Hi,
I have recently purchased a 1st class Eurail global pass for our 2 weeks trip to Europe. While trying to reserve seat from Paris to Basel eurail website did not show me any seat choice.
How do I pick a particular seat for that journey? Will I face the same issue with hispeed trains within Italy too?
Thanks.
Best answer by thibcabe
Yes you cannot choose a seat on Eurail. By going through the railway companies directly you can sometimes state your preference.
For this route you can call SNCF : https://www.sncf.com/en/customer-service/contact-us/telephone
As the TGV to Basel is very expensive (57€ in 1st class) you can take the TGV until the border to Mulhouse or Strasbourg : 10€ limited fare in 1st class, then 20€. It doesn't take longer and you can state your preference here : https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish
+8First of all, the TGV from Paris to Switzerland is ridiculously overpriced when reserving a seat via interrail.
Only take the TGV until Mulhouse (Fr) and switch to a half-hourly regional train to Basel (no seat reservatoin possible). It’ll cut down reservation cost a lot and barely costs more time.
Book your seats Paris-Mulhouse here: https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish
You can select your seat preferences there, but not choose from a map.
For which you’ll need a pass cover number:
When do you want to take this train?
For Italy, when you’ll book it via the interrail reservation service, or the ÖBB website, you’ll have the same issue of not being able to select your seat.
Yes you cannot choose a seat on Eurail. By going through the railway companies directly you can sometimes state your preference.
For this route you can call SNCF : https://www.sncf.com/en/customer-service/contact-us/telephone
As the TGV to Basel is very expensive (57€ in 1st class) you can take the TGV until the border to Mulhouse or Strasbourg : 10€ limited fare in 1st class, then 20€. It doesn't take longer and you can state your preference here : https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish
First of all, the TGV from Paris to Switzerland is ridiculously overpriced when reserving a seat via interrail.
Only take the TGV until Mulhouse (Fr) and switch to a half-hourly regional train to Basel (no seat reservatoin possible). It’ll cut down reservation cost a lot and barely costs more time.
Book your seats Paris-Mulhouse here: https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish
You can select your seat preferences there, but not choose from a map.
For which you’ll need a pass cover number:
When do you want to take this train?
For Italy, when you’ll book it via the interrail reservation service, or the ÖBB website, you’ll have the same issue of not being able to select your seat.
Thanks for your reply. Travel date is 27th Sep at 9.25am and it seems it will go till Strasbourg. Then from there to Basel that does not require reservation.
Yes you cannot choose a seat on Eurail. By going through the railway companies directly you can sometimes state your preference.
For this route you can call SNCF : https://www.sncf.com/en/customer-service/contact-us/telephone
As the TGV to Basel is very expensive (57€ in 1st class) you can take the TGV until the border to Mulhouse or Strasbourg : 10€ limited fare in 1st class, then 20€. It doesn't take longer and you can state your preference here : https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish
I just called them. The associate told me it is not possible to book seat with only reservation cost over phone and I have to go through Eurail site.
I am going via Strasbourg btw.
First of all, the TGV from Paris to Switzerland is ridiculously overpriced when reserving a seat via interrail.
Only take the TGV until Mulhouse (Fr) and switch to a half-hourly regional train to Basel (no seat reservatoin possible). It’ll cut down reservation cost a lot and barely costs more time.
Book your seats Paris-Mulhouse here: https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish
You can select your seat preferences there, but not choose from a map.
For which you’ll need a pass cover number:
When do you want to take this train?
For Italy, when you’ll book it via the interrail reservation service, or the ÖBB website, you’ll have the same issue of not being able to select your seat.
The seat preference drop down is very basic at that b-europe site though. I mean how do I force it to pick window face to face one seaters for two people?
+8You cannot.
Just ask other people to switch seats, if they’re not to your liking, they’ll probably won’t make a problem from it.
Yes you cannot choose a seat on Eurail. By going through the railway companies directly you can sometimes state your preference.
For this route you can call SNCF : https://www.sncf.com/en/customer-service/contact-us/telephone
I just called them. The associate told me it is not possible to book seat with only reservation cost over phone and I have to go through Eurail site.
They lied to you.
Yes you cannot choose a seat on Eurail. By going through the railway companies directly you can sometimes state your preference.
For this route you can call SNCF : https://www.sncf.com/en/customer-service/contact-us/telephone
I just called them. The associate told me it is not possible to book seat with only reservation cost over phone and I have to go through Eurail site.
They lied to you.
So what do I do? tbh it was bit difficult to understand him in the first place but at the end he told me to go to eurail.
+8Try again a bit later, and hope you have a better trained employee at the phone. Or friendly, but firmly insist that it is possible, (and maybe ask for someone else at the phone, or the manager).
Or just leave it be, as the exact position of the seat isn’t that important anyway. You can always go to the bar to look out of the window, ask to switch with someone or take an unoccupied seat. Especially that time of the year there might be some seats left. The view alongside high-speed lines is rather boring anyway.
First of all, the TGV from Paris to Switzerland is ridiculously overpriced when reserving a seat via interrail.
Only take the TGV until Mulhouse (Fr) and switch to a half-hourly regional train to Basel (no seat reservatoin possible). It’ll cut down reservation cost a lot and barely costs more time.
Book your seats Paris-Mulhouse here: https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish
You can select your seat preferences there, but not choose from a map.
For which you’ll need a pass cover number:
When do you want to take this train?
For Italy, when you’ll book it via the interrail reservation service, or the ÖBB website, you’ll have the same issue of not being able to select your seat.
I was looking at the OBB website. I put in a travel from Rome to Milan on 9 Oct and chose a random FR train. Now, in the seat selection section for either class it does not show me any option at all unlike b-europe where it at least shows 2 or 3 options. It just shows me name of the class under the coach text.
Is that expected behaviour?
+8First of all, the TGV from Paris to Switzerland is ridiculously overpriced when reserving a seat via interrail.
Only take the TGV until Mulhouse (Fr) and switch to a half-hourly regional train to Basel (no seat reservatoin possible). It’ll cut down reservation cost a lot and barely costs more time.
Book your seats Paris-Mulhouse here: https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish
You can select your seat preferences there, but not choose from a map.
For which you’ll need a pass cover number:
When do you want to take this train?
For Italy, when you’ll book it via the interrail reservation service, or the ÖBB website, you’ll have the same issue of not being able to select your seat.
I was looking at the OBB website. I put in a travel from Rome to Milan on 9 Oct and chose a random FR train. Now, in the seat selection section for either class it does not show me any option at all unlike b-europe where it at least shows 2 or 3 options. It just shows me name of the class under the coach text.
Is that expected behaviour?
It is.
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