It depends on which Eurorail pass you purchased (and how much knowledge the ticket guy has). Some are for one or two countries only, while some can be for up to 5 of 22 different countries, and another set cover 18 countries.
Did you purchase a Global Pass ($675 to $1895), a Global Pass Youth ($440 to $1234), a Global Pass Youth Flexi ($519 to $681), a Select Pass ($429 to $947), or a Select Pass Youth ($279 to $617). Global Passes cost more but give you more countries. Select passes cost less but give you fewer countries. Youth passes give you second class seats while the others are for first class seats.
With the Select Pass you get:
5, 6, 8 or 10 or 15 days of rail travel within any 2 month period on the national rail networks of any 3, 4 or 5 bordering countries out of 22 European countries that are connected by train or ship. (NOTE: The trick here is the word bordering).
Travel days may be used consecutively or non-consecutively.
---------------------------------------鈥?br>With the Global Pass you get:
Five consecutive day pass durations to choose from on the entire network of the 18 Eurail Global Pass countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) and either 15 days, 21 days, 1 month, 2 months or 3 months of unlimited travel.
---------------------------------------鈥?br>This is what the site actually says (but there is a lot more so you may want to go check it out):
"Eurorail or Euro rail pass is the popular nickname for the Eurail Global pass, offering unlimited travel around Europe by train.
Rail Europe is the official source in North America for all types of Eurail Global passes / Eurorail as well as new single- or double-country passes, already becoming the favorites of today's travelers. Rail Europe also offers a full selection of Eurorail train tickets so that you can reserve your seats on almost any train in Europe.
The Eurail Select Pass / Eurorail can be customized for any combination from 3 to 5 contiguous countries on one pass. This means greater flexibility and cost savings, especially if you are traveling to fewer than 5 European countries.
The Eurail Select Pass / Eurorail can be used in any of 22 European countries and comes in variety of pass options including Saver, and Youth and Drive passes."
I think if you check the official Eurail pass site you will get most of the answers you are looking for. Here is what I found :
Reservation fees international trains
"With a Eurail Pass you pay a special price (Pass holder fare) which varies depending on the kind of train and the service offered. Please note that the number of seats available at the special Pass holder fare is limited."
For domestic trains there are also reservation fees /surcharges in some cases, depending on the type of train you want to ride and each company's / country's rules. Generally speaking, the more upscale the train you want, the higher the chances of paying up.Can someone clear up the Eurorail Pass thing for me.?
First of all, there are Global, Regional, Select, and National passes, just as there are in air travel. Second, there isn't just one kind of train... Eurail passes will get you onto a lot of trains, but I more frequently find myself on EuroStar trains, so Eurail passes aren't of much utility to me. It's difficult to give you any useful advice without actually knowing where it is that you're trying to go... Different trains go different places. Figure out where you want to go, then see what train serves that route, then you can look for discounts on tickets for that train. Looking for discounts first, and then hoping that they're for somewhere you want to go, is, uh, a kind of difficult way to plan a trip.
-Bill
The Perfect Rail Pass Find a Product ---------------------------- Specials %26amp; Promotions Hotel Download Brochure ---------------------------- Single Country Passes Multiple Country Passes Rail 'n Drive Passes Senior Passes Youth Passes Train Tickets %26amp; Schedules %26amp; Schedules Eurostar Thalys TGV Med ---------------------------- British Products Eurail Global passes Eurail Select Passes Swiss Products ---------------------------- Austrian Railpass Balkan Flexipass Czech Flexipass European East Pass Eurail Finland Pass France Railpass Eurail France-Italy Pass Eurail France-Switzerland Pass Eurail Austria-Switzerland Pass Gatwick Express German Rail Pass Heathrow Express Eurail Holland Pass Eurail Hungary Pass Eurail Italy Pass The Total London Experience The London Pass Eurail Norway Pass Paris Museum Pass Paris Visite Eurail Portugal Pass Eurail Romania Pass Scanrail Pass Swiss Passes
Pass comparison chart
What to consider before choosing a pass
The most popular passes
There are a lot of different Rail Passes available through Rail Europe, but finding the right pass is not difficult if you follow a few simple steps. After reading through the steps, you'll see a short list of the main Rail Passes that you can purchase and the benefits that outline the differences between them.
