Reservation help - Spain to Croatia

  • 20 May 2023
  • 5 replies
  • 87 views

Hi!

I would love some feedback. I am considering buying a interrail ticket for the more expensive parts of my trip as especially the ones in the beginning have had a premium price on the traintickets. I believe all tickets can be booked on the interrail site, but the reservations is done here and there? Is it possible to check if there is any interrail tickets left without buying the pass?

I think I need to book the Barcelona - Nimes seat reservation as soon as possible if its not already sold out right?

When it comes to bookings in france on the site SNCF, how do I know if I buy only the seat reservation and not the tickets also but only the seat? I’m considering getting the 1st class ticket as there might be more potential spots on the trains?

 

My itenary is as follows :

Spain
flying to Barcelona (start)

France
train to Nimes,
train to Nice,

Italy
train to Milan,
train to Venice,

Slovenia
train to Ljubljana,

Croatia
train to Zagreb,
bus to Split - (looks that buses are the best option here? 6h train vs 4.5h bus)
high speed ferry to Dubrovnik -
-potentially flying home from here- (end1)

Italy
ferry (Jadrolinija) to Bari -
bus or train to Naples -
train to Rome. (end2)

 

I’ve found this so far about seat reservations:

Spain- Call SNCF by phone?

France-

Seat reservation : https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/ (?)

Italy-

Seat reservation : https://partners.italiarail.com/default?force_pass=true&aff=EURAIL // https://www.trenitalia.com/

Slovenia-

Seat reservation : https://shop.oebbtickets.at/en/ticket/

Croatia-

Seat reservation : https://www.hzpp.hr/en// https://shop.oebbtickets.at/en/ticket/


5 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Barcelona - Nîmes 27€ for the direct TGV on interrail.eu (or you call SNCF). Very popular

But it can be done reservation-free via Portbou along the coast. Use bahn.com for planning, quite reliable

Italy : tickets.oebb.at (no fee)

Userlevel 7
Badge +9

With your current plan, you probably won't need any reservation in Slovenia and Croatia. Post details about your trains (dates, departure times) and we'll be able to say more.

Zagreb to Split is a bit faster by bus but what's better depends on your preferences. The train journey by day is quite scenic when descending to the coast.

Userlevel 7
Badge +5

For France : TGV and Intercités trains require seat reservations but on your route they're not really necessary (no high-speed railway). interrail.eu : 2€ booking fee per person per train OR https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish 4€ booking fee per order OR calling SNCF (no fee)

SNCF website doesn't sell seat reservations only

Thanks for the help. I dont have any exact dates yet except for the start. I have some estimates but I was thinking on booking the traintickets a three-four days ahead of the travelday. I was hoping on just booking the first two routes first, and then take it from there when I arrive in Barcelona.

 

As for time of day when travelling I was aiming for departure times daytime 09.00-13.00 as this is normal hotel checkout times

 

So far its like this
Barcelona - 3 nights, starting 5th of June.
Nimes - 2-3 nights
Nice - 3 nights
Milan - 3 nights
Venice - 2 nights
Ljubljana - 2-3 nights
Zagreb - 1 night
Split - 2-3 nights
Dubrovnik - 3-4 nights
Bari - 1-2 nights
Naples - 4 nights
Rome - 3 nights, ending somewhere around 1st of July.

Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Seems good to me. The only seat reservations you might need (shouldn't be a problem 1-2 days before) :

- Ventimiglia - Milan 3€ IC

- Milan - Venice 13€

- Bari - Naples 13€ if it's a Frecciarossa train

Otherwise there are always regional trains : sometimes a bit longer (Italy) or that takes the same time (France)

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