eurrail passes require reservations?
 

I plan on purchasing the raileurope global pass (2nd class) for use on a month long trip through western and central europe. I know that on top of the rail pass, sometimes paid seat reservations are required for certain high-speed and overnight trains. My question is, first: are reservations also typically required (or recommended) for regular trains,? or can we generally show up the day of and be on our way without needing to pay additional for seat reservations?
Also, are there any overnight trains that do not require reservation?

It depends on the country. In Italy, essentially any 'regular' train you'd want to take (ES or ICE) requires a reservation (10 euro I think). This includes basically any train you'd take between big cities (Venice, Milan, Florence, Rome, etc). Regional trains (i.e. Florence to Pisa) don't require reservations. Yes, you can take slower milk wagon regional trains long distance, but it'll take you 2-3X as long.

In Germany, my understanding is that reservations are NOT needed on most long distance trains, and if you want to ensure yourself a seat, you can purchase a seat for just a few euro.

>>>Also, are there any overnight trains that do not require reservation?<<<

Not that I know of. Many trains require reservations and the prices vary. To get sleeping arrangements you will have to pay quite a bit with 6 person couchettes being cheapest. Rick Steves has a list of train that require supplements and approximate prices, but it's not totally up to date.
http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/pdfs/reservations.pdf

He also has several pages explaining how the pass works such as what time you have to leave at night to only use one day off your pass instead of two.
http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/

The Man in Seat Sixty-One also has lots of train info.
http://www.seat61.com/

Depending on where you are traveling, sometimes a railpass is simply not economical. There are dozens of budget airlines in Europe and many times it's much cheaper to fly.
www.whichbudget.com
www.skyscanner.net

So then in budgeting for this trip I should assume the price of the rail pass as well as reservation fees for each train use?

If the train you want to take requires a reservation, then yes, you need to include that in your budget...

In Germany you rarely need reservations even on ICE. In France I think all TGV trains require reservations. In Italy the fast trains require reservations. I have no information on night trains as I always get a sleeper and it is considerably more. I recently booked the night train single cabin from Munich to Amsterdam for 169€, but that is the total-no railpass. There may be seats on some night trains that do not require reservations.

Overnight trains are not covered by eurail passes. It's not htat you need reservations, it's that you need to buy a bunk in some sort of cabin - at significant charge. (Many overnight trains do not have a sitting up option - and even if they do it's asking to have your belonings purloined unless you plan on staying awak al night.

before buying a pass I would price out waht the trip you want will cost with overnight charges - it may not be the most sensible way to go. (Budget flights can often be much cheaper,)

When you travel with a rail pass on an overnight train you pay a supplement of &euro;30 to&euro;50 for a bunk. This is about what you would pay for a bunk in a hostel. There are very few overnight trains which still have sit cars, and for these you do not pay, except in discomfort.

For a good introduction to European trains see http://tinyurl.com/eym5b.

In general I would never make a seat reservation unless it is required. The worst case is that all seats are filled and you stand, until the first stop. Then grab a seat of a departing passenger before the new bunch gets on board.

Hey, I'm working for Belgian railway, specialised in national and international products. I you want to plan your trip and find the easiest or cheapest way to travel by train in Western Europe with or without railpass, I'd be glad to help. [email protected] or skype me at colinschouppe

>>>In Italy the fast trains require reservations.<<<

In Italy all (AV,ES,ESCity,IC), but the slowest trains (R trains) require a seat reservation.