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So Long, EuRail Pass
The Amsterdam trip marked my last journey using the EuRail pass. From here on out, I’ll be using the 12-25 youth discount card for regional trains, and flying everywhere else. But the EuRail pass has been great, so I wanted to include a quick post about it for anyone who is considering getting it!
I had the 5 country select pass (Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Belgium count as one country - “Benelux”), which was valid for 15 days within 2 months. This turned out to be the perfect length, as I used my 15th day of travel just before it expired.
Summary:
- 42 trains (including 3 couchettes)
- 1 bus (for when the train got cancelled)
- 1 cab (the Bahn train station paid for a cab from Forbach back to Metz when we missed our connection)
- 7 countries: France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
- 12 destinations: Chamonix, Antibes, Nice, Monaco, Stuttgart, Munich, Luxembourg, Trier, Saarburg, Bruxelles, Geneva, Amsterdam
Definitely worth it!
Tips:
- Bahn.com is a much better source for finding schedules than RailEurope.com
- Don’t make reservations online. Online reservations include an $18 processing fee and $11 for the ticket. At the station, reservations are only 3 euros!
- Reservations for couchettes are more expensive - around 20 euros, but worth it to avoid spending the day in the train. Plus, its still usually cheaper than a night in a hostel.
- Be careful about your bags - several GTL students have had their bags stolen on the trains. Luggage locks are a smart idea.
- Make sure to have your pass stamped at the station to activate it. And for reservations, you have to have the reservation ticket stamped at the station too (in a machine). Forgetting this could result in a fine!
OK that’s about all I have to say for the EuRail.
