I’m a bit confused. I bought a rail pass to travel next christmas and today, the 15th of october, there is still no train timetable available on interrail website further than the 10th of december.
I’m afraid it will be too late. For example, the SNCF in France launched tickets for christmas holidays and most of the tickets on the main lines have been sold.
I’m a bit disappointed and I’m thinking of asking for a refund for my pass and eventually buy a flight ticket I would have paid 100 euros less if I had bought it last month…
Any advice ?
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There are better ways to make the reservations than the Interrail/Eurail website. Please read more below and then ask for specific advice if you need more help.
Here is some useful information from the experienced travellers in the Community regarding both planning, reservations and activation of pass and travel days.
Planning
The rail planner is normally not up to date, as it only is updated once a month, so to be sure of the time table you better check the timetable and availability on the websites of the national railways. The bigger national railways, like DB (Germany) SBB (Switzerland) and ÖBB (Austria) cover several countries.
Reservations
The advice from the experienced travellers in the community is to use other ways to make reservations than the Interrail/Eurail website. You can look at the guide in the link:
If you, after having looked at the guide, have questions about how to make specific reservation, please give your travel details (departure date, time and route) preferably in a new topic, and you will get advice.
Please note that Interrail/Eurail charges an extra fee of 2 EUR per person and train in addition to the fee for the seat reservation.
Activation of pass
During the activation process, when you choose the start day of the validity of the pass, the first day of the validity period is automatically made a travel day, even if you don't enter a journey, the advice is therefore not to activate the pass before the first travel day as you only can deactivate the pass before 00.00 on the day the validity starts. If your travel plans change in the last moment you will loose travel days if you have activated the pass in advance.
It can be wise to make a test and activate the pass with a start date well in the future and then deactivate the pass immediately, just to see that everything works.
Activation of travel day
The advice from the experienced travellers in the community is also never to activate a travel day, that is connect a journey to your pass and create the ticket (QR code), until just before boarding the train, otherwise you might loose a travel day if your travel plans change in a late stage You can't delete a travel day in the past. A travel day can only be deleted until 23.59 CET the day before the travel day.
Ok understood,
but if I don’t understand how to connect my train reservation and my pass in that case.
Furthermore, bookings are more expensive on the companies websites than on the interrail website.
Your reservations are always separate from your pass.
Even if you make the reservation on the Interrail/Eurail website the actual reservation is made with the national railway in the same way as if you would make the reservation directly with the national railway yourself. The only difference is that Interrail/Eurail will charge you 2 EUR per person and train, and in some cases send you the ticket with ordinary mail, charging you a postal fee of 9 EUR, instead of e-mail.
There are some routes that are very difficult to make a reservation for if you don't use Interrail/Eurail but those are few.
ok.
So Help me to understood : i bought the eurail pass 246 euros.(4 days in one month)
Now you tell me i have to pay for my tickets on each national railway.
When and how do I use my pass ?
For example in France you can’t make a reservation without buying a ticket.
I just tried to make a reservation on a train from Warsaw to Berlin the 21st of december and it’s impossible.
AnnaB give you a link, where you can find all websites to book a reservation.
domestic French TGV can be booked at this link (also for domestic rides on TGV Lyria and ICE)
I just tried to make a reservation on a train from Warsaw to Berlin the 21st of december and it’s impossible.
For this train online only possible via Interrail.eu, but booking has not started yet, because polish PKP IC has not open their bookings yet. If possible you can book also in ticket offices of Deutsche Bahn or PKP IC.
Online you can only reserve this trains via czech railways CD Warsaw-Prague and Warsaw-Vienna, via austrian ÖBB Warsaw-Vienna. CD has not opened their bookings yet. ÖBB has open it.
Thanks Angelo,
understood. No way to book in German ticket office. I’m llving in Lithuania.
From your experience, when do the polish update timetables ?
@amh There are also many trains that you can use without a reservation. It all depends on when and where you will be travelling. But during Christmas the demand is usually high so it might be good to make reservations even if it not is mandatory.
Where do you plan to travel?
I am planning to travel from Vilnius to Toulon (France). Departing the 20th of december (flixbus to catch a train form warsaw the 21 st) and back the 29th of december in Vilnius.
I’ve tried with many routes and the easiest (but not actually) is the warsaw-berlin-paris-marseille-Toulon.
There is 3 times per week a nighttrain from Vienna (Austria) to Paris. This could be an option to book online EC Warsaw to Vienna and from there Nightjet to Paris. But at 21st Dez, this train does not run.
Because the next problem is Berlin-Paris, if you go via Cologne and take a Thalys there you can book online via b-europe, if you go via Frankfurt, you can online only book via interrail.eu online, or by call center of SNCF or SNCB.
For trains in Germany, no problem because reservations are only optional and can be done via bahn.com.
It seems that the best would be to travel from Warsaw to Paris during the day. Then spend the night in Paris and then continue to Toulon the next morning.
Like Anna says by day trains could be better. When do you arrive with flixbus in Warsaw?
This connection is for me the best, because you have 30 minutes time in Berlin and over 1h in Cologne. (trains Warsaw-Berlin) and trains in Germany have often delaysthis connection is too risky, but would be easy to book (I mean the TGV)You can also use the nighttrain from Paris to Toulon, but you need 40 minutes (or more) to get from Paris Nord station to Paris Austerlitz station and have only 1 hour time.
For example in France you can’t make a reservation without buying a ticket.
if it helps, your pass is your ticket to travel on any and all trains in the network, but does not include any automatic right to a seat.
Some trains have the opportunity to reserve seats, both optional and mandatory. These are not included in your pass and have to purchased separately. Normally these are a rew euros but some can cost a few 10s of euros and sleepers can be much more for cabins.
On trains where you have a mandatory reservation you need both your pass and the separate reservation evidence .
Thanks to all !
I will try with the first option Warsaw 0444 -Paris 2005.
If I understood properly, I have to book the seats directly on theGerman train company.
Have a good day all.
I would suggest an OTHer way: Waw-Wien by day, overnite NJ/nightjet to MIlano (arr next morning), then via Genua-Ventimiglia-Nice to Toulon. This saves a costly night in P and also a lot on the high supplmts for Thalys and TGV. YOu then only pay extra for PKP to Wien and the NJ-fee.
OR swap to the overnite combo IC/NJ in IC seats from somewhere in west_germany (like Düsseldorf or Kóln=Cologne) to Basel-then via Geneve-Lyon-then SNCF TGV.
Both ways you arrive Tln late afternoon.
OR check the overnite train (seats and couchette ) from Paris to Nice-also drops off in Tln. Not sure if it will run on those days though
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