Train travel in Europe

As you appear to have a plan/itinerary/schedules do the maths. comparison, that is all anyone can do. See - 'read this before buying a pass!' - here - http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm#.UO0s32-pBOM

Kate, You'll have to do some "number crunching" to determine whether a Railpass will be more cost effective than P-P tickets. You might find it helpful to have a look at the Railpasses section on this website (click the tab at the top of this page). There's LOTS of information there and you can also download a free PDF Rail Guide (look in the lower right corner for the link). You may get some ideas on which option or combination will be best for your particular Itinerary by having a look at the RailSaver website. It should provide a good idea on the best option. You could also contact Rick's Rail department and have a chat with them. Happy travels!

Thanks for your suggestions. I was guessing at the point to point ticket prices since its apparently too early to purchase the tickets.

I just tried the rail saver website. It still shows France as a participant in the select pass. That's the only option it gives.

You might check out www.seat61.com. If you buy tickets for each of the countries, they usually go on sale 90 day prior to travel date and the really bargain tickets sell quickly.

Kate, I posted a reply on your other post on this subject, under transportation, with some suggestions. As of now, I WAS able to find some point to point fares for trips including at least one point in Germany on the www.bahn.de page. Might be some help in your number crunching...

I use the bahn.de website with closer months to get an idea of what the price and times may be. Also, in some areas you can have your entire family on the same ticket. For me, I can't imagine a Euro Pass being cheaper since you have to pay for each person, but I have never used one. I find the trains in Europe (Germany especially) to be very affordable.

I have been to Europe several times and have taken the trains in Hungary, France, Italy, Germany, and Northern Croatia and never felt the need for a Eurail Pass. I buy my tickets point-to-point. I usually have purchased them here in the US before traveling to Europe, but may not do that from now on. I found that buying the tickets in Europe was less expensive and relatively simple to do. Only once did I have an issue with an Italian ticket Agent in Monterosso al Mare. I was trying to change a prepurchased ticket from Monterosso to Rome and he gave me nothing but flack (in Italian). The owner of the Hotel where I was staying (Villa Steno - Marco Pasini) hit the roof when I told him I couldn't get it changed, so he personally drove me back to the station and intervened for me. I saw a great example of Italians screaming at one another and "talking" with their hands. Long story short, I got the tickets changed. I was later told that everyone has issues with this one individual.

I have decided to buy a pass for Germany and Switzerland and buy point to point tickets in France. This will be the first time I've made extensive use of trains in Europe and its been a bit daunting. The main reason I opted for passes is that we have so many connections to make, and I have so little confidence in my ability to get where I need to be without getting lost, that I will have more flexibility. Thanks to all of your replies, I've come up with a Great itinerary.

Gregory, whether it's cheaper to buy tickets in the US before your trip or in Europe depends wildly on where you're traveling, but generally in Western Europe for high speed trains, there are significant discounts for buying the tickets in advance (up to 90 days, usually). The only time it would be more expensive to buy in advance in the US is if you're going through a travel agent adding fees or using RailEurope which is a total ripoff.

Without knowing exactly where you're going in Germany (especially!) and Switzerland, it's hard to know what advice to give you...but point-to-point is probably best/cheapest/easiest. With a RailPass, you'll may still need to make reservations once you're there for each train.

Kate, don't be afraid to buy point to point tickets. We considered the pass for myself and my to college aged kids, and after lots of research decided against it. Point to point is absolutely a breeze. All you have to do is find a ticket machine at the station, (they have English options) and pick where you want to go to and put your credit card in. We bought point to point all over Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Most larger stations have ticket agents for the train company to help as well. Just a though. If we can do it, anyone can.