To Eurail pass or not to pass... that is the question.

It would be cheap to connect for Prague in Germany. Stuttgart or Munich to Prague can be done by advance-sale ticket for as little as 29 Euros.
Check prices available for your travel date. http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

It would help if we knew how many days you have for this travel. It sounds like a lot for two weeks, but maybe not if you have longer. I, too, like railpasses. If you buy a Global Pass, it would probably be more economical to take trains everywhere rather than flying to some places. In winter time travel can be difficult due to weather. Trains may be more reliable than planes IMHO.

How long will you have been living in the UK? If you have been living in the UK for longer than 6 month (as shown on your passport) when you try to validate a Eurail pass, you can't. If you don't qualify for a Eurail pass, you probably qualify for an Interrail pass (http://www.interrailnet.com), which can be a one country pass or 30 countries (but not the one in which you reside). You could go from anywhere in Bavaria (like Lindau if coming from Switzerland) to Pilsen by regional trains with a Bayern-Böhmen ticket for €24 (single person). Pilsen is about €6 (in Kc) with a Czech Rail ticket.

The Golden Pass scenic route is composed of different actual trains during the trip as it changes gauges. There is a very scenic narrow gauge rack railway bit between Luzern and Interlaken over the Brunig Pass through Meiringen, where the train changes front for back at a dead end station - where Meringue was invented and Sherlock Holmes had a "falling out" with Moriarity at the waterfall just out of the town - then past the very scenic Brienzersee on the way into Interlaken. Then change trains to standard gauge from Interlaken to Zweisimmen, past Thunersee and Speiz. In Zweisimmen its back onto the narrow gauge for the run down the cliff to Montreux. You can do any or all of this trip, although if you do it all at once it will take you most of the day. What I do, and I suggest to you, to save money and travel with the locals is use the normal trains. There are more local trains than special tourist trains stopping at the same places and going the same speed, cheaper. My favourite bit of all those parts, by far, is the Luzern - Interlaken segment.

You're all so helpful ... To answer the questions that have been posed: I've been in the UK since September so, no, can't do Interail but yes on Eurail (assuming I place the order with enough time to have it shipped from the States). I depart Dec. 10 and could potentially travel through Jan. 8, but expect I'll return sometime the first week of January. I like to linger at places and connect with locals, not the sort to zip in and out on a daily basis. I hadn't thought about planes being iffy in the winter ... that's a good point. However, those super-cheap fares are enticing. I'm prone to motion-sickness on buses, so I try to avoid those at all costs. Trains are usually OK, unless they're particularly jerky. I was considering the Golden Pass for the scenery as much as transportation, so maybe I'll just take the first stretch. I know Rick Steves recommends staying in Gimmelwald, but I imagine that could be a challenge without heavy ski wear, which I don't have in the UK and wouldn't want to pack anyway. Am I right in this regard? Thanks, Kristin

Are you sure you don't qualify a NUS? Have you checked with your student union on campus? If you're a student, I don't think your age matters. The website is: www.nus.org.uk The website is NUS Extra. My daughter used this.

I am a NUS and ISIC member. That gets me a discount on UK trains only (with my purchase of a student pass). Eurail discounts are only for actual youth -- there is no discount for "mature" students, unfortunately, according to all the Web sites. Ages 26 and older are only eligible for the First Class pass.