So I may be dense, having read up a lot about the trains systems in Europe, but I ma still confused!
I will be traveling for 2 months in Europe to many different countries and so I bought the youth flexi global pass. My question is, do I have to make reservations for the trains I want to take in advance? If so how far in advance? Can I do so online? Because I already have a pass is it foolish for me to think I can just hop on a train and bypass the lines?
Any suggestions would be helpful!!
It would be foolish if that train required seat reservations. This may be a case where you both a pass before understanding all of the conditions. All of the high speed trains and many regional will require a seat reservation and the fee the can be expensive. Local trains do not have seat reservations so you can just jump on.
Click on the "Railpasses" tab at the top of the page you're reading now. You'll find many pages of helpful information, including a section on required seat reservations on high-speed trains and required sleeping accommodation supplements on night trains.
For daytime trains for which a seat reservation is required, it's usually okay to simply buy the reservation at a station in Europe. Popular night trains can sell out weeks in advance so it's important to buy the sleeping accommodation supplement as soon as you can commit to a specific train and departure date. That often means buying them from home through an agency like Rail Europe. However, there are cheaper sources than RE.
Your questions have been answered. However, assuming you purchased the 15 day Youth Global pass it would mean each Rail Pass Day is worth $49. On your travel days compare the point-to-point fare to the Rail Pass Day (you must consider the Euro to USD conversion rate) and determine which is the less expensive.
Today (on XE) 1 Euro - 1.39031 USD ( 1 USD = .719227 Euro). I.E., save your Rail Pass Days for the expensive legs of your rail travel.
