"... a bit fast paced." Except for those nearly 40 hours sitting on trains.

Sorry, but I don't get the appeal of this itinerary unless you're really into trains.

It's a darn good thing she didn't ask if it appealed to you, then, isn't it Jean?

Am I correct in reading that you only want help with the Switzerland portion of the trip? If this is true then why add all the other locations to your post? Why not just give the Switzerland portion and tag the thread for Switzerland? That way you won't get opinions on the rest of your trip and people will focus on Switzerland help.

yes but I put in the other info mainly to see if perhaps it might be better to go Salzburg to Switzerland, or Munich or Fussen... and i need to get from one country to Switzerland, not just inside Switzerland however I can see where your suggestion would be beneficial.

I see your point. Sorry I can't help with the Switzerland portion; just wanted to clarify for other, more Switzerland knowledgeable posters and to see if you wanted advice on the first part of your trip.

You've had lots of information on train schedules, etc. but I don't see any practical information. I'm guessing this is your first trip to Europe (as indicated by the overly ambitious schedule). Bring food and drinks (water on trains is not potable) on board the trains, especially for your child. Lots of people eat on the trains, bring brown bag lunches. You can pick up sandwiches, snacks, drinks in the main stations; the prices are reasonable and there is variety.

Have fun!

Thanks Adrienne, we plan on lots of fun. I realize it is ambitous but we also decided that we are going to pick a few things in each city in which to do and realize that if we fall in love with a particular area, then one day we hope to get back and explore it more. I am doing fine with lodging, finding things close to rail stations, looking for breakfasts with the lodging, things to do. THe biggest issue I have had is rail. Some people really advise against the global rail pass which I agree is quite pricey and who doesnt want to save money. I just don't want to be stuck in major cities like Berlin etc without a way to get around. I know that I can buy individual tickets which is fine but trying to doa bit of cost comparison. Also what about buses, subways etc. I think I may need to seek the advice of a travel agent for this portion...

So the train stations offer pretty decent food for the trip? I was planning on packing a softsided cooler for such but figured I would look for little markets etc but if they are in train stations, that would be ideal!

I sit on trains four hours too and love every minute of it - the real Europe between cement cities slips by - for some even a few hours on a train is a drudge and that is fine but do not criticize me or those who travel like this - some of us love it more than traipsing thru a seemingly infinite number of boring museums and churches.

Anyway if doing that much international train travel be sure to investigate some kind of railpass as in all of those countries a pass still allows you to hop virtually any train anytime - fully flexible tickets like that cost a fortune and if over 25 the pass will be first class - again with immense benefits for anyone sitting on 'train for 40 hours' - lots of empty seats usually IME in first class but not nearly as likely in 2nd class. Seats are bigger - easier to get window seats, etc.
Anyway consider a Eurail Select Ppass valid in Benelux - Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg as one country unit for pass purposes and Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Switzerland - a Saver Pass if you want to put two names on one pass.
And to learn more than you may want to know about European trains and passes check out these inf0-laden sites - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com.

I can't speak for every train station but the German stations have good sandwiches & pastries. When you arrive at the station check out the food kiosks in the central hall and you'll know what to do when you leave the city.

<< I just don't want to be stuck in major cities like Berlin etc without a way to get around. >>

Were you planning to use a rail pass within cities? I don't think that is allowed since the rail passes are for national railways, not local buses, trams, subway, etc.

This statement does confuse me since you could hardly be stuck in city w/o transportation. Even if there is a strike there are always taxis which your hotels can call for you. And most city exploration is best done by foot.

A travel agent is not going to help you with local transportation. And of course a TA will advise buying a rail pass if they can make money on it.

Since you know your dates of travel there is no spontaneity involved when moving from city to city. You can go to the national train web sites and put in any date and see schedules and pricing. Compare costs and if you decide that point-to-point tickets are less expensive then book as soon as you can (usually 90 days out). If a rail pass is better for you then book seat reservations (where applicable) when you buy the pass.

I would advise seat reservations, especially with a young child. You don't want to be looking through train cars for 3 seats together dragging your luggage. Get the seat res., check the outside of the train cars for class, car number and seat range and get in the appropriate car.

http://www.oebb.at/en/index.jsp
http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml
http://www.munich-touristinfo.de/Bavaria-Ticket.htm
http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

I'm not knowledgeable about trains in Switzerland, but have some suggestions on eating on the trains.

We generally make shorter train journeys, but find eating on trains can be fun. If you can, stop at local markets BEFORE you get to the station, to be able to stock up on local items. Weekly outdoor markets, cheese shops, bakeries for loaves of bread, etc. Drinking beer or wine is perfectly acceptable (and enjoyable!).

Lodging close to train stations isn't always the best way to go. If most of the activities you plan to do are elsewhere in the city, then find a hotel in that area, and take a cab between hotel and train station.

Enjoy your trip.

I agree, a TA will likely be worse than useless for advice about travel within cities. They aren't necesarily travelling experts - they are experts at booking travel, which is a very different thing.

Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, and Munich are all large cities with excellent public transportation. You can pretty much get anywhere you need to go. Get a day pass for the network and a system map and you are good to go - and any good city map will have the major public transportation shown as well. Amsterdam and Prague esspecially are also very walkable - you can get all kinds of places on foot.

here`s ONE train expert.

http://www.seat61.com/

SO if I purchase a Select Pass for like four countries, I should just count the days of the long journeys from region to region and not the number of days total is what I should do. Meaning maybe a 10 day four country pass for the longer journeys. then a local transport pass or cab it in the big cities like Berlin, Salzburg, Munich etc...

