Disclaimer: This post is NOT SPONSORED by Eurail.
If you’ve done any research into European budget travel, chances are the Eurail rail system has popped up. If you’re planning to visit multiple countries (or major cities) during your trip to Europe, using a Eurail pass might save you a ton of time and money. On my last trip to Europe, I purchased the fifteen-day pass and used it to visit seven countries all within a month and a half. Here are more details on my experience with Eurail and how the fifteen-day pass works.
What is the 15-Day Eurail Pass?
As the most popular Eurail pass on the website, the fifteen-day pass is fairly well designed. With this pass, you get fifteen days of “unlimited” travel within the span of two months. If you’re traveling Europe for two months (or less), you’ll choose fifteen days to be your “travel days”. On those travel days, you can take as many train rides as you need. For example, I traveled from Lichtenstein to Austria on one of my travel days. Although I changed trains three times, it only cost me one day out of the fifteen on the Eurail app. Looking back at my trip, I booked eighteen trips, boarded 28 different trains, and only used twelve out of the fifteen available days – all within one month. I’ll go into detail about how much money I saved (or didn’t save) in the “Average Cost Per Trip” section below.
What Countries Are Covered by Eurail?
Although Eurail does aim to cover the Schengen Area, there are a few countries they do not provide access to (as of 2023). They also add a few countries that are not included in Schengen. The 25 out of 27 Schengen countries covered by Eurail are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Iceland and Malta are not included, likely because they are islands.
In addition to the Schengen countries, there are 11 more that Eurail gives you access to with their rail system. You can also visit Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, England, Ireland, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Turkey, and Wales. That’s 36 countries in total.
How I Visited 7 Countries in 1 Month
During the summer of 2023, I was in Europe from July 12th until August 17th. I started in Venice, Italy, and ended the trip in Berlin, Germany. Here’s a quick overview of the how many train tickets I booked and which cities I visited with the Eurail pass:
Travel Day #1
- Venice to Milan (two tickets)
Read Next: 4 Fantastic Days in Italy (Venice and Milan)
Travel Day #2
- Milan to Karlsruhe, Germany (one ticket)
Travel Day #3
- Karlsruhe to Neckargemuend, Germany (one ticket)
- (Note: I used the local bus system to go from Neckargemuend to Heidelberg next.)
Travel Day #4
- Heidelberg, Germany to Munich, Germany (one ticket)
Travel Day #5
- Munich, Germany to Dachau, Germany – ROUND TRIP (two tickets)
Travel Day #6
- Munich to Innsbruck, Austria (one ticket)
Travel Day #7
- Innsbruck to Vaduz, Liechtenstein (one ticket)
Travel Day #8
- Vaduz to Vienna, Austria (one ticket)
Travel Day #9
- Vienna to Bratislava, Slovakia – ROUND TRIP (two tickets)
Travel Day #10
- Vienna to Prague, Czech Republic (two tickets)
Travel Day #11
- Prague to Berlin, Germany (two tickets)
Travel Day #12
- Berlin to the Berlin Airport (one ticket)
How Does the Eurail App Work?
In my opinion, the Eurail website is pretty inconvenient when it comes to purchasing tickets. The Eurail/Interrail Planner app is MUCH easier to use. It was easy for me to find tickets on the app and plan my trip ahead of time. Since I had never used a train system before this trip, there were also a few instances in which I needed to change my ticket on the fly. I missed a train early-on during my trip, but the Eurail app made it super easy to find a new trip that would take me to my next destination.
If you do buy a fifteen-day pass, or something similar, you won’t get penalized for rebooking your train ticket on the day of. This would be different if you want to change the date of travel since you have to approve your travel days and can’t go back once you tell the app which days you’ll be on the move.
You’ll also use the Eurail app to show the ticket inspector that you’ve purchased a spot on each trip. For each ticket, you will find a QR code on the app. Keep in mind that for most 2nd-class tickets, you are NOT guaranteed a seat on the train. If every seat is full, you will have to find a place to stand or sit on the floor until a seat opens up. There were many times during my trip when I saved money, sure, but I did have to sit on the train floor for 6 hours as a result. It’s up to you whether or not it’s worth the risk.
Average Cost Per Trip
When I purchased the fifteen-day Eurail pass, I chose the 2nd Class Youth Ticket – currently priced at $416 online. Based on the fact that I took eighteen trips with that pass, I can calculate the average cost per trip. If divided equally, each trip cost me $23 apiece. If you were to purchase those tickets individually, they would cost an average of $50 – more or less depending on the trip.
There is a wild amount of pricing variation for train tickets throughout Europe, so of course, tickets in Italy will be priced differently than those in Slovakia. In addition, shorter trips are likely to cost less than longer trips. If you plan on staying within one or two countries during your adventure (rather than seven), it may be better for you to purchase a national transport pass for the country of your choice. The further you go, and the more tickets you buy, the more this pass will be worth to you overall.
What Eurail Does Not Cover
Eurail’s primary purpose is to provide transport across the Schengen Area. Although you can use your Eurail pass to travel to major cities within the country, it will not easily cover intercity travel. For every city I visited in Europe, I needed to purchase local transport passes as well. Each country is likely to have its own domestic travel app and some are more user-friendly than others. Germany has an outstanding app for train, underground, tram, and bus transport throughout the nation.
Another thing you will need to consider is seat reservations. Although the Eurail app will tell you when a seat reservation is requires, you can’t make the purchase on the app. You will need to make the reservation online, AND you will need to have that reservation ticket printed out to bring onto the train. I only discovered this fact after I had entered Europe, so I ended up avoiding seat reservations like the plague.
Should I Buy 1st Class or 2nd Class?
It really depends on how you want to travel. If you’re ready to plan train tickets over a month ahead of time, print out your passes, and don’t plan on rescheduling anything – first class might be the way to go. It’s much more comfortable and spacious than anything in second class. However, it will also cost more money. You can also choose to use second class to save some cash, but it’s the same for both passes – you’re only guaranteed a seat if you make a reservation.
If you want to travel a bit more freely, second class might be a better choice. You’ll not be tied down by any seat limitations, and it will be easier to book a train even minutes before it leaves. Like me, you can change your mind and go to Berlin instead of Barcelona. This Eurail pass is perfect for those staying at backpacker hostels and making their travel choices a bit more last-minute than the first-class adventurers.
Current Prices Per Age Group
As of October 2023, the fifteen-day pass price varies depending on your age. For travelers between the ages of 12 and 27 (Youth), the price in United States dollars (USD) is $416. If you are 28 and over (Adult), it will cost you $554. You can purchase two Child Passes for free if you also purchase an Adult ticket. A Senior pass for those over 60 years old costs $499.
No matter your age, the Eurail Pass is most likely going to save you money. When comparing the average price per trip, you’d save $10-$20 per ticket at least. The more trips you take and the more distance you cover, the more money you will save throughout your trip. This is true for both first and second-class tickets. For more details on current pricing, check out Eurail.com and compare each pass to see what will fit your trip best!
