In Germany (and I'm sure in a view other contries too) it's quite easy to find a ride. There are two major websites, http://www.mitfahrzentrale.de which charges you a fee for accessing contact details and http://www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de which provides everything as a free service.

You can simply browse by departure and destination city, date and time. All major cities have rather good connections especially on the weekends due to a lot of commuters.
Sometimes you'll even find people sharing a groupticket for the train.

No need to say that it's a good way to meet some locals, too.

Are you sticking to "the loop" because you've never been any of these places before? There are a lot of interesting -- and cheaper -- places beyond European capitals. How much time are you giving yourself to race around the continent?

I encourage you to check out my blog. I write quite a bit about Europe, how to get around, where to stay, how to save money. If you have any specific questions, leave a comment or shoot an email.

The thing I found with a Eurail pass was that it wasn't always the best deal. I bought a ticket from Prague to Geneva via Munich and Zurich from RailEurope before leaving the US for ~$285 and then regretted it because it was so much cheaper ex: Prague so that's something to keep in mind.

\"if you are fortunate enough to live in paris as a young man under the age of 25, you\'ll be sipping on those memories for the rest of your life.\"

I actually think that it is asia which is the new paris. Incredibly cheap and full of adventure. None the less, good luck with your Euro Trip!

Michael

Live the Dream...Tell the Tale

And thanks for your feedback on Eurolines. After some more research I decided to stick to trains and planes, except for a potential bus ride between Vienna and Prague which is like 26 euros if I remember correctly.

I'll keep the carsharing in mind as well . I've been making some sample itineraries and it's been pretty fun. In my next Backpacking Quest post I'll include my potential itineraries.

I took Eurolines from Paris to Berlin. It was an adventure that I'd rather not repeat. The added benefit with the train is that you can arrange for your longer journeys to be overnight and give you a place to crash for free that night.

Another option might be carsharing. It can be tight in the car, but I once got from Dresden to Berlin for under 10 euros using the service. It only requires flexibility.