Riding the Rails Is Easier Than Ever : Off to Europe : New passes offer greater flexibility everywhere, and more extensive, low-cost routes in Eastern Europe.

New railpasses from Wales to Russia, two-month Eurail Flexipasses and free Eurailpass Protection Programs make train travel through Europe easier than ever this year.

Traditional Eurailpasses let you range through 17 European countries--that is, through all the nations of Western Europe except those of Great Britain--and use the rail-linked sea transportation between them as well.

More than ever, national and regional railpasses let you inexpensively combine travel through adjacent or nearby countries, use the low fares available in Eastern European countries and save money with second-class passes.

Most rail passes come in two versions. Consecutive-day passes provide for continuous use during a given time period. Flexible passes make it possible to choose the days you wish to travel within a set time period. Youth passes, available to travelers under the age of 26, are good for second-class travel only, except in Austria, Poland and the Benelux countries, where first-class youth passes are also available. Bargain-rate Rail ‘n Drive passes can be obtained for Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, Greece, Switzerland and with Eurailpasses.

Buying a rail pass may not guarantee you a seat on the train. Except in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, most high-speed long-distance trains and some other trains require reservations, which cost extra. They are sold at a special window in most train stations. Timetables indicate (with the letter “R”) when reservations are necessary.

Before you board your train, consult your reservation or the signboard on the side of the car to be certain you’re headed for your proper destination. Individual cars may be detached from one train and attached to another en route.

Eurailpass

The new Eurailpass Protection Program, available through Rail Europe and DER Tours’ European Rail Division, covers you in the event you lose your pass. You must buy a replacement pass in Europe; upon your return to the United States, you can get a refund for the unused value of your lost pass, less a 10%-20% penalty.

Of special interest to short-term travelers is the Eurailpass SaverPass. From April through September, three or more persons traveling together pay $390 apiece for 15 consecutive days of first-class travel, more than 15% off the normal per-person fare of $460. From October through March, the same bargain is available to two or more travelers.

EURAILPASS (RE, DER, CIT): Consecutive-day passes: 15 days, $460 first class; 21 days, $598 first; one month, $728 first, $508 youth; two months, $998 first, $698 youth; three months, $1,260.

Flexible passes: five days in two months, $298 first, $220 youth; nine days in two months, $496 first; 10 days in two months, $348 youth; 14 days in two months, $676 first; 15 days in two months, $420 youth.

Great Britain

BritRail Passes are your key to traveling easily through the United Kingdom, where Eurailpasses are not honored. Seniors (over 60) receive a discount of about 10%. When you travel in England/Wales or Scotland only, you save money with a new regional pass. The Freedom of Scotland Travelpass includes Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services.

The new BritIreland pass covers travel in both the United Kingdom and Ireland, including Northern Ireland and three Sealink ferry routes. The Emerald Card covers travel on the trains (second class) and buses of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; first-class train travel requires that a supplement be paid.

BRITRAIL PASS (BR, DER): Consecutive-day passes: eight days, $299 first class, $219 second class, $179 youth; 15 days, $489 first, $339 second, $269 youth; 22 days, $645 first, $425 second, $339 youth; one month, $775 first, $495 second, $395 youth.

Flexible passes: four days in eight, $249 first, $189 second, $155 youth; eight days in 15, $389 first, $269 second, $219 youth; 15 days in one month, $620 first, $395 second; 15 days in two months, $390 youth.

ENGLAND/WALES PASS (BR): Flexible pass: four days in eight, $219 first class, $149 second.

FREEDOM OF SCOTLAND TRAVELPASS (BR): Consecutive-day passes: eight days, $145 second class; 15 days, $205 second; 22 days, $259 second.

BRITIRELAND PASS (BR): Flexible passes: five days in 15, $399 first class, $269 second; 10 days in one month, $629 first, $419 second.

EMERALD CARD (CIE): Flexible passes: eight days in 15, $189 second class; 15 days in one month, $324 second.

