Is this itinerary viable with the new Global Plus Pass or should I stick with the basic Global Pass?

Question

I was hoping to find out whether the following routes would be viable with the Global PLUS Pass:

Madrid to Paris: October 30

Depart: Madrid Puerta de Atocha
Arrive: Paris Gare du Nord

Paris to Berlin: November 6

Depart: Paris Gare du Nord
Arrive: Berlin Hauptbahnhof

Berlin to Amsterdam: November 13

Depart: Berlin Hauptbahnhof
Arrive: Amsterdam Centraal

Amsterdam to Coutances: November 23

Depart: Amsterdam Centraal
Arrive: Gare de Coutances

To further contextualize my trip, I will be arriving in Madrid on 10/23 and staying there for 7 nights. From there, my plan is to stay in Paris for 7 nights, Berlin for 7 nights, Amsterdam for 10 nights. The reason why I end in Coutances is because I have a 3-week Workaway there.

I am overwhelmed by the amount of information out there so I was hoping to get some clarification from a person. Even my ChatGPT Plus can't seem to help much.

According to the trip planner, it seems like these routes are doable with the basic Global Pass with 4 days in 1 month, but I figured if I still have to pay for seat reservations, getting the ticket option that (mostly) covers that would be the best idea. For some reason, the trip planner does not even offer me the Global PLUS Pass as an option. Is this because my routes are incompatible or is it simply because they are in beta? Simultaneously, how proactive should I be about getting my pass, regardless of which one I get? I assume it matters less for the Plus Pass.

ralderton · Answer

The Trip Planner is not a very useful tool in my opinion. You’re better to plan using a map, searching timetables on bahn.com, and checking the useful information on Seat61. And you’re right - the Plus Pass is still in beta.

Honestly, I don’t think the Plus Pass would be good value for you - you’d have to buy a 5 day pass instead of 4, for example. But you can compare what reservations would cost by checking each route on Seat61. As an example, you can do Madrid-Paris for €20 in reservation fees, and Paris-Berlin for €19. Reservations in Germany and Netherlands are cheap and usually optional.

Just some corrections:

Madrid to Paris - you won’t arrive at Gare du Nord. You’ll have to change somewhere along the way (Barcelona or Lyon would be the most common) and you’ll arrive into Paris Gare de Lyon.

Paris to Berlin - you will likely leave from Gare de l’Est, not Nord (unless you’re taking a long route via Belgium)

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