Flying around UK and Europe the way we do in Australia isn’t that practical given the expense and the fact that the European continent is criss-crossed with railways bearing swift train services that connect everything to just about everywhere.
Europe loves public transport, especially its trains. That’s why taking advantage of the continent’s cheap public transport costs and travelling Europe with a trusty rail pass is a must. Designed solely for the purpose of ferrying bright-eyed tourists from outside UK and Europe to see as much of the continent as they can, the Eurail Global Pass connects 40,000 destinations in 33 countries with easy-to-use train ticketing that you can buy online via eurail.com or by downloading the Eurail Rail Planner app.
How much for a Eurail Global Pass? It depends on which type of pass best meets your needs. As its name suggests, the Bestseller pass is the most popular and you can save money. It gives you 10-days of unlimited travel within a two-month period for around $694 (standard adult rate 28-59) or $521 (youth rate, aged 12 – 27). Passes giving you unlimited travel for 5 days within 1 month ($489/$368) or for a solid 15 days ($854/$642) also represent good value. Similar passes are available if you’re opting to do all your train travel in one country.
If you’ve got a clear itinerary in mind, you can use the app to plot your stops and dates and it will recommend which type of pass is best (and cheapest) for you.
You could, of course, get a rental car to embark on your grand tour of Europe. But the sheen of open-road freedom Euro-style is soon tarnished by pop-up costs such as fees for drop-offs in a different country, fees for airport or train station pick-ups, limited availability of automatics that are about 50% more to hire, highway tax “vignettes” that you’re required to buy and stick to your windscreen when entering some eastern European countries … the list goes on. Cut the hassle. Take the train.