German rail pass

"train to Munich (€49ea.)" Full fare from Frankfurt to Munich is €95 by ICE, €76 by IC, per person. That €49 fare is for train specific, non-refundable Sparpreis tickets (actually, they start at €49 for 2 people). You have to be pretty fast to get the best Sparpreis tickets. The prices are tiered and the least expensive ones sell out quickly, particularly on popular routes. Those tickets go on sale 92 days in advance. Unless you book a train late enough after arrival to account for any flight delay, you could lose your tickets and have to buy new ones at full price. Something you might consider is going directly to Strasbourg. Then, when you are already in Europe and know you can make a specific train, use the Europa-Spezial Frankreich fare, starting at €39/p to go from Strasbourg to Munich. Once in Munich you can use Bayern tickets (€29/day for up to 5 people) to get around Bavaria and then advance purchase tickets back to FRA, €49 for both of you.

No, it won't. You can buy a ticket in Munich to cover your ride from the German border to Strasbourg. It's a 12-minute ride from Kehl to Strasbourg and the fare is €3.90.

According to http://www.germanrailpasses.com/ the only destinations outside Germany included are the Basel, Switzerland Baseler Bad Bahnhof and Salzburg, Austria. All other location require a supplement to be paid for the bit between the border and the destination. Its not clear that you have to get off once your supplement is paid - I doubt it.

Nigel, you bring up an interesting point. The €3,90 fare Tim mentions from Kehl to Strasbourg is only valid on regional trains (including the OSB from Offenburg). There are many multi-train connections from Munich to Strasbourg, and a lot of them end with a regional train from Offenburg to Strasbourg, which stops in Kehl. The €3,90 ticket from Kehl to Strasbourg would work for those trains, and you wouldn't even have to get off in Kehl. I also see one direct IC per day from Munich (16:48) to Strasbourg (21:01). It stops in Kehl. There might be other ICs into Strasbourg on the Offenburg route. The fare by IC from Kehl to Strasbourg is €6,40, so if you are buying the ticket in Munich, make sure you get it for the right train. Otherwise, you might have to get off the IC in Kehl and wait for the right train for your ticket. There is only one (or occasionally two) regional trains an hour from there to Strasbourg Gare. Lastly, if you are taking a TGV from Stuttgart or Munich, the last stop for them before Strasbourg is Karlsruhe. I have never tried to buy an "Anschluß ticket" from the border or from the last station in Germany to a station outside of Germany. I don't know if it can be done, particularly for a station at which the train doesn't stop. By the way, a ticket from Karlsruhe or beyond to Strasbourg will include a supplement (reservation) for the TGV. Karlsruhe to Strasbourg, including the supplement, is €25. It might be simpler to get off the TGV in Karlsruhe and go the last bit to Kehl via Offenburg using your railpass and then use a regional ticket from Kehl to Strasbourg.

Thanks for the replies, methinks it would be easier to rent a car in Munich and drive to Strasbourg. Our full itinerary is to arrive FRA, train to Munich (€49ea.) celebrate May Day in Bavaria, bike the Bavarian lakes return to Munich and drive to the Alsace for a week or so of touring eventually ending in FRA. Cost for the car hire €300. We think we're seasoned travelers, go to Europe twice a year, bike self guided and alternately a tour, usually a river cruise.