European trains - Overnight trips

In a lot of cases, particularly with German based night trains (CityNightLine.ch), a SparNight fare is available for not much more than the cost of a supplement ("reservation") for that train. If you also use a day of your railpass with the night train, that's often more expensive than the SparNight fare alone. I would seek out these fares before getting a railpass and adjust the railpass days accordingly. Also, before getting the railpass, make sure you can get the night train supplement somewhere. It's often not so easy to do.

When you can use the savings fares, German Rail is probably the cheapest way to get them. Go to http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en for schedules and booking.

Of course, if you are buying a global pass, anyway, then the savings fares probably don't matter. Then the cheapest way to get night train reservations is probably through www.euraide.com.

There are very few places to get night train reservations over here that don't mark them up significantly. At least Euraide charges you the same price you would pay at a ticket counter over there. The also charge a one time fee of $50 for all the reservations.

Just be aware- don't rely too much on night trains as a time saver. In theory, they are an ideal solution to the problem of an aggressive itinerary. But in practice, I have met few people (including myself) who have managed a decent night of sleep on one. Using a few scattered over a long trip probably won't cause too much trouble, but if you plan to use them often, the lack of sleep can build up. A friend of mine who used only night trains on one trip summed up his experience as thus (paraphrased): "They caused me to loose sight-seeing days, because I lay awake at night, and had to sleep upon arrival to my destinations"

I'm leaning toward the Eurail Global Pass. So would it be more econimical -- and practical -- to book an overnight trip once I arrive in the city I'll be departing?

Thanks for all the help.

"would it be more econimical -- and practical -- to book an overnight trip once I arrive in the city".

Economical yes, practical no. Night trains are popular and often sell out well in advance. I've seen the Munich to Italy trains sold out a month in advance. Book night trains early - as soon as you can commit.