Hi everyone. I've been to Europe once before, with some friends of mine back in 2009. We got the 1-month global Eurail passes and had a blast.
However, I will be getting married next year and for our honeymoon I wanted to take my fiancee on a trip around Europe to some of my favorite places. The problem is that my favorite places were Italy, Switzerland, and Norway.
I've looked for literally hours, trying to get the price of our Eurail tickets down (since we're paying for everything, wedding and honeymoon, ourselves). The global pass is kind of useless to us, since we're only visiting three countries. The 3-country select pass is equally useless, since Norway does not border either of the other countries. I thought about a 2-country region pass, and then just flying to Norway, except there is no Italy-Switzerland pass offered. So far the cheapest option I've found is getting a 5-country select pass that includes Germany and Denmark, but that seems like an incredible waste if we won't actually be stopping there.
So what I'm wondering is, is there anything I've overlooked? Is it worth it to get a Eurail pass at all, or would individual tickets work out better in the long-run, seeing as how we won't be traveling to too many different places? Our itinerary is included below.
I'm hoping someone with more experience with the European rail system can help with me with just kind of an estimate of what it would cost to just buy tickets to the following places as we go along, instead of getting Eurail. If it matters, my fiancee will still count as a youth (she'll be 24), but I won't (I'll be 26).
6/11 - 6/15 : Rome, Italy
6/16 - 6/19 : Cinque Terra, Italy
6/20 - 6/22 : Venice, Italy
6/23 - 7/01 : Lauterbrunnen, Gimmelwald, and the surrounding mountain areas (all covered by a single pass), Switzerland
7/02 - 7/05 : Flam, Norway
7/06 - 7/08 : Bergen, Norway
7/09 - 7/12 : Oslo, Norway
The cheapest option I found for Eurail passes is $1,126 for a 5-country select pass (Italy, Switzerlan, Germany, Denmark, and Norway) for 8 days of travel included (since if we have to do the 5-country pass and travel through Germany and Denmark, that will take several days). I'm really hoping though that individual passes in Italy, the single ticket to the Lauterbrunnen area, 3 single trips in Norway, and one inter-European flight (from somewhere in Switzerland to Oslo to get to Norway) could be cheaper than that. Can anyone help me? Thanks in advance!
First, welcome to FlyerTalk - and congratulations!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Tanner
So what I'm wondering is, is there anything I've overlooked? Is it worth it to get a Eurail pass at all, or would individual tickets work out better in the long-run, seeing as how we won't be traveling to too many different places? Our itinerary is included below.
Note that:
a) The European rail timetable changes in early December each year (but in most cases, won't change too dramatically from one year to the next);
b) Most European trains only open for reservations 90 days in advance. So, you can't actually book any tickets for next year - but if you check for dates ~80 days from now, you'll get a good idea of what sort of price you would be paying if you booked your trip as soon as reservations open. (Prices generally increase closer to departure, so if you leave it to the last minute it will be more expensive).
c) When you're calculating the cost of a RailPass, you also need to add in the cost of reservations for any trains that need them...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Tanner
I'm hoping someone with more experience with the European rail system can help with me with just kind of an estimate of what it would cost to just buy tickets to the following places as we go along, instead of getting Eurail.
As mentioned, follow the advice on Seat61 (and look on the specific train operator websites) to price up your trip. However, my initial assumption would be:
- Italy: no need to get a railpass, unless you're doing a huge amount of train travel each day;
- Switzerland: individual point-to-point fares are generally expensive, so a Swiss Pass may be worthwhile.
- Switzerland to Norway: You can do Basel (Switzerland) to Oslo (Norway) in just over 24hrs:
CNL sleeper to Copenhagen (from €29 per person in a seat, but I'd recommend you at least get a couchette (from €49) and as it's your honeymoon, I'd advise you to spring for a sleeper (from €79 per person)); and then either:
Trains via Sweden to Oslo. (Via Gothenburg is quickest, but a bit more expensive; if you book on www.SJ.se via Norrköping and Katrineholm, you can get it as low as 404Kr, ~€50 per person, for an inflexible ticket); or:
Ferries: there are ferries from Kiel in Germany, or Copenhagen and Fredrikshavn in Denmark, to Oslo. Depending on when you book, these might be a bit more expensive than the train, but if you take an overnight ferry with a cabin, it saves you both time and a hotel room (eg: you could take the CNL sleeper Basel to Copenhagen, have the day in Copenhagen, and take the overnight ferry to Oslo - which gives you a (short) day sightseeing in Oslo, and very little daytime spent travelling)
- Within Norway: I'm not so sure. You can get discounted tickets by booking ahead on www.nsb.no - but if you're doing a lot of train travel in a short space of time, then a one-country railpass might be worth it. Remember that Norway is generally an expensive country, anyway...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Tanner
The cheapest option I found for Eurail passes is $1,126 for a 5-country select pass (Italy, Switzerlan, Germany, Denmark, and Norway) for 8 days of travel included
If this per person, or for the two of you? If it's for two, I would still hope that the options outlined above can work out somewhat cheaper. If it's for one, then I'm sure they would.
