rkkwan

i can't get the bahn.de site to work on my computer so i ask you the Q?

my understanding is that only 5- and 10-day German passes are sold at major rail stations in Germany - is it the same online or can you buy the 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9- or 10- day pass of your choice?

only bother to respond if you remember off hand. thanks

PalenQ - I remember that my dad bought the 5-day pass, and www.bahn.de doesn't sell the 4-day one.

But that trip was in April. Now, I don't even see them selling the passes on www.bahn.de.

thanks rk - i always wondered why only a 5- and 10- day German Pass was sold at stations, major stations i think but perhaps all, and why the other 4-day 5,6,7,8,9, weren't also sold.

seemed weird - thanks for the info. Though bahn.de may have taken the passes off i understand that they are indeed, 5- and 10-day passes being sold at major stations, such as at Frankfurt Airport. Still the 4-day pass is often better it seems and can't see why they don't sell that.

thanks

I'm in the minority on Fodors, but I like a rail pass. I like the flexibility - just jump on and off especially for short trips.

Reservations weren't a hard thing to do, nor expensive. I always used first class because I figured I'd always find a seat somewhere. If I had a second class pass, well, then I was limited.

In my case, the passes more than paid for themselves. That, with the convenience of just hopping on a train was what sold me. But you do have to use them a fair amount to get your money's worth.

In Germany and Holland it's still true that you can just hop on practically any train, including, rare in Europe, high-speed ones so that aspect of a pass is great

Unfortunately countries like France, Spain and Italy are making reservations mandatory on most fast trains, negating that once super great aspect of the pass - just showing up and hopping on

PalenQ wrote,
<i>Unfortunately countries like France, Spain and Italy are making reservations mandatory on most fast trains, negating that once super great aspect of the pass - just showing up and hopping on.</i>

Unfortunately you are so right. And to make it worse some routes are exclusively premium grade, e.g. Brussels&lt;-&gt;Paris requiring reservations AND supplements for pass holders. I guess that Thayls gave a bunch of euros to the right, or left, politicians.

Yes indeed hops

Italian Eurostar trains charge passholders a 15 euro fee to ride - one reason the Italian railpass often is not economic given the usual several extra charges and it's overpriced to begin with

Thalys charges about $40 in first class but at least then you get a fairly decent meal with booze

2nd cl Thalys however you get nothing except a reserved seat for your $12 or so

I'm still not throwing the baby out with the bathwater and love having a pass but it's taking a lot more hassle - you have to go to ticket windows to make the reservations, etc.

In Germany, austria, switzerland, belgium, denmark and holland and u.k. there are still no or practically no trains that require reservations so using a pass there still offers the great aspect of sponteneity and just hopping on any ole train.