Eurail on sale - Help me decide please!

Slander? Seriously?

This is a case of doing your own math. Price out the point to point costs and any saver passes and add them up. Compare with a eurail pass price plus any additional costs like seat reservations not covered by the pass (if applicable).

Seat 61 would be a good source to learn about the pass and if it would make sense for your situation. I have found point to point tickets inexpensive for Italy if bought way in advance.

https://www.seat61.com/how-to-use-a-eurail-pass.htm

Just add everything up, compare and make your choice. It looks like a number of people have taken the time to give you a load of information on your previous posts. It’s unfortunate you refer to it as “slander.”

I use the Eurail Pass, always have since it is part and parcel of the travel style. You have to know what sort of travel style you are comfortable with.

However, pertaining to your 10 day trip, I would not advise getting the Pass, unless cost is basically irrelevant to you. If money is a merely a passing concern or none at all, then get the Pass.

This coming trip I am using the Senior Eurail Pass , 2nd class 15day, 2 months on a trip of at least 10 weeks. Using a Pass for 10 days is much too short, time-wise and geographically, ie, not worth it getting a 7 day Pass. I zip across countries using my Pass, say Vienna to Paris or Vienna to Hamburg. I got the Pass on sale too, ie with the promo discount of 15% plus the senior discount, my total amounted to 25%, which makes the daily travel day expense 23 Euro.

Were it my trip, I’d buy the high-speed Italian train ticket from Trenitalia ( no seat reservations required when buying directly from Trenitalia),
or Italotreno. If you’re planning on a lot of gondola/ mountain train rides in the Berner Oberland, one of the many travel passes likely would pencil out. In the end, only you can figure out the math because no one knows your exact plans.

@Fred this is the content I was looking for! Seat 61 was also a great resource, thanks for that. I've already added everything up, and I definitely don't want to book in advance just in case we want to change our itinerary at all (maybe we've had enough of trains and don't want to make the Venice trip? Maybe we want to stay in Milan longer?) and they are really close in price.

livi.b
Comments about the reasons to use or not use Eurail passes are just that, comments. People ask for opinions and suggestions and what people's experiences have been with train passes, hotels, restaurants, sights, tours, etc. to be able to make an informed decision for themselves. The replies that I have read on this forum that suggest Eurail passes may not be cost effective are far from slanderous. (Slander: the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation). Even applying that to an entity (not a person), comments here do not constitute slander. The responders to questions about the Eurail pass have been, IMO, measured and balanced, as a whole, and are given to help the OP make their own decision.
I have not used a Eurail pass, but have purchased them for my children as a gift for a post-college tour of Europe. That was over 20 years ago. Today's travel situations are different, so the passes may not be the bargain they used to be. There is nothing slanderous in pointing that out.

Referring to the comments as slander wasn't intended to be taken literally - my apologies as I've seen that joke didn't land well. Generally, I've just seen a lot of comments pointing people away from the passes. It looks like point to point is going to cost pretty much the same as the pass. Are there any benefits to the pass if the cost irons out the be about the same?

@ livi.b....."don't want to book in advance...." That means you are reserving a certain measure of flexibility weighed against savings. It comes down to a matter of priorities plus travel style. Obviously, the additional sale promo is incentive and if you are eligible for a senior, it's a total of 25% reduction. Good enough for me, and you?

Apart from cost (you determine if it's worth it) , the one benefit (to your question) is the flexibility of a Pass you might enjoy.

@Fred unfortunately I don't qualify for the senior discount... this trip is for my 30th birthday!

What are your plans in Lauterbrunnen?

The main reason to get eg. A Swiss Travel Pass or the Swiss Half Fare Card is for the reductions you get on the mountain railways. Reductions you do not get when you obtain an Eurail Pass. Of course it has gotten a bit easier now that the Eurail Pass actualy covers the train to Lauterbrunnen.

For Italy Eurail is not really that good value. Florence - Pisa and back is less than 20 euro, Tirano - is 12 euro. Using an Eurail Pass for travel on cheap Italian regional trains is throwing away money. And Eurail is not accepted on Italo.

So do the math. A pass can make sense in some situations. I am going to be using a 4 day Interrail in May to get to Alicante, and then back from Italy (sailing a boat over...). In my case it does end up cheaper, even though I may only use three days on it. Especially since I do not yet know where in Itally I might end up...

I've found the Eurail pass is often very good value for first class travel. Much less so for second class, and also less if one is not a senior. But yes, you need to do the detailed math for your specific itinerary.

I just looked at the sale for our Christmas market trip this year. We will have 4 train trips between cities, plus local travel. Even with the discount, it doesn’t make sense. The regional travel will be done using regional passes. That makes a difference.

For your trip, the local travel will add a lot to your cost. You’re not just traveling from city to city. Assuming you want to see the great views around Lauterbrunnen and Lucerne, you need to get up into the mountains using expensive trains & gondolas. A Swiss pass (either Half Fare Card or Travel Pass) may be more useful. It will cover the Bernina Express, too.