Rail pass for daughter
 

Helping my daughter out...

she will be going from Prague to Munich, and then Munich to Berlin. It looks like a pass is $281 (2 country, 2nd class youth). I'm trying to compare it to point-to-point tickets. Have read the posts and looked at the bahn site. For those 2 trips, the prices are all over the place- how do you know, when you look at the schedule/price chart, which are the prices she would get the train tickets for?

Does it just make sense to get the pass? In either case does she need to make a reservation? If so, does she need to do that ahead of time- will be difficult once she's on the road!

I'm not an expert, but based on recent trips in Europe, this seems a bit high if those are the only times she will be using the pass. I think this site will help you. It offers lots of information.
http://www.eurotrip.com/content/berl...-prague-munich

www.bahn.de has fares in euros for those trips - you will see the pass is much higher than the normal fares i think - the big fare is the Munich-Berlin fare if you pay full fare - scour bahn.de for online deep discounts, which however have to be reserved as far in advance as possible.

The German railpass would perhaps make more sense than the Germany-Czech flexipass - trains in Czech are dirt cheap to get to the German border but the German Railpass Youth pass may be a good deal if wanting flexibility.

But the fares are all online at www.bahn.de to check

As for railpasses and European train info i always refer two good sources: www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - sites that have a lot of content on using trains and passes, etc. and not just the usual pass prices and an 'add to court button' - on the latter site be sure to request their free European Planning & Rail Guide - a nice primer to using European trains and a section on Germany and German trains.

The standard fares you see on bahn.de are the same whether you book them in advance or buy a ticket at the window just before departure. The fares vary depending upon the type of train(s) taken. This applies to Prague-Munich for which I don't find any discount fares.

For Munich-Berlin booking well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at bahn.de can get you a Dauer-Spezial fare as low as 29€. Those tickets are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.

Your daughter's cheapest way would be to snatch one of those 29 euro discounted and restricted fares - OK if she knows exactly what day she wants to go Munich-Berlin and buy the Prague-Munich ticket in Prague (there are also overnight trains on each of these routings)

In any case the Germany-Czech pass is overpriced for her travels - the German only pass could be an option if wanting flexibility and paying full fare but probably only if she were doing some day trips from Munich or Berlin - it's a 4 day unlimited travel pass over a one month period - she'd have two extra days to use.

There is a direct Munich-Berlin night train and discoount fares are available if booked far enough in advance. However, to travel oveernight between Prague and Munich would require four changes.

thanks Tim for the Prague-Munich night train, which did i think run until a few years ago. Did not know it had been scrubbed.

You're welcome, PalenQ. Excuse my typos!

bahn.de lists regular fare Munich to Berlin at 109 euros (29 euro for the advance online fare if available)

109 euros is about $160

A 4-day/1 month flexi youthpass costs $236 or so

Add the German portion of the Prague-Munich ticket - most of the fare and it could nearly add up to the pass

Then you'd have two other days to day trip from Munich to Salzburg and back or Munich to Fussen and back or from Berlin to Dresden and back, etc.

Again the cheapest way by far was pointed out by TimS - but don't neglect the pass if wanting flexibility IMO

Passes not sold in Europe i believe - at least the 4 day Youthpass though 5 and 10 day passes i understand are.

those are all good points. Even though the pass would be more than just those 2 trips, I agree that the flexibility, plus the opportunity to do a couple day trips, would make the pass worthwhile. Thanks to all of you!