Solved

Unable to use Global pass for my travel - is it better to cancel it and book separately?

L
Rank
Badge

We bought a 7 day eurail global pass. We are a group of  7 people (with luggage) traveling together. Below are the trains we are trying to book. Not able to do the seat reservation.  can you please help what is the best. Also do you think it is best to cancel the europass (15% cancellation charges?) and do separate bookings for the individual trains.  

Start Finish Travel Start Travel End Train Number start time end time Starting Station Ending Station
Paris Zurich 10-June 10-June TGV 9213 12:20 16:26 PARIS GARE DE LYON ZUERICH HB
Zurich Vienna 12 June 13 June EN 40467 21:40 6:34 ZUERICH HB WIEN HBF
Vienna Hamburg 15-June 16-June NJ 490 19:35 8:30 WIEN HBF HAMBURG HBF
Hamburg Amsterdam 18-June 18-June No direct train     HAMBURG HBF

AMSTERDAM CENTRAAL
icon

Best answer by rvdborgt 13 April 2023, 19:11

View original

30 replies

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

A group of 7 is often too large to book in 1 go. To book online, you'll have to split the group. You can use these websites:

Paris-Zurich: online only on Eurail.com. Please note that this is an expensive reservation. It's much cheaper to book a reservation to Strasbourg or Mulhouse, take a regional train to Basel and then the intercity to Zurich (both no reservations needed). Usually takes 30-60 minutes more. Book Paris-Strasbourg/Mulhouse here. Can also be booked by phone via SNCF, NS, NMBS, CFL, see here.

Zurich-Vienna, Vienna-Hamburg: tickets.oebb.at; do NOT use "Seat reservation only” but add the Interrail/Eurail discount and then select "One-way tickets and day tickets”. Can also be booked by phone via +43 5 1717.

Hamburg-Amsterdam: bahn.com (use “Seat only”). You can use the seat map on bahn.com to place everybody together.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
A
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

It will not be easier if you cancel the pass and book separate tickets. 7 persons will still be too many for one single booking online. @rvdborgt has given you good advice how to make the reservations. 

Please note that I don't work for Interrail/Eurail and that I don't reply to personal messages.
T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

First book the night trains ASAP, they sell out fast. You can do the booking in 2 times anyway as you won't all sleep in the same compartment.

Either a 4-people couchette compartment + a 3-people sleeper or 2 x 4-people compartment but you'll need to pay for a fourth fictive person if I'm right.

Again I wouldn't take the direct TGV to Zurich (37€ 2nd class / 70€ 1st class fee...). It's possible to book for everyone for 4€ booking fee altogether. Here are 2 possible connections :

- TGV Paris-Gare de Lyon - Mulhouse 11:16 - 14:12 / 14:20 - 17:03 10€ per person

- TER Mulhouse - Basel SBB 14:19 - 14:50 / 17:19 - 17:50

- IR36/IC3 Basel SBB - Zürich HB 15:11 - 16:24 / 18:06 - 19:00

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

OR from Paris-Est (might be even quicker than the direct TGV if your accomodation is near that station)

- TGV Paris-Est - Strasbourg 12:52 - 14:38 10€

- TER Strasbourg - Basel SBB 14:51 - 16:08

- IR37 Basel SBB - Zürich HB 16:43 - 17:52

Usually it's quicker but there are engineering works that weekend

L
Rank
Badge

There are some technical issues with booking night trains --Started with Paris to Zurich and it comes to this screen and it get stuck and then doesn’t move when I click on ‘continue to traveller details’ see the screenshot below

 

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

There are some technical issues with booking night trains

Such as? Do you have a screenshot? The night trains are really the most urgent ones. The TGV Paris-Zurich does not have pass holder quotas and does not fill up as fast as any night train.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Do you really want to take the direct TGV ? As you can see it'll cost you 280 USD while the price could be lowered to 70€ (77 USD) using the trick written above.

And yes night trains should be done soon (on tickets.oebb.at)

L
Rank
Badge

We are not able to get Zurich to vienna night train  below -- can you please suggest an alternative

Start Finish Travel Start Travel End Train Number start time end time Starting Station Ending Station
Zurich Vienna 12/13 June 13/14 June EN 40467 21:40 6:34 ZUERICH HB WIEN HBF
T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

There are couchettes and sleepers available in both dates on tickets.oebb.at (Austrian Railways, the company running the night train).

