed trains that are typically very expensive unless booking very far in advance, like the Eurostar
- Youāre travelling throughout Western and Central Europe where train networks are well connected and point-to-point tickets can be expensive
- You have some complicated international journeys in your itinerary that involve multiple train transfers
- You want to experience the panorama trains in Switzerland like the Glacier Express
- Youāre travelling at a busy time of year, like during Europe summer or around big events* where the cheap tickets probably book out very early (sports events, school holidays etc.)
- Youāre saving an extra 10% on your pass when you buy on Klook with the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK
*Note: As mentioned, during busy periods youāll likely need to book at least a bit in advance to ensure the rail pass seat reservations donāt sell out. But during these busy periods youāll definitely need to book accommodation in advance too so probably will need to have your trains locked in at least a week beforehand anyway!
When a Eurail Pass probably isnāt worth it
- You know your itinerary and travel dates already and point-to-point tickets are cheaper than the pass + seat reservations (in which case just book the point-to-point tickets now!)
- You know your itinerary already but arenāt sure of your travel dates, but the prices 3-4 weeks in advance are cheaper than buying a Eurail Pass + seat reservations (in which case book your point-to-point tickets as soon as you know your dates)
- Youāre travelling through some Eastern Europe or Balkan countries where train tickets are often very cheap and some countries donāt have great train networks (buses are better in the Balkans for example)
- You only plan on taking a few trains during your trip (the shortest Eurail pass is 4 travel days in 1 month)
- Your train journeys are mostly short distances
- Youāre on a super tight budget and would rather take cheap, longer buses than more expensive, faster trains
- If youāre planning on travelling a lot through Spain and France Iād highly recommend checking reservation costs of the routes you want to do as they tend to have the most expensive reservations which may mean the Eurail Pass isnāt worth it
Is a Eurail Pass worth it: Calculations from my actual trip
On my first Eurail adventure I travelled for two months, totally winging it as I go. My exact Eurail route was very messy, I had to fit it around a conference in London, multiple hotel collaborations on specific days, and Europe Christmas markets which had various start dates, so I ended up doubling back on myself multiple times.
Luckily a Eurail Pass was perfect for this, seat reservations are always the same price no matter how late you book, and because I was travelling in the shoulder season (October to December) I didnāt have any issues with trains selling out of rail pass seats, even though I was sometimes only booking one or two days in advance.
There are some journeys missing in here because I bought some point-to-point tickets outright, but Iāll add them into the calculation below. I also travelled with a 1st class Eurail Pass, so the point-to-point prices here are based on 1st class tickets if I bought them at the same time as I booked my seat reservation (usually between 2-14 days in advance)
| Journey | Seat reservations | Point-to-point cost | Saving with Eurail |
| Naples to Zermatt | ā¬25 | ā¬182.90 | ā¬157.90 |
| Zermatt to St Moritz | ā¬49.45 | ā¬322.27 | ā¬272.49 |
| St Moritz to Tirano | ā¬24.20 | ā¬81.32 | ā¬57.12 |
| Milan to Bolzano | ā¬12 | ā¬44.60 | ā¬32.60 |
| Caldiero to Lyon | ā¬39 | ā¬210.80 | ā¬183.80 |
| Lyon to London | ā¬62 | ā¬260 | ā¬198 |
| Barcelona to Paris | ā¬48 | ā¬228.60 | ā¬180.60 |
| Paris to Vienna (night train) | ā¬41 | ā¬134 | ā¬93 |
| Vienna to Budapest | ā¬0 | ā¬79.90 | ā¬79.90 |
| Budapest to Prague | ā¬6 | ā¬144.60 | ā¬138.60 |
| Salzburg to Innsbruck return (day trip) | ā¬0 | ā¬146.40 | ā¬146.40 |
| Strasbourg to Florence | ā¬27 | ā¬210.40 | ā¬183.40 |
| Florence to Amsterdam | ā¬35 | ā¬228.70 | ā¬193.70 |
| Amsterdam to Frankfurt | ā¬5.90 | ā¬123.90 | ā¬118 |
| Frankfurt to Copenhagen | ā¬5.90 | ā¬91.90 | ā¬86 |
As you can see, the point-to-point tickets for my exact route wouldāve been super expensive!
As well as these 15 Eurail journeys, I also spent ā¬138.95 on four point-to-point train tickets as I didnāt have enough Eurail travel days to cover my whole trip.
So with a Eurail Pass, these was what my two month trip came to:
1st class Eurail Global Pass (15 days in 2 months) worth ā¬671
Seat reservations: ā¬380.45
Point-to-point tickets: ā¬138.95
Total: ā¬1190.40
If I had bought all the tickets outright, the total for my 19 journeys wouldāve been ā¬2646.24 in total.
