Railpass

[sponsormeisuck]

I"m going to travel eastern/western europe starting 10/3 - 10/30.

berlin, praha, vienna, budapest, krakow, warsaw....


i bought a regional railpass for $167 that lets me travel through the region(czech, austria, hungary, poland) for 5 days without buying another ticket.. only exception is berlin to praha(point to point ticket)


now, i have read posts from other tpr's that have said a railpass isn't worth the money? is it really that much cheaper for me to get around these cities without having a railpass??? someone help please!!!!!!!!!!!

[ScarlotteDorian]

No, $167 is a good deal. Don't worry about it. Have fun!

(This post brought to you by Space Virgin, currently logged in as SD because I'm too lazy to log her out.)

[sponsormeisuck]

did i pay too much???

[foofiter]

$167 is not bad at all. I suggest you compare that to the Rick Steves Rail cost map:

http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/comparetickets.htm

(click and time and cost map in the middle)

This gives you the price and time needed for train trips all over Europe. It is very thorough. I am willing to bet you got a steal on that pass.

His rail guide is also very good and I recommend you look it over as well. He has all the info on reservation (and reserve fees), how the systems works. It is the best I have seen. Have a good time over there!

Foo

[travelpunk]

$167 is not bad, and in fact can be great! You can hop on and off as many times per day.(for example if you want to check out a small town for only a couple of hours, then proceed to your main destination).

Even if it comes out to a little bit more, consider the convenience that this gives you and, for me, the peace of mind.

The alternative is that you have to go each time to the train station to price it out and probably ask the attendants (in 5 different countries) a bunch of questions in 5 languages that you might not be fluent in (if they don't speak english). And, if they do speak english, they can still try and jack you on the price because they know that you are a tourist and they can smell how bad you need to get on whatever train that you're aiming for.

The way I see it is that you got your pass... Done. Don't stress out about it, but start planning your tentative route. Have some cash reserves so if you stray from your plans, but another ticket and b-line it to Turkey, Greece, Romania, Croatia, etc... with some other travelers you meet on the way. You can see the world with them for a little while, then go back to your plans...or make them up as you go.

If you feel that you paid too much, you can make that up mowing lawns or washing cars this weekend....just a thought .