Exploring Europe by Train

Go to AgoVita Travel.com

Overview
Perhaps you’d previously taken a flight to Europe to vacation, to study or even to trace some family ancestry, but have you ever traveled Europe the way it’s supposed to be traveled? If you truly want to explore the effervescent vibe of both the new and the Old in Europe, the sure way to do that is traveling by train.

Many people, particularly those who love to holiday may have heard about the Eurail train system of Europe. As the name may suggest, it is a train service comprised of a rail network of over 240,000 kilometers, running throughout nearly Europe’s entire mainland and passing through 17 countries. Britain and majority of EEC (Eastern European Countries) however are excluded from this Eurail train service.

The Eurail train system of Europe offers a great way to see Europe, with 24 base cities serving as the starting points in the 17 countries that the train passes through. You might be wondering why you should take a train, after all, isn’t flying faster and better? Well, Europe is a country that boasts of a plethora of attractions that you sure wish to explore. While planes are fast compared to trains, there is more to a holiday than speed because it is quite difficult to explore from 30,000 feet. Think of the Effie Tower, the best you get to do is explore from over top of it and that’s no fun.

The Mahatma Gandhi saying “there is more to life than increasing life’s speed” has never been truer for a holiday maker in Europe. This is because train travel is efficient and fast, but above all else it allows you see the countryside. A train will let you pass through tiny villages that are inaccessible by any plane in the world. You’ll also be able to stop in towns, shopping centers and/or even in the middle of nowhere to just explore Europe to the fullest. Needless to mention, rail travel is an ideal way to socialize with new people – both fellow travelers and locals, which will greatly help you make and get the most of your holiday.

Eurail Pass
In very simple terms, this pass is your gateway to Europe; you get to travel through Europe with simplicity, flexibility and convenience. For starters, there are some trains that you can hop in and wait for the train attendant or conductor to come around and collect the fares for wherever you’re going. However, to make the most out of your Europe trip, you might want to acquire a pass in advance which will allow you explore each of the 17 country’s marvelous attractions, learn about the culture and life of the Europeans and most of all, enjoy yourself to the maximum.

The Eurail pass allows you to change your plans as many times as you wish since you aren’t working with date and location–specific tickets. Rather, you get a pass that is valid to travel by train in a number of countries for a certain number of days. You get to choose the date, time and location to use the pass and you can take as many trains as you wish in the set time frame. Note that Eurail is a combined effort amongst majority of rail services in Europe thus there is a huge variety of schedules and trains to choose from.

Eurail Pass Options
Eurail has various passes with various time frames and to a variety of countries.

Eurail Pass
It is the most basic ticket option available that offers unlimited travel by rail within the 17 European countries including Western Europe countries (England excluded), Scandinavia, and various Eastern European countries, Hungary included. This pass is valid for 15days to 3 months, which will be dependent on the amount of travel you wish to make. It offers great flexibility within the 17 countries.

Eurail Flexipass
This offers you the flexibility if you want to do moderate traveling in an extended period of time. It is valid for two months, covers the Eurail Pass basic country destinations but rather than the unlimited travel, you get to select a number of days to travel within the 2 months. The days don’t have to be consecutive and can contain 10 or 15 travel days.

Regional Pass
This travel pass allows you select a combination of destinations including France/Spain, Germany/Denmark, Spain/Portugal, and France/Italy. It has a 2 month travel deadline and you can select up to 10 days of travel.

Select Pass
This gives you the option to select a number of destination countries and the days of travel you wish to make in the 2-month period. You get to select up to 5 bordering European countries from a list of 22 countries. You also get to select any of the Eurail system countries as long as the country is an adjacent region.

Eurail Tips of Travel
• Be cautious of touts - Well, in addition to the common sense things such as keeping your bags close to you always and wearing a money belt, you should be cautious of touts. These are people recruiting travelers to go for a certain hostel, restaurant or business. Go with what you had planned but if you hadn’t made any plans, ask for a map, if they don’t have one, forget about them.
• Keep all your Valuables Close to you when Napping
• Know by name the identity of the station before your stop.
• If someone makes you uncomfortable, you can always ask for seating changes from the train attendants
• When looking for info in train stations, ensure you get the right info booth. Note that train info and tourist info serve different purposes.
• Make sure you understand Eurail pass rules well for you to know what you’re responsible for.
• Ensure you validate your ticket in advance before getting on the train because in some countries like Italy, you can get a fine for not validating your ticket.
• Keep your ticket separate from your validation slip certificate as it shows proof of ownership.


Written by Shue
www.agovitatravel.com