1 month Eurorail Global Pass?

Has anyone used a 1 month Eurorail Global Pass before/recently? I just want to know how convenient they really are and what is the go with booking trains once you are in Europe? I know you can't book trains with it online, but what I want to know is how easy is it to book "at the station on the day"? I am worried if I do book on the day at the station I might not get a seat on the train I want (it's easy enough to say to prebook it through the call center but I would like some flexibility). I am due to travel in August.1 month Eurorail Global Pass?
Most Europeans consider the Eurail offer to be a ripp-off since it asks for a fee of $ 679 whereas Europeans can get the equivalent pass valid for 30 countries (except their own country) for 鈧?399 [~$ 540].

http://www.interrailnet.com/interrail-gl鈥?/a> ..



It only makes sense for train freaks who want to spend most of their stay in Europe on travelling by trains. The "normal" tourist who stays in countries for several days, wants to travel locally, and concentrates his itinerary on visiting not only tourist hot spots is in general better off on planning the travel in advance and on buying cheap special offer tickets. Additional lots of high speed trains require an additional reservation supplement to the pass of 鈧?10.00 or more for each journey (in Italy for example). The Thalys trains operating between France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany have limited the number of pass card seats to be sold at an additional fee of 鈧?32 so that it can happen that you will be told at the counter that the train is booked out, whereas the next one in line who pays the full fee gets a ticket.



Read more about the use of passes here:

http://www.seat61.com/Railpass.htm#Eurai鈥?/a> passes ..1 month Eurorail Global Pass?
The advice that GerdP gave you is accurate. I wouldn't have used the term "rip-off" necessarily, but he's right that it's more expensive than a similar option for Europeans. However, while it can be less expensive to get individual tickets sometimes, the pass can provide you with a savings depending on how you use it. It is more likely to be advantageous when you want to travel spontaneously rather than advance booking. For example, if you want to take the night train from Paris to Rome (or vice versa), you can get a ticket for a berth in a 4 bed compartment for 127 euro. With a Global pass, you need to pay a 45 euro supplement for the reservation - looks good so far 82 euro less. However, if you book the ticket far enough in advance to get the "smart fare" discount, the individual ticket costs 45 euro which is the same price you have to pay on top of the pass. It takes timing and work to get the smart fare because there are a limited number of seats. Whether the pass is a good deal or not depends on the ability to get the discounted ticket, the amount of work you want to put into advance planning, and whether you want a fixed travel schedule or want to be spontaneous.



Generally, you will not have a problem booking "on the day of travel" reservations with the pass, and regional trains don't require them anyway. As GerdP mentioned there are some trains that have a limited number of places for passholders. The website he gave you is an excellent resource and you should read it carefully.



Please give GerdP a best answer since he gave you a great link and the correct answer first.