The secret to Europe on a budget? Eurail train passes

When my parents were married in the 1960s, they spent their honeymoon traveling around Europe. Graduate students with lots of curiosity and little money, Arthur Frommer’s Europe on 5 Dollars a Day was their bible and a Eurail Pass allowed them the freedom to hop on a train and traverse the continent on a tight budget. Decades after their trip, my parents still spoke about the authentic experiences that European train travel presented. 

I’m certain Europe’s iconic sites thrilled these two kids from the Bronx. However, it was the people they met on trains, from the friendly Italian family who shared their simple meal of bread and cheese to the pro-Franco Spaniard who my anti-fascist father argued with for hours, that were etched in their memory. Trains were—and still are—how many Europeans travel, facilitating an organic way to connect with locals.

As a teenager, I journeyed across Europe, too, with nothing but wanderlust and an inexpensive Eurail pass in my hand. Traveling with a Eurail pass allowed me to broaden my horizons, meet a variety of people, and visit multiple countries with the money I had saved up from weekend babysitting. 

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As an adult, some of my family’s best travel adventures have been on trains. I’ve enjoyed solo travel with a Eurail pass as well, chatting with fellow passengers as stunning scenery rolls by. Here’s what you need to know using the Eurail Pass to see Europe on a budget.

What’s a Eurail Pass?

Want to hop on the train in Paris and wake-up in Rome? No problem. How about crossing the Swiss Alps or heading to Andalusia to watch flamenco dancers at midnight? A Eurail Pass makes it easy and economical to see as much of Europe as you’d like. 

With the Eurail Pass, you pay one price for unlimited travel across a huge rail network. For non-European residents, it’s a great way to visit 33 European countries, and for convenience you can purchase it online before your trip. Since its rollout in 1959, more than a million travelers have used a Eurail Pass, so it’s stood the test of time. 

Big discounts for families

Up to two kids under age twelve receive a free Eurail Pass with every adult Eurail Pass purchased. For example, if you’re a family of two adults and four kids, all four kids travel free. Children under four don’t actually need a Eurail Pass, though they may have to sit on your lap if the train is packed and they don’t have their own free Eurail Pass.

If you’re traveling with teens or young adults up to age 27, there are a variety of youth discounts for up to 25 percent off the adult pass rate. And if you’re planning a multi-generational train vacation with the grandparents, adults over age 60 receive a 10 percent discount on all Eurail Passes. 

Which Eurail Pass is right for you?

There are several types of passes available. The Continuous Global Eurail Pass is valid for a continuous period of travel ranging from 15 days to three months. There’s also the Flexi Pass, which permits four, five, or seven days of train travel within a one-month period, or 10 or 15 days of travel within a two-month period. 

Eurail also sells passes that are valid exclusively in one country for travelers looking for a deeper dive within a single country. You can purchase a Eurail Pass for first- or second-class travel, with a first-class pass costing more.

To reserve or not?

Many trains don’t require a reservation, though high-speed, night trains, and certain scenic routes do require a reservation. Seat reservations incur a charge that varies, but count on it costing between 10-20 euro per seat. Keep in mind that while children don’t pay for a Eurail Pass, they do need to pay to reserve a seat or a couchette, a cozy berth with multiple beds, on night trains. 

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I embrace spontaneity and often travel without a seat reservation. If the train I intend to take doesn’t have a seat available, I pivot and hop on a later train or a train to a different destination. However, unless you’re super-flexible, I wouldn’t recommend traveling without seat reservations with kids, especially during peak summer and holiday travel seasons when trains are often packed. 

Get the app

Originally, a Eurail Pass was made out of paper. While Eurail does still offer the nostalgic paper pass, the up-to-date Eurail Rail Planner Mobile app is free and easy to download on your phone. The app makes planning your itinerary, checking train schedules, seeing delays in real-time, and booking seat reservations a breeze. If you’re traveling with your family, you may link accounts and book seats next to each other, especially important when you’re traveling with children.

Is Eurail Pass right for your family?

Train travel is slow travel at its finest, as the journey is a key part of the experience. It’s my family’s favorite way to get around Europe. My children are now young adults, though they still have fond childhood travel memories of exploring the trains, eating in the dining car, and watching stunning scenery roll by as we cuddled in our comfortable seats. 

The environmental impact of travel weighs heavily in my travel choices. Train travel is a greener option, which holds great appeal. 

A Eurail Pass provides the freedom to make as many or as few stops as you want. We’ve used our Eurail Pass to visit touristy cities such as London and Paris as well as lesser-known gems like Cologne, Germany, where my family and I spent hours viewing the collection of pop art at Museum Ludwig; and Locarno in Switzerland’s Ticino, where we splashed in Lake Maggiore for hours. Without unlimited train travel, we probably would have never stopped at the more under-the-radar destinations that have been so enriching. 

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