Replies posted by BrendanDB

1453 Replies

N
NadiaBlueRight on track
asked in Eurail & Interrail Passes

Not sure wether Interrail is the best choice?

With interrail, there are some way to cut off a lot of trains with compulsory reservation.Avoiding Eurostar, taking a local train across the border (e.g. TER/ RE Offenburg-Strasbourg) can already save quite a lot of Euro’s. The question is if you’lld want to do that with your kids, juggling a bit with cross border or regional trains :)Do you already have an idea of an exact route?

23
N
1 month ago
J
JHON MEJIARail rookie
asked in Ask the community

Seat Reservations Brussels, Amsterdam, London

Without a travel date, it's impossible to answer your question. 

2
R
Railmaster
2 months ago
P
Pete TNew aboard
posted in Ask the community

train direct or stop along the way

Sounds like you’re quite unfamiliar with train travel.No worries, we’re happy to help here. Best is to read the gold standard website of train travel in Europe thoroughly: the man in seat 61: https://www.seat61.com/european-train-travel.htm There are many country specific pages. You can get practically anywhere. From the big cities, Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna, Warschau, to unknown places like Beernem, Franeker, Marktredwitz, or Génolhac and everything in between.There are many sorts and types of trains:Down is a ranking from fastest and less stop to slowest with more stops. The higher categories are often more comfortable, with a bar or dining car and better seats. You won’t find these on local services:High speed trains: TGV, Eurostar, ICE, Frecciarossa, AVE, Railjet, Snabbtoget… (very often with compulsory seat reservations, sometimes optional seat reservations) Long distance trains: Intercity (IC), Eurocity (EC), Regiontog,… (often with seat reservations, sometimes optional seat

3
Y
Full steam ahead
2 months ago
Valerie Lutz
Valerie LutzNew aboard
asked in Ask the community

train de nuit par interail

@Amandine M Il faut comparer bien entre un interrail et des billets. Si tu fait seulement deux trains de nuits, et pas des autres trains, il vaut mieux d’acheter des billets normaux. Vous vous trouverez les prix des billets (et reservations) sur www.entur.no .

3
BrendanDB
Full steam ahead
2 months ago
X
Keeps calm and carries on
XufangKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Eurail & Interrail Passes

1st class Globe Pass seat reservations on OBB site no longer free?

Or they invented a new rule, with mandatory summer reservations, to earn a bit more money in the busy summer months?

34
X
Keeps calm and carries on
1 month ago
A
anarrpRail rookie
asked in Train connections & reservations

1st class seat Reservation with 2nd class pass: EC163 (Zurich - Innsbruck)

@BrendanDB so, just to confirm: from your knowledge, do I need to upgrade the pass for 1st class? Can't I just upgrade my seat reservation specifically for that travel? You can do that for one specific travel. The class upgrade for that trip will be the price difference between 1st and 2nd class on the day you travel. It can get costly. I don’t know if you can buy it online.

6
R
Railmaster
2 months ago
A
anarrpRail rookie
asked in Train connections & reservations

1st class seat Reservation with 2nd class pass: EC163 (Zurich - Innsbruck)

You need to buy a class upgrade first, before you’ll be able to do that with the ticket inspector.I don’t know exactly how much the upgrade would be, but I think at least 35 eur extra per person (the surcharge for 1st class on the website for sparpreis tickets).If someone else who’s more familiar with this could confirm?

6
R
Railmaster
2 months ago
C
cdeccioRight on track
asked in Ask the community

Amsterdam to Barcelona seat reservations

Okay: I’ve found an option. Very long travel day though @cdeccio Dep 06:28 Amsterdam C to Brussels via reservation free IC Arr: 09:17 Brussel-Zuid/Bruxelles-Midi Dep 10:17 Brussels to Valence TGV (by TGV, 20 eur per seat reservation on rail Europe) Arrival 14:48 in Valence TGV Departure: 16:57 in Valence TGV to Barcelona (TGV), arrival 21:27. (25 EUR per seat reservation according to rail europe).Note that there’s not much to do in Valence TGV (don’t go to Valence ville, long distance from the tgv station!)If you split it up in raileurope (Brussels-Valence TGV, Valence TGV-Barcelona) you should be able to book it online.Book it asap though!An Alternative option would be:Continue your journey with reservation free trains from Amsterdam-Antwerp-Lille (fr) and get a direct TGVthere to Montpellier/Nîmes from there (10 or 20 EUR seat reservation). Spend the night there and continue your journey via TGV to Barcelona the other day, or reservation free regional trains, by changing in Perpignan

