I was wondering about the necessity to reserve seats in advance in the UK in first class.
I already learned here that sometimes they aren’t mandatory even though it’s indicated on rail planner, but traveling as a family of 4, I’d rather do it, since it’s free of charge.
So my question is: are there trains that sell out like weeks or months before or is it usually ok to reserve a few hours in advance? Would people reserve a few different trains, if they aren’t sure which one they will take?
Best answer by ralderton
Indeed the only real compulsory ones in the UK are sleeper trains and Eurostar.
The rest, you should be able to reserve a few hours ahead, except at busy times such as holiday weekends or during disruption. Even then, the train isn't ‘full’ as such. They've just stopped selling reservations. There will still be unreserved seats, unused reservations, and standing room.
You can reserve more than one option, though I suppose that’s not really seen as ‘fair game’ !
+8Indeed the only real compulsory ones in the UK are sleeper trains and Eurostar.
The rest, you should be able to reserve a few hours ahead, except at busy times such as holiday weekends or during disruption. Even then, the train isn't ‘full’ as such. They've just stopped selling reservations. There will still be unreserved seats, unused reservations, and standing room.
You can reserve more than one option, though I suppose that’s not really seen as ‘fair game’ !
You can reserve more than one option, though I suppose that’s not really seen as ‘fair game’ !
LNER actively try to discourage that by not letting you reserve overlapping trains.
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