You can find railpass information and purchase from Rail Europe You CANNOT purchase a German railpass once you get to Europe! So, if you're going to do the pass, then make sure you purchase it in the states before you go, and allow enough time for them to ship it to you. There are also discounted railpasses available if you are more than one person travelling together and/or if you are under 26 years old (or over 60). There are also different international pass options if you want say...travel within 3 countries, etc.

However, if you know which cities you're going to visit, then it might be worth checking what the prices would be for individual tickets if you purchase them in Germany once you arrive. Go to http://www.bahn.de, which is the Germain rail web site. You can choose to search cities in ENGLISH if you don't speak German, and the site will quote fares for you. Add them all up, and then decide what's best for you! You can either buy online and pickup at train stations in Germany, or just buy when you get to Germany.

If you do decide to buy individual tickets, then DO NOT buy them from Rail Europe. Wait until you get to Germany, as Rail Europe marks up the prices on individual tickets by ridiculous amounts. For example, for an upcoming trip, I could get a ticket from the German rail lines from Hamburg to Paris for EUR 74. Rail Europe wanted USD 168 for the same ticket!!

Another thing to keep in mind...if you do plan on travelling outside of Germany AND buying a railpass, then a German railpass will cover you to the border, and then you just have to buy the segment of your journey from the border onwards.

Edited to fix hyperlinks.

[This message has been edited by TravelScholar (edited Mar 04, 2004).]