Buy a Eurail Pass
Eurorail, a train network spanning Europe, offers several types of prepaid travel passes. You can purchase a Global Eurail Pass to travel all 21 countries connected by the Eurorail system, a Select Pass to travel in 3, 4 or 5 countries, a Regional Pass for unlimited travel within one region, or a self-explanatory One Country Pass.
Steps
- Decide which countries you want to visit. This will determine which sort of Eurail pass you purchase. [Eurail Passes]www.eurail.com/eurail-passes
- Decide how long you want to travel. You can purchase a pass for a continuous time period, or use a certain number of days out of two months.
- Prices vary enormously according to which pass you choose, which countries or regions you select for that pass and how long you want the pass to be valid for. As of November 2010, a single-country pass starts as low as $45, and a [Global Pass]www.eurail.com/eurail-passes/global-pass can be had for as little as $469.
- Purchase your Eurail pass online. You can buy it from Eurail official website, but it's better if you buy it at Rail Europe. The pass will be sent to you by registered mail; you cannot print an e-ticket version.
- Online passes average about 20 percent lower in cost that purchasing the same pass in a train station, and not all Eurail passes are available in European train stations.
- You can purchase Eurail passes as much as six months in advance. When you first use the pass in a major train station, the staff will fill in the activation and expiry dates.
- Visit a Eurail Aid Office if you need help with your Eurail Pass, or if you arrive in Europe without having purchased a pass. Eurail Aid Offices are almost always located within large train stations; consult the list at //www.eurail.com/eurail-aid-offices to find one in your country of origin or destination.
- If you cannot find a Eurail Aid Office in your country, Eurail recommends asking for help at the international ticket window in a large train station.
- The only Eurail passes available for purchase in Europe are: single-country passes to Romania, Portugal, Norway, Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Greece and Croatia; multiple-country passes for Hungary-Romania, Greece-Italy, Austria-Hungary, Croatia-Slovenia-Hungary or Austria-Croatia-Slovenia; Eurail Select Passes, and the Eurail Global Pass.
Tips
- If you're under 26 on your first day of travel on the Eurail pass, you qualify for a discounted Youth Pass for 2nd-class travel. If you're an adult (over 26) traveling with another adult, you can save money by sharing a Saver Pass--but you have to travel together. Children under 12 qualify for a discounted Child Pass, and children under 4 travel for free on Eurail trains.
- Eurail offers free economy shipping of purchased rail passes to many countries. You can purchase track and trace service or faster delivery for a fee. Use the Eurail shipping calculator at www.eurail.com/eurail-shipping-calculator to calculate shipping costs and times for your country.
- If you arrive in Europe without a Eurail pass and cannot purchase the type of pass you need at the train station, consider staying put for a couple of days. You can order online and have the pass shipped to your hotel or hostel.
- Some European train stations might require a reservation fee in addition to regular fare. Your Eurail Pass does not cover this reservation fee.
