Free tool
Rail pass, train tickets or flights?
List the European cities in the order you will visit them. You get what the trip costs three ways: a train ticket for every leg, a Eurail or Interrail Global Pass with its seat reservations, or the cheapest of train, bus and flight on each leg.
An example: six cities in three weeks, under 28
Paris, then Amsterdam, then Berlin, then Prague, then Vienna, then Budapest
Buy the train tickets: about $281 a person, against $292 to $328 with a pass. Booked a few weeks out, the tickets are cheaper than the pass for this many train days. Flying Paris to Amsterdam is $28 cheaper on the fare alone, but the train takes 3h 20m city centre to city centre, with no airports, so the advice keeps the train there.
Train tickets
$281
every leg by train where there is one, booked a few weeks out
Global Pass
$292 to $328
Eurail Global Pass, 5 days in 1 month (youth, under 28), with seat reservations
Cheapest mix
$253
the cheapest of train, bus and flight on each leg
Per person, each leg in the order you gave. The cheapest way across each leg is marked.| Leg | Train | Bus | Flight |
|---|
| Paris to Amsterdam | $95Eurostar (ex-Thalys), 3h 20m | None listed | $67 |
|---|
| Amsterdam to Berlin | $80ICE, 6h 20m | None listed | $113 |
|---|
| Berlin to Prague | $43EC, 4h 20m | None listed | $104 |
|---|
| Prague to Vienna | $35Railjet / RegioJet, 4h | None listed | $63 |
|---|
| Vienna to Budapest | $28Railjet, 2h 40m | None listed | $62 |
|---|
What the pass covers, and what it does not
- Prices are approximate; check www.eurail.com for today's fare and youth eligibility (under 28 on the first travel day).
- High-speed and international trains need paid seat reservations on top of the pass (Eurostar ~$35 to $45, TGV/Lyria ~$11 to $38, Frecciarossa ~$11 to $14).
- Buses, Italo and most ferries are not covered.
- Pass holders must activate the pass and log each journey in the Rail Planner app.
Find the cheapest order and real datesStopover prices every order of these cities on dates that fit your window, with flights and trains together.
Where the numbers come from
Train and bus prices are typical fares booked a few weeks ahead, per person, from Stopover’s own table of routes, with the usual journey time. Flight prices are the median of recent cheap one-way fares for the route on any date, from cached airfare data; your dates will differ. Pass prices are Eurail’s second-class Global Pass, with the seat reservations high-speed and international trains require on top. Interrail’s prices for European residents differ, so check interrail.eu before you buy.
The pass is counted as one train journey a day, which is how a city-hopping trip goes. Trains the pass does not cover (Italo, iryo, OUIGO, and anything outside the pass countries) are bought as tickets under every option.
Questions
Is a Eurail pass worth it?
It depends on how many train days the trip has and which trains they are. A pass pays off on long or high-speed journeys taken without booking far ahead; a few short hops booked a few weeks out are usually cheaper as tickets. High-speed and international trains also need a paid seat reservation on top of the pass. This calculator prices both for your cities.
How much does a Eurail Global Pass cost?
About $229 for the shortest youth pass (under 28) up to about $755 for an adult month of unlimited travel, second class, before seat reservations. Residents of Europe buy the Interrail pass instead, which has its own prices.
Is it cheaper to fly or take the train in Europe?
On short routes the train usually wins once you count the time to and from airports; on long ones, like Paris to Rome or London to Prague, a budget flight is often cheaper than the train ticket. The calculator shows both for every leg of your trip and adds up the cheapest mix.