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Please help: cant make seat reservation

  • 22 October 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 128 views
L

Hello everyone! I’m hoping someone will have some tips or advice for me! 
My fiancé and I are traveling through France, Switzerland and the Netherlands. We are from the USA and bought Eurail Global passes. We were able to get seat reservations except for the Paris-Amsterdam Thalys train on 11/6/22. I’m stressed out about it! We won’t be in France until 11/3 to go to the train station and buy one in-person and I’m worried they will run out. SNCF is showing that there are still seats, but I heard they won’t book seat reservations from a pass over the phone, and I’ve tried multiple websites. Is there anything I can do? It’s frustrating because I would not have bought the passes had I known this would be such a big issue.  
Thank you in advance! 

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Best answer by Al_G 22 October 2022, 07:52

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A
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There is no availability showing for that date. Thalys has quotas for eurail passholders that often sell out well in advance.

 

Alternative connections are available, the main one being via Lille.

Book TGV Paris - Lille here https://travel.b-europe.com/eurail-ge/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish

using this

From Lille Flandres take non-reservation trains via Tournai and Brussels to Amsterdam

M
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It may also well be there are again works along the >500KM; I think in NL-which forces detours are partial bustituting. Often happens weekends. IF this is so, it will also affect the normal trains.

Go via LIlle-it will take longer, but cost much less (if lucky only 10€ for the TGV till there-1 hr, ev. hour), walk oer to the old station (10 mins, along a shopping monstrosity)-if have time, take a look at old centre-then hourly BE train to Antwerpen (stops also in Gent, also a hidden gem, medieval, much less known as Brugge),in Ant can look for 15 mins at what is called the railway cathedral-go to lowst level, ev hour yellow train to NL, via Breda-but check times via ns.nl 1- 2 days before-becse of possible works (if yes,-go via den Bosch-Utrecht).

 

M
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OR-if have time and collecting more countries to visit: go via LUXembourg-direct TGV from P/east station, transport is free in that small country-then choice of via Ardennes area Belgium (still bus due to landslide some part)-Liege-Maastricht-direct to AMS, OR-but that will take more time-via Germany-along Mosel river to Koblenz-alon Rhine to Köln-then direct ICE.

Make an experience out of it-thats what these passses allow you-not just speeding along noise-shields.

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