APR
22

Buying European rail passes? Here's help for the headache

By Dana McMahan
All trains go to Paris When I bought my first European rail pass in 2001 it seemed there was a bewildering array of choices. And the choices have grown like wild since. Instead of the old grand-daddy of them all, the Eurail pass, today you must choose from the 20-country Eurail Global Pass, the 3,4 or 5 neighboring countries Select Pass, country or regional passes or point to point tickets. Then pick from consecutive-day passes, flexi passes, and don't forget to see if you are eligible for saverpasses.

I wish RailSaver.com had been around when I planned my first few trips:

RailSaver finds the best railpasses for your European trip. Tell RailSaver about your trip in the 3 easy steps below, then click on the calculator.

Use their handy calculator to help decide which pass is right for you.

If you'd rather do you home work the old-fashioned way, consult Rick Steves' Compare Point-to-Point Ticket Costs page. Part of his comprehensive rail pass section, it offers a planning worksheet and "Time & Cost" map to help you determine the best option for your budget and also links you to several helpful web sites in Europe for researching and buying train tickets.

I always buy my passes from the Rick Steves site and recommend you do too. You'll pay the same for your tickets as elsewhere, but get a free Travel Skills DVD, free Europe Planning Map, free Eurail schedule and map and a 20% discount at their Travel Store. You also get to pose your top three travel/itinerary questions to their travel consultants.

So before you pull your hair out wondering which pass is right for you, check RailSaver.com and Rick Steve's rail pass site.

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