tigin_ wrote:
Hi All,
Sorry in advance, probably my questions below have all been answered somewhere else in the forum, but I just can’t find the answers I’m looking for.
I have a mobile Flexi pass which I intend to use in Italy, France, Austria and Germany. However, I do not quite seem to get it: I have all my possible routes and train times added to the individual days in my trips. I learned from here in the forum to activate each day just before getting on the first train.
My questions:
- -Do I get QR Codes for each individual leg or is there just one code for the whole day covering all the legs (which means do I have to activate all trips of the day in one go?
- -or, can I activate one leg after the other during that day and can I add another, unplanned leg on that same day and activate it?
-Do I have to stick exactly to the train times or can I take any train, if it is just the same route? (all provided I don’t need a reservation)
You get a QR code for the day after activating just one journey. You can then add other journeys on the go (add them first to your trip and then to your pass with the slider button) and can even deactivate the first journey you activated if you decide to do a different journey instead (but once the travel day has been activated for that same day the travel day cannot be cancelled).
tigin_ wrote:
- -Reservations seem to be complicated. If I change from a non reservation train to one where I need one, how much time would I usually need on an Italian train station to get the reservation at the desk or automat?
It really depends on the situation: some stations might have a queue for ticket offices, some trains might be sold out so short before departure, ...
Reservations for Italian trains can be made online through oebb.at (see the reservations guide for a detailed guide), so if you see you're going to reach your connection you could book it through them.
tigin_ wrote:
- I understand if I get a reservation earlier (as recommended by Interail) and I missed a connection my reservation would be void and gone.
I believe if Trenitalia is to blame for the delay of the previous train, they should also offer you a reservation on the next train. No experience with this, so can’t say for sure how that works out in practice.
tigin_ wrote:
- What is your experience with reservations in Italy and France. Would it usually be ok to get the reservation just before trip on the station itself? Any traps?
Reservations in France increase in price depending on demand: some seats are sold at €10, but once those are sold out remaining seats are sold at €20. Since trains can sell out as well and since all these reservations can be cancelled free of charge up to the departure time (though note the booking fees charged by Interrail/b-europe are not refundable), I think it generally is a good idea to book them ahead, and cancel them if unneeded.
Domestic French reservations can be booked through the Interrail reservations portal (€2 additional fee per person), a dedicated site of the Belgian railways (€4 additional fee per booking), through SNCF telephone ticket sales and at SNCF ticket machines (no extra fee) in French stations (& in Luxembourg) and at some ticket offices (but I believe not at DB ticket offices). The Interrail reservations portal is my last choice, generally, as it is not able to sell connecting tickets.
French domestic trains do not have quotas limiting the number of passholder tickets sold for them, but the France-Germany TGV/ICE do. Book those early if you intend to take them (those can be booked through DB ticket offices).
Not as experienced travelling in Italy, so can’t say much about that. It did work pretty fine with me to book the reservations online through ÖBB.