My total saving with a Eurail Pass: ā¬1455.84
My Eurail Pass made my trip 55% cheaper than if I had booked tickets outright!
The final verdict: Is a Eurail Pass worth it?
Hopefully this blog has shown you that a Eurail Pass is absolutely worth it in many situations (when you want flexibility, when youāre booking last minute, when you want to try the Switzerland tourist trains, when youāre taking complicated journeys etc.) and it can save you literally hundreds of Euros compared to point-to-point train tickets.
BUT if you are a keen travel planner, you know your itinerary ahead of time and you donāt mind being locked into non-refundable, non-changeable point-to-point tickets then you certainly could save money by just booking your Europe train itinerary a few months advance and benefitting from the cheapest ticket prices, rather than purchasing a Eurail Pass.
Eurail extra FAQs
Why is Eurail so expensive?
The initial outlay for a Eurail Pass seems expensive, but they can cover thousands of euros worth of trains during your trip. If you looked at booking each train separately, especially for scenic tourist trains, long trains, sleeper trains and fast trains, the train ticket prices add up so quickly! For most Eurail itineraries where youāre taking 5+ expensive trains, a Eurail Pass often ends up being a really good deal.
How does a Eurail Pass work?
The pass acts as your ticket on most trains around Europe, but there are two ways to āuseā your Eurail Pass.
If youāre taking a train that doesnāt require seat reservations (most trains outside of Italy, France, Norway and Spain), you just switch on a ātravel dayā in your Rail Planner app and show your QR code as your ticket.
If a train needs seat reservations youāll need to pay a bit to reserve your seat, you can check the Eurail website to find the details on how to book reservations for your exact train because each country has a different system. Read my full Eurail Pass guide for step-by-step instructions on how to use the pass.
What is a Euro Pass?
There is no such rail pass as a Euro Pass, anyone using Euro Pass to refer to train travel is talking about a Eurail Pass.
What is Eurorail?
Again, anyone talking about Eurorail means to say āEurailā. Itās just a common mistake!
Is there a Eurail discount code?
At the moment there are no discount codes available for Eurail that I know of, but Iāll keep an eye on this throughout the year and will come back to update this section as soon as I see one.
I hope this detailed āIs a Eurail Pass Worth it?ā blog post with example itineraries and costs has helped you figure out if a Eurail Pass is right for you!
If you have any more questions about Eurail you might find what youāre looking for in my āhow to use a Eurail Pass blog post, otherwise feel free to leave me a comment and Iāll try to help you out.
MORE EUROPE TRAVEL INSPIRATION:
- How to use a Eurail Pass
- The perfect two month Europe itinerary
- A Europe Christmas market itinerary by train
- The most beautiful train rides in Europe
- 27 Europe holiday ideas to inspire you
- How to spend 1, 2 or 3 weeks in Switzerland and Northern Italy
- How to spend 3 weeks in Scandinavia
- The ultimate Italy bucket list
- How to spend two weeks in Poland
Super impressed with this comprehensive, well articulated guide on the Eurail experience.
Knowing I still have a couple of hours of homework to do to work out what the best option is for me, shows how much time Alexx must have spent compiling all of this information, and how much time it will ultimately save me to do the research.
Now I can plan with more confidence that I will be travelling as cost effectively as possible. Thank you!
Thank you for your kind words, I’m glad it’s useful! I hope you have the best trip!
Eurail pass is NOT transparent
Totally not worth it!
I think this post is pretty transparent, I’m sharing my exact itinerary and comparing the Eurail pass with point-to-point tickets and it’s clearly worth it for my trip, but you do need to do the calculations to see what would be the best option for your specific itinerary:)
Really loved your blog on eurail and others.
Is there sleepers on the eurail?
Thanks Lloyd! Eurail isn’t a train operator itself, it’s just a pass that gives you access to loads of different trains around Europe, including night trains. I’ve taken night trains in France, Norway, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands and Austria.
Is a months pass enough?
Want to make it up as I go, stay in hostels and overall:
Want to start from London then manage to cover off getting to; Italy (Rome), Croatia, Norway (northern lights) & Greece.
Then return to London.
Iāve already f see sent recent time in Belgium & France so donāt need to go there.
Would appreciate some tips on best path & whether itās viable.
