Eurostar vs Rail Europe
Difference between Eurostar and Rail Europe can be observed mainly in the services they provide. If you are a non-European, you might think of Eurostar and Rail Europe as two different rail services across Europe and, in fact, you are not the only one to have thought along these lines. Eurostar is the rail service that connects various European destinations, while Rail Europe is the worldwide distributor of rail tickets and passes of Eurostar rail service. Thus, these are not two different services or competitors, but partners in providing non-resident Europeans tickets and passes for Eurostar that allows travelers to explore Europe in a faster and more efficient manner. Let us take a closer look at Rail Europe and Eurostar.
What is Eurostar?
Eurostar is the company running Eurostar rail service across the continent of Europe. Connecting London to Paris and then to Brussels, all trains of Eurostar cross the famous tunnel (Chunnel) between London and France. This is a very popular as well as an efficient service. Each of these trains runs up to 300 kilometers per hour. Main stations for Eurostar are London St Pancras, Paris Gare du Nord, and Brussels Midi/Zuid. Eurostar has many deals that offer packages that cater to different people’s travel needs in Europe. One such deal is for travelling from London St Pancras station to Brussels Midi/Zuid station. The price startsfrom 69 pounds for a return ticket. The time duration is two hours and one minute. Eurostar also gives the opportunity for the traveler to book hotels and cars according to his or her arrival at a certain station.
What is Rail Europe?
Rail Europe is the distributor of tickets and passes of Eurail as well as Eurostar, to travelers across the world who intend to travel Europe on trains. Rail Europe does not have any train on its own and is merely a distributor of tickets and passes of Eurail and Eurostar. It is not that Eurostar do not sell their tickets on their own. In fact, there is a separate website Eurostar.com selling tickets of the train to travelers, but Rail Europe is an official partner of Eurostar selling its tickets, so there is no need to confuse between the two companies. One just has to remember that the trains remain the same, whether you buy tickets and passes through Eurostar or Rail Europe. You only get different prices and the facility of getting the train tickets sitting in the comfort of your own home.
Rail Europe, is a worldwide leader in selling rail tickets of European train systems and is the top seller of Eurostar tickets and passes. Since it is a service of selling train tickets and train passes, there are a number of offers for each and you have a wide selection to choose from. Rail Europe offers point to point tickets for Eurostar, TGV, Thalys, City Night Line, and many more. Then, when it comes to passes, they offer Eurail Global Pass, Swiss Travel Pass, French Rail Pass, Paris Pass, and many more passes. It also has many promotions and deals. Nowadays, (March 2015) they have a promotion for the Thalys train service. The trains travel from Paris to Amsterdam within three hours and seventeen minutes. This train has both first and second classes. First class include reclining seats, meals and drink, newspapers and magazines, taxi reservation, Wi-Fi internet, and bar buffet car. The price for Paris to Amsterdam is 35 euros.
What is the difference between Eurostar and Rail Europe?
• Service:
• Rail Europe is a company that sells tickets and passes of European rail services of which Eurostar is one.
• Eurostar is the company that operates Eurostar, a rail service connecting London with Paris, Brussels and other European countries.
• Relationship between Eurostar and Rail Europe:
• Non-Europeans can have tickets of Eurostar sitting in the comfort of their homes through Rail Europe, though these tickets are a bit expensive.
• Facilities:
• Rail Europe offers best deals for non-Europeans to travel through Europe via train.
• Eurostar, other than its train services, allows the passengers to book hotels and cars in their destinations.
• Promotions and Deals:
• They both come with a number of attractive and useful promotions and deals for travelers.
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