Please help a train virgin!
 

Do I really need a railpass? I've been checking Trenitalia and SNCF and it seems cheaper to just buy tickets as I travel. If I look at Rail Europe, the prices are much more, but everyone says their prices are inflated. The only country (where I'm going) where a pass seems like the better deal is Germany. Am I right?

Yes! Unless you plan on doing a lot of travel in a short period of time - point to point tickets, purchased in Europe, as the way to go.<BR>

Giselle, go to www.railsaver and enter your itinerary and it will recommend the best option for you.

Giselle, if you are a parnoid planning freakazoid like I am, you can also get the tickets ahead of time off the Internet so they are in your hot-little hand before you leave. You may pay a little more but it's worth it to me for peace of mind.

There is always something else to consider other than price, and that is convenience.<BR><BR>The Eurail pass allows you to jump on any train at anytime anywhere and go anywhere you want.<BR><BR>It also helps avoid the constant strikes in Italia. We were in Naples and going back to Rome. The Italian rail conductors went on strike and stranding numerous passengers. <BR><BR>We, however merely found a train headed to Munich with a stop in Rome and showed our pass and got on while the others were left waiting for who knows how long<BR><BR>Cheaper is not always better!<BR><BR>US

You do not need a railpass to lose your virginity.<BR>

Giselle, I'm a big fan of flexiblity. I buy my ticket for the next leg of my trip when I arrive at a place. For example, on a recent trip I bought my TGV ticket to Lyon on arrival at CDG, then when I got to Lyon I bought my ticket for the trip to Geneva the next day. When I got to Geneva I bought my ticket for Locarno.... That way, I don't have to give myself time before the train leaves for standing in line, but I don't commit to trips beyond my next stop. I've never had a problem getting a seat.

I also want my trip to be flexible. I would never buy one of those 15 consecutive day railpasses. I won't be traveling June-September so I'm not worried about getting a seat. I like the idea of buying my ticket a day or two ahead though. If I do get stuck somewhere for an extra day, no big deal.<BR><BR>So what about Germany? Their single country pass is 4 days/month for less than $200 and I will probably have 3 long train trips in Germany. I tried Die Bahn website, but most pricing is not available.