I haven’t done a route like that unfortunately so I’m not sure of the train links. I think the furthest north you can get in Norway by train is BodĆø, from there you’d need to take a ferry to the Lofoten Islands and that’s where you might be able to see the Northern Lights, or the other option is to take the night train from Stockholm (Sweden) to Narvik (Norway) and then catch a four hour bus to Svolvaer which is the main town in the Lofoten Islands.
Greece is not very well connected by train and the train network is notoriously unreliable so you might be better taking Flixbuses instead, though I think you can train from Zagreb (Croatia) to Thessaloniki (Greece) by train.
One month might be doable but it would depend on how much time you want in each destination, you could always look at flying between Norway and Greece to save travel days as it would take probably 3/4/5 days realistically to get between those.
very detailed and helpful. Thank you!
Hi Alex,
Thanks for the great article. I am from Australia. I have purchased a global Eurail pass but when attempting to book reservations, their website wonāt accept international credit cards. Did you experience this problem, + if so, what was your solution?
Iām concerned that if I wait to purchase seat reservations directly from train station office, the fast speed trains will be booked out.
Kind Regards,
Craig
Hey Craig! Hmm I definitely didn’t have this issue, do you mean the Eurail website itself or a specific train company? I used multiple international cards (an NZ credit card, UK debit card and Australian debit card) and they all worked fine. Perhaps try a different card if you can, even a friend’s card just to give it a go and see if it really is your card that’s the issue, otherwise I’d recommend getting in touch with the Eurail customer service team and they might be able to help!
could you comments on EUrail pass on ferry trip. i want going to Greece but it seems that i need to buy another Greece pass
I haven’t used the Eurail pass in Greece unfortunately so I’m not sure on this one sorry, I’d recommend Googling ‘Eurail pass Greece ferries’ and hopefully you will find a relevant post about it!
That’s wow details Alexx! Very well and detailed explanation.
I have a query though. We (me and spouse) plan to travel to Switzerland-Italy for ~9 days early winter. Of these, it will be mostly split equally between the 2 countries and ~6-7days we would like to travel by train. We wish to incl.. Glacier express & Golden pass express & passing into Italy from Switzerland too.
Would you recommend taking a Eurail pass for full time period OR Swiss travel pass+ point to point in Italy OR only point to point? Our travel dates and places we shall visit are quite fixed.
Sounds like an amazing trip you have coming up! If you already know your dates then I’d recommend calculating it in a simple spreadsheet, because the answer will really depend on the cost of the point-to-point tickets. If you’re travelling in a quiet period, on weekdays, non-peak times and booking in advance then point-to-point may end up being cheaper, but if the cheap point-to-point tickets are already sold out (quite likely for summer travel, weekends, public holidays and peak times) then either a Eurail Pass or Swiss Travel Pass is likely to come out better value.
Many thanks Alexx.
I am using your spreadsheet now to calculate all the nitty gritties.
Meanwhile, with the brief given earlier, if purchasing a pass makes sense, would it be better to take Eurail Global (for use in both countries) OR only Swiss travel pass. I have seen on websites that Italy is not a very-pass friendly country. Don’t know if it is actually true.
It would really depend on the specific trains you are taking in Italy and how much flexibility you want, so it’s best to calculate it based on the travel info you have.
Most Italy train reservations are between 5EUR and 12EUR, not as expensive as France and Spain (which are far less Eurail-friendly!). If the train trip is a short trip like Florence to Bologna and only 20EUR buying it point-to-point but with a 5EUR seat reservation then using a day on a Eurail Pass isn’t worth it, but if the trip is a longer one during peak travel times, like Rome to Milan on a Friday afternoon, and the point-to-point ticket is 89EUR, then it’s probably worth it. One of Eurail’s main benefits is that you don’t need to plan so far in advance in order to avoid high ticket prices, however this summer Europe is CRAZY and pass-holder seat reservations do sell out so Eurail has suggested not leaving reservations to the very last minute.
Your kind considerations and immensely well researched and assessed analysis have been an enormous help to me Alexx – thank you so much. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. I will be travelling across Europe for 3 weeks in the off-season and am definitely getting a Eurail pass now as I want to see so many places in 21 days, leave room for wanting to stay in some for 2 or 3 days, book each trip only a day or 2 and have a superb experience. Thank you Thank you THANK YOU!!! š¤©šš¼ā
You’re welcome, I hope you have a fantastic time š
Hello,
Thank you for the great information! Iām traveling to Europe next week for the first time and Iām nervous! There is so much to plan and it is quite overwhelming. I have a question about eurail pass. If I buy the 5 days 1 month passā¦ does it cover my trip from Rome to Tirano? Cause im planning to get on Berinina express from Tirano to Chur, Switzerland. Please help! š
You can use your Eurail Pass for domestic train journeys yep, you need to check the train on the Rail Planner app which will tell you what train reservations you need, then make the reservations through the Eurail or Trenitalia website, and then you can use a travel day to cover your journey from Rome to Tirano š hope this helps!
