lukedam

Hello from Australia!

I am going on my first trip to Europe in about a month. Me and my friends bought a eurail global pass (and i am now beginning to see what a bad idea that was). But nevertheless, we are trying to persevere with it. I'm sure you've seen these posts a million times before but we are quite panicked at the difficulty of this whole seat reservation thing.

Eventually in the trip will be leaving Munich to travel to Bern on Friday the 5th of July

The route we have planned is as follows:

Munich Hbf ---> Zurich HB (via austria) ---->Bern

I went to the De Bahn website (http://www.bahn.com/) and tried to book the reservations through there. However, we encountered this message when we just wanted to click "reservation only"

"It is not possible to make a reservation for international connections at www.bahn.de without the purchase of a ticket. Please remove the check mark from the field "Reservation for seat only", if you would like to buy a ticket for this connection. "

great.

whenever i call the "Deutsche Bahn UK Booking Centre" (Tel: +44 8718 80 80 66), they don't pick up the phone. I have called another place in the UK which said they can book it, but it will cost an additional 37 pounds to book (on top of the reservation). I will do this if necessary, but would like to avoid it.

So what do I do? Is it possible to make a reservation for these trains through somewhere. and if so, where??

Thanks so much, i'm getting to my wits end with this.

agedude

Let me state upfront that I've never used a Eurrail pass, only gone point to point. Sorry for the trouble and I agree the situation sucks. It shouldn't be a show stopper though. I looked at the DBahn website and it looks like there are two to three trains an hour on your route. When you get to Munich, talk to a ticket office, explain the situation, and find out when the least crowded train leaves. One where you are assured a seat. You may have to leave at 0600 vs. 0900, but you could get a couple of hours of ZZZs on the train. I can imagine trains at peak times being full, but not all the trains. Personally, I hate spending extra money for a reservation if I don't have too.

sparkchaser

When did you call? I don't think it is staffed 24/7.

baladeuse

I haven't use a Eurail pass in recent years and when I used one in my youth(the 70's) they were a very different animal, but I believe the information you need is available on the excellent website created by the "Man in seat61" who also contributes to this forum. With luck he'll chime in, as well as many very experienced fodorites. In the meantime, have a look at this:

http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-E...tm#supplements cost

Good luck!

Dukey1

WAIT until you GET to Munich or wherever your first rail station in Europe is. Go to that station and book the seat reservations for any and all trips which might require them (and you don't necessarily need seat reservations for all trains). The seat reservations will be cheaper to buy that way.

Unless you are on a train which REQUIRES seat reservations you can simply get on and sit in any unreserved seats.

Woyzeck

I second what Dukey says. Make reservations when you get to Europe, unless you know you are taking specific high-demand long distance trains where a reservation would be essential.

Try to know the difference between the trains which require reservations, those where it is recommended, and those where it is possible but not necessary. In many central European countries, like Germany and Switzerland, even many ICE trains do not require reservations. If you are not travelling at busy hours, there may be plenty of seats to choose from. Use local and regional trains where possible and convenient to avoid supplements and reservation fees. Baladeuse's link above (www.seat61.com) is an excellent resource for all things train-releated in Europe.

spaarne

I third what Dukey wrote. Why do you want a seat reservation? You don't need them in Germany. Just get on the train. If there are no seats you stand until the next stop and take a seat left by a departing passenger.

yodababe

I disagree about the seat reservations. My husband and I routinely use DB and the trains are extremely busy unless you are traveling very early or very late. We went from Nuremberg-Frankfurt 2 weeks ago and people were jammed in all the aisles of 1st class, I shudder to think of what 2nd class was like. Especially if you are in a group, you need to make sure you and your luggage all get to the same place in relative comfort. Nothing like squatting on your suitcase right by the WC for hours to make a reserved seat well worth the few extra euro it will cost you.

sparkchaser

<Should I make a reservation?>

Do you want a seat?