The disadvantage of using the discounted, book-in-advance tickets is that you lose flexibility (as they generally tie to you to a specific train, and may not allow cancellations/refunds). However, if your itinerary is fairly well-fixed in advance, then that is not so much of a problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Tanner
(since if we have to do the 5-country pass and travel through Germany and Denmark, that will take several days)
Note that:
- As mentioned above, you can do Switzerland to Norway in just over 24 hrs (not 'several days') - unless you want to stop and see things on the way, of course...
- However, you can't get from Denmark to Norway without either taking a ferry, or passing through Sweden... (so this needs to be factored into your costs).
Thanks so much for the help! I will definitely check those links out. And yes, the $1,126 is for both Eurail tickets, not just one, but I was still hoping to do better. Thanks so much for the detailed response, it's incredibly helpful.
In Switzerland, the Eurail Pass covers all of the routes on the Swiss Federal Railway system (SBB)--most mountain trips (like Lauterbrunen and Gimmelwald and Grindelwald) are not covered, but since these (short trips) are in the Jungfrau region, the EP gets you a 20% discount from Interlaken Ost--so you might not need the Swisspass. One mountain trip, the Rigi Bahn is covered. [The rail trip, between Luzern = Lucerne, and Interlaken Ost (via Meiringen) is spectacular and the boat ride from Luzern to Vitznau gives access to the Rigi Bahn--this is just a suggested "side" excursion.]
In general, check the "extras" the EP covers, this might save you lots of money when you make maximum use of these.
The Eurail Italy pass is 445 dollar and the Eurail Norway pass 372 dollar for your both, which makes 817 dollar.
A ticket from Geneva(no luggage, Norwegian) to Oslo is about 130 dollar. From Milan(no luggage, Ryanair) is about 80 dollar. But this can be cheaper, it depends on the dates.
This is 1317 in total so this alternative route will not be cheaper.
Please note that the Swiss pass offers only a 25% discount on the trains from Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch, and these connecting trains up to the top of the mountains are expensive.
Ok lots of confusing / contradictory information in the previous posts. Here's my take:
1) Italy:
Just buy point to point tickets, this will be far cheaper than a pass. You can see current pricing on www.trenitalia.com, and book tickets with reserved seats on the long-distance "Freccia", "Eurostar" and intercity trains starting 4 months ahead - there are limited "super economy" tickets available at sharply discounted rates, if you're willing to commit to a specific train. Tickets on local/regional trains can be bought at the station just before departure, no need to worry about it beforehand.
2) Switzerland:
You want a "Swiss CARD" (NOT the far more expensive "pass") at approx $200 per person, which will give you free travel to and from Gimmelwald on the first and last days of your stay, and discounts of 20-50% depending on the operator on days in between. Your transborder ticket from Venice to Spiez or Brig (whichever station you switch to a domestic Swiss train, this depends on the connection you choose) should cost only CHF 64 in combination with the Swiss Card. From Spiez onwards, you won't need a separate ticket, just show your Swiss Card. Train connections from Venice to Gimmelwald (and any other route with a portion in Switzerland, as well as most train connections within Europe) can be found on: http://www.rail.ch
Swiss Cards can be bought from http://www.raileurope.com or from the Swiss Railways' site: http://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holiday...m-buchung.html
If you use the Swiss Railways' site, the correct pricing for the Venice-Spiez ticket can be obtained by selecting the "GA" Swiss discount card option.
3) Flight to Norway (you were actually going to take the train for that trek? How fast do you want to your marriage to end? )
Take Norwegian from Geneva - they fly nonstop to Oslo, and have connecting service to Bergen. Ryanair from Bergamo would take forever. Keep checking for the dates you need to open for bookings - the early bird gets the low fares... http://www.norwegian.com
4) Travel in Norway
No personal experience here, but aside from the offers on Raileurope.com, I would take a look at the company that the Norwegian Railway partners with: http://www.fjordtours.com/
Or just book point to point directly with the Norwegian Railways: http://www.nsb.no/?lang=en_US
Not sure how much cheaper than the $ 500-600 per person that you originally calculated the above will come out to be, but you will certainly have a far more humane journey than if you decided to take the train all the way up to Norway on such a tight schedule.
Hope this helps,
Andre
Last edited by Andre; Sep 3, 12 at 3:37 pm..
Reason: Clarified pricing on Venice to Gimmelwald journey
How fast do you want to your marriage to end? 
)
