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Hi, 

I have 2 questions; 

  1. When planning a trip requiring a train change, I notice there is often a very brief amount of time eg: Brugges to Paris via Brussels has 10 mins (or less). The first leg does not require a reservation so, can I catch an earlier train to ensure I have enough time to catch the second one, which DOES required a reservation? If so, how do i do this on the planning function on the app as it defaults to the quickest trip? or doesn’t it really matter as long as I am there in time for the train requiring reservations?
  2. We are a group of 6 and would like to sit together if possible. Does this mean 1 person has to make all the bookings? How does than work with the app?

Thank you and I apologise if I have been long-winded and unclear.

Diane.

You can add multiple trains for one leg and just select the one you use.

Sometimes it may be simpler to add each leg separately as the planner will always give the shortest valid connections for a multi-leg journey.

Reservations have to be booked on external sites as the app does not reserve seats, a guide for where to do this is available here https://www.seat61.com/interrail-and-eurail-reservations.htm

It is better to make a single booking for any group as the sites will by default seat you together if spaces are available.

Thank you so much!

That makes perfect sense. I am glad you were able to decipher my question 😆

  1. You can take any train you like between Bruges and Brussels. One train earlier seems like a good idea in case there's a delay. You can change the minimal change time using the "filter” in the rail planner app but that doesn't work the way you want, then just search for the trains separately.
  2. Indeed, book all seats in one go. Reservations are totally separate from the rail planner app. The app can't book any reservations, it will only forward to some of the websites where you can book, such as the Eurail website. Eurail however charge a €2 extra booking fee and that quickly adds up. It's cheaper to book these reservations on www.raileurope.com, where there are no extra booking fees. Also see this overview of the best places to book pass reservation.
  3. To save more money, travel Bruges to Paris via Lille. Bruges-Lille does not have reservations and the TGV Lille-Paris is 10 or 20 euros (depending on availability). Eurostar Brussels-Paris is €27 in 2nd and €32 in 1st class, with limited availability.
  4. The Eurail website and rail planner app are not reliable and are often out of date and should not be used to plan. National websites and apps are much more reliable; for international journeys, www.bahn.com or the DB Navigator app are a good choice.

This is so helpful. Thank you.

I’ve also seen that it says “print from home “ for seat reservations. Is this necessary or can it be done digitally?

I’ve also seen that it says “print from home “ for seat reservations. Is this necessary or can it be done digitally?

You can show the PDF on a screen. Only for some night trains it's a good idea to print reservations.

Great. Thank you 🙏🏻 

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