It’s official! I’m moving to Paris for three months before moving to Rio de Janeiro for another 3 months. So what does this mean? Well, it actually means a lot of things I can’t get into on this post. Even so, this means I have to think about getting a Eurail Pass.

Is the Eurail Pass worth getting?

Well, what if I gave you five plane tickets for the price of one and told you to go anywhere you want as long as you do it within a month or two? Would you do it?

In my case, Paris is right in the middle of many awesome European cities and neighboring countries. Not only will flying become shorter and more accessible, but it will also allow me to use their extensive and well-integrated rail system.

Their rail system is significantly cheaper and more convenient in Europe. In other words, getting a Eurail Pass might be a significant and worthy investment.

However, many first time travelers might want more information on what a Eurail Pass is or if they should even bother. So I am going to walk you through whether or not you should get one or if you should skip it.

A Eurail Pass for your consideration?

I still have a few weeks before I officially move. However, now is the time to invest in modes of transportation, airport lounge passes, and other travel apps that might benefit a traveler in my position. So let’s see if the Eurail Pass is beneficial.

Why do I need a Eurail Pass?

Okay, so hear me out. Europe’s rail network is so interconnected it makes the rest of the world look shameful.

I mean, we think Greyhound is a good interconnected network in the US, but they just make you feel like you’re in a mobile chicken pen.

So, the fact that we can take a train from anywhere in Europe to our destination for cheap and arrive in a couple of hours is pretty amazing in my eyes.

If we look at the map below, you’ll see a big blob of lines throughout Europe and the UK.

Its a mess. It looks like a child threw black spaghetti on a piece of white paper. That’s because there are tons of rail lines that go from major city to major city. They go from smaller towns to smaller towns. Many of the larger cities have a very well-integrated Metro Rail system. Some lines are high-speed rail, while others are fast but not that fast.

A Eurail Pass allows you to venture on the adventure of a lifetime with one convenient pass.

Okay, so why do I need a pass?

I need a pass because I’ll be moving to Paris. Even though I want to explore Paris, I’ll be central to many other cities and countries. The pass makes it easy and the trains are speedy. Why not get a pass?

Therefore, now is the time to start looking into this type of train pass and see if it actually benefits me. However, I also want to walk you through it as well.

What is a Eurail Pass?

Think of the Eurail Pass as one train ticket that allows you to ride as many times as you want for a certain amount of days of your choosing.

So basically, the Eurail Pass has a contract with 33 countries across Europe. This means you can use it to travel to any of these countries.

These countries include:

A Eurail Pass will allow you to travel cheaply and efficiently to these countries and within these countries.

However, I should mention this does not include Metro rail rain systems within the cities like the London Tube or the Paris Metro train. You’ll have to purchase different train tickets for those.

What types of Eurail Passes do they have?

Eurail has many types of passes. So, it depends on your length of stay. Most people who get Eurail Passes buy it because they’re traveling for an extended period. When I say long, I mean about a month or longer. That’s when it makes more sense to purchase one.

If you’re planning on taking a two-week vacation to Paris with a side trip to Amsterdam, you should not buy a Eurail pass. In your case, it will be easier and cheaper to purchase one round trip ticket to and from those cities.

In any case, they have two different types of passes that can be broken down into many different sub-categories.

You have the Global Pass or the Single Country Pass.

For example, with the Global Pass, the smallest pass they have is a four-day pass you can use within a month. This means you can travel four different days of your choice within that 30-day time frame.

With the Eurail Pass, you can travel as much as possible within any 24-hour time frame. So if you decide today is the day you’re going to go to a particular country. You can head over there, head back, go back for dinner and back or maybe take the train to the countryside. In other words, one day of travel equals unlimited rides anywhere.

Let’s break down the sub-categories for these passes…

The other type of pass is a Single Country Pass. This means you can purchase a pass to travel within one country. That might not sound exciting if it’s your first time in Europe. Considering you may want to backpack and see as many countries as possible.

However, some countries have so many incredible cities you may want to explore each major city you get your hands and feet on. 

In other words, for this Paris trip, let’s say I only wanted to focus on France. I can travel anywhere within France for a few days of my choosing during an amount of time.

In my case, I’m going to want to purchase one that gives me maximum flexibility for multiple countries. Therefore I don’t want a Single Country Pass. I want a Global Pass.

How much to Eurail Passes Cost?

The cool thing about the Eurail Pass is that if you’re 28 and younger, you get a discount. However, if you’re an old man like me, above 28, then prices go up. 

Eurail also has child prices and Senior Prices. Relax, I’m not a senior yet. So let’s focus on costs for Youth and Adults, shall we?

If you’re planning on buying the Global Pass and you’re 27 and younger, the pass with the lowest amount of travel days in a month (4 days in a month) is the cheapest. This means you pay $209.

If you’re above 28 years old, that same pass is $278.