France

France Railpasses include free RER train transportation from Orly or Charles de Gaulle airports to downtown Paris. Up to six additional days may be added.

A BritFrance pass includes travel round-trip via high-speed catamaran across the English Channel.

FRANCE RAILPASS (RE): Flexible passes: three days in one month, $175 first class, $125 second; additional days, $40 first, $29 second.

BRITFRANCE PASS (RE, BR): Flexible passes: five days in 15, $359 first class, $269 second, $229 youth; 10 days in one month, $539 first, $409 second, $349 youth.

Switzerland

The Swiss Pass allows travel on Swiss Federal Railroads, most of Switzerland’s privately-owned railroads (including those carrying the Glacier Express train), lake steamers and Swiss postal buses. Discounts are offered on many mountain funicular and private lines, as well as streetcars and buses in every city of size.

An alternative to the Swiss Pass is the Swiss Card, which gives half-fare discounts on all public transportation, including private railroads not covered by Swiss or Eurailpasses; but not streetcars or city buses. The Swiss Card also offers free transport between airports or border crossings and your first and last Swiss destinations.

SWISS PASS (RE): Consecutive-day passes: eight days, $266 first class, $186 second; 15 days, $312 first, $214 second; one month, $430 first, $296 second. Flexible pass: three days in 15, $222 first, $148 second.

SWISS CARD (RE): one month, $118 first, $96 second.

Germany

GermanRail Flexipasses give you all Eurailpass’s national travel bonuses--such as Europabus excursions along the Castle and Romantic roads and KD Rhine Line cruises--plus discounts on sightseeing tours, boat trips, museums and cable cars. Ferry connections to Scandinavia are not included.

The Rhineland Flexipass, the Swiss Alpine Multipass and the Tour la France Multipass are similar passes, each providing four days’ train travel throughout all Eurail countries plus a day’s car rental in Germany, Switzerland, or France, respectively. Prices start at $269, depending on class of car selected. You may add additional days of car rental and rail travel.

GERMAN FLEXIPASS (DER): Flexible passes: five days in one month, $250 first class ($200 for a second person with a Twinpass), $170 second ($130 Twin), $130 youth; 10 days in one month, $390 first ($308 Twin), $268 second ($200 Twin), $178 youth; 15 days in one month, $498 first ($400 Twin), $348 second ($250 Twin), $218 youth.

Benelux

The Benelux Tourrail allows unlimited travel on trains of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and on railroad buses in Luxembourg.

For travel only in the Netherlands, the new EuroDomino Holland is offered for three to 10 days. In conjunction with a Netherlands’ “Rail Rover,” it pays to buy a “7-day Public Transport Link” ($16) to give yourself unlimited travel on all public streetcars and buses throughout the Netherlands and on Amsterdam’s subway.

BENELUX TOURRAIL PASS (RE, DER, NBT): Flexible pass: five days in 17, $185 first class, $124 second, $109 youth/first, $92 youth/second.

EURODOMINO HOLLAND (NBT): Consecutive-day pass: seven days (Rail Rover), $134 first class, $89 second. Flexible passes: three days in 15, $91 first, $60 second, $45 youth; five days in 15, $151 first, $101 second, $76 youth; 10 days in 15, $303 first, $201 second, $151 youth.

Scandinavia

For traveling through Scandinavia, the railroads of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland have collaborated to offer the North American market first- and second-class flexible ScanRail Passes. They include half-fare passage aboard the astonishing Silja Line vessels between Stockholm and Helsinki. (With a Eurailpass, you ride free on these ships.) There is also a Nordturist Pass available only in Scandinavia.

Try to avoid riding first-class Swedish or Finnish business trains because of the excessive meal surcharge assessed on the Swedish X2000 and Finnish InterCity trains. Many Finnish trains are second class only, so you can save money by purchasing second-class FinnRail passes.

SCANRAIL PASS (RE): Flexible passes: four days in 15, $189 first class, $155 second; nine days in 21, $325 first, $265 second; 14 days in 30, $475 first, $369 second.