14
C
1 month ago
C
cdeccioRight on track
asked in Ask the community

Amsterdam to Barcelona seat reservations

Okay, I’m going to puzzle a bit. I’ll get back to you ;)

14
C
1 month ago
C
cdeccioRight on track
asked in Ask the community

Amsterdam to Barcelona seat reservations

If you mention the exact route and trains you plan to take, we can help you figure out alternatives.13th of march doesn’t seem like a busy travel day, so probably you can risk it just buying reservations for the AVE on the platform in Lyon. But, it’s a stressing factor though.Trains between France and Spain are very infrequent. Very annoying.

14
C
1 month ago
C
cdeccioRight on track
asked in Ask the community

Amsterdam to Barcelona seat reservations

What’s your exact route looking like?I presume you want to take the AVE from Lyon? That’s indeed only to be bought with the train personnel when the train is on the platform.The TGV Paris-Barcelona should be reservable online, doesn’t stop in Lyon, but does in Nîmes, Montpellier, Perpignan,...

14
C
1 month ago
T
tommygunxsNew aboard
asked in Ask the community

Eurorail and trenit (trenitalia) - can I use my eurorail discont in italy?

I guess you mean making seat reservations on Trenitalia trains with compulsory reservation?You can get them via www.raileurope.com (desktop version only) or via ÖBBShould be 13 EUR per seat reservation on Frecce trains (high speed trains), 3 EUR on IC services.Interrail/Eurail passes count as tickets, so if you take regional trains without seat reservation, you shouldn’t pay anything extra. Just register your train you want to take in the app and board.

1
BrendanDB
Full steam ahead
2 months ago
P
Peter OsborneRight on track
asked in Train connections & reservations

Missing trains

Thanks guys. I think it will become clearer as I use it. Its attractive to me because of the flexibility. Its risky to prebook trains and then hope you’ll get them all. The best strategy is to have some buffer time of one or two hours somewhere in the middle, or between two important trains, with compulsory reservations (when doing very long distances with high speed trains or night trains).In your case for the route Venice-Lauterbrunnen, only the Frecciarossa (Italy’s high speed train) is a train with compulsory reservations. Swiss trains are rarely worthwile to be reserved, as they are long, frequent and run like clockwork. Train changes are almost always reached, as connections are assured.

12
T
Full steam ahead
2 months ago
P
Peter OsborneRight on track
asked in Train connections & reservations

Missing trains

‘Trains that are added to the pass, show up under the QR-code’ do you mean the QR code is a dynamic thing that updates anytime you add a train during the day?   The QR-code is generated when activating a travel day. A lot of inspectors don’t scan the QR-code, but just look at the trains you registered. So each train you take needs to be registered.You can find a tutorial on the mobile pass here:https://www.interrail.eu/en/interrail-passes/interrail-mobile-pass/getting-startedIt seems complicated at first, but it’s really straightforward when you’re doing it. Just see it as a digital version of a paper pass, where you fill out train per train on a line with pen and paper, when travelling. A sort of travel diary actually :)The app also gives you a nice map and statistics of your travels.

12
T
Full steam ahead
2 months ago
P
Peter OsborneRight on track
asked in Train connections & reservations

Missing trains

Thanks - so it would be better to do each stage as a single journey, and as I travel during the day, progressively save them to the trip and get a ticket for that stage?  So I could preset them in the planner and then transfer each to my trip as I progress during the day? That’s what I do usually indeed :)And when necessary you change the plan, because of possible delay, or crowding on a train, or rerouting for a more scenic route,… plenty of freedom to customize your travels with your pass 

12
T
Full steam ahead
2 months ago
P
Peter OsborneRight on track
asked in Train connections & reservations

Missing trains

You can add train per train per train. E.g. Venice-Milan, Milan-Domodossola, Domodossola-Brig,… and so on.You don’t necessarily have to do the proposed route in the rail planner app. If you want a break in the middle somewhere, perfectly possible. Adding train by train, makes that possible.It’s recommended to split up larger journeys in fact.See it as your travel diary. Should you miss a train at some point, you just look for the next connections in the station you’re at in the rail planner app that suit your needs, and add them to the pass.Trains that are added to the pass, show up under the QR-code. On a travel day, you can add and delete as many as trains as needed.

