The fine folks at Rail Europe are honoring the Gay Games being held in Cologne, Germany, with a special Eurail pass event. If you book between July 1- July 30, 2010 you will save a whopping 20% on the German Rail Twin Pass. This discount is available for 2 adults traveling in 1st or 2nd class, which gives you a choice of any 5 travel days within a month. Use it to go to the Gay Games or anywhere covered by the national rail network of Germany. And of course, anyone can get this deal. Because like the Gay Games, we’re all about inclusion and bringing the world together.
Click Here To Book Online With Rail Europe
Did you folks know that Rail Europe offers offer an exclusive Rail Protection Plan that provides compensation to you in the case of exchanges or cancellations due to medical illness or death, railroad strikes, and in the case of loss or theft in Europe. There are a few good reasons to buy insurance on items, and travel is usually one of those good causes. There are a few different mishaps that can happen, and Rail Europe wants to make sure you have the option to be covered.
Rail Europe, Inc. (“REI”) is pleased to offer its Rail Protection Plan™ for all European passes and rail tickets issued through our company.
- Exchanges: if you need to exchange your pass/ticket due to illness or injury to yourself or illness, injury or death of an immediate family member (spouse, child, parent, or sibling), you will be allowed a one time exchange of your pass/ticket regardless of the fare restrictions.
- Cancellations: if you are unable to use your pass/ticket due to the illness, injury or death of an immediate family member (spouse, child, parent, or sibling) or yourself, the unused portion of the pass/ticket including any cancellation penalties will be reimbursed.
- Strikes - if you are traveling in Europe and your trip is interrupted or stopped due to a rail strike, you will be reimbursed the value of the unused ticket. Coverage for rail strikes only applies to unused tickets and does not apply to passes.
- Loss or Theft – you’ll receive reimbursement on your pass/ticket that is lost or stolen while traveling in Europe. Under the Rail Protection Plan™, Rail Europe will either refund the unused portion of the lost or stolen rail pass/ticket or the cost of replacement pass/ticket, whichever is of lesser value.
The GoldenPass rail network is a link between Central Switzerland and the beautiful Lake Geneva. Traveling from the shores of Lake Lucerne, and then over Brunig Pass, passing through Interlaken and finally to Gstaad. You will travel comfortably for more than 149 miles so you enjoy the many highlights of Switzerland before arriving in Montreux.
The normal regional trains from Zweisimmen to Montreux run as spectacular, fully open panoramic trains for maximum viewing pleasure. These trains have 2nd class seats in the panoramic area as well. From Meiringen and onwards, the train starts to climb uphill, up into the famous Brünig Pass, and then from there back down to central Switzerland. Once again, mountain air, pastures, cows. There’s still Lake Lungern and Lake Sarnen to see on your descent, and then Lake Alpnach. You have reached the very heart of Switzerland. Lake Lucerne already awaits you after the short tunnel ride. Lucerne is just around the corner.
Seat reservations for individual travelers are recommended, for groups it is mandatory. For a special treat, ride in the head of the train. You will feel as if you are driving the train. Limited seating only. Special supplements apply for these VIP seats, so check with your travel agent or booking site when ordering your pass.
My favorite train of them all, the Glacier Express is one of Switzerland’s most famous train rides, if not all of Europe. The Glacier Express is also known as “the world’s slowest express train” and averages 36 km/h (22 mph) during the approximately 7½-hour trip journey on its most popular route, Zermatt to St. Moritz.
The 275 KMs of narrow-gauge track are punctuated by 291 bridges and 91 tunnels! The trains reach a max peak elevation of 2,033 meters just at the Oberalp Pass, which is near Andermatt and traverses the 15-km Furka Tunnel, which takes a shortcut beneath the Alps between Andermatt and Brig.
The train is not an “express” in the sense of being a high-speed train, but rather, in the sense that it provides a one-seat ride for a long duration travel. In fact it has the reputation of being the slowest express train in the world. As St. Moritz and Zermatt are home to two well-known mountains, the Glacier Express is also said to travel from Piz Bernina to Matterhorn.
Passengers on Glacier Express Premium trains can have meals served at seats or in the dining cars; on the standard trains, meals are served in the dining cars only, where angled-stem wineglasses help to prevent spilling during the steeper portions of the journey. All trains have Railbar carts that sell box lunches, salads, hot and cold drinks
and other goodies.
During Christrmas 2004, my wife and I went rail cruising on some of Switzerland’s most scenic routes in the Alps with our new Sony HDR-FX1 camera. Routes include the Bernina Express, Glacier Express, Mont-Blanc Express, Golden Pass Line etc. View from Hotel in St. Moritz. We dedicate this to Chris Harnett and Sue Knight of MITV.co.uk/ for their inspiration and friendship. Edited by the legendary Don Smith of newsvideo.com. Thanks also to George Drury, author of The Railfan Guide to Switzerland for help in trip planning.
