Is the Eurail pass worth it?

Have you read this article by Rick Steves? Good starting point. https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/global-pass

Personally, I look to the train system in each county and buy advance purchase discount tickets whenever possible and use passes only in Switzerland. Switzerland is a while separate discussion and the passes that will work for you will depend on your itinerary, how long in each place, and your activities.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading as I help my granddaughter with her long summer trip by rail. There is invaluable information here and it’s clearly defined as to which routes or parts of routes will need reservations and how to book the reservation with their app. It is certainly a learning curve but in theory it looks like it will be easy for her to use on her 7 week trip. She has already started booking reservations when needed and where the time period is open. She’s <26 years old, traveling 2nd class and it seems to make $ sense for her—she did the math when there was a 10% sale last month. It takes some time to analyze if point to point to tickets or a Eurail pass is best for your routing. https://www.eurail.com/en/plan-your-trip/about-reservations

I had also given her seat61.com as “homework” to analyze if a Eurail pass would be beneficial for her routes and time.
https://www.seat61.com/how-to-use-a-eurail-pass.htm

Good advice you've gotten from Laurel and Mona.

Another good link is https://www.eurail.com/en/eurail-passes/find-the-best-pass. You enter all the destinations in order, and it tells you the best pass.

Unfortunately, to find out whether this is a good deal, you then have to price all the individual tickets you might buy and compare the costs.

Good luck!

The big advantage to rail passes is the flexibility it can provide. A rail pass is not a economic way to go because of the advance deep discounts tickets. And even with a rail pass sometimes you will be required to purchase a seat reservation.

I do not think it is wise to use the information on the Eurail website or the Rick Steves website to determine if a rail pass makes sense for you. Why? Because both sites sell the pass and are trying to make money when doing so.

Essentially, a rail pass is a luxury item, used by travelers who are willing to pay a lot more for their travel without needing to plan ahead. Or it is for novice travelers who are highly intimated by train travel. But let's get real - who doesn't plan out their trip day by day anymore and know exactly where they are resting their head? Also, let's get real again - the Eurail pass is a big PITA when it comes to needing to book ahead and making reservations. Real again - booking train travel in Europe is actually quite easy, despite what these two sources of information will try to lead you to believe. I mean Europeans do it all the time - they don't buy these types of passes.

I suggest looking at the unbiased Man in Seat 61 website for more information - https://www.seat61.com/how-to-use-a-eurail-pass.htm#railpass-or-point-to-point-tickets

The only time the Eurail pass makes sense economically is when you have multiple trains in one day. The short answer is, don't bother.

to answer specific questions:

if it covers the smaller trains (like from Naples to Sorrento or from Sorrento to Positano for example

No it does not cover the trains to Sorrento. It is a commuter railroad with very cheap tickets though.

There is no train line on the south side of the Amalfi peninsula. There are only buses or boats and they are not covered. You can't get to Positano by train.

travel through Switzerland

Yes, on the main lines but not on the tourist lines. So for example, from anywhere in Switzerland to Interlaken, yes, but above Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, the mountains of Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn, or the villages up there - no to all.

Reserving seats - fast trains in France and Italy require an additional payment for the mandatory passholder reservations, a new payment for each change of train, and in France they go from expensive to very expensive. No reservations are required in Germany on most trains, or in Austria, but not all trains are covered, none required in Switzerland except on the tourist railways,

Youtuber Travelling with Bruce had a great trip last summer using Eurail. BUT he did several long legs as he went from Scotland to Italy. You aren’t doing any real long distance trains. German trains can be inexpensive, Switzerland has its own set of railpasses. Assuming you will have a fixed itinerary, purchase any of the longer rides in advance for ( sometimes ) good savings.

Thank you all for your ideas. We will be checking out the links you provided.
Happy trails!