We’re travelling from the UK to Italy this year. We used to be able to select our seats with Senior Global Passes but have now discovered this has all changed. We can’t use SNCF or Trenitalia to do this anymore. Why is this? Does anyone have any suggestions how to get round this? Thanks
Best answer by Kyle
View originalPerhaps I should just get the Paris to Turin train on 23 March sorted out first. Is it true that the only way to reserve the TGV seats is through Interrail? Thanks again.
Online, yes. But you can also call SNCF:
https://www.sncf.com/en/customer-service/contact-us/telephone
Press #85 for English, no booking fees (as opposed to the Interrail website), reservations are sent via e-mail.
For domestic TGV journeys you can use the b-europe site at this link https://travel.b-europe.com/eurail-ge/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish
For international TGV the interrail reservation portal is the only online booking for these very expensive reservations.
Thanks. Maybe it’s my age, but I prefer to get all of our train, hotel/airbnb and museum bookings done in advance before we leave so we have an itinerary tightly mapped out. Over the last few years (prior to Covid) our previous trips worked out well, but this year is proving to be extremely taxing.
Perhaps I should just get the Paris to Turin train on 23 March sorted out first. Is it true that the only way to reserve the TGV seats is through Interrail? Thanks again.
As you will be in Italy for a long period you could leave at least some of the reservations until you there.
Any Italian station booking office will be able to do them and should be able to select the seats you want.
Unfortunately this situation where a number of the major operators refuse to fairly treat passholders by allowing them the same access to seat reservations as other customers has been allowed to happen with little apparent pushback or attempt to provide an alternative solution.
+14
I’ve tried OBB for travelling by trains in Italy but, although it allowed me to book reservations, I couldn’t specify which coach or seats we wanted. Maybe it’s not possible now, but I find it very frustrating that we bought these passes in good faith expecting to be able to select whichever trains and seats we wanted — like our three previous trips with Interrail passes. Things ain’t what they used to be. It’s just that because of health reasons it would make it much easier if we could select our own seats.
OBB cant select specific seats on the Italian trains :/ How ever the system will try to get seats next to each other :)
Paris - torino be carefull there are the direct TGV (Interrail valid) with reservations arround 35€ per seat (these are limited booking well in advance recommended) and the direct FrecciaRossa (Interrail is not valid on FrecciaRossa in France).
Within Italy you can catch FrecciaRossa without anyproblems just a reservation of 10€ :) The 1st class Interrailpass allows you to book the “Business” Class on these trains. The OBB system do it automatic when you select 1st class.
I’ve tried OBB for travelling by trains in Italy but, although it allowed me to book reservations, I couldn’t specify which coach or seats we wanted. Maybe it’s not possible now, but I find it very frustrating that we bought these passes in good faith expecting to be able to select whichever trains and seats we wanted — like our three previous trips with Interrail passes. Things ain’t what they used to be. It’s just that because of health reasons it would make it much easier if we could select our own seats.
As I am sure you are aware, always book your reservations as one booling for 2 passengers (you only need to add one pass number id needed) then at least you should be booked together.
Once onboard you can always watch for vacant seats in first class and move - at worst you may need to return to your original seat,
Do you have a destination in Sicily? We were there earlier this year.
Thanks for all your replies. It’s my first time doing this so I hope I’m doing it correctly.
We’ve already booked Eurostar from London to Paris. Leaving from Ashford would have been better for us but alas it’s still closed and with no sign of it ever opening again. We then go Paris to Torino, Torino to Bologna, Bologna to Rome etc eventually on to Sicily. We have Interrail 1st Class Senior 2 month rail passes. Hence our slow progress. Hope that helps. We leave on 21 March.
+14
Why is this?
Because the Railcompanies complained that these options were often used without a real Railpass (“Fraud”) another reason is they don´t wanna include this offer anymore on their website as it was to difficult/Expensive for them. Another unspoken reason is that they hope you finally give up and buy a standard ticket were they get the entire money from you and not just a bit.
Does anyone have any suggestions how to get round this? Thanks
Without knowing your planned route we can just provide a general advise like
,This is very difficult to answer this as there are so many routes to get reservations and then the train operators, some of whom have apps and other routes to make a change and others who don’t.
There is no single standard and, as you are finding out it is very dynamic as sites and apps change.
I am sure you will get some individual procedures for changing seats with specific operators, but even these may only work on certain platforms.
+7
There are plenty of options. Weirdly not via SNCF or Trenitalia. But via B-Europe and ÖBB respectively.
In this guide you'll find all the guidelines to reserve your seats:
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