European Railroad Discussion > Eurail Select Pass question.

Would a Select Pass Germany-Switzerland cover any passage on a CNL train from Berlin to Zurich?

Paul Ramer
Cincinnati, OH

You should check with RailEurope to be sure. While getting to them by phone is difficult, I have had great results by using their "contact us" feature on their web site. Just type in your question and you get an answer within 24 hours. That said, my understand is that for the CNL train, you only need to purchase separately the accommodation charge. The pass should cover the rail fare as you will be traveling in the two countries covered by the pass. Enjoy this overnight service while you can. Most are being eliminated end of the year. You save a night in an expensive hotel and end up at your destination early in morning with enough time to get someplace else that day either by train or your flight home.

Here is what Rail Europe says about City Night Line services and rail passes on its website:

"Seat and sleeping compartment reservations for the City Night Line trains are required and are included in the ticket price. Reservations are required when traveling with a rail pass. Tickets can be requested up to 120 days in advance."

Therefore, your rail pass will have some value on the CNL service between Berlin and Zurich, but you will at a minimum need to purchase a seat reservation and perhaps pay some type of charge for the type of "accommodation" selected, which could include a charge for a seat, couchette, or full sleeper.  Typically, the charge for seats on these types of trains, aside from the mandatory seat reservation fee, would be modest or even free with a pass, while full sleepers for single occupancy could be quite pricey.

Also, contrary to the previous post, a night in a hotel need not necessarily be a night in an expensive hotel,  as many European cities have good hotels in many price ranges.  And, an early morning arrival in a destination city may or may not be convenient for a traveler.  In my view, the best time to arrive at a new destination is not 630am or 700am, but rather 230pm or thereabouts -- when one can immediately check in on arrval at the new hotel and freshen up from traveling.  It's not much fun to have to check your bags and head out on a sightseeing excursion at 700am.