When referencing 1 month passes, is that based upon the hard calendar months or like a 30 day period. For example, if I buy a 5 day 1 month pass but my travel is from September 26 to October 7th, Will I need to buy two passes? One for September and one for October?
This is a good question, I’ll add it into the blog post! Nope the ‘month’ refers to a 30 day period, you can start at any time in the month and your pass expires the day before the same date next month.
Hi Alexxi
Thanks for the info. I,m planning my trip to Switzerland in Oct.
15 days swiss pass
And will extend 1 week in Austria + 1 day in Brastilava and depart to Paris. Shld I get global pass or buy point to point tickets for cost saving.
Pls advise
Hi Kelly! With Bratislava the train is super cheap, like 10EUR, so wouldn’t be worth using a Eurail day. For Austria it really depends how much travel you will be doing there and how expensive the train to Paris is, if you’re only travelling one or two days then point to point will likely be cheaper but if you’re travelling every day and the Austria to Paris train is super expensive then it may be cheaper to get a Eurail Pass. Best to add it up based on your own travel plans and you can see that way. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Hi Alexx,
Appreciate your detailed description of the Eurail pass. Can I check whether the pass includes travelling on ‘Metro” or “Subway” within a city? For example, if I want to travel within Vienna, can I use the Eurail pass?
The Eurail Pass doesn’t cover public transport within cities unfortunately, I think there miiiight be a few exceptions to this (best to Google each specific location you’re visiting) but generally you’ll need a public transport ticket separately.
Hi, Alexx. I thought I would pass along a tip that I don’t think you mentioned in your Eurail post. Last year we were in Europe for about six weeks: Italy, Switzerland and France We got a “10 days in one month” pass to cover the transfers between our hub cities, as well as the Bernina and Glacier Express trains. As I said, we were there for six weeks, so, of course, the one month pass would not cover part of the trip. However, we knew that for the first week of our trip (Lake Como) we would only do a few very short hops, and point-to-point tickets for those trips were pretty cheap. With that in mind, we did not have the pass activated until our Bernina Express day in the second week. Also, because we knew our first “pass” trip would be from a very small station that is not always manned, we had Eurail activate the pass for us on that set date when we purchased the pass. That’s a long way of saying that you don’t have to have a pass that covers the entire length of your trip if you know in advance that there is a period (front, end or middle) you won’t need it. You can mix and match the passes to your best advantage.
Thanks for this tip Nancy, I did a similar thing on my most recent Europe trip end of last year and mixed-and-matched a two month Eurail Pass with a ten day Swiss Travel Pass in the middle! It takes a bit of calculations sometimes to work out the best options but combining passes + point-to-point or using two different passes can definitely end up saving money. Hope you guys had a fantastic trip.
This is amazing detail and info.
Iām going to Europe at Christmas time with my family. Just wondering if you did first or second class? And if you did second if you could still book a first class ticket and pay more?
Thanks again!! You are amazing!
Glad it’s helpful Ruth š
I had a 1st class pass, and unfortunately on most trains (I think all trains but there miiiight be a few outliers), there is no way to book a 1st class ticket with a 2nd class pass and just pay for the upgrade. If you want to travel in 1st class you need to buy a 1st class pass, or alternatively you could just buy a 2nd class pass to use for your 2nd class trips and then pay for the 1st class train ticket on its own (without using the Eurail Pass).
Loved and lived the enjoyment of traveling in Germany to so many locations in twenty days and couldn’t imagine doing it with the eurail pass. So worth the time and money, only issue was my misunderstanding of how to find my purchased ticket by selecting the date of travel above where your ticket is show. That was the only thing that was of an issue, beyond this it saved me so much money and alleviated so much travel stress. Definitely going to purchase another pass again, so worth it.
Hi Alex,
Great wite up and thanks for sharing. A question on some of the fees…
On the Eurail Website it states. Administration costs when booking through Eurail self-service (ā¬ 2,- p.p.per train)
If we want to use the passes on regional trains in Italy with two kids, do we have to book the via the Eurail site or can we do via the local websites or just turn up to the station. I’m just wondering when the fees kick in? Or are the fees for reservation fees only?
Hey Sam! Many train operators let you make reservations on their website for free, you can find out how by searching the train on the Eurail website or app, and then it should have a ‘how and when to book’ link in the bottom right corner, click on this and it’ll explain the different ways to make reservations š