How do you find out what kind of seats you are selecting when you buy your train ticket? How do you NOT ride backwards???

Do you mean Italy's Eurostar or the Eurostar serving the UK, France and Belgium? From your previous posts, I think you mean Italy, but please clarify...you'll get more helpful info that way.

Yes, Italy.

In general, I'm not sure if rail websites provide seat maps like the airlines. I think it will be helpful if you clarify which Eurostar train you are referring to.

GOing to Florence from Rome. Need 4 seats and want to specify. Can't ride backwards. How do I do that online?

I have used Trenitalia site to book Eurostar tickets. While they provide you with "abstrct" seating diagram, without direction of travel or the seat numbers, what I got was nothing resembling what I specified. Unless you know the mysterious seat number system, you have no idea the seat numbers given to you are in fact across the aisle on different row until you get on the train. About the only thing they got it right was that seats were "close" to each other.

I just did this. send them email ask for forward facing seats - they respond they can't promise anything - email again stating again reason why - bingo they are set. Be sure you put your booking # on first email took 3 days.

Hi anavert,

Unlike airplanes, train cars go both ways. There is no way you can guarantee that a given seat won't be riding backward.

Buy 4 seats and exchange with your companions.

If all 4 of you can't ride backward, ask other travelers to help you.

What reason would more or less guarantee forward facing seats? My husband would get nauseaous sitting backwards on the streetcar at home. Maybe you can tell that a couple of the people in your party gets nauseaous. If I were the clerk I would make sure your seats are forward facing to avoide the consequences.

What reason would more or less guarantee forward facing seats? My husband would get nauseaous sitting backwards on the streetcar at home. Maybe you can tell that a couple of the people in your party gets nauseaous. If I were the clerk I would make sure your seats are forward facing to avoid the consequences.

Well, I don't think it's really an issue unless the train is packed. I rode the Eurostar from London to Paris & then back. There were plenty of seats to choose from and I just took one from wherever. It didn't seem to make a difference. However, I did ride the Eurostar in March which is low season so maybe it might be more crowded during the time you'll be traveling?