Travel in comfort
During your Eurail trip, you can hop on and hop off most local and regional trains. If you plan to take a high-speed or night train, you may need to buy a reservation in addition to your Eurail pass. This will depend on the countries you travel in and the type of train you take. This reservation guarantees you a seat or sleeping accommodation on the train.
Advantages of making train seat reservations
Making reservations can help make sure you get a comfortable and stress-free journey. Here are some of the benefits to making reservations:
- Be sure of a seat on a busy train, especially during the peak season (May-September and during European school vacations) when trains can get pretty packed.
- Sit together – if you’re traveling in a group.
You'll need a reservation for:
- sleeping accommodation on most night trains.
- some high-speed trains, including those in France, Italy and Spain.
To find out if you may need a reservation, check the Eurail timetable for this symbol: 
Check when to make reservations.
Make your reservations:
- at a ticket desk or self-service machine in local train stations.
- by phone through a booking center.
- online direct with a railway company.
Find out how to make reservations.
You can often avoid reservations by looking up an alternative route that uses only regional trains. This means that you:
- save money.
- get to stop off at some lesser-known places along the way.
Find out how to avoid reservations.
Seat reservations
Please note that the number of seats available for Eurail pass holders is limited on the following high-speed trains:
- TGV: all domestic and international routes.
- Thalys: on all routes between France and the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
- ICE: Paris – Frankfurt route only.
We recommend that you make reservations as soon as possible. You can make reservations up to 3 months in advance. To check availability for the train, contact a booking center or visit a European railway station.
If a train is fully booked for pass holders you can:
- check our alternative routes.
- buy a full-fare ticket (if this is the only train you take that day it saves you a travel day).
Reservation fees vary depending on the country, railway company and train type.
Find reservation fees for:
