How to get Reservations :)

Reservations for Spanish domestic trains

Reservations for Spanish domestic trains can be booked in the following ways:

• At a RENFE (Spanish railways) ticket office
• At an SNCF (French railways) ticket office.
• At a ČD (Czech railways) ticket office.
• At a Deutsche Bahn ticket office. You may need to provide the train number. Some DB staff claim they can't book Spanish reservations but they're wrong. They need to use the train number search.
• Via Deutsche Bahn by phone (+49 30 2970 or directly to the English line +49 30 311682904). Collect at a DB ticket machine or receive via post (€5.90 per order). You may need to provide the train number.
• Via RENFE by phone, with limitations, see this page (scroll down to Spain; when calling, press 1 for English). Reservation must be collected in Spain.
• Via the Interrail and Eurail websites, currently only for AVE, Alvia and Euromed trains. Booking fee €2 per person and train. If booking multiple trains doesn't work, then book one train at a time.
• Not anymore at a Swiss ticket office.

The good thing is that these reservations are not quota-controlled, so you can book seats until the train is full.
Train numbers can be looked up via www.raileurope.com or in the DB planner, but not too long in advance, since RENFE don't always publish their timetables a long time in advance.

Before trying to book pass reservations, it's a good idea to check on renfe.com whether your trains can already be booked. If normal tickets are sold, then pass reservations can also be booked.

Italian daytrains via oebb.at Thanks to @rvdborgt  for notifying me about the new possibilty to reserve Italian daytrains via Oebb.at

 

Kind Regards

from @seewulf  & @rvdborgt 

Reservation and Supplement for the Eurocity/Railjets
Germany/Austria to Italy (Munich/Vienna to Verona,Vienna,Bologna,Rimmini) + Trieste - Villa Oppocina (EC135,EC136)

The Eurocity/Railjet on these Route are currently reservation optional (You can buy one but it´s not compulsory.) Due the high demand on this route it´s a good idea to reserve in advance. On these trains you have to pay a supplement (no reservation) of 10€ in 2nd Class or 15€ in 1st class in the pictures below i will try to show how you can  pay the surcharge already online at oebb.at

 

Reservations for trains Italy-France

Route Paris-Lyon-Turin-Milan:

Currently Railway closed near Modane. It should start a rail replacement bus between Modane and Charmonix linked by TGV from/to Milan and Paris. Or use trains via Switzerland.

There are two train operators that provide trains on the route Paris-Lyon-Turin-Milan.

SNCF with their TGV InOui trains (do not stop in Lyon)

Trenitalia with their Frecciarossa (for the moment Interrail/Eurail is not accepted in France)

Booking reservations for TGV InOui trains to/from Italy is possible via:

• Interrail.eu/Eurail.com (2€ booking fee per person and train).
• RailEurope website (adding Interrail/Eurail as discount card)
• SNCB/NMBS ticket office or by phone
• travel.b-europe website for national rides in France (4€ booking fee per booking, Pass Cover Number needed, request it here) 
• French railways ticket office or by phone (press #85 for English, no booking fee, delivery via e-mail).
• SNCF Ticket Machines for rides in France
• Swiss ticket office or by phone (delivery by postal mail).
• NS International ticket office or by phone.

Costs:

• International rides: 31€ in 2nd class and 45€ in 1st class.

• National rides in France: 10€ or 20€ in both classes

          Interrail.eu/Eurail.com can only book 20€ reservations for the moment

• National rides in Italy not possible. Use Frecciarossa or local trains instead.

sales conditions of the reservation: condition "pass (SVI)"

How to avoid TGV InOui Paris-Milan trains on international trips:

• Frecciarossa trains have sometimes lower ticket fares as the TGV reservation fees, look at Trenitalia.com.
• Via Switzerland: use RE trains Milano-Ventimiglia (no reservations needed), EC trains (Milan-)Domodossola-Geneva (reservation compulsory only for rides from/to/in Italy except Domodossola-Switzerland), TER trains to Lyon (reservation not needed), TGV to Paris or other destinations (compulsory reservation).
• Via Ventimiglia and Nice: (use Intercity trains (3€), Frecciabianca (10€) or Regionale Veloce (RE – reservation not needed) Milan-Genova-Ventimiglia. TER local trains Ventimiglia-Nice (reservation not needed). TGV trains Nice-Paris (compulsory reservation).
• Via Mont-Blanc-Express scenic railway: use RE trains Milano-Ventimiglia (no reservations needed), EC trains (Milan-)Domodossola-Geneva or via local trains via Brig till Martigny (reservation compulsory only for rides from/to/in Italy except Domodossola-Switzerland), from Martigny trains Martigny- Le Châtelard Frontière – Chamonix Mont-Blanc, TGV trains Chamonix Mont-Blanc – Paris (compulsory reservation) or TER local trains to Annecy and Lyon and from there TGV high speed trains.

LAST UPDATE: 29 DEC 2023 - All information is provided without warranty

Route Italy-Ventimiglia-Monaco-Nice:

there are no direct trains on this route, you can use:

• Milan-Genova-Ventimiglia Intercity trains (3€ reservation), Frecciabianca (13€ reservation) or Regionale Veloce (RE/RV – reservation not needed) trains and TER local trains Ventimiglia-Nice (reservation not needed).
• Rome-Pisa-Cinque Terre-Genova-Ventimiglia Intercity trains (3€ reservation) and TER local trains Ventimiglia-Nice (reservation not needed)
• Turin-Cuneo-Tende-Nice local trains (no direct service, you have to change in Cuneo and Tende or Ventimiglia). Reservation not needed.

Reservations for Italian trains can be booked online via Interrail.eu/Eurail.com (+2€ per person and train) or via Austrian Railways ÖBB (no booking fee) using this steps.

LAST UPDATE: 20 JUN 2023 - All information is provided without warranty

If you have questions, please ask them in a new topic, to not overload this one!

SNCF Rail now started again to sell reservations via phone We wanna show you some other options how you get Reservations for Trains within France (Links provided by @rvdborgt )

1. Eurails own reservation service via App or Website (2 EUR fee per seat)
2. Belgian railways (4 EUR fee per order). You need to request a pass cover number first.
3. ACP rail (also with a fee, but it doesn't seem to work right now)

You can also call Belgian railways (no fee but you'll have to pay phone charges; no pass cover number required; reservation will be emailed).

https://www.sncf.com/en/customer-service/contact-us/telephone

 Press #85 for English, no booking fees, reservations are sent via e-mail.

Swedish Trains via SJ.se (Swedish Rail)

Reservations for Eurostar trains and TGV Brussels-France

• Eurostar Amsterdam-Brussels-Lille-London
• Eurostar Paris-London
• Eurostar Red (ex Thalys) Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam/Cologne
• TGV InOui Brussels-France

Booking reservations for Eurostar trains is possible via:

• Interrail.eu (2 EUR booking fee per person and train)
• RailEurope website (adding Interrail/Eurail as discount card)
• B-Europe website (4 EUR booking fee per booking, Pass Cover Number needed, request it here).
• French railways ticket office or by phone (press #85 for English, no booking fee, delivery via e-mail).
• SNCB/NMBS ticket office or by phone.
• NS International ticket office or by phone.
• Swiss ticket office or by phone (delivery by postal mail).

Reservation costs:

• Eurostar: 30 EUR in Standard (2nd class) and 38 EUR Standard premier (1st class). 
• Eurostar to/from Amsterdam and Rotterdam: 35 EUR Standard and 43 EUR Standard premier

• Eurostar red: Paris - Belgium and Germany - Belgium
  2nd class “standard”: € 27, 1st class “comfort”: € 32

• Eurostar red: Paris - Germany and Paris - Netherlands
  2nd class “standard”: € 32, 1st class “comfort”: € 37

• Eurostar red: Lille - Belgium - Netherlands
  2nd class “standard”: € 22, 1st class “comfort”: € 27

Details:

• One country Passes not valid on Eurostar. On Eurostar only One Country Benelux for rides Belgium-Netherlands. Global Pass valid for all trains, except special trains Snow or Sun.
• Business Premier (Eurostar) and Premium (Eurostar Red) can’t be booked by pass holder.
• Check-in time for Eurostar to/from London is minimum 45 minutes before departure. Be there before! Full check like in an airport with passport check by the police.
• These reservations are quota-controlled, so you can book only some seats that are for pass users.
• refund: not possible
• exchangeable: until the planned departure on Eurostar Red
• exchangeable: with a fixed cost on Eurostar (15€ standard, 20€ standard premier)
• Upgrade: not possible
• If a Eurostar Red train is not completely full, you can buy a reservation before entering the train at the train manager, also when the pass quota is full. (Passengers on the route Brussels-Cologne tell this possibility. If also other routes are possible not known). 

Here more details about sales conditions of the reservations: Eurostar conditions and Eurostar Red conditions. 

How to avoid Eurostar trains:

• Use reservation free Intercity (direct) Brussel-Antwerp-Rotterdam-Schiphol Airport-Amsterdam. They run hourly.
• Use ICE trains (optional reservation – see overview for Germany) between Brussel-Liege-Aachen-Cologne (they often have cancellations or delays, have as plan b to use IC trains to Verviers and from there L trains to Aachen and from there RE trains to Cologne.)
• Use TGV trains (reservation compulsory) Paris-Lille and from Lille Flanders local trains to Belgium.

How to avoid Eurostar to London: Use busses via Eurotunnel (not in pass network), or ships from England to mainland Europe (conditions apply).

LAST UPDATE: 29 DEC 2023 - All information is provided without warranty

TGV trains Brussel-France booking possible via:

• Interrail.eu (2€ booking fee per person and train)
• RailEurope website (adding Interrail/Eurail as discount card)
• b-europe website for TGV services (4€ booking fee per booking, Pass Cover Number needed, request it here) :
  • Brussel - Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy (Disneyland Paris)
  • Brussel - Aéroport Charles de Gaulle TGV (Paris CDG Airport)
• travel.b-europe website for national rides in France (4€ booking fee per booking, Pass Cover Number needed, request it here) 
• SNCB/NMBS ticket office or by phone
• Via French railways ticket office or by phone (press #85 for English, no booking fee, delivery via e-mail).
• Via a Swiss ticket office or by phone (delivery by postal mail).
• Via NS International ticket office or by phone.

cost: 20 Euro 2nd class and 30 Euro first class

upgrade: not possible

refund: 100% before departure

exchangeable: once 

You need a Interrail/Eurail Global Pass to ride this trains on international routes.

With a Interrail/Eurail One Country Pass France or BeNeLux you need to pay the fare pass 2 (holding a Pass France) or pass 3 (holding a Pass BeNeLux) to pay for the part that is not included in your pass. 

Conditions: Pass 1 (reservation), Pass 2 (reservation with Pass France) and Pass 3 (reservation with Pass BeNeLux). 

LAST UPDATE: 29 DEC 2023 - All information is provided without warranty

If you have questions, please ask them in a new topic, to not overload this one.

To Make Reservations in Greece via Email

Train reservations in Greece are obligatory but completely free to make, not only for both 1st and 2nd class, but also for IC trains, ICE (Pendolino) trains, and long-term bus substitutions like Kiato - Patras and Drama - Xanthi.

While this is excellent and very refreshing compared to the seat reservation in other southern European countries, it is important not to abuse this service so that it remains available. Email bookings are probably only possible with Hellenic Train because of the simplicity of not having to conduct a formal transaction or process card details.

DO NOT book unless you are very sure that you will catch the train that you are requesting, and be very careful to enter all details correctly. (Basically, don’t rush it.)

(Please note that I don’t know how often others have booked using this method, or how successful it would be if attempted during peak season; but for now, this works)

First, go to hellenictrain.gr/en.

Now make a note of your seating preferences and train details (including train number), and return to the homepage (hellenictrain.gr/en).

Within a few days to a week, you should receive an email confirming your seat reservations, which you will need to collect the physical tickets for in person by showing your Interrail pass and passport at the ticket counter of a main Greek station. This email hopefully will not come from a No-Reply address, but if it does, and you need to get in contact with them again, cite the query number (“ID Δρομολόγιο”) that came with the automated receipt email immediately after you sent off the initial form.

Reservations for trains Italy-Switzerland(-Germany)

There are some Routes to get from Switzerland to Italy. Your Interrail/Eurail Global Pass is valid. One Country Passes are only valid in ONE COUTRY.

Reservations:

• compulsory reservations: Italy and Switzerland-Italy
• optional reservations. Switzerland and Germany

Border stations:

• Chiasso (in Switzerland) on the Route Milan-Gotthard Base Tunnel-Zürich/Basel
• Domodossola (in Italy) on the Route Milan-Simplon Tunnel-Geneve/Bern/Basel

For example if you travel from Domodossola to Geneve or Basel the reservation is optional, because you enter the train in Domodossola as a border station and it counts as Switzerland (but the city and the station is in Italy). If you enter in Milan the reservation is compulsory.

Cost:

• 13 EUR for rides in Italy
• 11 EUR for international rides in 2nd class Italy-Switzerland(-Germany)
• 13 EUR for international rides in 1st class Italy-Switzerland(-Germany) 1st class pass needed!
• for rides in Switzerland, in Germany and CH-DE reservation optional, 5 CHF/seat via SBB or 4,90 EUR/journey 2nd class and 5,90 EUR/journey first class via DB.

Where to buy reservations:

for rides in Italy and Italy-Switzerland(-Germany): 

• Interrail.eu/Eurail.com reservations service (+ 2 EUR booking fee/seat)
• ÖBB online shop.oebbtickets.at using this tutorial, no booking fee. You have to click on “one way ticket and day tickets” and not on seat only and add Interrail/Eurail - Globalpass as discount. 
• Ticket offices of Trenitalia, SBB CFF FFS, ÖBB, DB, SNCB/NMBS, NS and other railway companies in middle Europe. 
• Call Center of SBB CFF FFS, ÖBB, DB, SNCB/NMBS and NS.

for rides in Switzerland, Germany and CH-DE.

• Deutsche Bahn online, ticket office or call center
• SBB CFF FFS online, ticket office or call center
• Ticket offices of ÖBB, SNCB/NMBS, NS and other railway companies in middle Europe. 

Do you have a Interrail One Country Pass valid only for Italy or Switzerland? A German Rail Pass? Or a Eurail One Country Italy? You have to pay from the border a normal ticket or via interrail.eu or ticket offices a partial pass fee.

conditions: 

• rides in Italy
• rides IT-CH
• partial pass

LAST UPDATE: 20 JUN 2023 - All information is provided without warranty

!Please ask questions in a new topic, to not overload this one!

The tickets.oebb.at website is still the same and works same as shown by @seewulf in the screenshots, but the first page has now a new layout. You can look for a normal ticket and then when you get all the possible connection click on 1x adult and there you can add as discount Interrail/Eurail. 

Booking accommodation in the Caledonian sleeper

Services:

• London - Inverness / Aberdeen / Fort William
• London - Glasgow / Edinburgh

Procedure:

1. Go to the Caledonian Sleeper website and fill in From and To and other journey details.
2. Check "Room supplement Only”.
3. A pop-up will appear, check the "I understand” box and click on Done.
4. Click on "Get times & tickets”.
5. Select the accommodation you want and click on "Next step: GUEST DETAILS”.
6. Fill in your details and click on “Next step: REVIEW ORDER".
7. Review your order and click on “Next step: PAYMENT”.
8. Fill in your details and click on "Next step: PAY WITH CARD”.
9. Fill in your payment details and click on "Pay”.

You can click on the "VIEW MORE DATES” button to see an overview per month, with for each date, per compartment type, how many are still available.

Note: also check normal fares. Some advance fares are cheaper than a pass reservation (room supplement).

Additional method; IN FRance for all trains that require a REServation beside the pass: (ONLY domestic trains):

can also do at any machine of SNCF-these are in any major station (mostly purple/grey-the smaller blue are for regional trains only).

Set up trip, choose ´anon´ and no passenger account-then there are endless pages to see if you are fit enough and have no dogs/bikes etc. Then comes REDUCTION: click on ´more´ and then the EUrl and IR appear-choose class. Then it takes a while but there will be a side with all trains/connections (MAX 1 change) from A to B and what it will cost you. Trains that are really ´complet´ will not show up. Works for the TGV, the IC, the overnight trains and ALSO the NoMAD trains (these cost just 1,50 to REServe).

A couchette in the nighttrains cost 21,50 plus an awful lot of extra info: name, full adress, fonenr, mail etc.

Then pay-cards only, cash has been banned since many years (can do at counter if wished-expect to know/ speak FRench and exact details of what you want). You now get mostly a soft paper slip with QR-code and this can be used to pass gates at such stations. In this month (may) it is very well possible to even find seats in TGV for 10€ for the next day, this may not hold for summer or days of great movements (start/end of major holidays etc.)

@rebublic Please create a new own topic with your question and you will get advice there. This thread is not for questions.