Jen C. wrote:
> 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?
>
If you're talking about Bahn 50 or Bahn 25, just put it the dropdown box
and see what price comes out. I haven't tried but it looks you can buy a
ticket at the discount price without actually having a 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?
>
No, but Internet booking is much more convenient than standing in line
for ages at a station booking office.
> 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?
>
No. Be aware that at times and on some stretches the trains are
completely full, standing room only on Intercity, even 1st class. I
travel the stretch Cologne-Stuttgart frequently, and it is always 99%
full in the evenings and 120% on Friday evening. On regional trains
round midday there should be no problem.
> 4.) Do all train stations have someplace to store our luggage for the
> day while we see the sights?
>
Major stations- yes.
> 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?
>
If you ask him, probably yes. The IC trains have loudspeaker
announcements when the train is approaching the next stop.
> 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?
Don't know about night trains, never used one. As above, try it.
Regarding Bahn 50, unless they've changed the rules recently, you
can't get a discount off cheap rate return offers with the Bahn 50 card,
only with the Bahn 25 card. Bahn 50 gives you 50% discount off the full
price, but nothing else- It's really designed for business people who do
a lot of ad hoc travelling at short notice and don't really care about
cost savings.
>
> 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....
>
You can rent GPS navigation as an addon nowadays. Parking is an issue in
cities, but they have parking garages. 1,000,000's do it every day, it's
just a matter of money or luck finding a legal parking spot.
Conversely, how do you feel about dragging luggage for 5 people from
hotel to train, train to hotel, trying to find somewhere to stash it on
the train, taxis, unknown bus schedules etc.. out in the country away
from cities you will waste vast amounts of time trying to get from A to
B by public transport when you could have just driven it.
> 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?
>
> Thanks for any advice.
>
> -Jen C.
> |