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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!whuxl!whuxlm!akgua!mcnc!bch
From: bch@mcnc.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.travel
Subject: Re: Need Eurrail Info
Message-ID: <1209@alvin.mcnc.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Mar-86 22:53:51 EST
Article-I.D.: alvin.1209
Posted: Tue Mar 11 22:53:51 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Mar-86 06:02:50 EST
References: <2682@pucc-h> <5170001@acf4.UUCP> <365@vger.UUCP>
Reply-To: bch@alvin.UUCP (Byron C. Howes)
Organization: North Carolina Educational Computing Service
Lines: 24
Summary: 

My wife and I spent three weeks in Europe last spring, travelling almost
exclusively by train.  We found that by planning our itinerary we saved
about 50% off of what a Eurail pass would have cost us.  Someone has 
pointed out that a Eurail pass only saves you money if you are of the
one day one city school of travel.  Being older, we prefer to linger 
which perhaps made a difference.  Still, we travelled from Amsterdam
to Naples always first class and generally TEE without a pass and saved
considerable cash.

As to the convenience of a pass -- generally purchasing tickets away
from tourist centers avoids long lines.  Only crazy people buy Railroad
tickets in the Amsterdam Station -- take a 45 minute ride to Leiden
and you can get the same service in about 10 minutes that would take
two hours in Amsterdam.  When in Venice -- buy tickets in Maestre on
the mainland.  Mainz is a better place to buy train tickets than 
Frankfurt, etc.

While spontaneity is nice, you can save enough money with good planning
to extend your stay by many days.  Certainly, given the cost of getting
to Europe in the first place, that is an laudable goal.
-- 

						Byron C. Howes
				      ...!{decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!bch