battigalli
Traveller
1 comments
Posted 12 years ago
Hello, I am dual citizen Italy-USA and am traveling with my Italian passport which shows that my residency is in the USA. It is a newly issued passport so it is obvious that I have not been a resident in Italy for 6 months. On the interrail guide i found this line:
Persons with an European passport OR a stay longer than 6 months in Europe can travel by INTERRAIL.
this info makes it seem that I should be able to use the interrail pass. However all other information that i have seen says that having a EU passport with out residency is not enough to qualify. I am looking to buy the Greece Plus pass and am curious both on the technical rule as well as how it would play out if i tried to use an interrail pass even if it is not technically allowed. I really appreciate any and all help on this issue, as it will help me affordably start my trip across land from Italy to India(ferry to greece, train to istanbul, hitchhiking & trains through turkey, iran and pakistan, then into India)
let me know thankyou!!
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
Hi.
If you spent the past 6 months or longer in the US, you will officially have to buy an Eurail pass.
Concerning your route: not worth to buy an Interrail pass.
Buy a ferry ticket Italy - Greece. By bus (offered usually by the ferry company, otherwise a public one) to Athens and again by bus to Istanbul. I prefer train travel, but in this case, save your money for Interrail.
Peter :)
battigalli
Traveller
1 comments
Thankyou for the timely response, it is vey helpful. Also wondering, about the feasibility of traveling log distances in Italy without using trains that need resevations. This could make the Italy greece eurail pass worthwhile as I am currently as north as milan and will be visiting Sicily before crossing to Greece. It looks like the pass would be worthwhile except for the extra costs of reservations:(
nltrainer
Traveller
1404 comments
by now it is NOT possiblie anymore to travel in ANY long-dist treni from FS without reservate il posto. but tahts just 3-4 eur for the espressi or ICN. If you can prebook some days before-can also do via the automats, then it gets even cheaper.
HIghly, highly doubt if ANY pass is worthwhile for just 1 long trip via Italia North to south. In Greece the railnetwork is so pruned off, (EU-imposed savings) that its simply not worthwhile at all. In TR the trains are supercheap-and superdelayed. BUSes bring you anywhere, Hitching is dangerous is mostly a thing of the 70ies-last century. You can expect problems for crossing Iran with anything that looks like you are in/from USA. But I have never seen any EU-passprt that tells where you live.
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Once more, reservations are only needed for the Frecce and ES, not for E, IC, ICN!
:arr: [u]http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=6734f453a2bd7310VgnVCM1000008916f90aRCRD[/u] (read the Global Pass section); you might also check the document TARIFFS AND SALES CONDITIONS FOR TRENITALIA INTERNAL TRAINS of Trenitalia which might be available on the website of UIC, from which I quote:
On InterCity, ICN, EXP trains (only for seats), pass holders valid for travelling in Italy travel free of
charge without seat reservation. If they wish a seat reservation they will have to purchase a Global Pass
ticket.
Flo 8)