I'll be going to Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Belgium next summer and am trying to plan which rail passes to get. Will be in Switzerland for 2 weeks, staying in one area, but taking lots of trains all around. Will probably get a Swisspass. Then the plan was to take the CityNightLine train from Zurich to Amsterdam and spend a few days in Holland, then a few days in Belgium.

So....I will probably also get a Benelux-Germany pass. I only added the Germany part, due to the traveling through Germany on the CityNightLine train. Do I need it for that?

I'm trying to get prices on the CityNightLine. It seems rather difficult. I've gone through RailEurope and put in a sample pass, 1st & 2nd class....and have gotten a wide range of prices, from $170 to over $500!!! This is for the Deluxe Double Sleeper (for me and my husband). I also can't seem to get a price for this sleeper, if I only have a 2nd class pass. I'm wondering why it's so difficult? Is it really that expensive even with a rail pass?? If that's the case, maybe we'll just fly. I had never taken a sleeper train and thought it might be nice, but it seems a pain to try and find out how much it's going to cost with a rail pass. On the DB (German rail site) there's no place to enter a railpass discount or anything, so i can't do it there either and both sent back emails telling me I had to call!

If anyone has any ideas, or has previously taken this route with a railpass...please share your thoughts. Thanks!

T.

Whether to get a rail pass or not is always questionable if your only concern is the cost. The convenience and freedom are two additional factors. Since you are traveling with your husband a Saver Flexipass is probably your best bet. I guess you are under 26 or you will be required to use a 1st class pass.

For a general introduction to night trains see http://tinyurl.com/y57vft. It is much less expensive to buy your bunk reservations in Europe. Typically they are $30 to $50 in a T-3 or T-4. It would be higher for the Delux Double Sleeper. I suggest taking a T-2 in 1st class and squeeze in.

I don't know which train you are talking about - there is no direct train from Zurich to Amsterdam

The current CNL service Zurich-Amsterdam leaves Zurich at 8:42 PM Yes you need a pass or passes covering all the countries the train passes thru..in this case Switzerland, Germany, and The Netherlands, There are passholder fares on CNL. I suggest you CALL someone like Budget Europe Travel Service as opposed to RailEurope

- DB Bahn Branch in Basel: 061/6901215 oder Zürich: 044 2477541

Try to call the above numbers to get specific information. Someone should be able to speak English.

Right now, there's a special 2for1 but only good in December.

The German Rail site http://tinyurl.com/c9jp54 is very good for schedules and train details.

For that matter you may be able to order the tickets thru the Bahn site and have them delivered by mail but I think the advice to call the rail branch in Basel is a good one. I've done this in the past and had no trouble reaching someone who speaks English. Make sure they know you are going to be a passholder (if you decide to go the pass route). And, frankly, I would at least consider doing the trip in First Class if possible since that is often much more comfortable.

Thanks. Actually, we are NOT required to get a 1st class pass. We were aiming for all 2nd cl (we are both over 26). I'd rather not call overseas. Perhaps I will try calling Budget Europe Travel then. I wonder if I wait until I actually get to Europe and try to purchase the tickets (reservations)when I get there, it will be 2 weeks before my travel. I was just worried that the sleepers would all be booked by then.

We were planning on taking the double deluxe sleeper. Otherwise, we may just fly.

My only problem with the German Rail site is you can't book a reservation if you have a railpass. I don't see any options for that!

Thanks for the info.
T.

Some kind of Swiss pass should serve you well for your rides within Switzerland.

A Germany-Benelux pass may not be cost effective. If you book well in advance (up to 92 days allowed) on the German Rail site, you can get discount fares of €99/person for beds in an economy double cabin or €119/person for beds in a deluxe double cabin.

If you are 26 or older you cannot use a second class rail pass.

Call Budget Europe Travel Service, 800-441-2387. Byron or Linda can give you a lot of experienced advice.

Spaarne: YES, you can get 2nd class passes if you're over 26. Not sure where you found your info. They do have special discounted rates though, for those under 26: youth rates. Some passes do not offer 2nd class at all, like the SelectPasses and GlobalPasses. I'm not getting either of those. The SwissPass and BeNeLux-Germany pass are both available in 2nd class.

TimS-those are discounted rates? Wow. Well I will reconsider the Germany-Benelux pass...will go calculate how much I might spend on point to point tickets. We will be taking day trips on at least 4 or 5 days in Belgium and Netherlands. But...they may be cheap enough that I don't need passes. I'll check it out.

Ok, I tried to calculate the trips and right now, it looks like we'd spend around $750 total on all train trips throughout Belgium and Netherlands, including the "special fare" for CNL ($330 for 2).

The pass total would be $522 plus reservation for CNL. And I don't know how much that reservation is. That's just a 5 day pass. So if we didn't have the pass, we'd leave off one of the trips, which might bring that $750 down a bit. The 6 day pass total is $572.