"Jen C." wrote in message
news:042167be-4774-4b00-b893-bdf68efb260a@8g2000hsu.googlegroups.com...
> Hi Everybody,
> We (a family ot 5 with 3 kids from age 10 to 17) are going on a 12
> day trip to Europe at the end of June. We are flying into London and
> riding the Eurostar to Paris, after than we mostly wanted to visit
> Germany.
>
> I've read a lot about travel by rail, and was hoping to take a
> whirlwind tour using a rail pass, but there are some questions that I
> can't seem to figure out from my books and the various websites...
>
> 1.) If we get Rail passes for everybody, (costing around $2000 total)
> then we can ride all the trains for free after that, from Paris to
> Munich and Salzburg and Prague and Brussels, provided we get a pass
> that covers those countries. But we wanted to take three or four
> Night Trains so that we can travel in maybe a Triple and a Double
> cabin at night and not need a hotel for those nights. Of course this
> costs extra...
>
> But if I go to www.bahn.de to make a reservation, I can only see
> the prices that I would pay without a rail pass. Can I make
> reservations at the price I'd have to pay considering I must get some
> discount because I have the pass?
>
> 2.) Is it worth it to get tickets from www.bahn.de for all the train
> travel we are going to do before we leave?
>
> 3.) If we do have tickets are we guaranteed a seat even if the train
> is very busy and we arrive shortly before it leaves?
>
> 4.) Do all train stations have someplace to store our luggage for the
> day while we see the sights?
>
> 5.) If you must switch trains on your Night Train, are you going to
> get cabins on the connecting train also?
>
> 6.) Do you have to make sure you don't miss your connection, or does
> a train conductor wake you up when it is time to switch trains?
>
> 7.) Would it make sense to get Bahn 50 cards? Would they discount
> the cabins on the night trains? Would the discount stack with the
> discount of the rail pass?
>
> 8.) Since there are 5 of us, would it make more sense to rent a car
> and spend that time driving? I worry about navigating and parking....
>
> 9.) It looks way cheaper to get Couchette seats on the night trains,
> which have 6 bunks, but then we would get split up, or maybe have one
> stranger person sleeping in our cabin. Would they typically actually
> give us a Couchette to ourselves with one empty bunk because there are
> 5 of us?
The simple answer to most of your questions is:
Visit fewer places (on a pay as you go basis) and forget about Rail passes.
Gerry
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