Anyone who lives in or has traveled to Europe knows that the most efficient and affordable mode of transportation on this continent is rail. Europe has a network of railroads all linked together and in a very short time you can span the continent west to east and north to south. But as you can imagine, there would be other language and cultural difficulties in traveling pan-Europe. So in 1959, the railroad innovators came up with the Eurail Global Pass in order to provide a convenient way to travel throughout Europe by common rail. This is the pass that started it all.
This pass will give you unlimited rail travel throughout the 100,000-mile European rail network in 18 different countries. These countries include: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
So what is the difference between the Eurail Global Pass and the other types of passes? Because of its unlimited travel nature, the Eurail Global Pass is perfect if you want to travel to six or more countries within the consecutive day pass durations. And you can choose from different consecutive day pass durations. You can choose consecutive durations of 15 days, 21 days, one, two, or three months of unlimited travel. The prices for these durations do increase as the valid periods increase but it is still an excellent bargain.
Adults with the Eurail Global Pass travel in first-class comfort. Just like airlines, the advantage of first class travel is the spaciousness of the seating area for the passenger. Plus, first class is just quieter with less outside noise. The seats in first class allow for reclining and there is much more leg room. Traveling in comfort like this will not subject you to as much fatigue. The cabins in most cases have on one side of the aisle two seats and one seat on the opposite side and can handle up to eight passengers. What a great way to see Europe in this class of comfort.
There a several bonuses for Eurail Global Pass holders that are attractive incentives if they have value to you. First, many shipping lines in Europe will grant a reduction in their fares or in some cases free passes for Eurail holders. Keep in mind that using this benefit might result in losing a travel day (in other words, travel allocated on the Eurail Pass for that day will be used). It is best to check the rules and the carrier’s policy. If you use your pass for a reduced fare on a shipping line then you will not be charged a travel day. In order to use one of these free or reduced fares, the Eurail Pass must be valid in the country of origin or the country of arrival.
If you are having trouble deciding whether or not to buy the Eurail Global Pass, consider this: The Eurail Global Pass is excellent if you are going to need to travel to many different countries and cities in a short time span. If you are just going to be going between two and three then there are other types of passes available. Also, if you are going to be traveling between the countries of Eastern Europe that are not serviced by the Eurail Global Pass then it does not make sense to buy it. The rail travel in the Eastern European countries is very inexpensive so you are probably better off just buying tickets for each leg of your journey as you need them.
Europe is a continent rich in history over thousands of years. It is just small enough for quick travel from coast to coast but large enough to have a variety of diverse cultures and interesting sites to see and exquisite foods to enjoy. Europe has probably one of the finest rail systems in the world and it is a great way to see this historic continent in its entirety.