12
T
Full steam ahead
2 months ago
J
JimMNew aboard
asked in Eurail & Interrail Passes

rail travel in france

Long distance trains in France have mandatory reservations, so yes, it costs extra. 10 or 20 eur per seat. Price, depends. When are you travelling? Check prices on sncf-connect and compare ordinary prices with prices of a pass. 

1
BrendanDB
Full steam ahead
2 months ago
Z
Zak
asked in Eurail & Interrail Passes

2-person passes

The passes are always separate, since they are bound to your name. I have no knowledge of two person passes.I guess you have mobile passes? When you buy them (whether you buy two passes, or each one buys a pass), you'll each get a code which you can use to activate it on the app. Only activate it, just before starting your travels. You can put two passes on one device, but best is to have one each. Easier with ticket checks, getting through gates or a failsafe should one phone get stolen or lost. 

3
Z
2 months ago
L
LeslieRail rookie
asked in Ask the community

Very Urgent Question!!

What are you booking exactly, where are you doing it? Note that seat reservations on domestic UK services are for free and optional (and often not possible). You don't have to reserve anything for this connection. Register the train in the app or your paper pass just before travelling, Just hop on a Southern train to Shoreham, find a free seat and enjoy the ride and show the QR code or your paper pass upon inspection. You can't reserve seats here, this is a typical, very frequent commuter service. 

8
Y
Full steam ahead
2 months ago
Nito BT
Nito BTNew aboard
asked in Ask the community

About the mobil pass

It’s better that everyone has it on their own phone (for ticket gates, inspections,...) Just make sure that they register each train.And should anyone lose his/her phone, you can still show it on another phone with a repair code.

1
BrendanDB
Full steam ahead
2 months ago
L
Lee ting yiRight on track
asked in Eurail & Interrail Passes

lner bus replacement

I'm not aware of the actual situation. But most buses have place for big luggage. Or in the trunk of a coach/intercity like bus, or some polyvalent space if it's more of a city bus. Nothing to worry about I reckon. 

6
L
2 months ago
Tania Baeyens
Keeps calm and carries on
Tania BaeyensKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Lille Flandres IC train

Probably some uncertainty in the planner due to works. If you decide go for the tgv. You better buy ordinary TGV tickets, instead of making seat reservations with Interrail. Ordinary tgv tickets Lille - Brussels are about 19 eur. Cheaper than the seat reservations with Interrail. 

6
R
Railmaster
2 months ago
P
Palle DamRight on track
asked in Train connections & reservations

Short notice reservations in France

I find the French TERs are usually very comfortable (there are exceptions). Depending on the material, easily most comfortable regional trains in Europe. In those regions it's mostly AGC trains or Régiolis, which have seats that are on par with IC trains  in some countries in Europe.Slower, but comfortable should the TGVs be full. 

8
T
Full steam ahead
2 months ago
panzersp
panzerspRail rookie
asked in Train connections & reservations

Lille Europe direct to Avignon TGV #9830

The orange seats is where you'll find electric plugs (prise de courant) @panzersp

5
BrendanDB
Full steam ahead
2 months ago
Madelene Louwrens
Madelene LouwrensNew aboard
asked in Routes & destinations

train route

Cambronne is a metro station, not included in the Eurail pass (as it is urban transport).You’ll need to get to Paris Gare de Lyon. Most convenient option would be:Paris gare de Lyon, at 06:50 TGV 6467 toSt-Gervais-lesBains-le-Fayet, arrival 11:34, departure 12:28 toChamonix-Mont-Blanc (With a TER to Vallorcine) arrival 13:13Or a bit later:Paris Gare de Lyon dep 10:31 TGV 6473St-Gervais-les-Bains-le-Fayet, arrival 15:36, departure 16:35 (by bus)Chamonix-Mont-Blanc: arrival 17:00 You need seat reservation for the TGV.Reserve your TGV trains at www.raileurope.com , you can also check the train times as well there. 

3
A
Railly clever
2 months ago
Terms and Conditions & Privacy PolicyCookie settings