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Apologies, we’re new to this, but can’t get through to https://www.myinterrail.co.uk/ on the phone and are waiting for support emails to be replied.

How do I find out if specific trains are available BEFORE booking our Interrail Pass?

​​​​​​​On https://www.interrail.eu/en/book-reservations#/ - it shows an 08:30 train from Caen to Paris on Sunday 24th July, but I can’t find this exact service on SNCF / other train ticket websites. It looks like the only train that connects well with our ferry into Caen and that will also get us to Paris in time to connect with trains down to Port-bou. 

I appreciate we’ve left this a bit late (passport problems etc), but it feels like our entire holiday hinges on whether we can book this 08:30 train... 

Thanks in advance

Do NOT use app/planner-it gets updated only 1/month It should be self-evident that very best palce www is always railway concerned-in this case sncf BUT as these trains are now considered (and paid for) by the region Normandie and are called NoMaD. Thus use the ter.sncf +name of region part of site. Best general site for all what app covers+little more and frequent updated is bahn.com (german rails-it also tells very clearly if RES is mandatory/optional or not possible

Next hurdle : on weekends and going all the way to P it has a kind of Mandatory RES-as the region stipulates that and to prevent gross overcrowding. IT will not be overcr in C, but maybe later on-from last stop before P it fills up-it may mean that you get chased away from a empty seat all the time.

RES can be done only via SNCF machines for 1,50 and most reports for now say that conductors are not taking it overly seriously-as they would on TGV.

Oh-confused maybe? Caen is very well in the mid of country and does not have any harbour-but a new tramway replacing a former kind of new-tech that did not quite succeed.

maybe Cherbourg?

Here is some useful information from the experienced travellers in the Community regarding both planning, reservations and activation of pass and travel days. 

 

Planning

The rail planner is normally not up to date, as it only is updated once a month, so to be sure of the time table you better check the timetable and availability on the websites of the national railways. The bigger national railways, like DB (Germany) SBB (Switzerland) and ÖBB (Austria) cover several countries. 

 

Reservations 

The advice from the experienced travellers in the community is to use other ways to make reservations than the Interrail/Eurail website.  You can look at the guide in the link:

https://community.eurail.com/train-connections-reservations-47/how-to-get-reservations-105

If you, after having looked at the guide, have questions about how to make specific reservation, please give your travel details (departure date, time and route) preferably in a new topic, and you will get advice.

Please note that Interrail/Eurail charges an extra fee of 2 EUR per person and ticket in addition to the fee for the seat reservation.

 

Activation of pass

During the activation process, when you choose the start day of the validity of the pass, the first day of the validity period is automatically made a travel day, even if you don't enter a journey, the advice is therefore not to activate the pass before the first travel day as you only can deactivate the pass before 00.00 on the day the validity starts. If your travel plans change in the last moment you will loose travel days if you have activated the pass in advance.

It can be wise to make a test and activate the pass with a start date well in the future and then deactivate the pass immediately, just to see that everything works.

 

 Activation of travel day

The advice from the experienced travellers in the community is also never to activate a travel day, that is connect a journey to your pass, until just before boarding the train, otherwise you might loose a travel day if your travel plans change in a late stage  You can't delete a travel day in the past. A travel day can only be deleted until 23.59 CET the day before the travel day

Do NOT use app/planner-it gets updated only 1/month It should be self-evident that very best palce www is always railway concerned-in this case sncf BUT as these trains are now considered (and paid for) by the region Normandie and are called NoMaD. Thus use the ter.sncf +name of region part of site. Best general site for all what app covers+little more and frequent updated is bahn.com (german rails-it also tells very clearly if RES is mandatory/optional or not possible

Next hurdle : on weekends and going all the way to P it has a kind of Mandatory RES-as the region stipulates that and to prevent gross overcrowding. IT will not be overcr in C, but maybe later on-from last stop before P it fills up-it may mean that you get chased away from a empty seat all the time.

RES can be done only via SNCF machines for 1,50 and most reports for now say that conductors are not taking it overly seriously-as they would on TGV.

Oh-confused maybe? Caen is very well in the mid of country and does not have any harbour-but a new tramway replacing a former kind of new-tech that did not quite succeed.

maybe Cherbourg?

Thank you, I will look into all this.

Yes, I do mean Caen, although the ferry docks in Ouistreham, about 15km north of Caen itself https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ferry-routes/ferries-france/portsmouth-caen/about 

On https://www.interrail.eu/en/book-reservations#/ - it shows an 08:30 train from Caen to Paris on Sunday 24th July, but I can’t find this exact service on SNCF / other train ticket websites.

Caen 8:30 - Paris 11:13 is a TER with mandatory reservations, an SNCF invention (Price is €1.50). Reservations are not possible anywhere online, please complain to SNCF Normandie about that.

You can book reservations at an SNCF ticket office and SNCF ticket machines. Maybe also via phone (press #85 for English). If you call SNCF, do let us know what they said.

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