Please read first and if you still have questions start a own topic to keep this post as Informationpost as clean as possible.
This post is made by @rvdborgt@AnnaB@runner.on.rails@Angelo and myself.
Planning/Timetables: Many of you will notice that the Railplanner of Eurail will have sometimes different times of the trains as other Websites/Apps. Or evenworse the railplanner wont show any train for your desired Route. The Railplanner of Eurail only shows the timetables that are shared by the Railcompanies unfortunately not all Railcompanies share these and even update it not frequently. The Result is that the Railplanner of Eurail is not always uptodate and because ofthat I and other experienced travelers recommend to use the Local Websites and Apps to check the times and even book the reservations with them (when possible).
Below here finally the main words :D Hi if you are useing a Railpass there will be the point that a train needs a Reservation Many of you ask where to get a reservation for a specific train.
First of all there are 2kinds :) Supplements like the Intercity Direct in Netherlands or the German/Austrian - Italian Supplement on Eurocity & Railjets that have to be paid and doesnt include a seat .
And Seatreservations like the TGV,Eurostar or Thalys that include in the supplement fee even a seat reservation.
There are several ways reserve a seat :) A. on the Website of the Traincompany that operate the train.
B. at the trainstation (On major stations you have “International ticket desks” they often can reserve even trains in a different country for example you can reserve your TGV from Munich to Paris already in Prague )
C. Via the Railplanner app of Eurail itself :) a small service fee will be charged
D. Via the booking Callcenter of a traincompany.
E. Via a Reservation service website or a well experienced Railagency :)
We highly suggest to confirm the times of your trains in the Railplanner with Local Railplanner apps or atleast with one of the major ones. I general i recommend even to plan your trips with these app instead of Railplanner.
@rvdborgt@AnnaB many others and myself will try to keep this uptodate and help as much we can with advices :)
Kind Regards.
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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 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 an SNCF (French railways) ticket office.
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.
Via a Dutch (NS) international ticket office or by phone. No booking fee (because reservations are not available on the NS website and ticket machines), reservation is sent via email.
Via a Belgian (NMBS/SNCB) international ticket office or by phone. No booking fee, reservation is sent via email but phone number is not cheap.
Via a Swiss (SBB/CFF/FSS) ticket office or by phone (scroll down to Switzerland). Unknown if reservations can be sent via e-mail. Send me a message if you find out.
Not anymore via RENFE (Spanish railways).
Not anymore via Deutsche Bahn (German railways).
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
Seat reservations in Great Britain via GWR
Reservations for day trains in Great Britain are optional, regardless of what the rail planner app says. You can get them free of charge from a ticket office in Great Britain or via myaccount.gwr.com:
Create an account. (It weirdly doesn't accept spaces in the surname.)
Sign in, and click Bookings at the top.
Click on the “Make a seat/bike reservation“ box, and in the appearing pop-up, click on Next.
Fill in the form and select the desired train.
Select a fare. You can select any, as long as it is in the correct class (Standard=2nd class).
Click on Continue and select “I would like to reserve a seat”.
Choose your preferences and click on "Add reservation”.
It says you won't be charged, and indeed you get the free stand-alone seat reservation without needing to enter any payment details.
Even though it's the GWR website, this works for any route in Great Britain where seat reservations are available.
For reservations in the Caledonian Sleeper services between London and Scotland, see below.
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)
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!
Domestic trains in Croatia
Reservations for domestic journeys in Croatia can be made at a Croatian ticket office or by email, for seats, couchettes or sleepers (e.g. the night train Zagreb-Split). To book, send an e-mail to rezervacije@hzpp.hr, max. 2 months in advance. Payment is done with a bank transfer, which means this works best with bank accounts from SEPA countries.
For journeys from 1 July 2023, seat reservations for day trains Zagreb-Split can also be made on tickets.oebb.at. Price is €3, 2nd class only. For reservations in 1st class, send an e-mail to rezervacije@hzpp.hr.
!Please ask questions 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 )
Eurails own reservation service via App or Website (2 EUR fee per seat)
Press #85 for English, no booking fees, reservations are sent via e-mail.
As Frenchrail (SNCF) stopped to sell Reservations online and via phone We wanna show you some other options how you get Reservations for Trains within France (Links provided by @rvdborgt )
Eurails own reservation service via App or Website (2 EUR fee per seat)
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).
