I bought a 1st class Eurail pass with the goal of seeing much and being flexible. One of my thoughts was taking many night trains and renting couchettes to sleep in. From reading this site, I've realized that showing up to the train station 5 minutes before its leaving and expecting a couchette is wishful thinking. Should I basically plan on not getting one unless I'm lucky? Again, this is all in the case of me not calling ahead for one. Thanks

You can still reserve in advance..better to try at least one day in advance if not more than waiting until the last minute. Assume you don't want to ride first class since couchettes are 2nd but your pass will work equally well for those.

Not necessarily wishful thinking. It depends on the route and the train. I can't believe every single couchette bed on every train in all of Europe is booked in advance -LOL. If you are in the town, stop by the train station a couple days ahead, when possible, and make a reservation in person.

Thanks Suze. That makes me feel better!

if you have your heart set on it, reserve a day in advance....they can do it up to 6 hours prior was what I was told in vienna...

you can try to buy a last minute one, but it would be a let-down if they didn't have one. Summer trains can be crowded!