You wish to... Your best choices are...
Visit 6 or more European Countries: Eurail Global Pass
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Visit only three to five countries: Eurail Select Pass
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Visit Two European Countries: Eurail Austria-Czech Republic Pass
Eurail Austria-Croatia-Slovenia Pass
Eurail Austria-Hungary Pass
Eurail Austria-Switzerland Pass
Eurail Benelux-France Pass
Eurail France-Germany Pass
Eurail France-Italy Pass
Eurail France-Spain Pass
Eurail France-Switzerland Pass
Eurail Austria-Germany Pass
Eurail Benelux-Germany Pass
Eurail Denmark-Germany Pass
Eurail Greece-Italy Pass
Eurail Germany-Switzerland Pass
Eurail Hungary-Croatia-Slovenia Pass
Eurail Hungary-Romania Pass
Eurail Italy-Spain Pass
Eurail Portugal-Spain Pass
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Visit only one country or region: Country Passes:
Austria
Balkan
Britain
Croatia
Czech Republic
Eastern Europe
Finland France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iberia
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Romania
Scandinavia
Spain
Switzerland
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Tour Britain and Europe: BritRail passes plus Eurail Global Pass or Eurail Select Pass. (Britain is not covered by any other passes. Discounted prices on Eurostar with any Eurail Global Pass, and with specific Eurail Select Pass.)
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Take specific train trips: Fares and Schedules
Eurostar
Thalys
Lyria
Artesia: France-Italy Day
AVE
Cisalpino
ICE
Italian Day trains
Riviera Day Train Spanish Trains
Talgo 200
Talgo Day
TGV
TGV Med
Artesia: France-Italy Night
Paris-Germany Night
Riviera Night Train
Elipsos Trenhotel
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Combine train with a few
days of car: Rail 'n Drive passes
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What you need to consider before choosing a pass
Determine how long you plan to visit Europe.
Put together an itinerary of the countries you plan to visit and in what order.
Consider flexibility and length of the trip. Some Pass options require a certain number of consecutive days of travel while others offer more flexibility.
Calculate the number of people in your party; two-person and group discounts are available.
Remember age related discounts. Adult passes provide for first-class comfort, while youth passes (ages 12-25) provide for second-class services at reduced cost. Senior passes also offer better pricing.
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The most popular passes are:
Eurail Global Pass (Great Flexibility for a wide range of travel)
Unlimited Train travel through the 18 Eurail Countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Eurail Select Pass (Great Value in a three country pass)
Unlimited travel on the national rail networks of any 3, 4 or 5 bordering countries out of 22 European countries that are connected by train or ship. O
There are various different Eurail passes that cover different combinations of countries - if your pass doesn't cover the countries you travel through, you need to pay for tickets. Do you have a global pass, a multiple country select pass, or a single country pass?
Further, the Eurail pass operates as a ticket on most regional trains where the pass is valid. These are the slower trains that make a lot of stops. However, many high speed, international and night trains require mandatory reservations and you have to pay extra for that. See: http://www.eurail.com/eurail-reservation鈥?/a> , http://www.eurail.com/eurail-reservation鈥?/a> , http://www.eurail.com/eurail-reservation鈥?/a>
Here in Italy, the fast trains require a reservation which will cost you 10 euro. Make sure you buy the reservation BEFORE you get on the train or there is a substantial fine. You can get the reservation from a ticket window. Make sure they know you have the pass and just need to reserve a seat. On intercity trains, you can reserve a seat, but you don't have to. You can hop on those trains with the pass and find an open seat without paying a supplement, or get a reserved seat before getting on the train for 3 euro. The regional trains do not have reservations and you can just get on one of those using your pass as a ticket. Schedules for the trains here are at: http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.js鈥?/a> . The regional trains are indicated by the letter R under train category on the schedule.
There's a lot of information on train travel in general and passes in particular on this site: http://www.seat61.com/
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