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Travel
Tips
This page
contains information on the following:
Please
select the category that you need information on.
Reserved
seats: To
ensure that you have a seat on the train, you should order
a reserved seat where possible. On some departures this is
obligatory. You may choose between smoking and non-smoking
compartments. You may purchase your ticket and your reserved
seat at the time of reserving your Tickets or Passes. Reserved
seats may be ordered up to 3 months before departure.
Luggage:
Every passenger takes care of their hand luggage on the train.
Suitcases, bags and rucksacks of a total weight of up to 30
kilos are regarded as hand luggage. Your luggage should be
placed by your seat or in one of the luggage racks. Self-service
trolleys are available for customers in the station halls
and at the start of every platform.
Sleeping
Cars: Overnight trains are available on many of Europe's
national and international city-to-city routes. Night trains
are best way to travel , since you can spend the night traveling
and have the daytime free for sight seeing. Most overnight
trains also offer sleeping accommodations, which vary quite
a bit in type and price. Sleeping accommodations always require
an additional fee.
There
are two types of sleeping compartments: Sleepers and
Couchettes.
Couchette
compartments consist of four to six open bunks. -- you will
share the compartment with other travelers without regard
to gender. Travelers are supplied with a pillow and blanket,
but are expected to sleep in their street clothes. Although
couchette compartments have traditionally come in both First
and Second Class -- with the First Class version hosting
fewer travelers per compartment -- the trend is towards
offering couchettes in Second Class only. Holders of a ticket
or railpass in either class are elegible for Couchette travel
with payment of the required supplement which is US $28.00
Night
trains are also equipped with sleeping cars (wagon lits):
cabins may be 3, 2 or 1 berth, or double communicating berths.
Each has a washbasin with hot and cold water, a socket for
an electric razor, reading lamps, clothes stands and other
comforts.
Type
of Sleepers:
-
Single: Only available in 1st class and is one person
in a room with one bed. Price ranges from $165.00-$185.00/person
- Double:
Only available in 1st class and is two people in a room
with two bed. Price ranges from $65.00-$85.00/person
-
Triple: Only available in 2nd class and is three people
in a room with three bed. Price ranges from $45.00-$65.00/person.
Day
Trains: Day trains have two seating arrangements:
- Coach
car seating (open with center aisle and two seats on either
side)
1st-class (two seats on one side of the aisle and seats
on either side)
2nd-class (two seats on either side of the aisle)
- Compartment
car (separated into cabins which open to corridor along
the side of the car)
1st-class compartment car up to 6 persons
2nd-class compartment car up to 8 persons
When
reserving seats you may choose:
- Window
seat (smoking or non-smoking)
- Aisle
seat (smoking or non-smoking)
- Option
for people traveling together to reserve adjoining seats
or opposite seats, sometimes with table other options
either for reservation of dining car seats or panorama
cars
Accommodation
charges vary from 4 to 11 US Dollars.
How
to Use Your EurailPass: Always have your pass validated
prior to your first train trip in Europe. Do NOT validate
it yourself. Passes are issued on identity, and CANNOT be
used by any other person. The Flexipass has a schedule with
boxes to fill in the date of travel. Always fill in the date
of DAY of travel yourself before embarking on the train. One
day of travel is from 0 am to 12 pm.
With a
Flexipass fill in the date of the FOLLOWING day in the BOX
when making an overnight trip on a DIRECT night train leaving
after 7 pm. Only travels within the TOTAL validity of the
pass are allowed. There are FREE bonuses and bonuses that
ENTITLE you to REDUCTIONS. Whenever you travel with a Flexipass
and you only use a FREE bonus, you will have to use a travel
day. This does NOT apply when you use a REDUCTION only.
Useful
Tips for the EurailPass:
- Together
with the purchase of any pass you will receive:
- a
FREE Eurail or Europass Traveler’s Guide containing
a general map of Europe
- a
Timetable with the most suitable connections for the
major tracks
- For
a short trip it may be wise NOT to use your Flexipass but
to buy a regular ticket so as to save the flexiday for a
longer trip the pass does NOT include reservation costs.
- Some
of the trains require reservation
- Many
of the long distance trains have buffet cars or refreshment
bars. Most of the time only accept either the country’s
own currency or that of a neighboring country or credit
cards (more and more accepted in Europe)
- Should
you in any way meet with any problems with your pass, please
consult one of the Eurail Aidoffices. All the capitals in
the member countries will definitely have an Aidoffice,
not infrequently these are to be found in other towns too
- Not
all of the trains can boast of 1st-class accommodation.
Night trains often do not have 1st-class seating capacity
or no seating capacity at all
- Don’t
only check your pass validity for your country of destination
but also for the countries you might travel through
- It
should be obvious that a 1st-class pass entitles you to
2nd-class travel. Should you want to travel 1st-class with
a 2nd-class pass an ADDITIONAL charge for the difference
between 1st-class and 2nd-class has to be paid
- Too
much luggage is a DRAG.
- More
and more European airports have train connections with the
nearest towns Should you use a CROSS BORDER train, there
may be customs formalities. Always MAKE SURE you have your
identification papers ready
- Prior
to your departure either for Europe or for countries of
destination or countries you will be traveling through CHECK
whether a VISA is required. You can make enquiries either
at the embassy or the consulate in your home country.
- For
some connections in Europe trains make use of ferry crossings.
This holds good for the connections: Puttgarden (Germany)
- Rødby (Denmark) Saßnitz (Germany) - Trelleborg (Sweden)
Villa San Giovanni- Messina ( mainland of Italy to Sicily).
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