You Can Travel Europe by Train Using U Rail Pass

I had an opportunity to travel Europe by trains in 2001 by purchasing the U rail pass of Europe. Traveling in Europe becomes very easy and convenient with the U rail pass. This pass was valid in sixteen European countries namely Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, West Germany, Greece, Holland, Ayerland, Italy, Luxemburg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

U rail pass is an identity card issued to an individual indicating his full name, passport number and the photograph of the person holding the pass. This pass can be purchased for the duration of 15 days, 21 days, 30 days, 2 months, and 3 months. The individual can travel unlimited in any of the valid European countries through U rails during this period. If you have purchased adult pass, the pass is valid in first class also. However, the youth pass and the saver passes are valid in second class only. However, the youth pass holders get 35 % discount on purchase of first class ticket. The pass holder can board any train at any time and can undertake unlimited journeys in the trains without advance reservation. However, the luxurious trains like T.E.E (Trans European Express) and T.G.V (Train Grand Vitress) need the advance reservation. These trains are having all first class coaches. There are two classes in the European trains, first class and second class. The trains of Europe are better than even USA and it is really the most memorable experience to travel in such trains. However, the train services in the countries like Greece, Portugal, and Spain are highly irregular, and the trains are also very dirty. However, the trains are excellent in all other countries. It is suggested to carefully read the board on the carriage indicating its final destination so as not to get lost during the journey. The first class compartments in the trains are marked with continuous yellow color strip. The U rail pass holders should always carry the continental time table of the European trains published by Thomas Cook every year. This book gives the detailed timings of all the trains and the map of the various cities and the countries of Europe.

There are dining cars in all the trains. Hence, food is absolutely no problem. If you need the bed for sleeping during the night journey, same can be booked by paying additional nominal amount. The best combination would be to travel during nights and move around the cities during day time by living your luggage at the clock rooms, available at each railway station. This would save your hotel expenditure considerably. One more point of caution is to be sure as to from which station your train is going to live. This is very important as there are more than one railway stations in many cities of Europe. For example, there are 6 railway stations in Paris and 4 stations in London. It will be most essential to plan out the entire itinerary in advance so as to avoid hassles during the journey. The travel documents for the countries you would like to visit must also be obtained in advance. The money can be kept in currency of Euros as it is the most common currency in the entire Europe. The language can be problem in some European countries. However, carrying of the basic books of various languages can be very helpful. There are no porters available at most of the European cities. Hence, it is advisable to travel with minimum luggage only. It would also be better to travel during summer season as the winter is extremely severe in most of the European countries. Make sure to carry 3 to 4 light shirts, pants, socks, underwear, overcoats, shoes, sleepers, toiletries, torch, Swiss army knife, sewing kit, cameras, pen, notebooks, alarm clock, folding umbrella, railway time table, and the address diary etc with you during your journey

There are many types of U rail passes available like global pass, select pass, region pass, and the country pass. These passes were very cheap at the time of our visit in the year 2001. However, the cost has gone up considerably after that. The U rail youth global pass is valid in all the countries of Europe and can be purchased starting from $519 for 15 days, $669 for 21 days, $835 for 30days, and $1455 for the period of 90 days. This youth pass is valid in second class only. However, if you purchase an adult pass, it is valid for the first class travel. The rates for such adult passes are slightly higher. You can purchase the pass of your own choice through the web site www.urail.com. It would be better to purchase an adult pass as it would allow you to travel in first class without any additional charges.

The trains are able to take you to almost all the sites seeing places of Europe and hence are very convenient for visiting Europe. The freedom of traveling around all European countries in the most luxurious trains of Europe through this U rail pass is an invaluable opportunity and must be utilized by one and all.