Eurorail is over rated, its not really worth it.  Easyjet, or Ryanair (my fav.).  those two offer really really cheap flights.  I mean london to Rome for like 30 euros. And you can still get train tickets.  But to me personly eurorail is not worth it!  My friends and the people i have talked to also didnt think it was worth the price. But some people might have different veiws on it!  But i do say look at Ryanair.com before you decide.

I’ve never got into the rail pass thing either.  When I was in Europe last in 2005, I ended up using 3 cheap flights, and then buying P2P (point to point) train tickets for the rest of the trip.  The majority of my train travel was in cheap countries like Italy, and my flights were all long distances (like AMS-FCO and PRG-LGW).  I really do prefer the flights, but sometimes I really like the flexibility and relaxation you get from trains.  But, I think a combo of both is the best option.

If you plan on using the cheap flights just beware that they don’t stay cheap forever.  The closer you get to departure, the more expensive they will get.  I just bought a ticket for my upcoming trip in August, and got it during a sale with Sky Europe.  I only paid 15 Euro’s after taxes from Bucharest to Budapest.

Try these sites:

www.whichbudget.com
www.railsaver.com

A slight&nbsproblem with cheap flights is that they lock down your itinerary, so you have to plan in advance more, which may or may not be an issue. The other issue is rare problems with cancellations, delays, and rescheduling. If this happens during the course of your trip, you can work with it, but if it happens right before your departure home, and you are relying on this flight to get back to your departure airport, it could be expensive. So I’d always suggest having an alternate plan to get to your departure airport in time, should the budget flight fail.
 
E.g. if you are taking a flight from Paris to return to London to fly home, and there’s a cancellation, and you’ve allowed enough time, you have the option of taking a cheap bus for 9 hours or an expensive train in order to get to London, or possibly an expensive flight on a major airline. All are quite possible if your schedule allows enough time to work this out. I recently read on another forum about someone whose family of four was stuck when their Ryanair flight from Venice Treviso to London was cancelled. Because they had flights home from London the next day, they had to pay $3500 for last-minute walkup tickets on another airline to get to London.
 
With all of this, I haven’t used a rail pass either, and mostly have used cheap flights. If you want to go by train, there are often special deals you can get which make a pass not a good option anyway.

This is an interesting thread with good feedback.

I prefer the train myself, but I fly a lot on business and that puts me off air travel a bit.

I also own a Company that sells rail passes []

Now that the full disclosure is out of the way – along with the flexibility, here are some of the other things I like about the train and rail passes:

1) You see more scenery

2) You meet more people

3) Train stations are in great (central) locations relative to low cost airline terminals

4) Often you save time depending on the distance you are traveling

5) It’s more relaxing

6) It can be cheaper ( don’t forget the airport taxes and transport costs)

7) It is more environmentally friendly than flying

8) You can save on accommodation by taking night trains

9) You don’t have to show up 2 hours in advance to check in and pass through security

10) It is easier and more comfortable to join the “150 mph club” than the “mile high club” []

[=“times new roman”]I think train is the best way to get around in Europe, but sometimes a flight will save both time and money, so combining trains and planes can be a great plan.  While the classic consecutive day rail passes often don’t save money, some kind of railpass will save money on most itineraries.  If you have an itinerary, try [/][=“times new roman”]www.railsaver.com[/][=“times new roman”]  Follow the “I have a good idea of my itinerary” route and check “use a railpass ‘only if it saves money,’”[/]
[=“times new roman”] [/]
[=“times new roman”]My rules of thumb are based on the length of the train ride:[/]
[=“times new roman”] [/]
[=“times new roman”]Under 4 ½ hours:   take the train[/]
[=“times new roman”]4 ½ to 6 hours:  train or plane, which ever is cheapest[/]
[=“times new roman”]Over 6 hours:  Plane unless it’s prohibitively expensive – look at an overnight train if you can’t find a cheap flight.[/]

A big advantage to rail is that it usually puts you in the middle of downtown.  When you fly your usually 20 or 30 miles out of the city and it isn’t all that cheap to get in.

Whether or not to get a rail pass depends on what countries you are visiting also, as some (ie: germany) have very expensive trains. 
 
There are a lot of options with rail passes too, like individual country passes and selectpass (3-5 bordering countries), so you could arrange some flights and still use the flexibility of a railpass. 

Good advice so far. I only want to add that if you’ve read, or been advised, that scenery on a particular route is good, then by all means go for train. Some people really like train travel; some don’t. If it’s comfortable, well-priced, timely, and with good scenery, then I choose train. Oslo-Bergen goes over my “5 hour rule” (similar to Oldlady’s ideas mentioned above), however it’s probably the most scenic train trip I’ve ever taken (including Swiss Alps), and I’d definitely do it again.

You western travelers and your 5 hour rules…sheesh.  On my last trip I was glad to have a train/bus trip as short as 5 hours.  At least it was cheap!