Eurail travel vs point to point

I guess my concern is that when I go to the RailEurope website and progress through planning using a rail pass, when I, for example, try to get a TGV leaving CDG to Lyon on January 5, there are no reservations available using a youth pass (second class). I think a ticket can be purchased at "regular rate." But what's the point of purchasing a pass if you can't make a reservation?

Which pass are you thinking of buying for her? France only or a pass that includes one or more other countries? How many days will she be traveling during her three months in France?

I was considering the Global pass flexible? probably 15 day.

If she has a valid student ID, she can probably qualify for much cheaper youth rates once she gets there.

The five-country flexi pass costs a bit less than the Global flexi pass, but the difference isn't all that great. However, both are good for two months and your daughter will be in France for three months. Are you thinking of buying a second pass to cover the third month? If she is going to travel long distances on high-speed trains in order to get to a far away city and back on a quick weekend trip, then she'll have to buy passholder seat reservations. National rail companies limit the number of passholder reservations for each departure date and time. That's especially true of SNCF (French national rail). I expect that there is a higher demand on weekends than on weekdays. If you decide to go with a pass (or passes), have her buy seat reservations at any SNCF station in France as soon as she knows where she will be going on a particular date. For regional trains she can jump on and off at will.

One more question: Where will your daughter be going to school? If her school is located in a city that is served by trains that go directly to any point in Germany before she needs to make a connection, she can book very cheap Europa-Spezial Frankreich discount fares on the German Rail site that will cover her entire route, including the portion in France.

Reservations for rail pass holders, called Passholder Reservations, are often limited in number, particularly for popular times, by some railroads, but not by German Rail. I understand Thalys is a particular problem, and maybe also French Rail.

First, Rail E is not the best site to use since it does not list all of the schedule options. Rail E. is travel agency that re sells tickets. Go directly to the French site - voyages-sncf.com. Second French rail does limit the number of seat reservations sold to pass holders.

Sounds like it may not be necessary or cost effective. I traveled through S. Europe for 3 months in the autumn of 2010 and bought a flexible pass and it wasn't worth it. Plus, with strikes and the such, you never know how travel plans will be interfered with. Gl!

"French rail does limit the number of seat reservations sold to pass holders" I'm not so sure that's true. Someone wrote in here in the last year saying she could not get tickets with a railpass on a TGV train when full fare tickets were still being offered.