One month, 5 countries in July

Hi, what exactly is your goal for this trip? It feels like you want to check off five countries on a list, and you’re missing some stellar places, actually many stellar places in the process. If you’re just wanting input on train questions, I won’t delve into the itinerary. Either way, enjoy your time in Europe!

Brussels is so underwhelming - I'd take the train straight from the Brussels airport to Bruges. If you want Belgium, I'd do Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent. What is the plan here as many of these places seem random. Bern is also underwhelming to me compared to other places in Switzerland like Lucerne which is so amazing & the Alps.

You aren't interested in more of Italy like Venice, Florence, Rome? I guess I'm trying to figure out your plan other than to see your friends in France? What are your interests?

Thanks. I suppose I chose these places because we haven't been to Belgium, Germany or Switzerland. I know we're just scratching the surface of those but we've been to Italy and France a good amount. We really want to see Bruges and the end of the trip was Nice, so I just kind of plotted south from Belgium. Interests include absorbing the culture, walking/getting to know the town a bit, food and wine (or beer!). I hear you on Brussels, I was told that by a co-worker, so I'll consider that.

I spent two weeks in Brussels last year. It's a good destination for people who like art museums and a great destination for people who like Art Nouveau architecture. It's a large city (fortunately with excellent public transportation), so I can see why many people don't find it all warm and fuzzy and prefer places like Bruges and Ghent, but I'd be happy to return. I don't need to return to Bruges, but I often feel one trip is enough for places of that size, if I've allowed enough days on my first visit.

Your post is VAGUE about your ticketing.

How many days are you buying the pass for? And is that $569 for ONE, or TWO persons?

These are your journeys. I am not familiar with your routes, and not sure if each part of your trip is covered in Switzerland, but I count 6, not 8. What am I missing?

1) Brussels > Bruges (day trip to Gent: just buy cheap local tickets. Don't waste a Eurailpass day.)

2) Bruges > Bacharach

3) Bacharach > Bern

4) Bern > Mürren

5) Mürren > Varenna

6) Varenna > Nice

"WE" = 2 Adults? Youth (>27)?

"...plus maybe a 2-3 more to cruise around the Berner-Oberland area..."

It wouldn't be my choice to buy extra days if I don't have specific plans - unless those extra days are a bargain.

It sounds to me like you should be considering a 5-day pass plus one p2p pre-purchased ticket for whichever journey is the cheapest of your 6 journeys. Then compare that to the cost of the 6 p2p tickets.

Or if you just want to round up a little, maybe look at the 7-day pass. But rounding up to 10 doesn't sound right.

Eurail's sale runs out on the 31st, I believe.

Also, there's no bobsled in St Goar. You'll need to cross the river (use the all-day ferry crossing) to St Goarshausen and catch a bus from there - or do some hiking to get there. From BACHARACH, you will have to use the trains some - if only to reach St. Goar, just 10 minutes away. But these short train rides are cheap and should be purchased on the spot - don't waste a railpass day to travel 10 minutes! Saving those RP days for the big trips is a good rule of thumb.

I know we're just scratching the surface of those

Just as heads up: Germany has many different surfaces, not just one. Mid Rhine Valley will give you a very different Germany impression form the North, the South, the East and other parts of the West of Germany. In all areas Germany has cultures below today's national and internal state borders. Germany's five largest cities do not have the same favorite beer or meal or bread. In one famous case less than 50 miles make a big difference in favorite beer: Cologne drinks Kölsch, Düsseldorf drinks Altbier.

Also river Rhine flow through very changing areas on its way in German - the 50 miles example is part of this.

So, have good days in nice Mid Rhine Valley but just be aware that you have experienced only one of several dozen German surfaces. Closer to Belgium border btw is Aachen with great sites (also World Heritage) and one of the 25,000 castles, palaces and masons shall be close as well.

Lucerne, Switzerland is a must see.
Also, loved St. Paul de Vence, France.
https://franceadventurer.com/things-to-do-in-saint-paul-de-vence/

Murren stay: this area confuses me, I need to dive deeper into
research, but ideas on how to spend our time (lighter walks (sneakers,
not hiking boots), great views, food!) would be super helpful.

Buy a Jungfrau Travel Pass for that particular region, otherwise the costs of taking small trains, cable cars, etc will add up quick. The pass should cover your journey there from Interlaken where you make the connection.

In Murren take the transport to various spots in the mountains and go for walks. I remember there being gravel paths that are suitable for most foot wear. The views are pretty much amazing all throughout the area obviously. (you are in the mountains of Switzerland) You may also want to consider staying in Wengen which is across the valley from Murren. Going out to dinner there can be very expensive. We did half board at the hotel we stayed at which ended up being a good deal. We ate picnic lunches from the supermarket, or you could find a trail side cafe.

Consider Lake Maggiore instead of Lake Como. It's easier to reach by rail from Murren / Interlaken but maybe more complicated to get from there to Nice? It should have a good rail connection to Milan then onto Nice though.

