EuroRail Passes
 

Hey, I am planning a trip to Germany next summer and I have a question about the EuroRail passes. I've done the rail saver and decided that the EuroRail Saver for 15 days is the best. I know, like you all care. But here is my question: I'm not sure I understand how the pass works. I am planning on getting the one that allows travel into other countries (Germany, Austria, etc.), but does this pass allow me to travel as much as I want in 15 days? So, it includes roundtrips? Or if I want to see Salzburg in the morning, then travel to Innsbruck in the afternoon, and then back to Munich at night, that is all covered on the pass? Just wondering, because if it doesn't work that way, I need a new itinerary.

I hope this all makes sense! Thank you for your help!

Rail passes usually offer unlimited trips and mileage within whichever countires are covered.

Yes, you can ride as much as you want on any days that are covered that you want.

If you have a 15-day pass that means you can take as many trips as you can possibly cram into those 15 days.

the more you use passes the more economical they become.

Yes as Intrepid says you can take as many trains as you'd like anywhere in the 17 countries your 15 day pass is valid in - boom from the time you activate it in Europe for 15 days unlimited travel - go in circles like in your example - ride commuter trains, long-distance trains, any train. Travel to your heart's desire for 15 days.

Thanks for your help. And now I have one more question: Are the high-speed trains (ICE) included in that? Or would I need to get a German Rail Pass for that, and simply do PTP tix for outside trips? It seems most of the money on this trip is going to traveling (which sux) but luckily I have places to stay there.

Thanks again for the answers!

Yes ICE trains are included with both German and Eurail passes - reservations are not required and there are no supplements charged to pass holders. Similarly the KD Rhine boats are similarly covered by both. All of your questions and many more are answered in a nifty free guide i've found and used for years, the European Planning & Rail Guide (free from BETS 800-441-9413) - with rail maps for each country - description of trains like ICEs and railpasses, using trains - really a great primer for novice European rail travelers.
What's your rail travel plans - are you sure the 15 day Eurailpass is your best deal? Please give your itinerary and i'd be happy to comment on it and appropriate passes - i've been studying European trains and riding them annually since 1969.

Well, this is a tentative itinerary, simply because in two of the towns we are staying with family friends and who knows where they will want to take us.

Fly into Munich, stay for at least 4 nights. While in Munich I would like to travel to Salzburg and Innsbruck and *possibly* Switzerland depending on how long it will take. As well as a trip to Neuschwanstein.

We leave Munich and head to Leipzig/Halle for 4 or 5 days. Here we are staying with a friend and are definetely going to Berlin. I would like to go to Prague, but I don't know if it is covered. And I don't know where else she will want to take us.

We leave Leipzig and go to Aachen/Hattingen for 4 or 5 days. Here is where will do the most traveling. Between Aachen and Hattingen (friends in both) and to Cologne, Hamburg, Brussels and maybe Luxembourg (if I have the map in my head right). Basically we are doing alot of day trips. The main point of this trip is to go to Munich, Leipzig and Aachen/Hattingen simply to see our friends. But I have been to Germany several times now (just never on my own!), and have been to Hattingen, Cologne, Salzburg, Munich and Innsbruck. But these are the places I love to see, and I want to share them with my friend who has never been there before.

If you can offer me any suggestions, I would appreciate it! Or any cities I should see that I haven't listed. Right now my main focus is figuring out which Railpass we should get.

Thank you for all your help!!!

It seems you should definitely get a German Railpass for the maximum number of days - 10 in a one-month period. The pass will take you to Salzburg as that is considered to be a German train station for the pass purposes. Then you could buy point-point Salzburg-Innsbruck for about $40 2nd class (fine in Austria) and then if want to go to Switzerland also point-point or even better a Swiss Pass if you will be traveling much at all there
German Pass 10 days Twin (2 names on one pass - one can ride without the other but can't take separate trains)
$243 p.p. in 2nd class for 10 day German twin - in 1st class $348 p.p
Pt-Pt Salzburg-Innsbruck $40 (but if you go to Innsbruck from Germany - Garmisch area just a few dollars as you'd use your German pass for most of it
Swiss Pass - 3 day flexi twin $146 p.p 2nd class; 4 straight-day twin pass $153 p.p.
These would cover all your travels and for a total of about $440 give you a total of 13 unlimited travel days (midnight-midnight)
If you went the 3 country EurailSelect pass for Germany, Switz and Austria a 10-day in 2 mo saver flexi would cost $480 p.p. in 1st class but as 10 days is max - the other option would give you 13 days at about $40 less - but if want to go first class then EurailSelect may be best bet. Me i may opt for the first class Eurail option if the ten days was all that i needed. As for passes i recommend BETS as mentioned above as i've bought thru them for years and they will answer all your questions and they also don't charge some of RailEurope's mailing fees (they're a RailEurope agent as practically every pass seller in the US is).
If you weren't going to Switzerland then the German pass is a no-brainer with point-point Salzburg-Innsbruck.
Hope this helps - and oh the Swiss Pass covers some trains in Switzerland that Eurail does not - like in the Interlaken-Jungfrau area - Swiss passes pass in full until Grindelwald, lauterbrunnen and Wengen whereas Eurail gets only 25% off. So that could also be a factor if you're going there. Eurail does cover many Swiss trains in full however.

I was remiss not to consider the 15-straight day Eurail Saverpass - if you can marshall all your major rail travel into a 15-day period that may well be the best - as you had mentioned in your first post - then you travel as much as you like for 15 straight days - in Germany this has benefits in places like Munich, Berlin and large cities as you can ride the extensive S-Bahn systems that act like metros in these cities - they're free with railpasses because they're run by the German rail system. U-Bahns, however, are not valid with the pass as these are run by local municipalities. So if doing Swiss then yes your first mention - 15-day Eurail Saverpass - good in 17 countries - you could even dip into Belgium or Netherlands or Denmark - could be the pass for you. Anyway with your extensive rail travel some kind of pass is warranted.
Any questions at all please post and i'll try to answer.

I am having a hard time trying to figure out which type of pass would be best for everything we want to do. I began to think we were trying to cram too much in, but that is the type of person I am, I don't like to idle my time away, I want to be seeing things. I'm not a big shopper either, so I don't want to waste time doing that. My only questions/problems with the rail passes are these:

1. Can I travel as much as I want in one day with the passes?

2. Will I be able to use the ICE trains or are the passes only valid for the slower ones?

3. Will the bus system be included in the passes as well?

I ask the second question because my friends in Germany will want to ride the ICE, and if I can't use those with the pass, then it is almost pointless to get one.

I still need to call the number you posted earlier, and hopefully any answers I cannot get here, they can give me.

Thanks again for all your help. Who knew that planning a trip could be so difficult?

You can use passes on ICE services in Germany and if you can find a seat that isn't pre-reserved you can sit in it.

A lot of people ride ICEs without reserving in advance.

Yes, you can travel as much as you want on any day with a pass..you can travel ALL day, change any number of times, etc.

No buses generally are not valid with railpasses - the only exceptions being buses that substitute for rail service or buses run by the railway - usually on lines that have had rail service withdrawn - but there are few of these so no most buses don't qualify and in the countries you're going to trains go almost everywhere and very frequently.