You'll have to do 2 bookings. One for 4 people and for 3 people for example.

Here is what I've written yesterday :

"Either a 4-people couchette compartment + a 3-people sleeper or 2 x 4-people compartment but you'll need to pay for a fourth fictive person if I'm right."

It's not a problem to make 2 bookings as 7 people can't sleep in the same compartment anyway

L
Rank
Badge

Tried that only -- it says ticket not available. Where are we going wrong?

 

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

You should add Eurail as a discount and then select one-way tickets.

It should work. Let us know if it doesn't.

Otherwise you can also use nightjet.com (same process)

L
Rank
Badge

@thibcabe  as per your suggestion, we booked the ‘seat reservation only (no ticket)’ and we got the below booking -- can you please tell us if there is anything else we need to do? thanks a lot for your help.

 

A
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

Those are seat reservations, so you will have to sit the whole night. Is that what you wanted?

Please note that I don't work for Interrail/Eurail and that I don't reply to personal messages.
L
Rank
Badge

No, we want to sleep.. how to do that?

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

As Anna advised, you made seat reservations. Those would be perfectly good for a daytime train but I believe you'd like couchettes or sleepers. They are much more expensive but then you can lie flat :)

L
Rank
Badge

@thibcabe  @AnnaB  Thanks again. Also, while trying to book on nightjet.com  for the Zurich to vienna, it says, no direct trains are available, but we are seeing the trains.. please see the screenshot

 

 

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Don't bother with the message.

You can clearly click on the night train 13th June 21:40 - 07:58.

Do not buy a private compartment but buy a compartment for the desired number of people (and you'll be together).

About the night train to Berlin I can't find any connections between 9th and 30th June. Presumably due to engineering works the timetable hasn't been confirmed yet. But the train should run. Could someone confirm ?

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

@thibcabe  as per your suggestion, we booked the ‘seat reservation only (no ticket)’

That was NOT @thibcabe's suggestion. If you want to lie down, you have to add the Interrail/Eurail discount and use "One-way tickets and day tickets”.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
L
Rank
Badge

@rvdborgt  Sorry @thibcabe  Probably I didn't understand correctly.

Is there a way to change the seats to sleeper now?

Thanks 

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

@rvdborgt  Sorry @thibcabe  Probably I didn't understand correctly.

Is there a way to change the seats to sleeper now?

I don't think so. Optional seat reservations are generally not refundable. In addition, this train only has seats. You're looking for the night train that departs at 22:10 and arrives in Berlin at 9:55.

That train can't be booked to Berlin yet, probably because its timetable isn't final yet. It can already be booked to Frankfurt(Oder) and that's what you should do. The price to Berlin is the same anyway. There are still couchettes available.

Edit: If, however, you want to book the direct train Vienna-Hamburg (as in your original post), then you'll want to book the night train leaving Vienna at 19:35 and arriving in Hamburg at 8:47.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
L
Rank
Badge

Yes our plan is to book the night train from Vienna to Hamburg. Tickets were not available for that train. Should we try obb nightjet link instead?

Thanks @rvdborgt 

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

Yes our plan is to book the night train from Vienna to Hamburg. Tickets were not available for that train. Should we try obb nightjet link instead?

There IS availability in that night train:

  1. Go to tickets.oebb.at.
  2. Add all persons and add the Interrail/Eurail discount for every person.
  3. Select "One-way tickets and day tickets”. DO NOT use "Seat reservation only”!
Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
L
Rank
Badge

@rvdborgt  @thibcabe Thanks a lot for your help. Now we have booked the night train ticket from vienna to Hamburg. However we made a seat reservation for the train from Vienna to Berlin also. Is there a way to cancel that. Please see the screenshot.

 

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

I don't think those seat reservations are refundable. In the end it's not that much money (21€) compared to the night trains.

Glad that you could book for the 7 of you ! Enjoy :)

L
Rank
Badge

@thibcabe  Thanks. 

We have booked separately for 3 and 4 people in the night train using discounts as eurail global pass -- how do we connect this to our eurail pass now?

 

Reply


Terms and Conditions & Privacy PolicyCookie settings