February 16, 2004 -- Up until recently, travelers to Europe who just wanted to hit two countries were put in an uncomfortable position with rail passes. A one-country pass was too small, but a Eurail Selectpass covering three to five countries would be too big.
This year, Rail Europe has introduced four new railpasses aimed at hitting the sweet spot for tourists who want to see only a little bit of Europe, but still cross a border or two. Watch out, though: as with all railpasses, you'll still have to do the numbers to find out if the price is right for you.
The new passes are:
- The Germany-Benelux Pass covers Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. You'll pay $246 in second class and $328 in first class for five days of travel in two months, dropping down to $200 per person in second class if two people are traveling together. That's only $30 more than a Germany-only pass. It'll become available on March 1.
- The Hungary-Romania Pass covers first-class rail travel in those two countries. Prices start at $200 per person for five days of travel in two months, falling to $170 per person if two people are traveling together. It'll become available on March 1. This pass, by the way, doesn't make price sense: you can get a five-day Hungary pass for $99 and a separate three-day Romania pass for $99, giving you eight days for $176.
- The France n' Switzerland Pass (www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/france_switzerland_pass.htm) allows between four and 10 days of first-class train travel within two months, for $299 plus $36 for each travel day over four. Two people traveling together knock the price down to $259 per person plus $30 for each day over four; travelers under 26 get a special second-class pass for a mere $209 + $27/day. It's available now.
- The Switzerland n' Austria Pass (www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/switzerland_austria_pass.htm) allows between four and 10 days of first-class train travel within two months, for $300 plus $36 for each travel day over four. Two people traveling together knock the price down to $256 per person plus $30 for each day over four; travelers under 26 get a special second-class pass for a mere $210 + $27/day. It's available now.
Permuting the Passes
Do the new two-country passes save you money? They certainly beat buying two single-country passes -- but how do they stand up against point-to-point tickets? Here are some rough rules to help you decide:
- For first class, take a pass. First class train travel in Western Europe is much more expensive than second-class travel. While second-class point-to-point tickets often compare favorably with a pass, passes generally beat a stack of first-class fares.
- High-speed means high price: time for a pass. Point-to-point tickets on the French TGV and German high-speed lines are very expensive. The price of a pass justifies itself in just two or three trips on these luxury trains.
- Not going far? Skip the pass. If most of your rides are short, such as trips within the Benelux countries, it'll be hard to justify a pass. But if you're taking several long rides within Germany and then hitting Amsterdam and Bruges, the new Germany-Benelux pass looks like a good buy.
- Romania is really cheap. It's hard to make Romania passes make sense, because tickets bought in Romania are ridiculously cheap. According to the official Romanian Railways site (www.cfr.ro/infofer/default_engleza.asp), a ticket from Timisoara to Bucharest in first class is a mere US$20, or 628,000 Romanian lei. (Perhaps it's time for Romania to shave a zero or two off their currency.) A ticket from Bucharest to Sighisoara, a four-and-a-half hour trip, is a mere $9.86 in lei.
- A quick trip across a border is best done point-to-point. Spending most of your time in France, but just want to hit Geneva and zip back? You'll probably get a better deal by combining a single-country France pass with a point-to-point round-trip from the border to Geneva. The same goes if you're spending most of your time in Benelux, but just want to dip over to Aachen, Trier or Köln -- the short trip doesn't justify an entire Germany pass.
If possible, also compare the prices you'd pay for your pass to point-to-point tickets for your specific individual trips. To find out how to do that, see today's other article on rail travel.
To buy these passes, go to www.raileurope.com or call 877-257-2887.
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