Rail Passes: do I have to buy 1st class?

Altho we arent railpass experts bcuz we have never bothered w them (preferring point tix), this is probably true. Many rail passes (such as Eurail Global) sell only 1st class unless the buyer is under 26, when he qualifies for a youth fare. Contact the RS people . They have a note on their site that refers all rail questions to their rail pass department. You neednt buy from them, they will give you the info you require.

There is both a 2nd class and a 1st class German Twin pass--plus the Youth pass. So you and your sister can buy 2nd class Twin passes. See this page: www.ricksteves.com/rail/germany.cfm.

Eurail passes for those 26 and up are only sold for travel in 1st class, but many individual country passes, like German Rail passes, are sold for both first and second class.

Hey Let's see if I can be of any help. Last year we traveled by rail pass (Aural) and the adult rule applied. So we purchased the first class pass witch worked out good cause some times all the second class seats would fill up and you were left to stand.
Even when first class seats were empty. If you want a seat for sure
make a reservation even with your first class pass you can still still reserve in second class. It cost less. about 11 euro per person. We only did this when we were tired and didn't want to be moved. Cause even if you've been in a seat for most of the trip someone can reserve your seat at any station first or second and you'll have to move. it's just the way it works. So if your tired , Reserve. And do the first class you'll have more choices. Always smile. We traveled by train for 3 weeks and cant wait to do it again. I feel like a pro now. Reserve for sure between Venice and Rome

Hey, thanks a bunch for the responses!

Just out of curiosity, who told you that you HAVE to buy a 1st class pass? Was it someone who would sell you the pass, or was it just someone giving free (bad) advice?

It was my cousin who lived in Italy for the past five years.

Like Tony, we got 1st class railpasses when we went this month. We got the German/Czech railpasses. I liked the extra room and NO children were ever in any of our cars. One of the trains we took was packed in 2nd class, and we were the only ones in the 1st class compartment. It was great! BUT, to Raquel's question, you do NOT have to purchase a 1st class ticket just because you're over 26 years old. I just wanted to travel with a little bit more style this time... And take Tony's advice. RESERVE a seat if you can. It's SO infuriating to finally get settled into a seat and get kicked out. Although they're supposed to put the reservation by the seat, they don't always do it. Therefore, we got kicked out of some seats even though there was nothing posted. The people showed us their reservation, so we had to get up. If you reserve, ask if there's a seat with a table. Especially if you like to play cards!

Reservations cost 3,50 Euros no matter 1st or 2nd class. At least on all the trains we took...

Contrary to Amy's post, 1st class in not all "upside". It ALWAYS costs 50% more than first class, even when, as I have usually found to be the case, there are plenty of seats in 2nd class.

Only once in 150 train connections in Germany have I ever been in a coach that was fully occupied in 2nd class. In this case, most of the seats were not reserved, so had I anticipated the packed train, I could have bought a reservation and had a seat. However, after half an hour, we came to the next station, a lot of people got up to get off, and before new ones got on, we found seats.