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Anonymous
What is /trv/'s experience with Eurail passes?
is it easy/timely to get from place to place, or is it quite restrictive... (or more restrictive than one would assume)?
Is there anything i should know about Eurail passes?

ive never traveled by train before
>> Anonymous
I have experience with not using a Eurail pass...

Because I left it to the last minute I didn't have time to organise a pass before I went OS last year. Ended up paying for each train trip as I went, and in the end only spent about AU$50 more than the pass would have cost.

Other thing to note is that travel across the English Channel (by train, obviously) isn't covered by the Eurail passes; and they charge a fuckload for it. To the point where it is actually significantly cheaper to fly.
>> Anonymous
>>7771
how much is a ferry? i.e., train from london to dover, ferry to dunkirk/calais, train to paris?
>> Anonymous
>>7778

Not sure. We were operating on a fairly strict time budget, and didn't consider the flight option til after buying train tickets.

Never even thought about taking a ferry. Though we did talk to a Canadian couple who'd caught a ferry from somewhere in Ireland to Calais, I think. Said it was the worst thing ever, really rough, etc. Though the trip across the Channel would be a lot calmer.
>> Anonymous
I've got a 3 month Eurail that I'll be using in May-July. I am pretty sure with the city-hopping I am planning on doing I will make up for the $1100 it costed me through ricksteves.com.
And IIRC the only restrictions are like 7 ultrafast train routes in Central Europe and you. You will need to reserve seats beforehand on overnight and trains in Italy for a guarenteed seat aswell
>> Anonymous
>>7824

Ahh yeah. The seat reservations, that was one thing that people we talked to with Eurail passes complained about. Often on popular, or long distance trips, you have to reserve a seat. Which isn't covered by the Eurail pass, and is sometimes as much as 20 Euro extra (this is>>7771and>>7817).

Main thing is, be open to alternate methods of getting around. Especially if there's a chance you might run out of trips on the pass, keep an eye out for cheap flights or bus tickets.
>> Anonymous
>>7771
if you take the train at the right time, eurostar from london to paris is only US$58. but getting up for a 7:30 train is no fun.
>> Anonymous
>>7865
i guess you dont qualify for the youth ticket, then. the 58 dollar ticket is only for youth.
>> Anonymous
>>7868

I do, being a student. But considering the fact I bought the ticket while in Amsterdam, there may be a unrelated reason why I didn't get the correct ticket.
>> Anonymous
InterRail (I suppose i's the same thing as eurail) saved my ass during the 2006 World Cup. Since I didn't think things through I went to Germany without any hostel reservations and ended up in the country with nowhere to stay. So I would just pick the longest route (say Munich - Hamburg) and sleep on a train. You only have to pay extra for ICE trains (ultra fast executive type trains) but the rest are free.
>> Anonymous
>>7889
that's fucking hardcore. how did you shower?
>> Anonymous
>>7895

You have public showers near the station i Munich. Eventually I found hostel in Berlin - huge thing, over 600 beds. But before I found that shower in Munich was hell.