FINNRAIL PASS (RE, HT): Consecutive-day passes: eight days, $176 first class, $118 second; 15 days, $274 first, $183 second; 22 days, $345 first, $230 second.

Mediterranean

In Italy, reservations are required on all Pendolinos and most InterCity trains, but the Italian Railpass (which requires a $10 processing fee) lets you make them free. Only first-class pass holders have access to Pendolinos.

Greek rail passes have discounted rates for two or more traveling together.

Spain Flexipasses require a supplement to ride Spain’s high-speed AVE and some Talgos, deluxe trains. Prices are lower than last year, when Spain hosted the Olympic Games in Barcelona and the World’s Fair in Seville. Portugal has its own rail pass.

ITALIAN RAILPASS (CIT, DER): Consecutive-day passes: eight days, $226 first class, $152 second; 15 days, $284 first, $190 second; 21 days, $330 first, $220 second; 30 days, $396 first, $264 second. Flexible passes: four days in nine, $170 first, $116 second; eight days in 21, $250 first, $164 second; 12 days in one month, $314 first, $210 second.

GREEK RAIL PASS (RE): Flexible passes: five days in 15, $70 first class (two or more, $62 first); 10 days in one month, $125 first (two or more, $99 first).

SPAIN FLEXIPASS (RE): Flexible passes: three days in one month, $180 first class, $140 second; five days in one month, $280 first, $220 second; 10 days in one month, $400 first, $340 second.

PORTUGUESE RAIL PASS (RE): Flexible passes: four days in 15, $95 second class; seven days in 21, $145 second.

Eastern Europe

Passes are your most convenient way to travel through Eastern Europe, where you may encounter language difficulties. The new Russian Flexipass provides unlimited travel on routes to Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as the Trans-Siberian route to Vladivostok (which requires extra days). Reservations are required.

The European East Railpass lets you travel over the networks of the Austrian, Hungarian, Polish, Czech and Slovak railroads. Individual country passes also are available.

RUSSIAN FLEXIPASS (RE): Flexible pass: four days in 15, $298 first class, $198 second; additional days, $65 first, $40 second.

EUROPEAN EAST PASS (RE): Flexible passes: five days in 15, $160 first class; 10 days in one month, $259 first.

AUSTRIAN RABBIT CARD (DER, RE): Flexible pass: four days in 10, $147 first class, $99 second, $91 youth/first, $61 youth/second.

HUNGARIAN RAILPASS (RE): Flexible passes: five days in 15, $39 first class; 10 days in one month, $59 first.

CZECHOSLOVAK FLEXIPASS (RE): Flexible pass: five days in 15, $59 first class.

POLRAILPASS (RE): Consecutive-day passes: eight days, $50 first class, $35 second, $39 youth/first, $26 youth/second; 15 days, $60 first, $40 second, $45 youth/first, $30 youth/second; 21 days, $67 first, $45 second, $51 youth/first, $34 youth/second; one month, $75 first, $50 second, $57 youth/first, $38 youth/second.

Brunhouse, the author of “Adventuring on Eurail,” is a free-lance writer based in San Francisco.

Where to Get Rail Passes The following key to abbreviations in the accompanying story on European rail travel indicates where to obtain passes:

BR: BritRail Travel, 1500 Broadway, New York 10036, (800) 677-8585.

CIE: CIE Tours, P.O. Box 2355, Morristown, N.J. 07962, (8OO) CIE-TOUR.

CIT: CIT Travel Service, 342 Madison Ave., Suite 207, New York 10173, (212) 697-2100.

DER: DER Tours, European Rail Division, P.O. Box 2056, Des Plaines, Ill. 60017, (708) 692-6300.

HT: Holiday Tours of America, 425 Madison Ave., New York 10017, (800) 677-6454 or (212) 832-8989.

NBT: Netherlands Board of Tourism, 355 Lexington Ave., New York 10017, (212) 370-7367.

RE: Rail Europe, 226 Westchester Ave., White Plains, N.Y. 10604, (800) 438-7245.