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new to eurail and very confused

  • 27 October 2023
  • 8 replies
  • 139 views
Angela Perrotta

I am trying to book in a train on Sunday 29th Oct from Rotterdam (Netherlands) to Paris. There is no seats available when I search through the Rail Planner app but when I search through Eurostar directly, it is showing tickets available on the 10:14am service.  I can book directly through Eurostar but I have a Global pass that I have paid for and want to use.  
 

is there any way of booking that time with my global pass? 

It seems the brussels-Paris leg of the trip is the one without available seats, any alternatives to get to Paris on Sunday would be appreciated. 

 

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Best answer by thibcabe 27 October 2023, 22:09

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T
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Unfortunately there is a passholder quota on Eurostar services. This is a company decision so they can make more money… You can’t board a Eurostar train without reservations. Otherwise expect a big fine (it’s like travelling without a valid ticket).

Fortunately there are loads of options to go to Paris, only with a few easy changes ! I’ll have a look and update this post. Are you alone and do you have a 1st or 2nd class pass ? Updating...

Option 1 (possible to leave earlier or later for 20€ too; 15:12 - 16:15 TGV at 10€) :

  • IC Rotterdam Centraal - Antwerpen-Berchem 09:11 - 10:22
  • IC Antwerpen-Berchem - Kortrijk 10:43 - 12:02
  • IC Kortrijk - Lille-Flandres 12:13 - 12:51 (often it’s the same train all the way from Antwerp)
  • TGV Lille-Flandres - Paris-Nord 13:39 - 14:42 20€ 2nd class or 19€ 1st class (incl. upgrade)

Option 2 (leaving an hour later is cutting it a bit tight) :

  • IC Rotterdam Centraal - Antwerpen-Berchem 07:11 - 08:22
  • IC Antwerpen-Berchem - Kortrijk 08:43 - 10:02
  • IC Kortrijk - Lille-Flandres 10:13 - 10:51
  • break + short walk
  • TGV Lille-Europe - Paris-Nord 12:05 - 13:24 10€ 2nd class

Also possible to leave earlier and stop en-route (hourly service). Book the TGV on eurail.com or here (especially if you want the upgrade) : https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish

Option 3 :

  • Eurostar Rotterdam Centraal - Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy TGV (Disneyland) 07:58 - 10:48 32€ seat reservation
  • RER A to the city center about 5€ for a ticket (not included)

Option 4 (long but fully free) :

  • IC Rotterdam Centraal - Bruxelles-Midi 08:11 - 10:16
  • IC Bruxelles-Midi - Charleroi-Central 11:07 - 11:57
  • R Charleoi-Central - Maubeuge 12:24 - 13:20
  • TER Maubeuge - Paris-Nord 14:42 - 16:42

Do not hesitate for questions !

ralderton
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To use your pass, you have to buy the special pass holder fare, which costs €32. You can buy it here, but there’s no availability for the 29th.

https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Booking/Pass#TravelWish

Angela Perrotta

Thanks for answering, that’s what I thought was the case but wasn’t certain.
 

There are 2 of us, we have 2nd class pass.

T
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My post has now been updated. Questions welcome :)

Angela Perrotta

This message has come up for the last 5 trips I’ve tried booking (on other dates/trips). Does this mean it’s booked out?

T
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This is weird because that TGV has lots of seats left. I’d recommend using B-Europe (Belgian Railways, link above) as Eurail can sometimes be unreliable…

The IC trains in the Netherlands and Belgium do not have seat reservations. Hop on and sit wherever you want. As a tip : go to train ends as people are lazy and board in the middle. Remember to log the train to the app before boarding and you’re all set !

Angela Perrotta

I booked the Paris leg of the trip direct through that website and it worked! Thank you so much for your help- booked option 1 

T
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Userlevel 7
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Perfect ! Enjoy your trip and do not hesitate to come back for further questions :)

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