Ok so I have booked my flight to europe (I am flying in and out of Berlin)... and now I want to get around Europe and I thought that a rail pass would be a clear cut winner... until I checked the airfares and checked the reservation fees for some of the trains.... I will be in Europe for about 2 and a half weeks and plan on seeing the following cities: Berlin, Zurich, Rome, Paris and Barcelona (Berlin and Zurich are set in stone as I have to be in Berlin first for about 5 days then Zurich next).

Now I checked the best rail pass and determined that using a 15 day saver pass was the best deal at around $635 USD. Now I had planned on taking night trains so I would have enough time in each city however I discovered that the fees on these trains, even with a rail pass, could add up. I looked at a train from Paris to Barcelona and the fee was $120+ per person and from Paris back to Berlin is $230+. Now I know that these trains include a bed but if I was already in the city I could probably find cheaper places to stay than on the train (I plan on staying in cheap hostels).

I looked online and found that I could fly (via swiss airlines and lufthansa) to all of these cities for about $850-$900 USD. also these flights arrived at their destinations much sooner. Now, I realize that trains are more relaxing and you can see a lot (during the day) however I am on a schedule and I think the train will take too long and is more expensive. If I fly I will be able to see more in each city I travel to, therefore I am leaning towards flying rather than taking trains.

I have a few questions that I am concerned with, in order to decide whether or not to fly everywhere:

1. How much are train tickets within these cities (i.e. how much will I spend in train tickets inside Rome for 2 or 3 days).

2. What is a good average cost for hostels in these cities (i.e. 30-35 euros). I will look closely after I decide but I want a good estimate for gauging the difference in costs whether or not to fly.

3. How hard is it to buy train tickets in these cities (I pretty much am only fluent in English and I understand having a railpass would be very convenient just getting around a city)

4. (Kind of unrelated but I am curious) when I am traveling to other cities and staying in Hostels, is there somewhere I can leave my bags for the times I am touring around (i.e. can I leave my bags at a Hostel the morning before I stay there or are there lockers anywhere at train stations/elsewhere)