The Ultimate Guide to European Train Travel With a Eurail Pass

If you’re planning a multi-city tour of the European continent this summer and will rely on trains to get around, you may want to consider purchasing a Eurail Pass. Haven’t thought about buying a Eurail Pass since your backpacking days? You’re not alone. The last time I traveled with one was in 2007 as a college student. After forking over about $500 (from my part-time job as a barista) for the multi-use train ticket, I rode at least a dozen trains from Amsterdam to Paris and on to Madrid over the course of a month that summer. I saved not only money but also time waiting to buy tickets because I could walk onto most trains and have the conductor punch my pass on board.
For beginners to European train travel, the Eurail Pass is a single document that allows non-European citizens to travel by train multiple times across a network of 33 European countries. The travel must occur over a specified period of time, and the pass forgoes the need to buy individual point-to-point tickets. The Eurail Pass, which is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, can be used for riding local trains, high-speed trains, and even night trains. In addition to the flexibility and time-saving benefits it affords, traveling with one can also save you money, depending on your travel plans.

Here’s everything you need to know about Eurail Passes before you buy one.

Eurail vs. Interrail

Eurail is not cheaper than Interrail. Their prices are exactly the same, but Eurail is for non-EU residents and citizens.

How do Eurail Passes work?

You can choose from either a One Country Pass, which covers train travel in a single country, or a Eurail Global Pass, which offers unlimited train travel across 33 countries in Europe, using their national railroads. Within each pass type, there are even more options. There are ones for children (ages 4 to 11), youth (12 to 27), adults (28+), and seniors (60+). They come in first- and second-class options across all age categories.
The passes also cover different trip lengths for both One Country and Global Passes. The flexible, four-days-in-one-month pass is for you if you’re going on a shorter getaway and won’t be taking trains regularly. The pass with three months of unlimited travel is best used for fast-paced trips where you plan to cover a lot of ground over an extended time.

The validities for flexible passes include:

• Four travel days within one month
• Five travel days within one month
• Seven travel days within one month
• 10 travel days within two months
• 15 travel days within two months

There are also passes available for unlimited travel days during set periods of time. Those continuous train passes include durations of:

• 15 days
• 22 days
• One month
• Two travel months
• Three travel months

The pass is sold by the number of travel days during which you plan on using it. Each travel day covers as many trains as you’d like to take in a 24-hour time window from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on the same calendar day.

Keep in mind that there are exceptions to be made if you’re taking a night train. For example, if you book a train that leaves on Monday night and arrives on Tuesday morning, you will only need to use one travel day (the day of your departure) to cover that trip. However, if you choose to board another train on Tuesday, you’ll have to use another travel day on your pass.
To find the ideal pass for your particular trip, Eurail built an online tool that lets you fill in your travel plans, including which countries you plan to visit, how many days you intend to travel by train, and the length of your entire trip. At the end of the short survey, it recommends the pass that best suits your needs.

Photo by Hans Engbers / Shutterstock

Where can you buy a Eurail Pass?

You can buy any type of Eurail Pass online from Eurail.com, but several other sites sell them, too. RailPass and Rail Europe are both authorized vendors that sell Eurail Passes for around the same price as Eurail.com with slight variations to insurance and service fees.

Some offer free shipping (if you want a paper pass) and others special discounts and promo codes on tickets, so it’s best to check all your options before purchasing your pass to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

You can also purchase Eurail Passes at train stations in Europe, but that’s more expensive than ordering them online in advance.

How much does a Eurail Pass cost?

These are some 2024 starting prices of a Eurail Global Pass for adults purchased directly through Eurail:

• Four days in one month pass : $311 for second-class and $395 for first-class
• 7 days within one month pass: $419 or $532
• 15 days within two months pass: $608 or $772
• Three-month unlimited pass: $1,052 or $1,335
  

Considering that a two-month unlimited pass costs $909 in second class or $1,154 in first, you’re only a few hundred more for an entire extra month of unlimited train travel.

One Country Passes are slightly more affordable and vary by each country. For example, adult passes for Italy bought directly from Eurail range from $182 to $321 for second class and $231 to $408 for first class.

The big caveat with One Country Passes is that the longest pass is eight days within one month.

Eurail also groups certain regions, so you can get multiple countries for the price of one with its Benelux Pass (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) and Scandinavia Pass (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden). Note that Eurail does not offer One Country Passes for certain countries that are included in the Global Pass, such as Switzerland, Montenegro, and Bosnia.

Courtesy of Eurail

Are Eurail Passes worth it?

