tansay

We are travelling on the Queen Mary 2 (yah!!!) arriving in Hamburg Germany October 1st. I am booking us 1st class rail passes and need to figure out what time for which train I should be reserving seats to go to Berlin. Noon? 2:00 pm? What's reasonable? We plan on taking a cab from the port to the train station and I understand that's easy to do. We don't want to hang around the train station too long, but more importantly don't want to panic about getting there, getting our passes validated and getting to the platform in time. While we do speak French, we don't speak German, so will be having some struggles figuring things out. So gentlefolk, what time would be a reasonable time to pick for our train on to Berlin?

Thanks for your anticipated wisdom,

Lea

Dukey1

You are on a pass and planning to take an ICE to Berlin? I am not sure you really need to make a seat reservation. On those services I have often sat in seats which were not reserved. I am almost certain that reservations are not compulsory on those fast timings but I am sure others with better info will comment.

However if you look them up on the GermanRail site the seats can be reserved but they are not listed as compulsory.

tansay

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! I am looking at the Eurail site for rail passes as we are travelling in 3 countries. That is showing the trains from Hamburg-Berlin as requiring reservations. Perhaps it's not the case when one is getting a single country pass from that nation's rail company?

Lea

michelhuebeli

No worries, just go to the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (main central station) with your passports and present the pass. You need to both be there if it's the "Select" pass -two people traveling together at all times. As the agent validates the pass, ask about the next direct train - you won't need seat reservations, but having asked will make you feel better... Now if you want to pay the fee and know that you have two seats in whichever formation you want, side-by-sie or facing, window or aisle, then go ahead and do it.

You won't need to hang around for long, direct trains leave frequently, at 10:51, 12:06, 12:39, 12:58, 14:06, 15:05, and they all take less than two hours.

tansay

Thanks Michel. It certainly would be less stress to just know we need to show up and that there will be a spot on the next or following train.
L

michelhuebeli

Tansay, since you have a pass and we don't know where else it will take you, maybe I should point out that countries like France and Italy do indeed require seat reservations on all fast trains - every ticket automatically comes with it, and passholders have to pay extra before boarding since that pass doesn't cover the seat fee.

Unless you choose slower trains where seat reservation is not mandatory or not even possible (regionals and locals etc.).

Grandma

Sorry I don't have any train info....but assume you'll be on the 9/22 crossing out of NYC...
as will I !! Hope we'll have smooth sailing. An old friend and I are doing a RT... but I still envy
your going on for more travel.

Dukey1

Here is the ISSUE...some of those seats may very well BE reserved but it is unlikely that all of them will be. You need to know how to recognize the markers for reserved and unreserved seats.

The advantage of leaving from Hamburg is this: those fast timings usually start out there so nobody is going to get on the train any sooner than you do if you station yourself on the departing platform and be there when the train is first pulled in and the doors open.

Dukey1

Tansay, allow me to tell you this again..those fast timings in Germany and regardless of what pass you are using do NOT require a seat reservation so please relax.

Those RailEurope folks would love to SELL YOU a seat reservation at a marked up price.

Hans

If a seat is reserved, there is a little sign lighted above the seat (in the ICE's, not in the older trains).

The first of october is a tuesday. I doubt that the train is full on a tuesday at noon, especially in first class.

One further hint, you can also move to the restaurant car. There is no fast move-over. If you order something to drink you can sit there for the whole journey.

tansay

Thanks everyone for your advice, I really do appreciate it. And yes "grandma" we are indeed leaving NYC on 09/22. And I envy YOU for just staying put and travelling back! This is a "bucket list" trip taking the QM 2. My grandparents arrived in Canada in 1912 from England definitely in steerage...and 101 years later we are splurging and travelling the other way in a Princess suite. It says something marvelous about what Canada offered immigrants in those days.