Encouraged by your success, I have just tried again. When I proceeded to Checkout this time, I do not get the message “Please find an alternative connection.” This time, I went to payment, and completed the order. And SNCF arranged my refund over the phone. So, success at last! And it remains a mystery why your system generated this message when I tried this a few days ago. Thank you so much for your help.
From Paris Gare d’Austerlitz to Latour-de-Canal, departing 22.12. Intercite de Nuit. 2 travellers, both holding 1st Class Interrail Passes [4 days in one month]. Rather than provide lots of screenshots, if you look back through this thread, you will see all the various attempts I made to buy Passholder Reservations for this journey. Any help you can give on this would be greatly appreciated.
Just a quick response to your question. SNCF did not suggest this. I came up with the idea myself. I could not figure out any other way of getting on that night train using my Interail Pass. And I am glad someone from Interrail/Eurail will be reading this thread. Maybe they will now figure out a more sensible solution than the one I had to use!!
International Rail never came back on my online enquiry, and kept me hanging for 10 minutes [@ 10p/min] before I gave up that one too. In the end, I bought two tickets direct from SNCF by phone, with couchette reservations. When we get to Paris, I can then buy the Interrail couchette reservations, and get a refund on the tickets from SNCF. I lose 15 Euros per person on the refunds, but I figure if this is the only way we can get on that night train, it’s worth it!All very frustrating. If Interrail is reading this, you need to sort this out with SNCF!
My sense is that, for the “Intercites de Nuit” night trains, SNCF no longer sells reservations separate from tickets. This sort-of makes sense. They don’ want people turning up late at night making a fuss, because they have a ticket and no reservation! Unfortunately, however this has presented a problem for Interrail users, who already have a ticket, but just need a reservation. It would appear to be impossible.I have completed an online Enquiry Form for International Rail, and I will wait 24 hours. But I am not hopeful. ( will post an update here after that.If there is anyone out there who has actually managed to purchase an SNCF couchette reservation on the basis of an Interrail ticket, do please tell me the secret of your success!
I phoned SNCF, and spoke to a very helpful guy. He explained that SNCF could not sell me a Passholder Reservation for couchettes on the Paris-Latour night train. He checked. There are plenty available in both classes. But they can only sell reservations when they sell tickets.I also tried Belgian Railways. They also could not help on this.So, I have reached a dead end. Unless anyone here has any bright ideas, there seems to be no way to purchase couchette reservations on the basis of an Interrail Pass on this night train. Very disappointing. Any bright ideas???
Thank you so much, both of you, for taking the trouble to help me on this. After trying to book the Paris-Latour night train on the B-Europe website, and failing, I called them. She looked it up, and confirmed that B-Europe is unable to book this Intercite de Nuit train for Interrail passengers. She suggested I try booking direct with SNCF. Does anyone know of an SNCF web page or phone number which deals specifically with reservations for people with Interrail Passes?
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