I am traveling from Amsterdam to Prague to Vienna to Italy n finally Switzerland. We could not decide if we should get the eurail pass as it cost euro 900 for the 2 of us. As the journey from Amsterdam to Prague will bypass Germany, we are unable to get the 5 ctries pass. So we could only get the 22 ctries eurail pass. Will anybody be able to advise if we should get point to point tics or the eurail pass or should we even get the eurostar bus ticket? We will be in Europe for 16 days.

I went from Brno to Krakow which is about the same distance as Prague to Vienna and it cost $42 second class. Trains in the Czech Republic are cheap. Trains in Italy are fairly cheap.

You need to compare each train journey and add any reservation fees or sleeping berth charges to the rail pass to figure out which way is the least expensive. "Italy" could mean any destination in Italy and the same for Switzerland.

E900 sounds like a lot of money for 2 passes. I think you could do better with point-to-point tickets.

I do think that 3 cities and 2 countries in 16 days is way too much traveling around. You'll have about 2 days to see each destination after you subtract travel time which includes getting to and from train stations, checking into hotels, unpacking, etc. Much of your trip will be trains and train stations.

Amsterdam to Prague is a long train ride, 10-12 hours and requiring connections. You might check for budget airline flights between the two cities. The site whichbudget.com may give you the best flight options.

Your train doesn't BYPASS Germany - it passes through it. If it bypassed Germany, the 5-country pass would work.

You can fly EasyJet AMS to Prague for about $35 if lucky with advance sale tix. Take the train to Vienna; R. Steves estimates $75 on his time/cost map:

http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/timecostmap.htm

Fly Vienna to Rome for about $60 w/ AirBerlin (again, if lucky.) Then for Switzerland, P2P tix can be pricey but you can buy an advance-sale ticket for about 44 Euros from Milan to Stuttgart at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en then just get off in Zürich.

So I'd say there's a good chance of doing all this crazy running around for under $300.

Check cheap flights for your travel legs here:

www.whichbudget.com

>>>but you can buy an advance-sale ticket for about 44 Euros from Milan to Stuttgart at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en then just get off in Zürich.<<<

Or you can just buy the 19€ Smart fare from Milan to Zurich.
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...003f16f90aRCRD

I'd like to second the warnings above about too much travel in too short a time. When you try to cram too many cities into your vacation you waste time in travel, in packing and unpacking, and in getting to know each city during your first few days there. If it were up to me, I'd eliminate Amsterdam, particularly because the weather right now is too wet for my taste (I'm there now, along with me wife). Prague, Vienna, and Italy is more than enough.

Pass on the expensive pass just hop regional trains it will

be far cheaper... always is for me...

If superbudget www.eurolines.com pass makes sense if you cost

it out... more than 80% less than train pass usually..

These days I fly the long legs skyscanner.net

otherwise just hop regional trains like a local save a ton.

Have fun!

Hi Jo,

Go to www.railsaver.com.

Input your itinerary.

Click "if less expensive".

If they tell you not to buy the railpass, you can believe it. They sell railpasses.