When people think of visiting Europe, many of them do not think of a train pass being their best tool. People think to fly, travel by boat, rent a car or even to bike. The idea of using a train just isn’t most people’s first thought, when it probably should be. One of the best ways to get around Europe is the Eurail Train Pass. The Eurail Train Pass is the best kind of train ticket you can buy. Instead of having to buy an individual ticket every time you want to get around one country, or go to another country, you can just use the train pass.

© Stephen Bugno

The Eurail Train Pass gives people access to most of the trains in Europe. With this pass you can go practically wherever you want, whenever you want. The only restrictions are that there are only 28-possible countries included in the pass, you still have to stick to the different trains schedules and some trains request that people make a reservation ahead of time.

The positives of using this pass, greatly outweigh those negatives though. The pass truly allows travelers to be as flexible as possible. There’s no specific country you have to start in; start wherever you want. You aren’t restricted to visiting different countries just once during the duration of your pass, you can go in and out of the countries as much as you want — unlimited. You can even book hotels or hostels from their website, or get discounts on things like ferries or museum tickets too.

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There are three different kinds of passes you can purchase. The most inclusive pass is the Global Pass. The Global Pass includes all of the 28 countries that participate in this program. Then there’s the Select Pass. The Select Pass allows you to choose two-, three- or four-bordering countries that participate in this program. The third pass is the One Country Pass. The One Country Pass allows you to pick one country from the 28 participating in this program.

Each kind of pass has its own price level, but if you are 27 years old or younger you can buy the Youth Pass. The Youth Pass could save you up to 20 percent on your traveling. And, if you have any children under 12 traveling with you, they travel for free! Each pass is a great choice. So, if you only want to go to one country, or you only have time for one country the pass is still extremely helpful.

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Cover photo © Roderick Eime