The next step up, or their most popular plan, which allows you 5 full days of travel within a month if you’re 27 and under the price is $240. If you’re 28 and over, the price is $319.

That’s not too bad for 5 days of consecutive travel between countries. Considering some countries are so close you can go, have lunch, come back and still have time in your day to see some sites in your current city. Its the jet setter way.

Prices go up a little more if you’re getting the 7-day plan like I did my first time around.

To keep it simple, I’ve created a table with different types of Eurail Passes, the days you can travel, and the cost per type of pass. Check out the table below:

How Do You Use Your Eurail Pass?

Back in 2007, I went on an extended European backpacking trip and purchased a Global Eurail Pass for 7 days for one month. 

Even though I didn’t have a cell phone while I was there, it wasn’t difficult to figure out how to use it.

I went from London to Paris. The Eurostar is not included as one of the tickets in your Eurail Pass, so I had to purchase my Eurostar ticket separately.

From Paris, I made my way to Amsterdam. From Amsterdam, I headed to Berlin. Then from Berlin, I headed to Prague in the Czech Republic. 

From Prague, I flew to Barcelona. That was my entire trip. But then I needed to get back to London Heathrow at the end of my journey to make it back to Los Angeles.

So from Barcelona, I took a night train to Paris. I then purchased another Eurostar ticket to get to London, and off I went back to the states.

Overnight trains are included in the Eurail Pass, but since those tickets are more expensive, you have to pay a premium. Its something to be aware of.

So How did I use the pass?

You can either board the train and hand the Eurail Pass when they ask you. They will then snip the day you’re using. You can use any amount of trains for those 24 hours. Therefore, even if you’re using 100 trains that day, it’s okay.

Now to be safe, I went to the train ticket counter before boarding. They gave me an actual ticket.

Once you board the train, the conductor will take your train ticket and mark your Eurail Pass. I did this each time.

For the Barcelona to Paris leg, since its an overnight train I paid around 80 Euros. It was an entire room with four bunks to myself.

The room was quiet. I looked out the window for a while and saw the beautiful terrain. The hills were drenched in soft moonlight. The train to Paris rocked me to sleep very fast. I woke up in the morning as we arrived in Paris.

Does it make sense to purchase a Eurail Pass or just buy multiple train tickets?

Let’s get real here. Why should you even bother getting a Eurail Pass for $200-something plus dollars for 4 days of riding? Is it worth it, or should you purchase each train ticket as you go along your journey?

This is definitely something to think about. This might take some planning. First, let’s plan out where you want to go.

How many countries are you hitting? Are you hitting multiple cities within that country? Or planning on making day trips? Are you taking round trips from a particular city?

Ask yourself all of these questions as you plan.

During my previous itinerary. I did 5 total train rides because I missed my Prague stop and needed to hop back on a train to get to it. However, technically I only used 4 of my 7 days.

Regardless, it was great to have a couple of extra days for emergency purposes. You don’t want to feel stuck. Or at least that’s how I felt.

Now let’s do the math

Some train tickets are cheap. They can be as low as $40. It also depends on the destination. So if you’re not heading to many cities or countries, I don’t recommend you get the pass.

I went on RailEurope.com to check for prices, and here is what I found.

One thing to remember is that rail tickets don’t have a set price so you can luck out and buy dirt cheap tickets.

Let’s just say that you’re headed to Nice from Paris and then back. That’s $82×2. So $164 round trip.

Then maybe you decide you want to go from Barcelona to Madrid. The cheapest ticket I found is $97. Assuming you’re not going back to Barcelona, your trip will just cost $97.

Okay, so one round trip and one one-way trip will cost you a total of $261. That would be the cost of your entire Eurail Pass if you decided to buy the 4 days Eurail Pass.

Sticking with that scenario, you just used three of four days of your pass. You can do one more day of trips. Regardless of where you go, it’s already more expensive if you decide to travel without a pass.

Which one am I getting, and Why?

I love flying. I enjoy checking out new airlines and traveling as a whole. So I’ll still purchase plane tickets for longer routes. Europe has a ton of airlines I’ve never heard of, and writing reviews for my blog is always a blast. So, for me, the Eurail Pass that makes the most sense is the Global Pass for 5 days within a month.

So here’s the questions again, if someone gave you 5 plane tickets and said you could use them anywhere you wanted as long as you did it within 30 days, where would you go?

Um, sign me up!

And you? Which Eurail Pass are you getting?

Let Me Break it Down For You:

Don’t buy Eurail Passes if you’re traveling for a short 2 week period or so. It only makes sense for longer trips.

Eurail prices are great but you have to sit and do the math. For me, it makes total sense. It also gives me a sense of freedom.

Which one do I think is best? The 5-day and the 7-day pass.

Interested in buying a Eurail Pass? Check out their website: Eurail.com.

Enjoy Europe! You’re going to love this adventure!

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