Train passes

Train passes may still be a good idea for seniors or students. I don't know because I don't fit either category so I don't shop those options.

As a regular price traveler, I haven't bought a rail pass in at least 15 years. The cost of a point to point ticket is less than all but the longest leg by train.

ryan,

Whether a Rail pass will be cost effective depends to some extent on which countries you'll be travelling in and the circumstances of the trip. The only way to find the answer is to do some number crunching to compare the cost of pre-purchased P-P tickets vs. using a Rail pass and paying reservation supplements where necessary.

Rail passes are generally not cost effective in Italy, as pre-purchased tickets are far cheaper (as low as about €9 for super economy) and tickets for Regionale trains are also very cheap (with those it doesn't matter if they're pre-purchased as the price is always the same).

If travelling in France, one point to note is that there's a quota on reservations for Passholders, so once those are sold out for a particular train, you'd either have to buy a regular ticket or take a different train.

In addition to the excellent Seat 61 website linked above, you may also find it helpful to read http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains

In general, rail passes are usually more expensive overall. With a rail pass, you will usually pay close or at full fare for all rail transportation. IMHO, many travelers will purchase a rail pass for two major reasons. 1) They think that the pass will provide maximum flexibility by allowing them to travel when they want and, 2) They have very little or no experience in working the a different train system in each country and all of their different train websites. Train planning for the inexperienced can really be very challenging - even frightening for some.

Then, when they travel, rail pass holders find out that the pass only covers the slower regional trains in many countries. The nicer and faster trains all require reservations. In some countries, you don't have seat reservations until you buy the reservation or pay the supplemental fee. Oops, there you are in every train station standing in line trying you get your reservation. If travelers make their reservations online in advance, this part of the process can be avoided and made a lot easier. But, there goes the flexibility of traveling when you want as you have just been locked into a specific train. On some trains (Thalys and trains in France), seats for pass holders are limited and you really must purchase the seat reservations in advance to make sure you have a seat.

Then there's the rule on the rail pass site that says that the countries on the pass have to have a common border. That actually is not required but you will pay extra on your train ride to cross a country or even a small portion of a country that is not covered by the pass.

Another disadvantage of having an expensive rail pass is that is holds you back from other travel options, such as the budget airline, when that option can get you somewhere so much faster and, for less money than the long train ride. For example, you are in Prague and you need to get to Amsterdam. Or, you are in Milan and you need to get to Barcelona. (We do see this occasionally on the website). Train rides can take 10-14 hours with train changes along the way. A flight on EasyJet or Vueling for 49Euro can get you there in about 90 minutes non-stop. But, you've paid for the nice global rail pass. You could take a wonderful overnight ferry from Rome (Civitavecchia) to Barcelona or from Harwich, England to Hook of Holland (close to Amsterdam) but these rides, that save the precious daylight hours, are not covered by your pass.

Last, if the traveler is planning well in advance of travel and is willing to purchase non-refundable and non-exchangeable train tickets, he/she can take advantage of savings of 40%-60% on many of the best and fastest trains in Europe. Yes, you do have to lock in on a specific train traveling on a specific day at a specific departure time. This can be very scary to some. For the frequent traveler, this is the bargain we are looking for. You do this without a second thought for your plane tickets. You can do this for your train rides as well. A well-planned trip with discounted tickets and possibly advance-ticketed budget airlines can save 40% or more over the final cost of a global pass (cost of the pass plus the extra reservation fees along the way). I've proven this a few times with family and friends over the years.

Regarding the rail passes, it absolutely depends on where you're going, for how long, how many train days, etc.. Here's a real life example. I planned a trip for this past June/July that would last 5 weeks and take me to 6 countries, all travel by train except for one journey by shuttle/bus. A global pass would have cost me $932, a 4 country select pass would have been $814 (plus the add'l country trains would have added about $100) so either way a pass would be over $900. I purchased most of my train tickets online, with advance purchase discounts plus a couple of tickets purchased in country a couple of days ahead of travel and my total cost for trains was approximately $450 (give or take a couple of $). So, when you take into account add'l costs for reservations with the pass, I saved over $500 just on the train travel. You definitely need to crunch the numbers for your particular itinerary to know if a rail pass is worth the cost.

Are you still talking about Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and France? For any long distance, train tickets are expensive in those countries. Of course, short rides would be described as reasonable. Prices also depend on how early you are ready to lock in travel dates and times. A rail pass can give you lots of hop-on flexibility in Switzerland, Austria, Germany for trains and boats on Swiss Lakes and K-D Line on the Rhine and Mosel (ferries not covered on Lake Como or in your other countries). A pass does not offer much flexibility in France, where you need to reserve well in advance for a pass holder seat reservation on a TGV.

You indeed should do the math, once your itinerary is pretty well defined. See regular, 2nd-class ticket prices summarized on the maps at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains. Due to an improvement in exchange rates, the US prices of rail passes did drop last week. In addition, several versions of the Eurail Select (4-country) and Eurail Global (24-country) passes include extra travel days for free if you complete purchase by 5 p.m. ET on Sept. 29. The pass comes in first class for travelers aged 75, and you will get a discount for two traveling together. See also tips for "fine-tuning" a rail pass.

In the area of St. Moritz, Rick's book describes staying in Pontresina, which is less glitzy.