eurail V rail europe pass????

If you used point-point ticket prices from RailEurope, you had better go back to the drawing board First, for standard fare prices, RailEurope charges more. But more than that, German Rail has some really good deals for prices less than standard fares that you won't find on RailEurope. For travel within a single German state, there are Länder tickets for unlimited travel on regional trains all day long (after 9 AM workdays) for about €30 for up to five people. For longer trips, the Bahn sells advance purchase Savings Fare tickets from anywhere in Gemany to anywhere else for €29 for the first person, €20 for the next four co-travelers. Austria has similar deals with the Einfach Raus ticket and Sparschiene fares. Although you didn't give us an itinerary, in my experience, a railpass will not pay. In 2004, I bought a railpass and just barely made it pay for the trains I used, but I later realized I could have saved money using different trains. Since then, before every trip I do the analysis, and a rail pass has never been close to paying.

Well, I realize I miss spoke. It is not techinically cheaper. However, I used the Bahn and OEBB. I didn't use saver fares, because (while that would most definitely make it cheaper) I am not confident enough that we will be able to get every place we need to go on time and then we would be in the position of having to buy new tickets. We are going a lot of different places between Germany, Austria and France. Eurail has a special where you get an extra day. So, don't know if I have mapped it wrong, but I have priced it out about 10 times now. The other thing is, with Eurail it is first class (of course, minus the reservations) but on most of the trains we are going on, none is required. It will be close to and over Christmas, so I am a little worried about that piece of it. But, it looks like Eurail is very slightly more money, not counting the extra day, but a whole lot simpler plus first class. BUt I am open to suggestions.

Using a railpass for all your trips really can make things much simpler, Tina, and perhaps it's the best choice for you, but if you're serious when you say "I am open to suggestions", you will have to provide some details about your trip and your pass choice thus far, or you are probably not going to get any suggestions that would be helpful. Are you considering a 3-country flexipass, or what? If so, how many travel days? What exactly are your destinations in these countries? No one can help you get to "a lot of different places" more cheaply or efficiently without knowing what they are. How many days do you have? How many are traveling, and when? It might be that a minimal German railpass for your long-distance travel legs + the Einfach Raus option + other regional daypasses would work well for you, but without the details no one can say. It's clear that you don't want to be pinned down to a bunch of specific trains throughout your trip. But would you be able to pin down one or two train trips to take advantage of discount fares? You have to be punctual to fly, but it's much easier as a rule to get to a train platform on time than it is to a flight gate. There are several posters here that know the ins and outs of getting around - stuff like how to get from Heidelberg to Hamburg for 9 Euros, and how to travel through the Black Forest for free, so lay out the details and you'll surely get some good advice.

Tina, That's the Pass I use... the 3 country Eurail Pass with Germany, Austria, and France, the eleven day one since there is a bonus day. It is the Pass with maximum flexibility if you plan on doing a lot of long distance, ie., in excess of 4-5 hour rides, day, zipping around, getting to train station by 0800, if need be. No problem there for me. Reservations on the TGV 2nd class within France is ca. 3 Euro., say from Paris-Strasbourg, between Frankfurt and Paris is 10 Euro on a TGV or ICE, 2nd class. I would totally avoid riding the Thalys, their reservations cost more than TGV or ICE. Crossing between France and Ger requires reservations, day or night. There are ways of getting from France to Ger or vice versa without going through Belgium and having to buy a ticket just to cover that portion since Belgium is not among your 3 selected countries. If you plan on taking night trains, say Paris-Munich, or some comparable distance and want to get a sleeper/couchette, that is an extra expense NOT covered by the Pass. I take the night train and do without the couchette/sleeper, you just pay for the compartment or general seating train...9-15 Euro, 2nd class