help with european train travel
 

My 21 yr. old daughter and her boyfriend are doing an extensive European trip this summer and want to use the rail system for travel from Florence to Rome, Rome to Venice, Venice to Paris, Paris to Zurich, Zurich to Prague, and Prague to Bucharest over the course of five weeks. I am looking at purchasing Youth Flexi rail passes through Rail Europe, 15 days in 2 months (which would give them some flexibility if they decide to do something not on their original itinerary). We have not done a lot of train travel ourselves, so I am not sure if this is the best way to go. Can any of you experienced european rail travelers help us out here? Also, the Prague to Bucharest leg seems complicated. Does anyone have any suggestions here? Thanks. Nancy

You're getting some good answers to this on the Europe board. In addition, I have to say that this looks like a crazy itinerary, especially for the time available. I would forget Bucharest, which is off to the east, and go Venice-Vienna-Prague, and then west, rather than making the long trek west to Paris and then heading back east. In addition to the bahn.de and seat61.com sites, I recommend buying a copy of the Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe (tinyurl.com/cnumb8), and also checking with railsaver.com before buying a pass.

You need to post this on the Europe forum here at Fodor's. You should also check on www.lonelyplanet.com their forum similar format to this one called The Thorn Tree... for more people in their age bracket.

You should research the cost of point-to-point tickets for their itinerary because, even with a youth pass, PTP tickets might be cheaper than the pass. It's also quite likely that they can find cheap one-way fares for the long trips offered by discount airlines.

Thank you all for your help. I will check out the websites you have recommended. Their itinerary is charted, in part, by meeting up with friends in different places with timetables of their own so, even though it may not make sense geographically, it works for them! I appreciate your insights.

Oops. I should have mentioned that if you decide to compare airfare versus train fare, you should take into account the extra cost usually associated with getting to and from the airport. (Rail trips usually leave and arrive closer to city centre.)