Eurail pass for father and 15 year old son

Peter
Traveller
9333 comments

Hi Barry.
In the past there was the good option of the Eurail Select Passes: [u]https://rail.cc/en/eurail-select-pass[/u]
But as France left Eurail Select in December 2012, it won't fit anymore to your route.
So the Eurail Global Pass is now the thing you could use - but to be hones,t it's expensive: [u]https://rail.cc/en/eurail-global-pass[/u]
If you have an exact route, just post it here and we try to find the cheapest option for you to travel. Often special fare point to point tickets are a better deal. :)
Peter :)

BarryHyphen
Traveller
12 comments

Hi Peter,

I know the days and the routes so I will collect my thoughts and send it through.

Thanks Heaps

Barry

Peter
Traveller
9333 comments

Hi Barry.
Okay, just let me know your route then - as I think the Eurail pass is often not a fair deal - if you travel dates are fixed, you often find cheaper point to point special prices which you can also buy online. Of course you loose a bit of flexibility with special offer point to point tickets as you have to use the booked train (date, time).
Peter :)

BarryHyphen
Traveller
12 comments

Hi Peter ,

Here is the proposed plan

December 1 2013 - Madrid to Barcelona in the morning – as early as possible
December 3 2013 - [u]https://rail.cc/en/barcelona-to-rome-via-the-coas/f9207[/u]
December 10 2013 – Rome to Venice earliest train - then late train from Venice to Florence (a variation may be going to Florence only on the 10th and doing a day trip to Venice on the 11th if that is cheaper or easier)
December 12 2013 – Florence to Milan – any time during the day
December 14 2013 – The route you guys have planeed is awesome [u]https://rail.cc/en/milan-to-zermatt-via-st-moritz/f9212[/u]

December 16 2013 – Catch the 8am train from Zermatt to Zurich
December 19 2013 - Zurich to Munich
December 21 2013 – Day trip to Stuttgart for a football game – return to Munich in the evening after 7pm
December 22 2013 – Overnight train from Munich to Paris

Thanks
Barry

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hej Barry!

Are you fine with 2nd class travel? Or do you want to go 1st class?

The 10 days Eurail Global Pass would be 759$ each in 1st class (not available for 2nd class). However since you already have a fixed route I would tend to think that you should go with regular (pre booked) tickets...especially if you are fine with 2nd class.
If you book early, prices can be quite low, however note that these tickets usually cannot be refunded or exchanged!

Madrid - Barcelona: Book early! [ux]https://rail.shop/acprail/renfe[/ux] or [ux]https://rail.shop/omio[/ux]
Barcelona - Rome: Using mostly local trains in France (and to Latour de Carol) you wouldnt even have to pre book on most parts of the route...if you want to pre-book a few weeks are sufficient; in Italy you could again travel pay-as-you-go depending on the final route. [ux]https://rail.shop/omio[/ux]
Rome - Venice - Florence: Book the outward trip from Rome in advance; the remainder can be done pay-as-yo-go as well. Depending what option (separate day trip to Venice or not) you choose it could be interesting to travel on one of the older scenic lines from Florence to Bologna (on the way to Venice) instead using the high speed line that mostly runs in tunnel.
Florence - Milan: Book a convenient high speed train in advance
Milan - Tirano: Get a ticket locally.
Tirano - Zermatt: Regular fare is 157 CHF, half-price available for your son.
Zermatt - Zurich: 119 CHF, half-price for your son
If you would add a third day travelling in Switzerland, it might make sense to get a 3 day Swiss Pass: rail.shop/swisstravelpass

The remaining trips are best bought in advance at [ux]https://rail.shop/bahn[/ux]


Flo 8)

BarryHyphen
Traveller
12 comments

Hi Flo,

Second class is fine.
I will check out the options you have suggested.

Thanks
Barry

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Alright...note the pre-booking time of usually two or maximum of three months. If you have questions just ask and if you happen to make purchases through one or several of our links, contact Peter to get the upgrade to Premium membership. :)

BarryHyphen
Traveller
12 comments

Hi Flo

To plan the trip and work out the price comparison should I plan it as if the trip is in 2 months time? This will allow me to see how much the trip will cost and if it is what we want to do. Will the availability in September match December for a comparison view point?

Regards
Barry

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Yeah, for a price comparison this will do. Regarding availability it is always hard to predict, especially for us as we cant see detailed occupancy of the trains. But for special prices you always have to book a few weeks in advance...although special deals might be available a bit longer in December. I'm afraid I cant give a more detailed answer.

BTW, in December there should be two direct AVE trains Barcelona - Marseille which could be interesting for you even when only travelling on the Perpignan - Miramas/Marseille stretch.