Jan 22, 2008
Buy a Eurailpass before March 31 and get a totally free day on European trains
Europe has gotten so expensive that it's a cause for rejoicing when one of the unavoidable costs of travel -- food, lodging, or transportation -- comes down in price. This is why a rare railpass sale from Rail Europe (tel. 888/382-7245; www.raileurope.com) is good news.
This Eurail Early Bird sale is tacking on a free extra rail day if you purchase certain of its European train passes by the end of March. That might not sound much, but with a 6-day pass going for $530, adding that extra, seventh day is like getting $87 worth of train travel free.
The sale is on the Select Pass (as well as its variations the Youthpass and the SaverPass, for two or more adults traveling together), which allows you to travel a certain number of days within a two-month period in your choice of three, four, or five countries (or, in a few cases, multi-country regions).
The days of train travel don't have to be consecutive; you can opt to use them, one at a time, at any point in your travels. The countries/regions you pick, however, must either be contiguous or connected by ferry from the following list: Austria, Benelux (includes Belgium, Luxembourg, and Holland), Bulgaria/Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia/Slovenia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Here are the 2008 prices under this sale (children 2-11 pay half-price):
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This Eurail Early Bird sale is tacking on a free extra rail day if you purchase certain of its European train passes by the end of March. That might not sound much, but with a 6-day pass going for $530, adding that extra, seventh day is like getting $87 worth of train travel free.
The sale is on the Select Pass (as well as its variations the Youthpass and the SaverPass, for two or more adults traveling together), which allows you to travel a certain number of days within a two-month period in your choice of three, four, or five countries (or, in a few cases, multi-country regions).
The days of train travel don't have to be consecutive; you can opt to use them, one at a time, at any point in your travels. The countries/regions you pick, however, must either be contiguous or connected by ferry from the following list: Austria, Benelux (includes Belgium, Luxembourg, and Holland), Bulgaria/Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia/Slovenia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Here are the 2008 prices under this sale (children 2-11 pay half-price):
- A 7-day pass (in other words, the six-day pass plus the freebie) costs $520 if you want to use it in three countries, $576 for four countries, and $630 for five countries.
- A 9-day pass costs $617 for three countries, $673 for four countries, and $729 for five countries.
- An 11-day pass costs $715 for three countries, $769 for four countries, and $822 for five countries.
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Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
