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Bargain Travel Europe guideto Europe on a budget for unusual destinations, cheap travel tips and secret spots missed by travel tours.

FOR EUROPE RAIL PASSES

Of course you've heard of traveling Europe with a Eurail Rail Pass. But is it really cheaper than point-to-point tickets on SNCF, Britrail, or Deutsche Bahn DB? Do I have to get a full rail pass or just one for certain days or countries? How do I budget for the cities iI want to see by rail and ones I want a rental car?

How do Europe Rail Passes really work? See How Eurail Passes Work

See Also Fly, Drive or Ride the Rails for a comparison of flying versus driving or rail travel.

I know how they work
I just want to buy a rail pass: Rail Europe

Rail Europe: Specials & Promotions  

CAR RENTAL

AAA Members Save More with Hertz! Up to 10-20%! - Expires 12/31/13

Use Mastercard at Avis & Save Up to 20% PLUS Free Upgrade  

Best Car Rental Rates in Top Destinations on Travelocity  

Priceline.com Rental Cars - save up to 30%

Where to rent a car in Europe?

A big company or a small one? The big travel services have deals at all the major car rental companies and offer guarantees that smaller ones don't. Some of the companies vary by country,

If you have a really specific need, sometimes the individual companies may have a listing that doesn't show up in the travel engine booking site. So you can search directly.

Avis and Hertz are the big boys and some prime locations and worldwide mileage perks. And they can offer some very good deals, aside from being famliar companies with reputations to maintain. And if you have a problem with them, they have reputations to protect.

For Europe based car rental agencies Europcar has been really good for taking rail between cities with many good locations in rail stations. Sixt also has good convenient locations in larger cities, especially Germany and England.

Read more on Renting a Car In Europe Part 1   Part 2

Convert Kilometers to miles

RAIL SEARCH

You can check national rail line schedules on the links to the left. The German and Swiss rail sites are best for searching schedules even on other rail systems. The French and aItalian Rail sites are a bit clunky and in their local language. If making many trips, I've personally had very good luck with the Eurail Passes. I've found the Select Pass most cost effective for stops in different cities in fewer countries over a longer stay, though local country discounts can be found.

Eurailpass: flexible travel throughout 17 countries 

Eurail Selectpass 

Or find city to city point-to-point tickets

Round-Trip One-Way Select a City Pair London-Paris Paris-London Florence-Rome Rome-Florence Florence-Venice Venice-Florence Amsterdam-Paris Paris-Amsterdam Brussels-Paris Paris-Brussels Rome-Venice Venice-Rome Brussels-London London-Brussels Nice-Paris Paris-Nice Paris-Rome Rome-Paris Amsterdam-Brussels Brussels-Amsterdam Prague-Vienna Vienna-Prague Milan-Venice Venice-Milan Avignon-Paris Paris-Avignon See All Cities Departure Date day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Departure time morning afternoon evening Return Date day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Return time morning afternoon evening Adults:

NIGHT TRAINS

I've found the Night Trains useful for long trips between cities. You can save a hotel night by sleeping on the train. (see SAVE ON HOTELS? TAKE THE NIGHT TRAIN)

HIGH SPEED TRAINS

The bullet trains go fast, like the French TGV, but without a pass they can cost almost as much as a plane and only save an hour on less than a long haul. If you have a Rail Pass they only require a reservation fee of around $14. Discount prices are offered for early reservation. Some peak hour highspeed trains require an extra charge.

If you're on a tight schedule transfering in Italy, allow yourself a good margin, because since Mussolini's gone, Italian train schedules can be "maybe now, maybe a little later"! ©Bargain Travel Europe

These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLEV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission.

See Also:

TRAVELING EUROPE ON A BUDGET

SWITZERLAND SCENIC TRAINS

EUROPE HIGH SPEED TRAINS - TGV - ICE

TGV, TOURS & RAIL EUROPE PASSES FOR FRANCE

CITY NIGHT LINE – SLEEPER TRAIN

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