Getting Around by Eurail Trains

Eurail is a consortium of European train companies, and Eurail passes can be used on most European trains. For decades, a Eurail train pass has been the most crucial thing in the backpack -- travelers under 26 years of age get a Eurail discount, usually up to 25 percent off. Learn all about Eurail passes and decide whether a Euail pass is right for your backpacking adventure.

What are Eurail passes?:

Eurail passes are created by a European train carrier-owned consortium called Eurail which sells European train passes to non-European citizens through sellers like Rail Europe. Eurail passes can cover train travel in up to 22 European countries and are bought for a specific length of time, like one month, and a specific number of Eurail travel days therein, like three days in one month.

Why buy a Eurail pass?:

Eurail passes are useful to travelers taking trains across more than one or two European countries or planning to travel on trains for more than a couple of single trips, because Eurail passes may save money over single Europe train tickets. Eurail passes are convenient, too -- you can buy one before you leave the US and, once you're on the road, hop on a train anytime and anywhere in Europe that's covered by your pass.

Where to buy Eurail passes:

Buy Eurail passes from the United States before you leave for Europe. You can't buy the same Eurail passes in Europe that you can in the US -- a certain number of Europe train seats are reserved for pass holders, and those tickets are usually meant for US travelers in order to promote European rail travel in the US. Try Rail Europe to buy your pass -- the site's easy and telephone help is awesome.