Hello everyone! It is my first time using the Eurail Global Pass, and I thought that I could book a train from Paris to Barcelona online as I saw it was available. It wasn’t until I activated my pass and tried to book to discover that it is paper pass only, which was not indicated anywhere on the Booking Reservations part of the site.
I have read from some other topics that it is basically impossible to get a ticket from Barcelona to Paris the day before for pass holders (I am flying in to Paris on Sunday, May 15), and I am incredibly worried that I will not be able to get there by train. Would anyone be able to provide some advice on the best alternatives to get to Barcelona from Paris in what seems to be an extremely likely event that I will not be able to secure a seat on the high speed train?
Thank you very much for your help!
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Call SNCF (press #85 for English) to book by phone and ask to collect your reservation at the station or ticket machine. To collect, you'll probably need the credit card used for the booking.
Thank you for the reply, rvdborgt. I will try calling them here shortly when their office is open. I was actually wondering something. I saw your reply in a different topic that you were able to see dates that were still available to pass holders. Is that something that I am able to see myself (via Book Reservations), or is it something on your end that you could see? I am hoping that the availability that I saw for May 16th is actually accurate on the Eurail website.
I saw your reply in a different topic that you were able to see dates that were still available to pass holders. Is that something that I am able to see myself (via Book Reservations),
You can indeed see that there, but you have to log in. There are still available seats:
So I had a wonderful phone call with an SNCF representative. I was able to book the high speed train (TGV inOui) from Paris to Barcelona over the phone via your instructions, and the representative was able to SEND THE TICKET BY EMAIL. I now have my ticket in my email inbox, and do not have to pick it up in person. This must be a very recent change because I have not seen this as a resolution for the Paris to Barcelona route in any other topics.
The representative also did not require any information regarding my Eurail Global Pass number. All I had to do was tell her that I had a pass, and she only charged me the seat reservation fee.
NOTE FOR AMERICAN RESIDENTS : The representative told me that they are only able to purchase tickets over the phone with an American Express card because Visa and Mastercard numbers are not recognized in their payment system. I tested it with my Visa travel card, and the phone payment system said that the number was not recognized. Thankfully, I have an American Express card and it worked flawlessly.
So I had a wonderful phone call with an SNCF representative. I was able to book the high speed train (TGV inOui) from Paris to Barcelona over the phone via your instructions, and the representative was able to SEND THE TICKET BY EMAIL.
Thanks for this information!
@Nanja when will this be implemented?
Has anyone else been able to do this?
Bump.
Need to book 2 tickets on the TGV9708 on 12th June so would also appreciate any guidance.
I have a VISA card which I've used to book all reservations so far and no issues.
