Help using the Global rail pass

I can't answer your question "is this ticket even worth the troubles?" but I can tell you that reservations are not required on many trains, and that I haven't found local trains inconvenient at all. Last October I used a railpass in Germany, France and into Spain, pretty much against the advice of several rail experts. I weighed cost versus the flexibility I like. I planned my route to include only one reservation-mandatory train, and it worked out wonderfully. And, I asked for and received a senior discount for that reservation. I love the ease and flexbility of being able to take a train that hasn't been thought about and planned for in advance. I'm definitely not an expert on rail travel in Europe, but I have used railpasses for numerous trips, and I love the convenience factor. :) Be sure to check the Deutsche Bahn website for all the schedules for easy planning.

"We are both seniors, and plan for a 4.5 month stay in Europe starting in London with an end in Paris." Before you plan anything further, and if you haven't familiarized yourself with it already, read about the Schengen Agreement. This limits your time in most of the European Union to 90 days.

Is it possible to return the pass and get a refund? That would be the most sensible option. Local trains are not good for long distance travel as much as Greyhound is not a good option to travel between - say - Salt Lake City and Phoenix. You can't make reservations for 2nd class tickets with a 1st class ticket pass, as far as I know. You should try the exact reservation prices directly on the railway sites, and try to limit trips a bit.

You absolutely can make 2nd class reservations with a 1st class pass. It's the other way around that is prohibited. Not sure what types of trains and reservations you are looking at, but in general, the seat reservations are a minor expense if you already have a pass. The main exception is for overnight trains to book a bed. Are you sure your research is for reservations only and not the full price of the ticket? In some trains, such as the TGV or Thalys, reservations for pass-holders are limited. Other trains do not require reservations or limit them to pass-holders. Make sure you are only making reservations for trains that require them. The Eurail website shows only some trains. Use the Deutschbahn website for a listing of all trains and connections. That also shows which trains require reservations. Also be sure you will be in compliance with Schengen visa rules.

Another voice hoping you are conversant with all the detail of the Schengen Visa program so you don't inadvertently wind up with a big bill or being banned. You mention a global pass and that you are following the Best of Europe Tour. Only some countries and companies have mandatory reservations. In many cases reservations are available but not mandatory. A quick summary of those areas on the 21 day BoE tour, assuming you won't follow it blindly and that you may branch off it: Netherlands - Only Thalys trains which go between Amsterdam and Paris via Belgium require reservations, which as noted above are both expensive and rare. Domestic services all unreserved. International trains optional reservations within Netherlands. Belgium - not on the normal route. Only Thalys (see NL above) and Eurostar, between Brussels and London require. All seats on Eurostar need mandatory reservations, passholders get a discount which is not as good as buying tickets when released. Domestic unreserved and not possible to reserve. Germany - a very few super business ICE trains require reservations, balance of InterCity and ICE optional; regional which are not offered. Austria - RailJet optional, balance optional except regional which are not offered. Italy - only Regionale do not require mandatory passholder reservations. Private trains do not accept passes. All others require, as outlined above. Switzerland - Domestic trains do not offer reservations, International trains offer but do not require them for travel within Switzerland, including TGV. Private trains vary on acceptance. Luxembourg - not on the tour - no reservations France - Thalys and TGV mandatory, sometimes expensive and rare passholder reservations. Night trains everywhere require.

Nigel, a small addition in regard of Netherlands: - Fyra High-Speed trains (Breda-Rotterdam-Schiphol-Amsterdam): a supplement is required, passholder or not-passholder - up to € 3,70 depending on length of travel for 2nd class - ICE for domestic travel (Amsterdam - Utrecht - Arnhem): a supplement of € 2 is required.

Thanks Andre.

And not mentioned is that the pass is not valid for the UK and the Eurostar (Chunnel) train. Though there is a discount for passholders for the Eurostar, it is not much and far better deals can be had by purchasing online in advance.