It depends. If you know you’ll have four travel days over a one-month period, a second-class pass would cost most adults $311—or $77.75 per day. If the train you need to take costs more than $77.75, or if you’ll be taking multiple trains in one day that add up to more than that, it’s worth buying that pass. If you only need a less costly regional train to get between cities like Amsterdam and Brussels, however, then it’s probably not worth it.

For those who would argue that buying $50 Ryanair or EasyJet flights to jump from city to city is faster and cheaper, keep in mind that once you add on arriving early to the airport for security and all the bag fees you’d pay to check a bag, you might end up breaking even. Plus, train travel is far more sustainable and more scenic.

Do you need reservations with a Eurail Pass?

In some instances, yes. Not every train requires or even offers reserved seating. TER trains in France, for example, only have unreserved seats (except between Paris and some destinations in Normandy). Some types of trains in certain countries always require a seat reservation. In France, a required seat reservation on the TGV INOUI between Paris and Nice is $13.20 in both first and second class. A required seat reservation on the AVE train between Barcelona and Madrid is $13.20 in second class and $16.50 in first. In popular countries like France, Spain, and Italy—especially in the summer—you will certainly need to make an advance seat reservation at an additional cost (generally from five to 12 euros), even if the fare is included with your Eurail Pass.

In addition to those popular destinations, all night trains and most international high-speed trains throughout Europe require a supplemental reservation fee. Some scenic trains, like the Bernina Express in Switzerland, also require one. To find out if you need to make a reservation, search for your desired route on the Eurail Timetable, and the results will show whether or not one is necessary and the price.

Reservation fees vary between different countries and train services and must be paid directly to the railway carriers; payment can be made at the train station, online through the websites of the national railway companies, by phone, or through Eurail’s Rail Planner app. Eurail recommends making train reservations two months in advance during the summer and ahead of holidays to guarantee yourself a seat.

Alternatively, you can opt to ride on regional trains, which don’t require seat reservations. Even though they’re slower, if you have the time to stop along the way, you’re likely to discover a few appealing villages you never would have happened upon by taking the high-speed route. To find trains that don’t require reservations, check the “no seat reservations required” box when searching on the Eurail Timetable page.

What countries are included in a Eurail Pass cover?

There are currently 33 countries in Europe with rail carriers that accept Eurail Passes. Great Britain’s train operators nearly pulled out of the agreement in August 2019. After negotiations with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents Britain’s train industry, travelers will continue to be able to use their Eurail passes within Great Britain—that’s England, Scotland, and Wales only. A One Country Eurail pass for Ireland also covers Northern Ireland.

Here’s the full list of the 33 countries currently serviced by Eurail: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. Download the train route map.

Courtesy of Eurail

How far in advance can I book a Eurail Pass?

You can buy a Eurail Pass up to 11 months before your trip, as long as it is activated at a European train station within that 11-month period. You can also preactivate your pass for a specific date when you check out at Eurail.com to avoid waiting in line at the train station to do so.

Get a mobile version of the Eurail Pass via Eurail’s Rail Planner App. Instead of waiting for the physical document to be delivered in the mail—or constantly worrying about losing it during your trip—you can download the app and load your mobile pass onto it as soon as your order confirmation lands in your inbox.

Are Eurail Passes just for college students?

You may have been under the impression that only budget backpackers in their 20s can benefit from Eurail Passes, but the passes are actually available to all age groups. Those 27 and under can get up to 25 percent off the standard adult price; the discount for people over age 60 is 10 percent.
Eurail passes are also great for families and really cost-effective. Kids ages three or younger don’t need a pass at all (to travel on an adult’s lap) and children ages four to 11 are eligible for a free Child Pass. Up to two children are allowed to travel for free with one adult. Find out more about family discounts here. Note that if you want a guaranteed seat for your child aged three or under, you’ll need to book a regular Child Pass.

What are other benefits to having a Eurail Pass?

All Eurail Pass–holders are eligible for discounts on select museum tickets and boat tours throughout the entire 33-country network. But one of the major perks of having an unlimited train ticket that includes night trains is the hotel savings. By sleeping on a train, you’ll get from point A to point B and save money on hotels at the same time.

Eurail Passes aren’t only for use on trains either—they can be used on ferries and public transportation in some countries, too. See the full list of participating train, ferry, and public transport companies that accept Eurail Passes on board. The Greek Islands Pass, for example, offers ferry service to 46 islands, making it a viable option for island-hopping.

This article was originally published in 2019 and was updated most recently on June 11, 2024 with current information.