I agree that you’ll probably benefit from a pass, but we need more information to help with which pass or combination of passes is best….

1.  How long is this trip?
2.  How old are you?
3.  Are you just visiting the major cities or will you be exploring the countryside and smaller towns?
4.  Are you planning to look for some cheap flights (sometimes cheaper than the train) or is the whole trip by train?
5.  Will you be taking ferries in Scandinavia and Greece/Italy?

I’d price a 5 country select pass for the four Scandinavian countries plus Germany.  Then maybe add a single country pass for France and maybe a single country Benelux pass (depending on how much travel you’re planning around France and how you plan to get from Germany to France).  Use point to point tickets everywhere else — unless you plan on taking the ferry from Greece to Italy.

Hi.

1.The trip is going to be from the second week of June to the second week of August. (Give or take 60 days total)

2. I’m 27 (so can’t get my youth pass) However I am still a student but I’m not sure how far the benefit will go for a ISIC card.

3. It’ll mostly be major cities I’m visiting.

4. I know plane is cheaper (especially with Ryanair) but I really like to travel by train. Maybe I can fly from Berlin – Greece (for instance?)

5. Yes I’ll be taking ferries from Stockholm to Helsinki as well as Greece to Italy.

First, you won’t know which, if any, railpass would have been the best deal until you’re back home and know exactly which trains you took on which days.  However, trains are relatively expensive in Scandinavia, France and Germany, so some kind of railpass will probably pay in those areas.  Trains are relatively cheap in Italy and, IMO, it’s more convenient not to use a railpass in Italy.  You can buy tickets on-line from www.trenitalia.com or from the automated kiosks without waiting in line, but buying “just a reservation” to use with your railpass (many Italian trains require reservations which aren’t covered by the pass) will almost always require waiting in line — sometimes a very long line.  There isn’t much of a rail system in Greece, so you’re unlikely to take a train there.

  I doubt the 2 month consecutive day pass will be the best deal given your age and the fact that you won’t be wandering around to tiny towns using the train.  I’d look at a flexipass for 10 or 15 days and/or a select pass as I mentioned before — or maybe a couple of passes.  Use the pass for long, expensive trips.  Buy point to point tickets for the shorter, cheaper trips.

  The ferries in Scandinavia are relatively cheap and not covered by a railpass — but they do offer a discount to railpass holders, so be sure and ask for the discount when you book passage (discounts don’t use a day of a flexipass).  Regular fare deck passage is only 34 euros between Stockholm and Helsinki.  The railpass covers deck passage between Italy and Greece on some ferry lines and offers a discount on others.  Deck passage is 54 euros between Italy and Greece in July.  You would need to pay a 15 euro “high season” surcharge to use your railpass, so the ferry passage would probably not be worth a day of a flexipass.

Thanks a lot! Those are all very helpful guides. I’m going to look into the Select Passes for my trip.