This thread is a lifesaver. I have 2 questions<BR><BR>1. Do local trains in Germany have space for luggage. I am thinking of using a happy weekend ticket to travel on a saturday afternoon with my family and not so small luggage and with this ticket, IR and ICE trains can not be used.<BR><BR>2 Can a train ticket from frankfurt to paris on ICE and Thalys be used by breaking journey at a station enroute for few hours ? If yes, do I get seat reservations for both parts of the journey?<BR><BR>Thanks a ton

German regional trains have some space for luggage, but not a lot. There are small overhead racks and probably room at the end of the car or under the seats. On a Sat afternoon it probably won't be too crowded so it will probably be ok. <BR><BR>Yes and yes to the last question, but check with whoever sells you the tickets. Generally a ticket between 2 places is good for a certain period of time (like a month or so) and you can stop enroute, certainly for just a few hours. Since you'll be taking 2 different trains, you'll need separate reservations.

The main question I have is about how you go about reserving TGV seats on the SNCF website. There is no selection on the booking form for you to reserve seats that I can find. There is a footnote that reserved seats are for local trains only. <BR><BR>So does anyone know how I can make seat reservations via the website?

xxx: I recently (last week) reserved 3 separate train trips (2 TGV, one local)via SNCF web site (English version). One of the choices available was for reservations. I checked it off and voila!, when the tickets were delivered (to my daughter who is currently living in Paris), the tickets had reserved seat numbers on them. There was no extra charge for the reservations. Does this help?<BR>Barb

xxx: I had no problem reserving the tickets on the SNCF website - I just went to Booking and followed the directions from there, gave them my credit card no., indicated I wanted to pick the tickets up at the window at the station, etc. Got their confirmation immediately and printed it out. But it doesn't show seating assignments - that's MY question. I guess when I show up to get the tickets they'll give me seating assignments. I would like to have been able to pick my own seats, but that was not an option on the website, as far as I could see.

St. Cirq's response is what I'm referring to. Yes, you pay by c/c and pick up in person. But there is no reserved seat no. so do you or don't you get a reserved seat when you pick up your tickets? If you've got more than two tickets, does your whole party get to sit in a row together??

StCirq, Yes ,that's true. The seating assignments do not appear on the confirmation that you receive via e-mail; they only appear on the actual tickets. It would seem that SNCF tries to give you the best seating arrangements they can for the number of tickets you reserve. Two of my reservations are side by side, the last one not so; perhaps they are across the aisle from each other?????? And no, you cannot choose your own seats via the web-site.<BR>Barb

Thank you so much, Barb. I wasn't worried about the trip (done it a gazillion times), but have never reserved on the SNCF site in advance before and didn't know the particulars. Appreciate your help.

StCirq, Yes ,that's true. The seating assignments do not appear on the confirmation that you receive via e-mail; they only appear on the actual tickets. It would seem that SNCF tries to give you the best seating arrangements they can for the number of tickets you reserve. Two of my reservations are side by side, the last one not so; perhaps they are across the aisle from each other?????? And no, you cannot choose your own seats via the web-site.<BR>Barb

oops! My apologies for the duplication. Don't know how it happened; could have been the second "Friday night martini".........<BR>Barb

Actually, you can choose your seat on the SNCF site.<BR><BR>You must click on the "+" add services in the "Seating preferences Class" . several other choices then appear beside the basic "1st/2nd class" "smoker/non smoker", like :<BR><BR>Upper deck, lower deck, aisle, window,Compartment, seat together-4 people, etc.... <BR>

Thanks, Claire, now I know something more about the site. I didn't even think to click on the extra Preferences. merci.