Can Belgian railways only book within France? Because I was looking from Munich -> Paris and Paris -> Geneva, but could not search it on b-europe website
The b-europe website mentioned above will only book domestic trains in France. You can book Munich - Paris and Paris - Geneva via the Eurail website (whenever it gets back online - I suppose soon) or by phone via French railways (they sell reservations again via phone, press #85 for English) or Belgian railways. The French number should be cheaper to call.
If you have more questions, please ask them in a new topic, so as not to overload this one.
You can reserve domestic Journey´s on Intercity.pl Reservations for TLK and IC and EIC (Eurocity) cost 1Zloty arround 25 cents. Reservations for EIP the Highspeedtrains (sometimes not much faster) cost 40Zloty arround 10€
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).
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-Francebooking 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) :
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.
Reservations for TGV Lyria
Booking reservations for TGV Lyria trains is possible via:
Interrail.eu/Eurail.com (2€ booking fee per person and train).
RailEurope website (adding Interrail/Eurail as discount card)
International rides: 29€ in 2nd class and 39€ in 1st class.
National rides in France: 10€ or 20€ in both classes
National rides in Switzerland: reservation not needed and not possible
Reservations for International rides are quota-controlled, so you can book only some seats that are for pass users.
This trains can be used in Switzerland without reservations. In France there is a compulsory reservation, but all seats can be booked by pass holders.
How to avoid the high reservation costs of TGV Lyria trains on international trips:
From/to Geneva/Lousanne: use TER local trains Geneva-Lyon (reservation not needed and not possible) and from there many TGVs run to Paris and other French and international destinations (compulsory reservation).
From/to Zürich/Basel: use TER local trains to Mulhouse or Strasbourg (reservation not needed and not possible) and from there TGV/ICE trains to Paris or other French destinations (compulsory reservation).
sales conditions:
exchangeable:
without cost until 7 days before departure.
with 25€ cost from 6 days before and until departure of the train.
not exchangeable after departure.
refund:
30€ cost before departure.
no refund after departure.
pass 1 (reservation for Global Pass users), pass 2 (reservation for One Country France Pass + paying Swiss part) and pass 3 (reservation for One Country Switzerland Pass or Swiss Travel Pass + paying for the French part).
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.
Please create your own topic.
The 20€ price is correct but doesn't include a seat reservation for Verona - Innsbruck :
- 10€ Frecciarossa seat reservation
- 10€ Brenner Pass surcharge
You can add a seat reservation for the second leg for 3€. Or buy the 10€ Frecciarossa reservation and the surcharge at cd.cz where it includes a free seat reservation
Edit : for 11th June the full summer timetable isn't released so you can't see regional trains. There is a RegioExpress leaving Venice at 09:10 (Verona 10:38) that you could take, it is reservation-free
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.
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.
LAST UPDATE: 20 JUN 2023 - All information is provided without warranty
!Please ask questions in a new topic, to not overload this one!
Merci beaucoup pour tous ces renseignements. Je viens d effectuer la réservation du train de nuit Ljubljiana Munich en couchette avec la réduction interrail :)
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.
Italian daytrains via oebb.at Thanks to @rvdborgt for notifying me about the new possibilty to reserve Italian daytrains via Oebb.at
Very well found! This will be a great help to a great many travellers :-D
I note there are a couple of irregularities which I trust OEBB will gradually iron out:
Even when the 1st Class box is ticked, the system suggests under Reservation Details that the reserved seat will be Sitzplatzreservierung 2. Klasse. This appears to apply to all bookable non-OEBB trains in Italy. Hopefully once bought, the seat reservation received will be a 1st class one, but the only way of finding out is to go ahead with the purchase.
Some places can’t be booked from. For instance, OEBB can now book the SBB train to Zurich from Genova, but it can’t book the identical one from Bologna for some reason. Also the daily Ligurian coastal IC to Roma can be booked from Ventimiglia or San Remo, but not Imperia.
A pop-up will appear, check the "I understand” box and click on Done.
Click on "Get times & tickets”.
Select the accommodation you want and click on "Next step: GUEST DETAILS”.
Fill in your details and click on “Next step: REVIEW ORDER".
Review your order and click on “Next step: PAYMENT”.
Fill in your details and click on "Next step: PAY WITH CARD”.
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).
Hi, thanks for the instructions! I have a problem with ÖBB,
Please open your own topic, mentioning the exact trains you'd like to book (origin, destination, date, departure time per train).
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.)
Updated Manual for reserving trains on CD.cz Website of Czech Rail example here is a Nighttrain as you have here quite a lot options :)
@rebublic Please create a new own topic with your question and you will get advice there. This thread is not for questions.
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