eurail - additional costs?

[adnilemydal]

hi all! a galpal and i are planning on traveling for 4 weeks in europe this summer. so excited for it!!! ;D

we'll be using the eurail global pass (1 month so we don't have any restrictions on the number of days used). i used the raileurope.com website and while trying to find timetables, i noticed that if i selected the box "click this box if you have a rail pass", some prices still came up (lower than when the box was unchecked). is this additional charges that my friend and i would have to pay when traveling, or should i ignore that? how much does the eurail ticket cover?

also-- from what i understand, traveling by train in switzerland can be costly, because the eurail passes doesn't cover some destinations? can anyone help me with this... for example, i am looking into traveling to grindelwald and chamonix. would i need to pay extra?

any other info would be great!!! thanks a bunch!!!

[madamtrashheap]

Depending on the train (or route) you choose, sometimes there are mandatory reservations required and these have a reservation fee which could be what is showing up in your search. These usually apply to nighttrains and fast trains (TGV, Eurostar, etc) and sometimes to EuroCity (EC) and InterCity Express (ICE) trains, although not always.

For Swiss trains, have a look at www.sbb.ch/en (the Swiss national train system) for individual prices to give you an idea of budget/costs. There are rail passes for Switzerland ( mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/abonnemente.htm or www.raileurope.com.au/australia/rail/passes/switzerland_index.htm ) so compare and see if a pass would be more cost effective. You can buy the SBB pass in Switzerland from train stations or pre-purchase if you need to.

Although, if you purchased the Eurail Global Pass, the countries covered are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, so double-check which destinations (cities) aren't covered so you're not spending extra money when you don't have to. Trains in Switzerland that aren't covered by passes are usually on the private network such as cog rails up mountains (Lauterbrunnen, Stanserhorn, etc).