Cannot get seat assignments on train the Munich-Venice
 

I've tried on Bahn.com and Rail Europe to purchase tickets with seat reservations but they won't allow it and Tren Italia looks like a nightmare. Bahn even offers seat assignment for the entire order for an additional 7 Euros but at check out it says that reserving seats not possible. I've tried it both on 1st and 2nd class but to no avail.

Should I just buy tickets online without seat assignments then try to run like a bat out of hell to the train once the platform is announced? I just don't want to risk having to stand up for six hours or getting kicked off our random seats by people who have seat assignments which has happened to me before and it's not fun at all.

I can only get to the Munich train station the day before the trip- should I wait till then to book the tickets in person? there is just one direct daily train to Venice.

For one, I would not buy the tickets on Rail Europe even if they offer a reservation.

I don't think you will have a problem booking them the day before in Munich. We have never reserved seats and haven't had a problem so far in Italy or Germany.

I just tried to book and my seat reservation was accepted. I did not enter credit card info but I got as far as the screen where you enter your name and payment type.

Were you printing an online ticket?

I use bahn.de and switch to English. I didn't have a problem getting a reservation the one time I used this site. I can't imagine that tickets are available but not seat reservations. I would try again.

http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml

http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml

Did you tick any "conditions" or "preferences" about the seats you want, like: window, seats together, compartment...? If yes, try again without these.

It does allow you to select the option of seat reservation but once you enter your credit card information, it takes you to the final verification page prior to purchasing the tickets, and it says "Reservation request not accomplishable, click on reserving without seat to proceed or abort reservation" You can try it and then click abort booking on the final page and it won't charge your credit card. I just tried it w/o selecting any preferences but it still won't work. Here is the response I keep getting:


Outward journey Station/Stop Date Time Products Reservation request
München Hbf Venezia S.Lucia Sa, 17.09.2011 11:31 18:10 EC 87

>>Reservation request not accomplishable. Your reservation request cannot be satisfied. It is not possible to book one or more reservations in accordance with your request. These items are marked in red.
Please decide how you wish to continue:
Do you wish to make no seat reservations for the entire journey? Click Booking without reservation<<

You can't purchase an international ticket from Trenitalia unless you are departing from Italy as you are required to retrieve the ticket at the self service kiosks in Italian train station.

Exactly which train are you trying to book on which dates?

This may also be complicated by the apparently ongoing dispute Trenitalia has had with other rail companies with trains that cross into Italy. We had the same difficulty with booking reservations between Munich and Verona last year. We finally solved the problem by using a travel agent (Budget European Travel Service)

I suspect you can get the seats if you wait until you get to Munich; in my past experience this route CAN BE problematic seat-wise and there is NO reason you have to "run like hell" once the train is announced because the platform the train will depart from will be published well in advance on one of those trackside posters.

This is the train I'm palling to book:

München Hbf - Venezia S.Lucia Sa, 17.09.2011 11:31 18:10 EC 87

I don't think I'll be able to book seats once I've purchased the tickets online so I'll just go in person the day before. I'm hoping the train will have plenty of vacant seats because the summer high season will have passed by then. BTW I've noticed that France's SNCF is much more user friendly and always allows you to see the seat plans and select your own seats online. I hope DB Bahn takes notice.

>>>It is not possible to book one or more reservations in accordance with your request.
These items are marked in red.<<<

Which items are marked in red? You must be leaving something out.

Sounds just like I described above - this is the typical answer if, for example, they don't have enough window seats together. Try again, without requesting any particularities about the seats.

I had this problem for a train from Munich to Bologna. After calling DB I found out the train was full in first class. So, I had to switch to 2nd to get the reservation. I was surprised it was full since I got some sort of discount rate on the tickets.

seat61.com can help you if needed

Personally always a hassle to book abroad

Just hop trains like a local plenty of seats

always have never had a problem.

Also save shipping costs for tickets and CC hassles

Trenitalia is the worse CCs abroad almost never work

In country they work fine... Go figure!

Personally, if I was getting cheap 39 euro fares by pre-booking in advance, I'd just book without seat reservations. Then try and make seat reservations at the station when I got to Germany, or just take pot luck.

There are almost always seats available, and many seats aren't allocated to the reservation system so will be available for 'walk up' travellers anyway.

So since the fare isn't cheap at all, I think it would be best to go in person the day before and possibly get more perks out of paying almost full fare, such as seat reservations, rather than paying the same fare online w/o seat reservations. If I do get seat reservations I would be better off than those who buy their tickets on the day of travel or online w/o seat reservations.

Or do as Dukey did and call Byron at www.budgeteuropetravel.com - I have bought passes from him for years and if anyone can do it in the U.S. he can - and going first class without a seat reservation may be advisable as there are always IME plenty of empty seats in first class - not always in 2nd class, especially since the online discounts often mean a rather full 2nd class train.

Does not this train terminate at Villach, Austria with a bus connection to Venice? If so then yes on any German and Austrian train I've been on you will find empty seats if you board at the city of origin - but be sure to look at reservation info above or by each seat to see where down the line that seat may be reserved.

And if all seats in 2nd class are full then you can on the train go sit in first class and then pay the conductor the difference between first and second class fares - at least this is traditionally what is done. Perhaps Man in Seat 61 can clarify that policy on this train as it is nearly universal in Europe with full fare tickets that is - with a discount ticket I think you'd have to pay the difference between the ticket price and full fare in first class - could be a lot more in that case.

Hi PalenQ, The train leaves at 11:31 from Munich and it's a direct train through Innsbruck to Venice Santa Lucia.

It's going to be a one time trip from Munich to Venice so I don't believe I can use any kind of train pass, unless there is one I could use for a week to cover my travels from Vienna to Salzburg, then on to Munich and ending in Venice and perhaps one more ride on the Italian Eurostar.

Thanks again for all your help.