Train -Paris-Frankfurt-Prague-Hamburg-Amsterdam-Paris

I'll comment only on the leg for which I know the answer. It would not cover Amsterdam to Paris, as there is no direct DB service between these two cities. You have a few options on taking various combinations of intercity trains, but the fastest would be on the Thalys line. Even though Thalys is partially owned by DB, discounts and passes sold through DB never apply to Thalys.

I've never done this pass, and Lee will probably chime in with the definitive answer, but I can see the code words on the page you quote. As far as I can see, the pass is good only within Germany, and to border stations. That's why Basel and Salzburg are mentioned. That means that even if the train says DB on the outside when it is outside Germany the pass will not be valid. So: Paris-Frankfurt -=- no Frankfurt - Prague -=- no Prague - Hamburg -=- no Hamburg - Amsterdam -=- no Amsterdam - Paris -=- no Have you tried speaking to DB directly? They quote: Telephone: +44 8718 80 80 66 (calls cost 8p per minute from a BT landline. Calls from other networks may vary and mobiles may cost more) Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 9am - 8pm
Sat-Sun 9am-1pm On the trains which are outside Germany, the pass should cover you on the portion of the journey within Germany.

As Nigel pointed out, the German Rail pass is valid within Germany and to a few border stations (I believe the border station in Basel is Basel Bad Bahnhof, a German Rail station inside the borders of Swiss Basel, a few km from Basel SBB. This looks much more like a case for advance purchase Europa Spezial and Sparpreis fares, which you can find on the German Rail (Bahn) website. Europa-Spezial fares, which start at €39 per person (92 days in adv) and go up as the lowest tier sell out, are for travel in Germany and for one train across the border (ex. Frankfurt-Nürnberg-Prague or Prague-Berlin-Hamburg), and must use, somewhere, an express train of the Bahn (ICE/IC/EC). Amsterdam to Paris could not be included unless you did two Europa-Spezial tickets, for example, Amsterdam to Frankfurt and Frankfurt to Paris. You cannot use only one of that type of ticket for Amsterdam to Paris, even with a stop in Germany. Or, you could buy a Dutch Rail ticket to the first stop in Germany and use a Europa-Spezial ticket from there to Paris, probably via Frankfurt. The best route for you from Frankfurt would be a direct ICE to Nürnberg and the special non-stop Bahn bus to Prague. Starting price for that connection is €29 per person.

Thanks all for the input. I was able to locate this offer. I believe this should satisfy all my needs. http://www.eurail.com/eurail-select-pass-4-countries?currency=eur any drawbacks to this offer?

I can't give you exact numbers, because you didn't say when you were traveling or if you're traveling alone. However, for one person, Paris-Frankfurt, €39 Frankfurt-Prague, €29 Prague-Hamburg, €39 Hamburg-Amsterdam, €29 That's €136 for Paris-Frankfurt-Prague-Hamburg-Amsterdam, €226 less than the 5 adult day rail pass (€362), using Europa-Spezial and SparPreis ticket purchased in advance online from the Bahn. Those tickets are train specific, but if you have a well organized trip, you'll know what trains you want to be on, anyway. So if you can get from Amsterdam back to Paris for less than €226, you're ahead.

Pat, If you book well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at www.thalys.com, you can get a Smoove as low as €35 for Amsterdam-Paris.

That's what I was looking for. I don't try to keep track of low fares in Benelux. So add €35 for Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris. You could do the trip for €171 vs €226 for a railpass plus some passholder supplements.

Hello again! I am having trouble duplicating the same rates on the Bahn website. can someone tell me if there is a cheaper way. Dec 20th leave Paris go to Frankfurt. I got 59.00 as cheapest Dec 22nd leave Frankfurt to Hamburg I got 59.00 again Dec 27th leave Hamburg go to Prague I got 39.00. I appreciate all the help guys.

There is an allotted number of discount fare tickets at each price level. When the cheapest ones are gone, then you must pay the next higher discount fare. When all discount fare tickets are gone, you must pay full fare. For example, for 20 December the €39 tickets are gone for Paris-Frankfurt, but some €59 tickets are still available. Full fare is €106. Book all your rides now. The longer you wait, the higher the fare.

The prices I showed you were for the lowest priced tickets, independent of date, because you hadn't mentioned dates. Those tickets go on sale online 92 days before the travel date. There are over 300 million people in western Europe and most of them know about these fares. The fares on popular routes don't last long. Note: Paris to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Hamburg, and Hamburg to Prague are still €39, €29, and €39 respectively for Feb. 1.

"can someone tell me if there is a cheaper way." How about 23 Euros on an overnight bus for Frankfurt to Hamburg on 12/22? At the following page, Frankfurt/M. Hbf under "Von" to leave from the main station, Hamburg ZOB under "Nach" for your destination. You'll leave after midnight and arrive after 7 am. http://www.touring.de/Buslinien-national.14.0.html

aha.. okay I see. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. Thanks everyone for your help.