Eurail Global Pass

A rail pass is a travel document that entitles you to travel on European trains in a specific geographic area (country/countries), for a specific number of days.

Be mindful that having a rail pass doesn’t necessarily mean that you can hop on any train at will, within the geographical area covered by your rail pass. Depending on the country, the type of train and the route, you may need to purchase seat reservations at an additional cost.

Lastly, rail passes are packed with additional benefits, also known as rail pass bonuses which can range from discounted shopping in retail stores, to preferential rates on other modes of transportation like ferry or bus, to rebates on hotel nights, reduced admission at museums attractions, and more

A rail pass and a train ticket are two completely different types of travel documents.

A train ticket is valid for a single journey between two cities. Many tickets also include a reservation, which mean that they are valid only for a specific train, on a specific date and at a given time. To learn more about tickets, read our article: tickets explained.

A rail pass, on the other hand, is good for travel in an entire geographical area (1 country, 2 countries or more). With it you can take as many train trips as you want within that geographical area, for as many travel days as you purchased, within a set period of time (the pass validity period).

A flexi pass is valid for a specific number of travel days to be used within the overall validity period of that rail pass. For example, 15 days of unlimited train travel to be used within a 2-month period. With this kind of rail pass, you can pick and choose any days (they don’t have to be consecutive) to travel within the rail pass’ validity period.

Continuous (or consecutive) rail passes such as the Eurail Global Pass, are valid for unlimited train travel during the whole duration of the pass’ validity period. In other words, with a 15-day Eurail Global Pass, you can travel for 15 consecutive days by train. Even if you don’t take the train each and every day, those days will be considered used.

A travel day on a rail pass is a 24-hour period, from midnight to midnight, during which you can take as many train journeys as you desire. Since rail passes use calendar days, journeys within 24-hours of each other but on different days will count as two travel days.

The validity period of a rail pass is the time period in which you must complete your travels with your rail pass. This period is calculated from the date stamped on the rail pass by the railway official.

With a flexi pass this period is defined as a certain number of calendar months – typically one or two.

The validiWith a continuous day pass the validity period equals the number of travel days.

In general, yes, but there are some exceptions and a few rules to keep in mind.

First, be mindful that some trains (such as high speed, scenic, and night trains) require rail pass holders to purchase reservations at an additional cost.

For international train journeys, be sure that your rail pass covers the country of departure, country of arrival, and any countries through which your train will travel.

Lastly, some private rail lines in certain countries don’t offer reservations for rail pass holders and don’t accept rail passes. In these cases, you can purchase a train ticket locally for the desired journey.