Rail Europe pass vs individual tickets

IMH, of course we have done this. In fact, this is the primary method of buying train tickets recommended on this website. Yes, it does take more work and you need to work directly with the train systems in each country. I have a nephew is Europe right now and he's traveling to six different countries. He was ready to spend $1,500 on a Eurail pass. I saved him $800 by showing him how to buy in advance on the different train websites. Also, the Eurail pass would have cost you more than you think. In Switzerland, your pass is only good for 25% of the fare in certain areas of the Berner Oberland and in Italy, there is a 10Euro supplemental fee to ride the high-speed trains.

I only buy tickets in advance for long haul high speed trains (especially if I want to sit with someone) and/or when I really want to be in say Rome on a specific date. Otherwise we just buy our tickets at the train station for short trips. If you're traveling short distances go 2nd class and save. Also, some Swiss train routes (scenic routes) require reservations. You can determine this by looking at the train schedule on the sites you mentioned for the dates and times you are interested in. If the day you need to travel from X to Y has limited service (as determined by looking at the schedule) then by all means buy your ticket in advance.

http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm#Should you buy a railpass or pay-as-you-go

Please read Neil's link immediately. Buying train tickets in advance, directly from the website of the train operator, is not only what savvy travelers do these days - it's what the locals do. If you can accept the restrictions on exchanges and refunds, you can save a bundle. If you don't want these restrictions, you can still buy tickets upon arrival. For some routes, it will not be more expensive than advance purchase, but for others, it will (sometimes by a lot). To find out which are which, quickly, just compare the price of tickets for tomorrow with tickets for your travel dates. For Switzerland, some kind of Swiss-only pass or half fare card often saves money, because it gives discounts on the high mountain lifts. Swiss passes also give free admission to many museums and to local transit. Also, be aware that the default price shown on www.sbb.ch is with a half-fare card (apparently, every Swiss person has one, since it pays off very quickly). So, be sure to figure that in your calculations. To see how someone else is figuring the Switzerland situation, look at this thread: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/106672/swiss-rail-pass.html Yes, it is more work than just buying a rail pass, but as indicated above, rail passes not only cost a lot more, but don't work as easily as they used to. Since you have to buy a separate reservation for all high speed trains in Italy, that negates some of the spontaneity (you can buy a reservation at the last minute, but you can't just hop on the train without doing this, or you get a heavy fine). When you buy an individual ticket for an all-reserved Italian train (whether in advance or on the day), the reservation is included.