During your European rail trip there may be certain situations where you are required to make and pay for train seat reservations. The Eurail pass exists thanks to the collaboration of different railway companies in 26 European countries. For this reason the conditions of each rail company can differ.
For most local and regional trains, you can just hop on and off. However, your Eurail pass doesn’t always guarantee you a seat, and sometimes you are required to make a reservation. Rules for making reservations vary between rail companies and countries. Make sure you understand reservation fees before you travel, so there are no surprises!
While planning your trip, remember you may be required to make a reservation if you’re:
- travelling between countries: International train reservations
- using high-speed trains: Domestic train reservations
- choosing a night train: Night train reservations
Important to know: If the train you want requires a reservation, then a reservation is required for every passenger – not just Eurail pass holders. You cannot avoid reservations and fees by buying point-to-point tickets.
For many high-speed services, international trains and all night trains, an advance reservation is compulsory. Keep in mind that travelling on a night train is a great way to save on accommodation costs.
Popular trains and routes, including the French TGV trains, Artesia de Jour (Paris – Milan) and the Spanish train Alaris have a year-round limited seat allocation for Eurail pass holders. After this limit has been reached you’ll have to buy a full price ticket. By booking in advance you should be able to reserve a seat. So it’s worth reserving yourself a seat, especially during peak times (May-September and European school holidays) or if you have a plane to catch at the other end!
If a reservation is required, you’ll need to arrange this in advance.
The easiest ways are:
- at the ticket office of a train station or using a self-service machine.
- through the Deutsche Bahn’s UK Call Centre.
- Online with a few rail companies. Currently you are able to buy reservations online for travel within and to and from Germany, Sweden and Italy.
Depending on what’s most important to you – speed of travel or keeping budgets down – you may want to avoid making reservations.
You can do this by researching an alternative route that doesn’t require a reservation fee. Sometimes this will mean a longer journey, with more changes, but it also means you have the chance to stop off and see more places and the entire cost of the train will be covered by your Eurail pass.
