We purchased Eurail Passes through Rail Europe, a company
associated with Rick Steves. He’s a resident of Washington, as it turns out,
and he’s also the go-to resource for travel information with books, a radio
show, and multiple websites. His organization has made travel seem easier for
so many would-be tourists. A multitude of other blogs and travel sites also
exist, so we’ve been doing a lot of word searching and clicking links.The Eurail pass was easy to obtain, and I did my research using two main sites plus a really effective and helpful blog writeup. The blog writer, Matt, gives a good comparison between rates of buying a multi-use pass or purchasing tickets for the trains separately. If you’re going to travel aggressively – several cities in a short period – it’s a good savings. There are a few pages on Rick Steves’ website that helps estimate the costs of the tickets, and the Eurail website also lets you build a 5-city itinerary, so you can quickly see how much the itinerary could cost. The passes came in the mail quickly – within a week. You can purchase the passes up to a year in advance, so the sooner you accomplish it, the better.
We spent a lot of time trying to figure out which cities to visit. Most of the cities I wanted to see were the capitols, but you don’t have to. I chatted with friends who have done considerably more travel, and one suggested choosing areas with UNESCO World Heritage sites. Others have said you could pick virtually any city or region and spend quality time there and get a feel for the culture without blazing through a checklist. Still others enjoyed hitting the major sites. It really depends on your personal travel style.
Okay, well, all of my recent travel has been for business, and I have knocked out foodie Eater and culture Time-Out recommendations for the cities I’ve gone to. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was just another ‘grammer out to get the shot. Josh is also not one to follow the checklists, even if a few listed items are of interest. So, the approach was to list the sites to visit and then decide where to go after seeing whether a route can be planned to get to them.
We came up with a list of cities based on familiarity,
personal interest, and fame. It was sorta like trying to plan a trip to see the
US and naming the cities you had heard of: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San
Francisco. If your city wasn’t listed, you’re probably thinking, “wow, you’re
missing a great city and culture of the US.” That’s how I felt when were
choosing the cities. We just named the capitols and maybe a famous food, wine,
or climbing area. Then the fear arose of whether we were missing an incredible
gem. We talked through the list of cities with some friends and family, and
they all agreed that the list is hard to pare. My parents also insisted that
going into Switzerland would be more suited to our interests in mountains and
lakes.So, our final city list:
Zagreb
Budapest
Prague
Munich
Kuessnacht (Lucerne)
Lausanne
Marseilles
Barcelona
Lisbon
Fountainebleau
Paris
