Eurail 3 Country Pass and Reservations

A reservation is most definitely for a specific seat in a specific car on a specific train. If you miss the train and want to take a different train that requires reservations, you'll have to pay for another reservation.

Are you sure the railpass will pay off for you? You can often save money by buying non-refundable/non-changeable tickets well in advance if you are locking down your itinerary early. (I am not promoting that approach, but it seems to be the one most people use.) Although there is inevitably uncertainty about a train on your day of arrival, you may be sure about the others, in which case there are bargains to be had if your trip is 3 or 4 months in the future.

donna,

A rail pass is not often cost effective for train travel in Italy, as tickets are relatively cheap, especially those for express trains purchased well in advance.

"If I purchase the reservations and miss that train, do I then have to purchase new reservations, or are my reservations transferred to another train?"

Yes, you do have to purchase new reservations if you miss the train you've booked, since all seat reservations on the express trains are specific to train, date and departure time. If you were to board the wrong train, you'd be deemed to be travelling with invalid reservations and would be subject to hefty fines which will be collected on the spot! Your seat reservations will specify your Coach no. (Carrozza) and Seat no.'s (Posti) and that's where you must sit.

"My concern is that we arrive in Rome at 14:00 and I am looking at the 16:50 train, but what if my flight was delayed?"

If your flight is delayed (or whatever) and you miss the express train you've booked, your tickets or reservation are worthless and you'll have to buy another. Many here on the forum don't recommend buying reserved tickets to connect with an inbound flight, just for that reason. The safer solution is to buy tickets after your arrival for the next train going in the direction you want.

An Example, looking for train from Napoli to Terontola, Using a pass, RailEurope says first train is at 2:00. Eurail shows a train at 10:36 using a pass. How do I know which information is reliable?

The most reliable information will be provided by the company that actually operates the trains, in this case Trenitalia, not 3rd party travel agents. So look at http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en to find your actual rail options.

You don't need/want a Eurail Pass. You can buy super cheap point to point tix especially in Italy. You can travel all over Bavaria in Germany for 30 Euros for the ENTIRE day with a Bavarian Pass. More often than not - those silly Eurail Passes just cost you an arm and a leg, require EXTRA money for seat reservations and are a pain in the rear to use. Trust the people here who have traveled extensively in Europe. Be apprehensive of people who DO recommend Eurail Passes and also sell them at the same time.

You need to carefully evaluate the value of a rail pass. Rail passes provide a max convenience (except France) but you pay for that convenience. It is become very complicated. Rail companies are providing deep discounts with restrictions for advance purchases on-line. All trains will require an additional fee for seat reservation on each leg of the trip for pass holders. That can add up. So lay out your potential trip. Price each leg on the national rail site and compare. Only then will you know if a rail pass will be cost effective. Bahn.com is very reliable for listing all train schedules in most countries. However, pricing is only available if the train starts or ends in Germany.

Sites like Rail Europe, Eurail are travel agencies reselling tickets. They do not sell all tickets on all train schedules. And, often, do not offer the discounted tickets. You should use the national rail site for that country for best scheduling and pricing information.

Upon arrival in Italy, you would have to activate the rail pass at the Rome airport train station, anyway, and can buy the seat reservation at the same time. There's no deadline to do so and no artificial limit on the number of rail pass travelers. Assuming that you have a first class pass, it covers the airport express train, if you need a connecting link to Roma Termini.

Daytime trains within Austria and Germany don't require reservations, which is where the convenience factor of a pass can come in. You can always board these trains. Again, assuming that you're 28 or older and have a 1st-class pass, you have access to any car of the train. If you want reservations for a couple of longer distances, then this is one case where they are cheaper to buy there for €4 instead of in the US for $11. Seat assignments just within German are also sold through the link below.

For train schedules, use the DB link at How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online. That shows all trains you're likely to need, regardless of whether they sell the ticket. Most other web sites are shopping carts that only show what they have to sell. If you request a pass holder reservation through Rail Europe for a regional train that doesn't accept reservations, then it throws off the results. We suggest that you find schedules through the above link first, before deciding which segments to reserve. From Napoli to Terentola, you may change trains at either Rome, Chiusi, or Florence, and only the first leg is reservable (and required before boarding).

Before you buy any railpass, read this excellent discussion from rail guru The Man In Seat 61, and make sure you understand all its points thoroughly: http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm#railpass-or-point-to-point-tickets