Otherwise scrutinize your travel itinerary and check the train journey connections and schedules between the places you are going to on the days you plan to travel. Looks like a fairly complicated itinerary.

Hello Andib,
You could save yourself some time in Belgium by not changing locations in 5 days. For example, stay in Brussels and day trip to Bruges (easily done in a day). Same with Ghent and Antwerp, all under an hour by train.
Can't comment on Bacharach.
But, about a year and a half ago, we made a trip to Switzerland, and our daughter did an overnight in Bern. Also, very underwhelmed. Take a a look at Lucerne, it's lovely, as I recall (many years ago)
Haven't been to Murren.
But, re Varenna and Como, we are planning on Lago Maggiore, as our research has showed, it might be more "authentic" as its more famous neighbor, Como. And, you could make your way to Nice from Milan.
Have spent about 3 weeks total in the Nice area, it's a wonderful way to end your trip.
Since you have the luxury of month, why not relax and enjoy?

Hi all - thank you so much for all of the input!

- Russ, I hadn't thought about only using the Eurail Pass for the big routes - makes perfect sense, thanks a lot. I think I'll get the 7-day because the difference between 5-day and 7-day is only $64, which will more than cover two more legs. So, we might only use it 6 times but that's ok. Plus we get 25% Schilthorn. And, right, St. Goarshausen for the bob, not St. Goar. Looks very fun, though!
- acraven, I like the idea of seeing smaller towns and cities, so I'll keep Brussels, thanks.
- Mark, we definitely need to do a Germany-only trip. We had one planned in 2020... It's on the list!
- Thanks, geovagriffith & jadam & ChinaLake67, I'm adding Lucerne to the itinerary. It's also easier to get from there to Varenna on Como (& easier from Como to Nice than the other lakes).

- Thanks for the Muerren tips, joefarnacle. I'm thinking Schilthorn and some day hikes. Half board and picnics sound perfect.
This may be a lot of travel, but we'll see a ton!

With 3 nights in Bacharach... What plans do you have beyond the Loreleybob for your time there? Do you plan to cruise the Rhine Gorge? to visit Burg Eltz and/or Marksburg castles? Bacharach itself is enormously "quiet" (except for the noise from passing trains.)

The DB site shows bus 535 heading from the St Goarshausen train station every 30 minutes to the "Loreley, Plateau" stop (where you get off and take the short walk to the Loreleybob.) Your issue is getting to St Goarshausen from the opposite riverbank. So I think this might be accomplished most easily in combination with a river cruise from Bingen to St. Goarshausen (which is the river's most scenic segment)... possibly a round-trip cruise in your case.

• Train, Bacharach > Bingen Rhein Stadt to board the cruise ship; buy tickets at the KD kiosk.
• Cruise to St Goarshausen (St Goarshausen KD)
• Walk 15 min / 233 meters to the St Goarshausen station
• Catch bus 535 up to Loreley, Plateau (€4.10 each), then the same bus back down after the bobbing (same fare.)
• Walk back to St. G. KD.
• Cruise back to Bacharach from St Goarshausen (final KD cruise of the day leaves St Goarshausen at 16:00 every day)

1) The initial train ride to Bingen (€5.80 each, buy RNN ticket at the station or using the DB app just prior to travel) provides a 20% discount off the round trip cruise fare of €31 each with KD; just show your train ticket at the KD dock. That's a savings of €6.20, so KD fully funds your train ride.

2) The 16:00 cruise from St. Goarshausen back to Bacharach will take 1 hr 20 minutes; you step off your return boat at 17:20.

Unless you are planning to make a trip to someplace really distant (Cologne?) from Bacharach, The extra railpass day you plan to buy probably won't be needed in this area if you find a different use for it elsewhere. Roundtrip travel on day passes to places like Burg Eltz, Cochem, Trier, Marksburg Castle, etc. can be accomplished on local day passes (€38/2 persons / day.)

It does occur to me just now that if you DO have an interest in visiting Cologne (cathedral, WW II Documentation Center, Museums, whatever) that your railpass day from Bruges comes in really handy for a stopover there. Continue on to Bacharach later at whatever hour you wish. Cologne's main station has a luggage storage facility.

If you end up going to Lake Maggiore check out this place on Isola Pescatori. You can get to the town (Stresa) fairly easily from Interlaken from there take one of the numerous boats to access.
https://belvedere-isolapescatori.it/

Yes, your instincts are correct. Too much packed into that month and too many long travel days spent on trains and busses. You said you really like slow travel but this itinerary isn't what I would consider "slow". I am suggesting you'd see more if you didn't spend that much time on trains trying to get to a bunch of geographically distant locations.

I really enjoyed the time spent in Brussels. The lively main square, the great beer culture (although Bruges is just as great) the museums and the architecture. It's very different from Bruges but both are great.

Bacharach is a nice central spot but 3 days isn't a lot since you're conservatively burning a half day on each side with trains.

Varenna is gonna be very expensive. Maybe wait for the exchange rate to shift or go in offseason? Allocate those days somewhere else?