4. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EURAIL PASSES AND EUROPASSES

At this point, you might be thinking, "You've given me tons of useful information, but how do I 'backpack,' exactly?" Here's the answer: you don't. You're not really going to walk from Rome to Paris; instead, you're going to take advantage of Europe's train system. To do this, you need to get a Eurail pass or a Europass. These passes are by far the easiest way to get around; getting a pass is so helpful, that you should buy one right here in the U.S. at your student travel agency.

What's the difference between the two passes? Both offer unlimited train travel on given days; the real difference between the two is in the countries covered:

Eurail Pass

Eurail Pass - Covers 17 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, and Sweden. It can be bought for travel on consecutive days or scattered days. The consecutive days must be used on (drum roll, please) consecutive days. The price depends on your length of travel. To qualify as a youth, you must be under 25.

Adult Youth 15 Days $554 $338 21 Days $718 $499 1 Month $890 $623 2 Months $1260 $882 3 Months $1558 $1089

The Eurail Flexipass can be bought for use throughout any two-month period.

Adult Youth 10 Days in 2 Months $654 $458 15 Days in 2 Months $862 $599

Europass

Europass - The Europass is cheaper, but covers less ground - only Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Spain. You can add up to two "countries" out of Austria/Hungary, Benelux (that's Belgium, Luxenbourg, and the Netherlands), Greece (including the ferry to Greece from Italy's Brindisi port), and Portugal. Adding one country costs $45 or $60 (youth/adult), and adding two countries costs $78 or $100.

Adult Youth 5 Days in 2 Months $348 $233 6 Days in 2 Months $368 $253 8 Days in 2 Months $448 $313 10 Days in 2 Months $528 $363 15 Days in 2 Months $728 $513

A few more technical notes about using Europasses and Eurail Passes:

  • You must begin using your pass within six months of purchase.
  • You must mark each date of travel in the space provided on your pass BEFORE getting on the train. Usually this is not a problem, but some stuffy conductors - or those fishing for bribes - will give you a hard time otherwise. Though quite rare, the stiffest penalty you could face would be the cost of the train trip, a $100 fine, AND the confiscation of your Eurail or Europass. It's not worth risking the wrath; just remember to fill out your pass before boarding.

  • Any day of travel actually begins the previous night at 8 p.m. This is a huge perk that you should take advantage of; travel by night train as often as possible, since you'll want to be seeing cities during the day, plus it saves you one night's accommodations. Of course, if you've got enough cash, you can still save the day for sightseeing and buy a bed in a sleeper or couchette on a train, usually for about $20.

  • While they entitle you to free travel on any train in the given countries, sometimes you still have to pay a reservation fee for a seat. This is true of most specialty or high-speed trains, and certain countries always or often require it, like Spain and Italy. But don't worry . . . even with the reservation fee, you're still saving crazy amounts of money.

  • Both of these passes offer group discounts, even for groups of 2.

  • If you want to save even more money, you can buy a Euroline pass, good for unlimited bus travel between selected cities for 30 or 60 days. The travel time is much longer and your options are much more limited (many countries only have one city included), but the price is nice; it ranges from $249 for a youth traveling 30 days in the off-season, to $449 for an adult traveling 60 days in the high season. There are bathrooms on board.