I have read the previous posts about rail pass vs point to point. My itinerary is as follows
Paris to bern
Withpass= 48
without = 189
bern to geneva
withpass= 12
without= 57
geneva to nice
withpass = 28
without = 183
nice to paris
withpass = 13
without = 102
Not sure if my totals are right but I compared the two using rail europe
Rail pass 553 + reservations (101) = 654
Without rail pass = 531
Did I do this right? Should I go with point to point.
"Not sure if my totals are right but I compared the two using rail europe"
Don't use RailEurope to compare the point-to-point prices. Check the price from the websites of the national rail companies.
Some or maybe most of those destinations you mentioned don't require reservations anyway, unless it's the high speed trains. I know it can be difficult to compare prices for point to point vs the Rail Pass.
With the Rail Pass you just walk onto the train and the conductor will stamp your pass for the day, with point to point you have to buy as you go. Convenience vs price. Take away the price for reservations and the price is almost the same.
One more thing: if your older, you often only can get a rail pass for first class; perhaps you're comparing first class Rail Pass with second class point to point.
Are your numbers for 1 or 2 people? They look high. Your rail pass totals are also high. Also, RailEurope has very high P2P ticket prices. Also, you are looking at the reservation prices on Rail Europe. Some trains that you will be on are fully covered with your Eurail pass. If you have a Eurail pass for Switzerland, there is no supplemental fee for the trains going from Bern to Geneva. You will be on TGVs for your other journeys and there will be supplemental fees on that premium train - but not what RailEurope charges. For example, if you just show up with your Eurail pass for the Geneva to Nice run, the supplemental is 3Euro to ride the TGV.
I'm seeing about $360 for all 4 runs P2P 2nd class on the French and Swiss train websites.
