Besides wider seat, wifi, etc. as advertised on the website, are there other benefits in reservation, luggage space in 1st class cabins, change of trip, etc. We are planning a trip between Germany, Czehia, Hungary, Austria, possibly Switzerland, I don’t see much direct night train available to warrant a 1st class purchase. Any insight to the differences is appreciated.
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Eurail 1st class vs. 2nd class
Best answer by seewulf
You don´t need a 1st Class pass for Nighttrains as for example on Nightjet you can reserve even a sleeper deluxe with a 2nd class pass :)
1. of all it´s often less crowded (few exceptions are possible)
2. You have with a 1st class pass acccess to the waiting lounges of Austrian Rail and Hungarian Rail (Budapest only), Czech Republic you can visit them even with a 2nd Class pass and a reservation for a Fasttrain 
Germany no access for Railpassuser :/
3. You have a bit more of service for example a on seat service from the dinning car on major trains
4. SwissRail have some special Panoramic coaches on Eurocitý´s from Graz to Zürich EC 163/164 “Transalpin” that can be used with a 1st Class pass They are even on Route between Hamburg - Cologne - Rhinevalley - Mannheim - Basel - Zürich Here some pictures of these Eurocity Panorama cars
Reservations for the Panoramic trains as GlacierExpress or BeninaExpress can be a bit more expensive as in 2nd Class :) but with a 1st class pass you have always the choice between both travel classes :)
+15Steve Hall wrote:
It’s not a reply but more a supplementary question.
If I do take a 1st class pass, am I obligated always to pay the 1st class reservations etc or can I pay for a 2nd class resrevation and “only” sit in second class?
TIA
Steve
No you can still decide to book / sit in the second class :) Depending feom Country there is sometimes no price difference between 1st Class reservations and 2nd class reservations :)
+1It’s not a reply but more a supplementary question.
If I do take a 1st class pass, am I obligated always to pay the 1st class reservations etc or can I pay for a 2nd class resrevation and “only” sit in second class?
TIA
Steve
+15RAWLSUSA wrote:
Wow, those are awesome pics from the panoramic train cabins. So if I get a 2nd class ticket, can I book 1st class seats with upgrade fees?
Yes it´s usually possible to buy upgrade tickets from 2nd Class to 1st Class
It´s usually the difference between the standard fare 2nd Class and 1st class :) (Depends on the Route)
I used often Promotional and Saver Tickets in German called “Sparpreis” or “SparSchiene” as they were cheaper as the upgrade and i saved a travelday of my flexipass for another nice stop :)
Wow, those are awesome pics from the panoramic train cabins. So if I get a 2nd class ticket, can I book 1st class seats with upgrade fees?
+15You don´t need a 1st Class pass for Nighttrains as for example on Nightjet you can reserve even a sleeper deluxe with a 2nd class pass :)
1. of all it´s often less crowded (few exceptions are possible)
2. You have with a 1st class pass acccess to the waiting lounges of Austrian Rail and Hungarian Rail (Budapest only), Czech Republic you can visit them even with a 2nd Class pass and a reservation for a Fasttrain Germany no access for Railpassuser :/
3. You have a bit more of service for example a on seat service from the dinning car on major trains
4. SwissRail have some special Panoramic coaches on Eurocitý´s from Graz to Zürich EC 163/164 “Transalpin” that can be used with a 1st Class pass They are even on Route between Hamburg - Cologne - Rhinevalley - Mannheim - Basel - Zürich Here some pictures of these Eurocity Panorama cars
Reservations for the Panoramic trains as GlacierExpress or BeninaExpress can be a bit more expensive as in 2nd Class :) but with a 1st class pass you have always the choice between both travel classes :)
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