New
Eurail National Pass; New Eurail Regional Pass Country Combinations; Romania Welcomed
as New Eurail Country for Eurailpass and Eurailpass Flexi, Modest Price Increases
Compared to Car and Air Travel UTRECHT,
Netherlands, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2006 the best way to see Europe will
get even better with a new Eurail Pass category and new country combinations added
to the Eurail Regional Pass. For the first time ever Eurail will offer single-country
rail passes, starting January 1. Travelers will then be able to become intimately
acquainted with one of 9 countries included in the Eurail National Pass program:
Finland, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain or Sweden. With
flexible validities from three to 10 travel days for one month or two, travelers
can easily find the right match.
"The Eurail National Pass was created to match the way Americans
travel today," said Rene de Groot, Eurail's Managing Director. "With vacations
getting shorter and more frequent, Americans have less time for extended journeys
throughout Europe, and this new pass will allow them to comfortably explore one
country in depth in one vacation span."
The Eurail Group will also add
new country combinations to the Eurail Regional Pass, created two years ago for
unlimited travel in two bordering countries. In addition to the original combinations
(Austria- Slovenia/Croatia; France-Italy; France-Spain; Germany-Benelux; Germany-
Denmark; Greece-Italy; Hungary-Slovenia/Croatia; Romania-Hungary
and Spain- Portugal), seven new combinations will be added effective January 2006:
Austria-Czech Republic, Austria-Switzerland, Benelux-France, France-Germany, France-Switzerland,
Germany-Austria and Germany-Switzerland.
"We are delighted to expand the
line-up of Eurail Regional Passes," added Rene de Groot. "The original Regional
Passes have been enormously popular among travelers with limited time who wish
to focus on a specific corner of Europe while traveling in style. As Eurail keeps
expanding the choices, Eurail Passes allow travelers to custom tailor their own
itineraries with built-in ease and flexibility."
In addition, the 17 Eurailpass
countries with validity allowing 15 days to 3 months continuous travel, or 10
or 15 travel days within two months (Eurailpass Flexi), will become 18 with the
addition of Romania in 2006. There will be no changes to Eurail Selectpasses*.
Finally,
2006 prices will average roughly three percent more than in 2005, barely keeping
pace with inflation. Compared with airline fares rising due to increased taxes,
and a ten percent hike in European gasoline prices, Eurail remains the most affordable
and enjoyable way to see Europe.
The Eurail Group comprises 27 railways
and shipping lines, as well as several bonus partners, and the 2006 Eurail offer
includes Eurail Passes for travel by train and connecting ship in 25 European
countries. For more information about Eurail and rail travel in Europe, go to
http://www.Eurail.com.
All Eurail products are available from travel agents
and from our authorized North American sales agents: ACP Rail International, 1-866-9-EURAIL,
http://www.eurail-acprail.com ; Destination Europe Resources (DER), 1-800-782-2424,
http://www.der.com ; Rail Europe, 1-866-6-EURAIL, http://www.raileurope.com ;
Flight Centre, 1-866-WORLD-51, http://www.flightcentre.com and OctopusTravel.com
1-877-330-7765, http://www.octopustravel-us.com .
* The Eurailpass is
valid in the following 18 countries: Austria (including Liechtenstein), Belgium,
Denmark, Finland, France (including Monaco), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy,
Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Spain,
Sweden and Switzerland. The Eurail Selectpass is also valid in Bulgaria, Croatia,
Serbia & Montenegro and Slovenia. SOURCE
Eurail Group
Web Site: http://www.Eurail.com
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