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1. • CommentAuthortommyboy
   • CommentTimeDec 19th 2007

    
   Just curious -- I was thinking about getting a eurail pass to travel from Paris to Florence, and then to Rome, and then to Nice and then back to Paris. I just don't know if I should get the eurail or use the train or fly or what. Has anyone bought a eurail pass?
2. • CommentAuthorhjdetroy
   • CommentTimeDec 20th 2007

    
   If you can book with Ryan air or Easy Jet well in advance, the prices are competitive enough to make flying seem easier on the wallet, not to mention the nerves. But there's something romantic and meditative about seeing Europe by train.
   
   A don't forget to be an environmentally responsible traveler! With the amount of flying you'll do between all those destinations, you'll have to plant 500 trees!
3. • CommentAuthorfrenchboston
   • CommentTimeDec 20th 2007

    
   I personnaly prefer the trains because they arrive directly in the cities whereas airports (especially the ones where easy jet and ryan air arrive) are often far away. The costs to go to these airports are sometimes higher than the prices you will pay for your flight!
4. • CommentAuthortommyboy
   • CommentTimeDec 20th 2007

    
   I know, Frenchboston, I like trains more too. I just didn't know if I should buy a eurail pass or just buy the tickets. I kind of think the passes are a ripoff. I think the flights make a lot of sense though if you're going a big distance and the train would take you over a day. Thanks for your thoughts.
5. • CommentAuthorpeggypings
   • CommentTimeDec 29th 2007

    
   What about a rental car?
6. • CommentAuthortrm4
   • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2008

    
   Rental cars are a good idea if you want to go off track and see lots of small towns or places not served by trains. You also set your own schedule and have complete flexibility. But watch out, because in many big cities, you can't drive in the center, parking is really, really expensive, as is gas and tolls on the roads. Driving huge distances -- like Paris to Rome or something just doesn't make any sense with a rental car. You'll lose money.
7. • CommentAuthorPhebe2
   • CommentTimeJan 3rd 2008 edited

    
   I love renting a car when I'm overseas. Since countries are about as large as US states, you can pretty much drive from one hot spot to the next. I was in Italy for a week a few years ago, for example, and I saw the leaning tower of Pisa and the markets in Bologna in one day...then on to Venice and a bit of Tuscany. Finally, I flew in and out of Rome. The car cost me about $30 a day and I felt it was well worth it.
8. • CommentAuthorgringagogo
   • CommentTimeJan 10th 2008

    
   I love eurorail passes. The only problem is, two of the four times I bought one, a train strike hit smack dab in the middle of my plans. Read the newspapers before purchase. Strikes bad.
9. •  
     CommentAuthorgabevictor
   • CommentTimeJan 10th 2008

    
   Keep in mind you can easily get train tickets from point A to point B without shelling out a fortune on a Eurail pass. You'll still get the "romantic" experience and all that, just won't have to plunk down a ton of cash for a month-long pass you're only going to use for 1 - 2 days.