Rail Travel Europe

By Elizabeth Gregory

I have never rented a car in Europe. Train travel is the easiest way to get around in my opinion. I have traveled through multiple countries on a Eurail pass and have also bought in-country train passes for long distance travel within that country. This is what I did several years ago. Eurail passes come with many options. You can pick several days of travel within 2 or 3 months as well as other combinations of limited countries. The most important thing to remember is that they must be purchased in advance in the US. You will not be able to buy a Eurail pass in Europe. You may be able to get a similar pass but will pay much more than if you purchase in advance. Most travel agents can sell Eurail passes. The best part is that 17 countries participate in the Eurail program. This means your pass is good on most trains (some exclusions of subways, etc) in the following countries:

Sweden
Finland
Norway
Spain
Portugal
Denmark
France
Germany
Ireland
The Netherlands
Belgium
Greece
Italy
Switzerland
Austria
Hungary
Luxembourg

If you're not planning on traveling around all of Europe, you can usually get passes good for several days (at a discounted rate) in the country on the major train netoworks. I have done this in Germany and have also traveled the rail systems for several days in France and Spain. You can find good information on one country train travel on RailEurope. Youth pass prices are also available.

Happy travels!