You’ve already determined that the global pass is your best choice? Regardless, bus is an option for you, and is typically cheaper and slower than train. I typically prefer train over bus because I find it a lot more comfortable, but I can understand taking a bus to save money. I personally won’t take a bus instead of a train for a trip of more than two hours; I’m a prima donna who’s not that budget conscious You might be. The train system you use when buying a regular ticket is the same one you use with your railpass.

Marbella to Madrid is cheap on the bus (24 euros) and takes seven hours. By train you’d take the bus from Marbella to Malaga, then train to Madrid. The train is the high speed AVE line, takes three hours, and costs 73-82 euros depending on the time.
http://www.renfe.es/…

Madrid-Barcelona takes about eight hours by bus and costs roughly 30 euros. The train takes three hours on the AVE line, and costs about 110-130 euros. You can also do the overnight train for 53 euros for a sleeping berth. One of the low-cost airlines are another option.

Bus info in Spain: http://www.movelia.e…
Rail info in Spain: http://www.renfe.es/…
Low cost flights: http://www.whichbudg…

We haven’t decided for sure that the global pass is the best choice, but we think it will be since we are wanting to travel within so many different countries. We also thought that we would have a lot more flexibility with it. What do you recommend instead? We are thinking about possibly even getting the two month global pass – because by the time we buy the separate train passes and possible flights, it would probably be just as cheap to spend the extra 300 on the two month pass. Do you recommend the same for Italy as you did for Spain? We have never been overseas before so all of this is new to us. Thank you so much for helping us, we really appreciate it!

If you have a tentative itinerary use railsaver.com under the “booking” tab at the top of the page for a recommendation on which, if any, railpass is best. If you don’t have an itinerary, then you won’t know which, if any, railpass would have been best until your trip is over and you know exactly which days you traveled and exactly which special fares are available on those days.

Look at a 15 rail day global flexipass. You won’t take more than 15 train trips that are long enough to warrant using a railpass during a 45 day trip. Use the pass for any day when the total fare for the trains you take equals more than the average cost of a day of the pass. Buy point to point tickets for the cheaper trips. You’re probably going to want to take some planes, ferries and buses that aren’t covered by your railpass in the course of your trip.

Okay, thanks for the advice. We have been looking at possibly just booking separate flights or trains and not buying any pass at all. It looks like it may even be cheaper, and then we won’t have to worry spending too much time on the trains.

We have been looking into visiting Switzerland but have found that it is a little more difficult to fly into and trains seem to be more expensive in general than the flights. Is train probably the easiest way to get into Zurich or Geneva? Also, about how long should we spend in these cities if we go to one of them (or both)?

Just remember that the train is sometimes faster than flying. With getting to and from the airports, check-in time, security time and flight time any flight takes 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours. Make sure you consider all the costs: getting to and from the airport, booking fees, credit card fees, taxes, fees for checked baggage and in some cases fees or strict restrictions on carry-on baggage.
Well, not from Athens, but probably from Paris…. I don’t care for Zurich and I’ve never been to Geneva. IMO, cities are not the reason you go to Switzerland.

Will getting to an from an airport take longer than getting to and from the train stations?

We have been trying to consider the taxes and fees for baggage (we will just have one carry on each) as we are looking for flights, but what exactly do you mean by credit card fees and booking fees? Are there these type of fees for the trains? Even with a lot of these fees in mind, it seems like the train is often still three times as expensive. Is it possible that I’m overlooking something? Are there certain routes from one city to another that you suggest for train?

What type of sightseeing do you suggest for Switzerland?

Train stations are typically in city centers, while airports are on the outskirts, so yes, it’s usually faster to get to the train station.

For sure. You usually catch the bus to the airport at the train station.

Some budget airlines charge a processing fee to “process” your credit card.

There are times when this is true, but it’s usually not that much different. Where are you getting your prices for trains? The travel agency websites charge “global fare” which is usually about 30% more than you’d pay if you bought the ticket at the train station in Europe. Also, the right railpass significantly reduces the cost of taking the train. A youth global flexipass costs about $50 per rail day, so compare the total flight cost to $50 not the $150 the train ticket might cost. There are also “specials” on train tickets, just like the cheap airline fares. 29 euro special fares are fairly common if you book 60 days in advance.

With a railpass, the only extra charges are for reservations — if the specific train you choose requires them and the 29 euro special will include the reservation if it’s required.

So it is actually cheaper to buy the ticket over in Europe?
We have been looking at websites such as renfe.es and raileurope.com. Are these the best sites to use?

How do you find these special fares?

Okay, now train is sounding better again. Do you suggest airplanes for certain places though? I was looking at the Eurail Route map and, if I am reading it right, it looks like it takes up to 16 hours to get to some places. I feel like we would be wasting a day if we took these trains. Since we want to go to places like London, and places in Ireland and Greece, do you think we should take flights? Are there any other specific places that stick out to you that may just be easier to take flights?

Yes, It’s cheaper to buy in Europe or on-line from the national rail company website (like renfe.com for Spain) in the country the trip starts in. This is the opposite of buying railpasses. Railpasses cost 20% more to buy in Europe. Raileurope.com (a competitor to the folks who kindly sponsor this website, BTW) will show higher prices than you’ll pay in Europe and won’t reflect any available specials. Check the national rail company websites for specials like the 29 euro deal — bahn.de for Germany, sncf.com for France, trenitalia.com for Italy, etc.

I would look at flights to/from Ireland and to/from Greece and possibly to/from Spain. From London to continental Europe, Eurostar, the chunnel train is faster and more comfortable than flying so I prefer that — but it can be expensive. Look for specials (including buying a round-trip and tossing the return ticket) on the day you want to travel at www.eurostar.com If you can’t find a good fare on Eurostar then fly.

Use www.whichbudget.com to see which budget airlines fly which routes and check the “cheap flights” forum for more search engines and tips.

We have been looking at some of the national rail company websites, but can’t seem to find any of the 29 euro deals. We am looking for tickets in June. Will we need to wait closer to the date?

We are thinking about getting the 10 Global Flexi Pass. Is there already a schedule that will tell us exactly what time the trains leave? We were wanting to plan it all out now. Is that a good idea, or will there be so many trains that we won’t really need to plan it all out?

Yes, you can only buy tickets 60 days or 90 days (depending on the country) in advance, so look for specials exactly 60 or 90 days out. I’d go so far as to check when it was midnight and 8:00 AM in Europe on those dates. Also, if the trip goes between 2 countries check both national rail websites. For trips from Amsterdam to Germany, the German website only shows the specials on overnight trains where the Netherlands website shows them for day trains, to. The schedules at the German website are the most complete and most user-friendly in English: http://reiseauskunft… Schedules seldom change other than to occasionally add trains for the summer season or a seasonal deviation of 5 minutes or less. For the most part, the same train leaves from the same platform, at the same time every day for years on end. Sometimes the Saturday or Sunday schedule is different from the weekday schedule, so check schedules for the same day of the week as you intend to travel.