It is a matter of definition:
If you are using your pass as your ticket and are buying a “reservation”, you need to use a travel day. If you are using your pass to get a “Discount” (such as on most ferries which offer discount), you don’t need to use a travel day.
On the train you likely are buying a reservation only, unless you decide that a full ticket + reservation suits you better than using a travel day.
On the ferries you are probably getting a discount, unless the ferry is included. There are some ferries that are “free” for passholders, for which you do need to use a travel day even though those also add considerable fees. If that’s the only journey you’re taking that day, you might be cheaper off taking another ferry that just offers a “discount” (or no discount at all).
Bonjour mdm/mlle.
Your /Votre Q is not quite clear to me. Of course you need to use traveldays for sitting in any train. THat pass IS your billet=ticket for that. ONly in SOME cases you also need to buy an extra RES, that as such is not a billet, but an extra. And as is also clearly in the general info: the trips IN your hexagone are NOT extra free, but also have to be done on traveldays- a MAX of 2 can be used In own country. Somehow it seems that only the Francais seem unable to grasp that, following this forum for a long time.
To use a train de nuit=nighttrain, like Sof-Ist (ends at some bleak banlieue gare):it is enough to only use the day the train starts-so on that day you can also do f.e. a daytrip out of Sof to some interesting gare/village inside BG. And yes, the RES for that train can only be done at the special counter in the gare centrale SOF-closed dimanche=sundays. Do not panick too much: often space enough, seulement en couchette. In fact, depending on what pass you buy, it may be a few € cheaper to simply buy a normal ticket, incl CC, as passday+CC. Not all countries are that expensive-or strike that much- as SNCF in FR.
There are many more ferries from GR to IT and IT to HR=Hrvatska=Croatie, and some give discount (not that much), but for that you do NOT need to use traveldays-only show pass. In fact, assuming vous etes encore junior-the same discount is also by that age, so you gain effectively nothing.
To use a train de nuit=nighttrain, like Sof-Ist (ends at some bleak banlieue gare):it is enough to only use the day the train starts-so on that day you can also do f.e. a daytrip out of Sof to some interesting gare/village inside BG. And yes, the RES for that train can only be done at the special counter in the gare centrale SOF-closed dimanche=sundays. Do not panick too much: often space enough, seulement en couchette.
Please check your info before you post. The night train Sofia-Istanbul has sleepers and couchettes:
https://www.bdz.bg/en/a/sofia-istanbul-sofia
Maybe i explained myself wrong, if i buy a ticket at the station in Sofia (full price) for the nighttrain to istanbul, do i have to activate my pass ? I just want to use the travel days wisely and keep enough of them to do everything i have planned
If you buy a full-priced ticket (without any discount from a pass), you indeed don't need to use a travel day. It would be as if you did not have a pass for that day.
Maybe i explained myself wrong, if i buy a ticket at the station in Sofia (full price) for the nighttrain to istanbul, do i have to activate my pass ? I just want to use the travel days wisely and keep enough of them to do everything i have planned
In that case: of course not. A full price ticket stands on its own, and includes the reservation. Buying a normal ticket has nothing to do with the pass.
When travelling in the (far) east of Europe, trains are quite cheap. Often cheaper than a pass day + reservation cost if you calculate it.
