Eurail Stories

I’ve spoken to some people who found a Eurail pass wasn’t the cheap Euro Rail Pass they expected. So, what’s with that?

Our experience of complementary nuts and cookies as we travelled from Bern to Berlin, reaching speeds of around 250km/hour, on an ICE train.

On day one of our Euro rail adventure, we headed from Geneva to Thun, Switzerland with Eurail Passes.

This is the big unboxing of our Eurail map, Eurail Traveller’s Guide, Eurail Timetable and — of course — Eurail Pass tickets.

Eurail Pass or Euro Rail Pass? We clear up the confusion between the name of European train passes.

Look for special deals. Although the Eurail organisation closely controls ticket prices, they do offer occasional discounts.

The Eurail Pass gives you the ability to jump on and off any train which can lead to spontanious decisions with divine results. But if it doesn’t work out, you might get stranded in a town for a few hours more than you bargained for. Or you might arrive in a seedy station late at night. You don’t want to spend your European vacation admiring the train stations’ architecture. Or then again, you might. I don’t know.

Keep your passport handy. Because the Eurail pass is attached to your name and passport number, it’s important to keep them both easy-to-access when you’re on the train. I had my passport checked about one time in five when I was asked to produce my tickets. This isn’t about border control, it’s about ticket control.

What connects Gdansk with Amsterdam and Rome with Trondheim? The ESNtrain. From March 28th to April 21th it will drive through 18 European countries. Be part of it.

Not all train lines are part of the system. In fact, when I was travelling in Switzerland I ended up on a private line which cost me a whopping 120 extra euros. Make sure your train is covered by the pass or expect to pay for the consequences.