Need a Euro Train Expert

Brett,

With a small number of rail trips, I'm not sure a Railpass will be the most cost effective method. You might have a look at * www.ricksteves.com/rail/comparetickets.htm * (cut & paste the link inside the asterisks). Add the cost of each of your rail trips (including reservation fees if applicable) and compare that to the cost of Railpasses.

You might also have a look at * www.railsaver.com * which will provide some idea which combination of passes and tickets might be best.

With the routes that you've listed, I'd probably just buy second class P-P tickets (which will include the reservation fees if applicable). Be sure to get a reservation on the EuroStar (London to Amsterdam, probably with change in Brussels).

Rather than use a night train from Paris to Venice, you might consider budget airline.

Happy travels!

Thanks very much for the reply! I will definitely be looking at those websites. I am still comparing the night train vs. budget airline to Venice. I think the airline would definitely be cheaper but, my points against it are: It cuts down on time we could spend grabbing a crepe and a few cool pictures in Paris (we won't be there for very long either way though), and there is a greater chance for weather or mechanical related delays with flying.

Brett, I am by no means a train expert but.. my wife and I are 28 and had the same dilemma in February this year. We went Paris, Vevey Switzerland, Venice, Florence, Rome, Pompeii. We ended up deciding to get the pass and I would NOT do it again. We did it more for convenience, thinking we could hop on any train as we had in the past, and it was not because you have to stand in line anyway to get your reservation. I don't know if or what kind of phone you are taking along but I had a guy in Italy explain how nice it was that you could buy tickets and reservations on your smart phone. That would have been so handy. I would recommend buying the tickets that are long runs for overnight trains or early in the morning ahead of time at a discount if possible. Buy the ones that are shorter trips in the middle of the day when you need them. You are on vacation and I don't like to be on a tight time schedule to make it to a train if you want to spend an extra hour at a site you can. Just my opinion. I am sure in the long run we would have saved money buying point to point in lieu of a pass. Lesson learned. Good Luck.

Brett - my guess is that you'd be better off with point to point tickets. The Eurostar (Chunnel) train is a separate ticket and the overnight train will be extra for the couchette anyway. Plus I think the Amsterdam-Paris stretch will require a reservation. You'll have to get a 1st class Eurorail pass versus being able to buy 2nd class tickets direct.