One of the hottest and most traveled routes in western Europe is the Paris to Amsterdam train. You can buy tickets while in Europe at vending machines or train station counters, or get online through Rail Europe. Passengers can often buy tickets on board trains as well, but I like to plan ahead and go online. You can also compare prices with different rail lines to find the best rates. Package deals and rail passes offer deep discounts from the moderately priced regular fares.
Click Here To Book Paris to Amsterdam via Rail Europe
Traveling Spain by train is a great experience but there are some things you need to know before you go. Spain’s train network is fast, reliable and relatively cheap but if you go without an itinerary and assume that everything is going to work out, you might find yourself in hot water
Although Spain’s network is vast and impressive, there are a few routes that are not very well served and certain parts of the country are rather difficult to get to and from. Finding out which train you need to be on is probably the most important part of traveling by rail in Spain so try to spend some time on this and make sure you get it right.
It isn’t always going to be quick and easy so make sure that you are ready for anything. Travel with an open mind and don’t really expect the norm to keep happening. Trains break down, connections are missed and people often get on the wrong trains altogether. Don’t be embarrassed about asking for help if you are in any of these situations because looking like an idiot is much more desirable than sitting on the wrong train for three hours having no idea how to get to where you’re going.
For the most part, traveling by train through Spain takes very little time. The more common routes have very fast trains with very few stops because it tends to travel these roots much more often. Traveling over half of the country from Madrid to Barcelona is a relatively quick trip that will leave you with much of the day to see sites. The same goes for traveling down to the south of the country from Madrid to, say, Seville.
Traveling Spain’s rail network with a Eurail Pass is a great way to save some money, if you’re going to be taking the train quite frequently. In addition to the savings that can be had with a Eurail pass, it also gives you peace of mind and saves you some time having to wait in line to purchase tickets from the ticket booth. Make sure that your train doesn’t require a reservation prior to getting on or else you will have to pay out the nose for it once you are already on the train.
If you do have to, booking tickets for the train is rather simple compared to getting one’s for buses and rented cars. Spain only has one rail company and there is no need to search through multiple sites to find the best deal. Simply going up to the counter and paying for the ticket is often the cheapest way to get it. Ticket lines are not normally long so you shouldn’t miss any trains due to those. The people that work for the rail company were always helpful and usually spoke my language. If I couldn’t find somebody who spoke English, some helpful Spaniard would usually chirp in and translate for me.
Make sure that you find your trip to at least a small degree of accuracy so that you have some idea of where you would like to be the next day. Don’t, however, plan it down to the second because if you happen to miss one train or have a bag stolen, you will screw up your entire trip. With just a little common sense and an open mind you will have a great trip through Spain and see one of Europe’s most beautiful countries.
While Italy is not as well known for their beaches as Spain, France or Greece, they still house some of the Mediterranean’s nicest spots to get a tan. With your Eurail pass you can enjoy the whole coast of Italy, but there are two regions you need to plan you stops around if you want to enjoy the seaside.
The first train stop after leaving France known for its beach resorts is San Remo located on the Italian Riviera. San Remo offers the same enjoyment as its more famous neighbor, the French Riviera, but at a more affordable price. San Remo is a full-out resort town if that’s what you’re looking for, with a casino, race track and golf, along with its restaurants, shopping and beautiful beaches. Sestri Levante, Levanto and Lerici are some top beaches in the area worth spending some time at.
The Second big stop on this train tour for some beach time is the Amalfi coast, located on the coast just south of Naples. On the Amalfi coast there are countless choices to enjoy the beach and sea, but the coastline between Amalfi and Sorrento is your best bet. Positano has an absolutely stunning beach but is in an expensive area. The Blue Grotto is famous attraction to check out, but you’ll face long lines of tourists in summer seasons. There are also the gorgeous islands of Ischia, known for its thermal spas, and the famous Capri, both worth the boat trip over.
Please check out my upcoming posts for more of top beach and costal locations to check out on this Mediterranean train tour.
Italy is one of the most beautiful and most visited countries in Europe, and with its diverse cities and towns, there is no doubt in my mind that you’ll absolutely love Italy. Why do I love it so much? Well the fact that you can go ski in the Italian alps in the north, and then head off to wine and dine in the south makes it one unique and unforgettable experience.
Now here do you begin or go in Italy on the Eurail? The options are limitless and I find the trio of Rome, Venice and Florence to be the best starting point on your Eurail trip. These 3 cities are rated amon the top 10 best world attractions. Words cannot describe the beauty of these three cities, and if you’re traveling with your significant other, you will discover a country of romance. The amount of culture and sites to see in just these three cities would leave your head spinning, so make sure to allott enough time to see all you want to.
Since Italy is not known as a cheap country, you’ll be pleased with the usual great prices you’ll find on your Eurail Pass. If you have a lot of time to take most of Italy in, then you’ll be happy know know the rail network can take you mostly everywhere in Italy easily. I highly recommend taking the time to visit Naples and Milan, or take a tour of the smaller gems such as Pisa or Turin. So wherever you decide to go, I hope you have a wonderful time and of course, safe travels!
