How early to purchase tickets if not buying Eurail Pass?

For the cheapest trains between Brugge and Amsterdam, there's no discount for advanced purchase. It involves a change at either Brussels or Antwerp. Just buy that ticket the day you travel... unless you wanted to ride the faster, more expensive Thalys train, for which there are advanced discounts.

Do you plan to do Berlin to Schwerin in a single day, or stay overnight? How many of you are traveling together.

You could do round trip for as low as €38 pP with Sparpreis-Tickets (one each direction), but those are advance purchase, limited-quantity, non-refundable, date and train specificy tickets. Additional co-travelers would be €20.

There is also something called the Ostsee-Ticket (in German only). It's for RT travel for 1-9 night's stay and includes travel from any Bahnhof in Berlin to towns on the north coast, including Wismar, which is a short distance from Schwerin, and cost just €61 RT in 1st class, €41 RT in 2nd class, from automats, €4 more at a counter.

On the way to Wismar, the train stops in Schwerin and you could just get off there. Coming back, you might have to go from Schwerin to Wismar (20 min, €7,10 pP) to use the ticket back.

I'll be traveling by myself and I thinking of staying 2 nights in Schwerin. I'm planning on staying at least 2 nights at all the cities I'm going to. Also, I'm 28 years old so I can't get the youth Eurail rates.

Hi,

It's great that you're going to Schwerin, which was formerly Mecklenburg-Schwerin and spending 2 relaxing nights there as a diversion from Berlin. Too bad that due to time constraints you don't have the time for the other famous site there...Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The r/t ticket option is the way to go, don't waste 2 Pass days for going
on this return trip.

So, rather than having an extra two days on a five country select pass at $85, you can do the round trip from Berlin to Schwerin for €41 (maybe plus €7) with an Ostsee-Ticket. You can purchase the Ostsee-Ticket on the day of departure (they never run out, price never changes).

When reading the webpage, Abfahrtsbahnhöfe is "Departure stations" (note: any regional or express stations, Fernbahnhöfe, in Berlin), Zielbahnhöfe is "Destination stations".

As for better prices, the price you would pay at the counter in a station is the full price, which is the same as the full price from the national rail website online. That price would be better than buying tickets from a US based reseller like RailEurope. However, the national rail websites ofter offer discounted ticket (like Sparpreis tickets from German Rail) for online sale that are far less than the full fare counter ticket prices.

Paris-Brugge: If you book today at www.thalys.com, you may still be able to get a discount fare for Paris-Brussels which includes the ABS (any Belgian station) feature. The normal fare for an IC train from Brussels to Brugge is 12.90 EUR, but the ABS add-on to your Thalys ticket costs 4.00 EUR.

Brugge-Amsterdam: The most flexible route is either Brugge-Antwerp-Amsterdam or Brugge-Brussels-Amsterdam, all on IC trains. Your ticket is good on any train. The fare is 45.40 EUR. Your cheapest option would be to take a Eurolines coach (highway bus) directly from Brugge to Amsterdam.

Amsterdam-Berlin: If you book today on the German Rail site, you can get a Europa-Spezial Niederlande Savings fare as low as 39 EUR.

Berlin-Schwerin: Follow Lee's advice.

Berlin-Prague: Book today on the German Rail site to get a Europa-Spezial Tschechien Savings fare as low as 29 EUR.

Prague-Vienna: Book today on the Austrian Rail site to get a SparSchiene fare as low as 19 EUR.

Vienna-Munich: Book a SparSchiene fare today for as low as 19 EUR.

Munich-Paris: Book today on the German Rail site to get a Europa-Spezial Frankreich Savings fare as low as 39 EUR.

One last comment. Since you are starting in Paris, why do you need to go back (Munich-Paris, day 7)? This just adds a day to your railpass. Use "Open Jaw" and fly back from Munich.

I've thought about changing my ticket but I would like to spend a little extra time in Paris. I'm going to be there the first time around with my boyfriend for a little shorter than I would like. I've gone back and forth on this.

Thank you! You all are so helpful and your advice made it easier for me separate things out in my head a little better. I ended up deciding to get point to point tickets since I know the dates I want to travel for several of the tickets. Using your advice I got some good deals including the ABS option with Thayls from Paris to Brussels for 35 Euros and Amsterdam to Berlin for 49 Euros and Munich to Paris for 69 Euros.

One question though. I was unable to purchase tickets online using Austrian Rail from Prague to Vienna. Is there another option for advance sales or I was thinking about buying a ticket when I arrived in Prague. Thank you!

We had a Eurail Pass for our 8 week trip but had to purchase Point-To-Point tickets many times as they were cheaper than a Rail Pass Day.

Upon entering a city we purchased the seat reservation or the P-T-P tickets for our departure.

I had planned our travel days prior to leaving the US...so knew when we would be traveling and to where.

Reread your post. The ONLY place we had a problem was purchasing tickets in Prague. We even had a Czech friend that could speak the language. They sent us from one window & line to another window & line ... 3 times.

Watch you back and valuables in the Czech train stations.

German Rail doesn't sell tickets online for routes that don't either start or end in Germany, but you can buy those tickets at stations in Germany. When you get to Berlin, buy your Prague-Vienna ticket there.