I am so looking forward to exploring food in markets and sipping a wine or a beer watching the countryside pass by sounds quite fun. I plan on taking lots of busy stuff for the boy for the train journeys. He is very very social so I am thinking that we all need to work on some German language!

You will have to do your own cost analysis to figure out whether a pass makes sense for you, and if so, which one. Some leg work, but advanced work will save you some money. If you don't have the time or inclination for that though, then get a pass right off and then you are done and don't have to worry about it.

Since your itinerary is pretty much set, you can prepurchase some of your train tickets and save a bunch. Amsterdam to Berlin, you can get a direct train for 44 euro. Standard fare is 115 euro.

For trips involving Germany (arrival and/or departure) www.dbahn.de is the site you want.

Add up the train fares and compare it to the cost of a pass and then decide.

I am not advising buying a Eurail pass (in fact, I think you will be spending money needlessly) but you do NOT need a 10 day pass. If you buy a pass, you need a 3 day pass covering:

Amsterdam to Berlin
Berlin to Prague
Prague to Salzburg

Have you looked at any of the web sites I gave you? I believe the Bayern pass is good from Salzburg to Munich and good that day in Munich.

Switzerland has its own rail pass.

Why do you think you need a 10 day pass from Eurail? You're not taking 10 train trips.

, I think you will be spending money needlessly) but you do NOT need a 10 day pass. If you buy a pass, you need a 3 day pass covering

there is no 3-day pass covering those places but the minimumis a 5-day/2 mo flexipass - Eurail Select Pass and that would cover also most of OP's travel in Switzerland - that is a 10-day pass as I would recommend for the trips outlined - in fact to me a no-brainer and keep in mind when comparing prices the pass is first class and the cheapest online discounts are 2nd class and again take a lot of time to book as if you do not book when the come on the system that bargain rate may quickly disappear and again they are not changeable nor refundable - no flexibility - do not judge a pass by price but the fact in all those countries voila you just show up and hop on any train anytime, with very few exceptions you will not encounter.

Why do you think you need a 10 day pass from Eurail? You're not taking 10 train trips.> We do not know that - could be using day trips from bases and also there is only a 5- and 10-day pass to chose from so if need 8 trips or so the 10 day pass may be warranted - and then instead of buying the day Bavarian Pass to go to Salzburg, which is restricted to local trains and takes much longer and those trains just are commuter type trains that are not very comfy IME.

No for the trip outlined it is IMO a no-brainer for a 10-day Eurail Select Saverpass valid in 5 countries - discounted tickets are not available on all those legs and if they were would take many hours to book, etc.

This is what I have planned for the weekend. Rail planning, cleaning out my closet, laundry and a seafood festival. Priority, rail planning.... I will look at it all, websites etc. Thank you everyone for opinions, insight, suggestions etc. This is our first time to Western Europe, I have been to both Ireland and Scotland but rented a car both places. Rail travel sounds way more inviting!

Another option for a railpass would be to investigate the Benelux-German railpass, which is much cheaper per day of travel than a regular Eurail Select Pass (and it also comes in a cheaper 2nd class version) and to pair this with a Swiss Pass, which would be more beneficial to your in Switzerland than a Eurail Pass - covering in full travel to and from Zermatt from Brig/Visp and providing 50% off gondolas in the Zermatt area and the conveyances up to the Matterhorn area, etc.

A 4-consecutive-day Swiss Pass would cover your whole time and is again much cheaper than a Eurailpass per day - you are taking a lot of trains so IMO some kind of railpass is viable and perhaps those two passes would be a better deal per day of travel and in the Swiss case cover much more than a Eurailpass. For lots of great info on Swiss trains and passes check out - www.swisstravelsystem.com; http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html and www.ricksteves.com. Not sure when you are actually traveling but there is currently a sale on 4-day Swiss Passes where you get an extra fifth day free but travel is restricted to off-peak season in this spring.

The Germany-Benelux pass would not cover Prague or Salzburg though correct?

Actually Salzburg but not Prague.

No it would not cover Prague but you can go from the German border to Prague very cheaply - like on the buses from Nuremburg or Munich to Prague - all in all may well be cheaper than a regular Eurailpass even if pay for Czech portion.

And there is also a Germany-Czech Railpass that may work too and then you'd just pay for Amsterdam to the German border on a train - may be a better option and the Germany-Czech pass may be cheaper than the Benelux-Germany Pass.

I just read something about German railpasses not being able to be extended into some neighboring countries, like the Czech Republic - so since you are traveling mainly in Germany and only from Amsterdam to the German border perhaps investigate the Germany Railpass - cheaper per day than all the others - a 4-day pass (flexi in a one-month period) may only cost 30 euros a day - equal about the the cheapest online discounted tickets and a pass lets you hop any train anytime. I am not sure of the details but read that new in 2013 was that a German Railpass could be made to extend into neighboring countries - to talk to someone who would know this I always advise calling Byron at www.budgeteuropetravel.com - I have bought passes from his agency for years and he will know all about this new development, which if so may be your ticket to ride - the cheapest option along with a Swiss Pass.

I was thinking along the same lines actually PalenQ and thand you, I will get in touch with Byron!

fraoch - please let me know about the extension possibilities of the German Railpass if you find out.