Choosing the Right Train Routes
By Alan Wissenberg
Some railpasses offer you much more than you'd expect. Because there is no age limit when using a regional (two-region) second class Eurailpass, let's see how this product benefits the traveler.
This particular pass costs US$ 272 and allows six travel dates within two months in Benelux and Germany. By reading the fine print, you can create a trip that begins in London and includes Brussels, Bruges, Amsterdam, Munich, Salzburg, Rothenburg, Würzburg, Berlin, Dresden, Prague, (via Frankfurt to) the Rhine River boats (operating from March 25 until Nov 1, 2005), and Köln before ending in Paris.
The advantages of this product include a discounted fare on the Eurostar trains leaving London without the use of a travel date (Note: let Eurostar personnel validate the railpass in London) if you just go to Brussels. By leaving London early, one can either spend the night in Brussels or proceed to use the railpass (Travel Date One) right away on a visit to Bruges for several hours before continuing on (via Antwerp) to Amsterdam in the late afternoon and spending the night there.
Travel Date Two: the overnight train CNL 319 from Amsterdam (dep 20:05) to Munich needs only the next day's date entered on the railpass. After you arrive in Munich at 7:16, stow your bags at the hotel or pension of choice and day-trip over to Salzburg which is 90-minutes away by express train along the northern edge of the Bavarian Alps (and one of the most scenic routes in Europe).
Consider staying two or more nights in Munich so you can include an outing to the Castle Neuschwanstein in Füssen using a "Bayern Ticket" (a regional train ticket costing €26 for up to five people) before moving on to the walled medieval city of Rothenburg.
Reaching Rothenburg without using a railpass date is possible from Munich with a "Bayern Ticket" and two simple transfers. You depart Munich at 12:40 on RE 4168 to Treuchtlingen (arr 14:19), from there at 14:24 on RB 20020 to Steinach (arr 15:31), and the local train RB 30361 from Steinach at 15:36 to Rothenburg (arr 15:50). The five-minute transfer times are normal for small stations.
Travel Date Three: Leave Rothenburg as late as 12:05 on RB 30354 to Steinach (arr 12:19) and transfer there to RB 20014 (dep 12:32) for the short hop to Würzburg (arr 13:15), site of the Baroque-era Bishop's Residence, located just 15 minutes from the station. Set aside three hours for a tour and a glass of local wine, then move on the high-speed ICE train ICE 90 at 16:33 (direction Hamburg) with a simple transfer in Göttingen (arr 17:55, stay on the same platform and board ICE 596 at 18:03) to reach Berlin at 20:17. Set aside at least two (and hopefully three) nights for Berlin.
Travel Date Four: From Berlin "Zoo" station, take morning trains EC 171 (dep 7:26), EC 173 (dep 9:26) and EC 175 (dep 11:27) all heading toward Prague. When you leave Berlin early, it's easy to set aside time along the way and get off the train in Dresden. Despite the extensive destruction caused by two days of bombing in February of 1945, the city's modern synagogue (finished several years ago) and the rebuilt cathedral (to be re-dedicated later this year) both symbolize aspects of this beautiful city along the Elbe River. From Dresden, you can board train EC 177 (dep 16:05) or EC 371 (dep 18:05) for the remaining 2.5-hour trip to Prague. These afternoon trains have the distinct advantage of ending at Prague's main station, called hlavni nadrazi (hl.n.). The additional costs for traveling from the German border to Prague are € 14 per person in second class (and can be purchased before leaving Berlin)
Travel Date Five: You'll need the add-on ticket from Prague to the Czech border (at Cheb) as well as the next day's date on your railpass. Board overnight train 352 that leaves Prague at 21:52 with sleeper, couchette and 2nd class seating cars to Frankfurt (arr. 6:21). Put your luggage in lockers at the station and travel most of the day without it. Train ICE 928 leaves from Frankfurt at 7:44 and arrives in Mainz at 8:18; from there, take RB 12762 at 08:30 and head towards Koblenz. You must be ready to disembark at Bingen (Rhein) Stadt station at 9:00 (and not at Bingen Hbf, a different location).
From Bingen Stadt station, the ideal boat journey begins by walking over to the river (two minutes away), turning left, and moving along the Rhine (with the current) about eight minutes to the KD boat dock. I prefer the 9:30 boat because it arrives in Koblenz at 13:10, allowing me to bus up (from the boat dock) to the train station and move on IC 2302 from Koblenz at 14:12 to Köln (arr 15:05) to see the magnificent, double-spired Gothic cathedral right across the street from the station.
From Köln, the high-speed ICE line requires only 70 minutes to bring you back to Frankfurt for your luggage and the last (overnight) trip by train on this railpass.
Travel Date Six: Train 360 leaves Frankfurt at 22:50 and arrives in Paris (Gare de l'Est) the next morning at 7:01. Note: when the railpass includes Germany and lacks coverage in France, the mandatory reservation for sleepers, couchettes and seats on this train will be more expensive; these higher fees eliminate the need to have "France" on the railpass.
The additional costs (per traveler) using this railpass product in two-person sleepers are €50 on train CNL 319, €45 on train 352, and €63 on train 360 (versus €35 for train 360 when the railpass covers both Germany and France). Costs per person for couchettes in six bunk compartments on these trains are €20, €14, and €35 (€14), respectively.
Happy Travels!
Alan Wissenberg is president and general manager of EurAide with offices in the major train stations of Munich and Berlin. He also provides information at www.euraide.com/ricksteves about the Bayern Ticket, the Romantic Road Bus, and the Rhine River boats covered by railpasses.
To buy a railpass, check out Rick's Railpasses!