Stumped on what train pass to buy.

First, not sure if raileurope is the best comparision, and yes, many options will require a fee on top of a pass.

The 4 country pass you mention is about $577 USD for the minimum 5 days, you mention four days of travel (minus the express train). A couple are probably cheap, but the ones from Brussel and back are much more. You are probably in a situation where a pass may not save a great deal, but may still be OK.

On a pass, you can get from Brussels to Koln on slow trains, then Koln to Munich by Ice with no extra fees Ricks maps indicate that it would cost at least a couple hundred. The same from Switzerland back to Brussels, so right there the pass may pay.

You could always swap a night someplace on the way back, head from Basel up through France (Colmar, Luxembourg) and hit four countries anyway, but the scenery might be interesting as well.

Try Dbahn for prices, and the Rick Steves travel center could help as well, or just the Rail Pass tab on this site.

I usually fly into the farthest destination city and fly home (open jaw) from another major city that has direct flights home.

Is there no way that you can mix in European budget airline flights to minimize your train trips?

Most people traveling in Europe are buying point to point tickets, many of which are discounted by purchasing 60 days ahead. We're not seeing many Eurail passes due to the cost.

We have traveled extensively through the length of Germany, Bavaria, Austria and Northern Italy. I have found the Austrian Alps to be essentially the same mountain vistas as Switzerland, and traveling through Tirol and the Dolomites is much easier to navigate and cheaper to visit than Switzerland.

I recently spent 2 1/2 hour and 3 1/2 hour legs on European train, and that was long enough for me.

I'd like to help but I'm pretty confused.

First off - please stop using RailEurope. They are a reseller who only give limited (often with inconclusive reliability) and mark up tickets a lot so that they make big profits. We can help you find real prices and deals. Start using national rail sites like DB, SBB, atc.

It looks like you are saying that you are arriving by (you say Brussels Eurostar) Eurostar from London, and immediately leaving for Munich? If that is the case why don't you just fly from London to Munich?

But you also say that you will be traveling from "Benelex". Do you mean Benelux? If so, there isn't a country by that name but passes can be issued for BeNeLux which is a contraction of Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg and a pass for BeNeLux is valid in all. But is that what you are doing? Are you visiting the Netherlands and other parts of Belgium and maybe Luxembourg? Or are you just continuing southeast to Munich without spending time in BeNeLux?

The most direct rail route to Munich from Brussels involves Brussels to Köln (also seen as Koeln or Cologne) which is served by slow combinations which take over 4 hours and then service by 2 competing high speed trains. Thalys offers fast, reasonably frequent service which only takes 1:47 but if you use a railpass with Thalys you have problems. All seats are reserved - included in normal and advance low price tickets - but very expensive for passholders. In many cases it is cheaper to pay Thalys an advance fare than pay the excess seat reservation charge. I don't remember the price exactly but I may remember something like €37 per leg per person for that fee.

There are also several Deutsche Bahn ICE (Inter City Express) services on the same route which alternate with the Thalys and only take 3 minutes longer. They don't require reservations and can be bought cheaply (€34 for travel today) or even less in advance.

The full journey to Munich is around 7 hours or more.

Then Munich (are you doing any train trips while in Munich - during your 5 days there - like the "castles" near Fuessen?

Is the Vienna - Rome bit off, the one in your question from last Autumn?

Then Munich - Zermatt.

Zermatt - Bern (Is there something in particular you are going to Bern for? - I can think of a couple of places which attract me much more. I just use Bern to change trains, mostly, now.)

Bern - Brussels

What are you doing when you get back to Brussels - flying home or back through the Eurostar to London?

If you can fill in some gaps we can really help.

Marian,

what exactly do you mean by
One thing I am surprised by and kinda throws me is that even with a pass you still seen to have to pay? I'm not talking about the reservations charge.

Is it that there are trains on which the pass is not valid, or do you mean something else?

Don't know when your travel dates are, but I think you will be best served with point-point advance purchase, nonrefundable tickets. For the Swiss section, get the 30 day Half Fare Card for 120 chf.
You can get and Savings Fare from Munich to St Moritz for 38 euro per person. That price beats a combination of Savings Fare to St Margrethen and continuation to St Moritz with half fare. Use the Half fare Card for the Glacier Express (Summer time recommend 1st class), mountain railways in Zermatt, train to Bern. From Bern, you can get a TGV Lyria nonflex for 47 euro to Brussels. This does require a transfer from Gare de Lyon to Gare du Nord in Paris.

With a railpass, there is no fee to pay except a seat or sleeper reservation, and except that the Glacier Express segments Disentis-Brig-Zermatt and Zermatt-Visp are only discounted with Eurail multi-country passes, so you're buying a discounted ticket for that route. The Swiss Pass covers it more completely (still a seat reservation fee)

Before looking at reservations through Rail Europe, first look at schedules through DB, to know which legs require reservations and where the connection points are. Rail Europe's shopping cart often can't handle booking more than one connection at a time.

I would give preference to the Swiss Pass, probably for 4 flexi days at $330 per person in 2nd class or 8 consecutive days at $411. Then, consider whether it's cheaper and easier to add a German Twin pass at $227 per person, or to get advance-discount tickets for the German legs; the lowest prices go on sale about 3 months ahead, through the DB link.

Thanks for the responses. I will quit looking at Rail Europe. We are going from and returning to London. I don't need any help there. When I checked the airlines, it wasn't much cheaper after all the add ons, such as transport to and checked luggage. We like riding trains and realize how long it will take. Going to Bern for the Paul Klee Museum. This was my first post ever, so I don't know what post Nigel is talking about. I should have said our trip will be in September. I'm leaning toward a Swiss Pass and point to point for the other parts. Also, Nigel everything I entered on Rail Europe, with or with out a rail pass, it still cost more money. Maybe it was because I was using RailEurope? Or, like you suggested certain parts of the jouney just weren't covered. I will check out the fares on DB. Thanks again, for all your help.

Okay, just checked the flights. Will fly to Munich.

Sorry Nigel, I totally forgot I had posted last October. We have cut out Italy.

Yes, things look more expensive then they really are on RailEurope as their fares are highly inflated. Use the websites of rail carriers of the countries where you will travel.