How to avoid Germany on a Railpass? Or cheap alternative?

Unless you want a long train trip across Germany or around that country, I suggest you look for a flight from Prague to Brussels. I like www.whichbudget.com, but there are other websites that provide similar info. My other suggestion is this: since, as I understand it, train tickets in Belgium and the Netherlands are fairly inexpensive, choose Germany as one of your five countries instead of Benelux. Buy point-point tickets for the Benelux countries. If you want a pass that will cover all six countries (Benelux = one country) you could just buy a Global Pass for the number of days you need. Ten days in two months would cost $884 according to the Railpasses section on this website. And, finally, if you are willing to do some homework, you can save money (maybe a couple hundred dollars or pounds) with a 5-country pass for 6 days in two months, and then pay cash for tickets on the shorter trips. The Railpasses section has a lot of information regarding railpasses. Depending on how you count the train days, you have 8 or 9 travel days on your schedule. If you buy a pass that is good for 6 days, you can buy inexpensive tickets for a couple of the short rides. Marseilles to Avignon is a short ride. One or two of the Swiss train trips would be short. Brussels to Bruges and Bruges to Amsterdam would be inexpensive. I have used railpasses a few times. I usually buy extra days, then don't use them. I like the prepaid convenience of a pass, but they don't always save money. It is usually necessary to buy a reservation for each leg of the train trip.

The long distance through Germany on 12/26 justifies a pass that includes Germany. The long trip to Vienna for such a short brief visit is not really worth it. I suggest you drop Austria from your 5-country pass and add Germany. As with Vienna, your time in Prague is pathetically short. Why not see Salzburg instead of Vienna, which CAN be seen in a day, then head straight to Prague for more time there? Route yourself to Salzburg via Munich. Salzburg is on the border, so I think you don't need an Austria authorization on your pass. (Or you might have to pay a Euro or two for a few minutes' travel time in Austria?) Then go to Prague via Munich.

Thanks! I'm mulling over my options, still. (As for pathetically short stops, I agree. But one can only do so much during a winter break from classes. I'm trying to see as much as possible but that generally means 2-4 nights tops in a place.)

Trains tickets in Belgium and NEtherlands are anything but "inexpensive". Both countries suck in terms of lack of advanced purchase discount (I'm living in the Netherlands atm), and fares, on a per-km based, are very high.