We are seniors and will travel from Utrecht (Netherlands) to Rome and back.
We have booked our tickets with the Global Pass.
But it turns out impossible to book beds and seats.
OBB sent us back to Interrail to book the beds we need.
What to do???
Answer
IMPOSSIBLE TO BOOK BEDS AND SEATS
Best answer by rvdborgt
ÖBB can book pass reservations over the phone. Either the operator lied or was misinformed.
There is availability on 16 April, for both couchettes and sleepers.
The 8-minute connection in Basel is not guaranteed and you'd be lucky to catch it. Better book later trains.
EC trains from Switzerland to Italy and Frecciarossa trains within Italy can also be booked via ÖBB online in the same way. Indeed, book one train at a time, since the ÖBB website often can't handle pass reservations for multiple trains in one go.
+8You can book couchettes and sleepers at ÖBB. Make sure to add your rail passes as a discount, then search for ‘one way tickets and day tickets’.
https://shop.oebbtickets.at/en/ticket
Search just for a single train here, eg Utrecht to Zurich. If you don’t see any availability for your train, it may be sold out or it might not be open to reservations yet. What date is it?
+8On 14 April for Utrecht to Basel, I see availability for that train. The Eurail price for a 2 person compartment is €210, or €130 if you share with a third person (random stranger). There are also cheaper couchettes available.
ÖBB can book pass reservations over the phone. Either the operator lied or was misinformed.
There is availability on 16 April, for both couchettes and sleepers.
The 8-minute connection in Basel is not guaranteed and you'd be lucky to catch it. Better book later trains.
EC trains from Switzerland to Italy and Frecciarossa trains within Italy can also be booked via ÖBB online in the same way. Indeed, book one train at a time, since the ÖBB website often can't handle pass reservations for multiple trains in one go.
Can I also book via you (as OBB says)?
This is a community of Interrail/Eurail travellers. People here can guide you, but not book for you.
+8Can I also book via you (as OBB says)?
You mean with Eurail? (The people posting here are just fellow travellers, not Eurail staff). No, I don’t think Eurail sell these reservations.
I don’t know why ÖBB told you they can’t sell them. You can see them on the website I mentioned above. I just tried a search, and the availability is there.
Ok, thank you. I will try again at OBB… But the guy was very persistent in refusing to book the sleeper...
Can I also book via you (as OBB says)?
You mean with Eurail? (The people posting here are just fellow travellers, not Eurail staff). No, I don’t think Eurail sell these reservations.
You can book via the Interrail/Eurail website but I'd advise against it because it's always more expensive than booking via ÖBB.
+8The 8-minute connection in Basel is not guaranteed and you'd be lucky to catch it. Better book later trains.
Yes, agree with
You can leave Basel at 0703, change in Lugano and arrive Milan at 1217. That means you’d need a later train to Rome. By all means try for the 0628 departure, but don’t rely on it.
I might be tempted to leave Rome a little earlier on your return too. Italian high-speed trains are generally very good for on-time performance, but even a small delay could see you missing your night train, which would be annoying.
The 8-minute connection in Basel is not guaranteed and you'd be lucky to catch it. Better book later trains.
Yes, agree with
You can leave Basel at 0703, change in Lugano and arrive Milan at 1217. That means you’d need a later train to Rome. By all means try for the 0628 departure, but don’t rely on it.
That's exactly what we did earlier this year. The night train had just enough delay to miss the 0628 departure but we didn't plan on using it anyway.
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.
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