Book through nightjet.com (add Eurail as a discount)

It's way better to book directly on the companies websites when possible. That way you have no booking fee + more choices

Night trains quickly fill up so it's best to book as soon as you know your travel dates.

If you're five book for 6 people (add a fictive 6th person) if you want to get the whole compartment. There are also sleepers options (2 or 3 people) but more expensive

Reservations are optional in Germany, Austria and many other countries. You can book them if you'd like on tickets.oebb.at (add Eurail as a discount) : 3€ 2nd class, free with 1st class pass

For multiple journeys in or near Germany : 4.50€ 2nd class / 5.90€ 1st class (no matter how many trains)

Of course this doesn't apply to couchettes or sleepers, for them use nightjet.com or tickets.oebb.at

It's cheaper to book via tickets.oebb.at. Add the Interrail/Eurail discount for all passengers and then select "One-way tickets and day tickets”, if you want a couchette. There are also other types of accommodation and the website will show whether they're available.

If you want a seat, the use "Seat reservation only” and select IC 60470 running at the same time.

Thank you so much. I did not know I could go direct with nightjet.  Very helpful.  Looks sold out.  Do you know about Barcelona to Paris line if that can be bought directly as well?

Unfortunately night trains do sell out a long time in advance but there are other possibilities for this route. Let us know your travel date

Barcelona - Paris : only on eurail.com (37€), quite expensive but tickets are often 200€... book this one soon as this TGV sells out too

If you want to save quite a lot of money : take a regional train to Portbou and then Perpignan (reservation-free) and from there a TGV to Paris (limited 10€, then 20€). There are more frequent trains + you travel along the Mediterranean for a while (obviously it takes a bit longer)

Perpignan - Paris book here (4€ booking fee per order, no matter how many trains or people) : https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish

This page works for TGV rides within France

Earlier you wrote that you saw available couchettes and seats. Have you used the correct options? What's your travel date?

We would be traveling Barcelona to Paris on Tuesday June 13th, but plan to do during the day.  The 10:33 is space available. Where do I check that?  I’ll see if I can look on TGV.  Thanks!

I saw it as an option on Eurail’s booking site nit Nightjet;s….

Eurail doesn't show availability until you're logged in. I'll have a look and update this post

I appreciate it so much. Sorry to have so many questions. I am on TGV’s site but they do not show Eurail as an option or Seat reservations only and prices are crazy.  Wow!

There are still couchettes available on 13 June from Basel to Hamburg. Or would that be on another date?

Sorry. Barcelona to Paris is 13 June. Basel to Hamburg is 17 June. Would you mind telling mehow to get Eurail pass reservations on TGV?

Cheap option is :

You leave Barcelona-Sants at 09:16 (a bit later from the city center), change in Portbou, Perpignan, Narbonne and Montpellier-St-Roch. All easy connections. You arrive in Paris at 19:21. This only costs 5 x 10€, available on https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish (TGV Montpellier-St-Roch - Paris, everything else is reservation-free)

Otherwise 5 x 37€ on eurail.com directly for the direct TGV Barcelona - Paris (it is faster but a lot more expensive).

Both options are perfectly fine, you only need to decide how much you'd like to pay... the (longer) coastal route is very nice

Now looking for the night train

Eurail reservation service is the only place that you can get passholder reservations for TGV from Spain to France.

Internal French TGV can also be booked from https://travel.b-europe.com/eurail-ge/en/booking-tgv

Only 2 couchettes left, it seems. Seats are available though. 2nd class €3, 1st class free of charge.

Traveling with 4 kids so seats won’t work. Thanks for checking! I had looked at coastal route as it looked beautiful. Will look into again.  THANK YOU!

Or you take the night train to Berlin (arrival 07:30) : looks like 5 or 6 couchettes are available (204€ in total). If you book for 6 you should be in the same compartment. If that's not the case ask for a refund.

Either you use a pass day or buy Berlin - Bremen tickets (22.30€ per person) for a departure at 08:30 on Sunday 18th June

Otherwise you can leave Basel at 16:13 and arrive in Bremen at 23:15 with an easy connection in Mannheim

What is your entire journey like ? If you're coming from Paris, it's not worth to go to Basel. Go to Strasbourg instead and spend a few hours (or even a night) before heading to Bremen

Sorry, last questions (I hope!). Once I purchase the reservations from Eurail, some it looks like I have to print and physically bring with me and others will load directly onto our mobile pass?  Last time I did this, 30 years ago, things were much different. :)

Yes it is quite nice, no reservations needed (except for the TGV) + you save a lot of money.

There are more departures than the one I advised. Use bahn.de as a planner and book TGV through the b-europe link, either from Perpignan, Narbonne or Montpellier (St-Roch station in the city center). You could always spend an hour or two in one of those cities :)

Do not hesitate for questions

Seat reservations and the pass are completely separate. Whenever a ticket inspector comes either you show the pass (QR code) + the printed seat reservation or the pass + the seat reservation (PDF) on your phone

Of course now Eurail tells me some segments are not available but it doesn’t tell me which one so I have to go through each individually and try to buy and of course to further frustrate, it shows error whenever I input a credit card.  Arggg. Will try again later and pray seats still exist!  Best laid plans, right…!?

Yes make a break, not everything will disappear :)

If you let us know what are the legs you're trying to book (+ travel date) we'll help you

Great resources to avoid using eurail.com (and their booking fee) :

https://community.eurail.com/train-connections-reservations-47/how-to-get-reservations-105

https://www.seat61.com/interrail-and-eurail-reservations.htm

Thank you!