German train seating questions
 

My husband, myself, and our 4 year old daughter are planning to take an ICE train from Frankfurt to Vienna. Our seat options, I believe, are compartment (optional or only), or center aisle with table or not. With the 3 of us, should we try first for a compartment? Just not sure how the seating layout is and wonder what is the best for us. I know there are no guarantees, but would like to make an education decision. Thanks.

I'd go for the compartment. That route is a 7:20 haul at minimum, and a compartment is the only choice with room to stretch out. Try to get a through trip (no changes).

Schedules are at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

Thanks.

Every ICE train has at least one (or even several) family compartments. Even if you don´t reserve one you have the preference of getting in and can kick out people without children.

Hi el,

A compartment is a bench seat (3 or 4) facing another bench seat.

There are overhead racks for luggage.

((I))

altamiro - you mean that a family of three with one kid can kick 6 adults out - why can not three other adults remain?

It would be a rather tough person who would ask seated folks on a full train to vacate just for three people.

Good luck trying to "kick" anybody out of a compartment...and as to the configuration in ICE compartments..are you talking First or Second class?

Last time I was in an ICE First Class compartment there were at least two regular seats...not so sure about these "benches" Ira has mentioned.

>>..not so sure about these "benches" Ira has mentioned.<<

100 years ago trains had benches in the compartments. ICEs have regular seats. Compartments have six seats. Großraumwagen has seating like on a plane (except that it is more spacious). It does not matter that much how you are seated. Family compartment would be perfect.

Ira, though a wealth of info about buying train tickets from often tricky sites obviously, thru some dated info like this, has rarely or never ridden trains. He always drives it seems. thank God for his navigating various national rail sites as he has literally saved Fodorites thousands of dollars. But i think he needs to ride trains in order to comment on the trains themselves.

And yes benches went out with disco on German long-distance trains.

Hi trav and Pal,

A "bench" seat, like they have in cars, means that it is not a single, stand-alone bucket seat.

As an illustration, consider the three or 4 abreast seats on an airplane. Lift the arm rests, they become benches.

((I))
Who, fortunately, is a very calm and melllow person who isn't easily upset by "snarky" comments.

Seriously Ira - my apologies for being snarky - but seriously you rarely ride trains right and prefer the car?

At least i've never seen you report on riding trains but always driving (which is fine) - but curious as to what trains you have ridden and when - and this is not to be critical - again i applaud your going out of your way and saving many Fodorites tons of dollars.

cheers

ira - do you hire cars with bench seats, or buckets?

You do not need seat reservations on the ICE train from Frankfurt to Wien. If you do make reservation you can always rearrange yourself after you get on the train. Just select any seat not occupied or reserved and get in it. Based on my experience traveling with a 4 year old daughter, a kid needs room to roam. They like to run through the aisle and find other kids. I would not restrict a child to a compartment for 7 hours!! Just have her return to her seat whenever the train slows down to make a stop. The aisles will be busy and people will not readily notice a todler as they rush for the exit.

>altamiro - you mean that a family of three with one kid can kick 6 adults out - why can not three other adults remain?

I didn´t say that.

>It would be a rather tough person who would ask seated folks on a full train to vacate just for three people.

It would take a person with some common sense to not ask for that.

In the interest of adding to the mayhem, let me impart information on German/Austrian first class train seating that I learned from Budget Rail etc. If the car is designated as "coach" seating, it means that the seats are configured in the traditional open manner, some with opposing seats facing one another and others facing in one direction. If, on the other hand, the seating is designated as "compartment", you have three discrete (not a bench) seats facing one another in a defined compartment with sliding door.

I can confirm that the foregoing is exactly the way I have experienced train travel in these counties. If you have large bags and others are assigned to your compartment, it is a problem. If, however, the seating is "coach", there usually is room at the end of the car for large bags. Good Luck. Gradyghost

Hi Pal,

>...seriously you rarely ride trains right and prefer the car?

My trip reports show
2003 - Italy - train only
2004 - France - train only
2005 - France - car and train -mostly car
2007 - Various - car
2008 - Various - mostly train, car for Alsace.

I am eclectic in my use of transportation.
.................................................. .......................
Hi robes,
>ira - do you hire cars with bench seats, or buckets?<

In every car I have ever been in, the rear seat is always a bench style.

In some of them the front seats are buckets, in others (usually the larger ones) the front seats are split-bench.
............................................
Hi GG,
>you have three discrete (not a bench) seats facing one another in a defined compartment with sliding door.<

And if you raise the armrests between the seats?

((I))

A picture tells more than 1,000 words. Before this thread goes out of hand, look here:

http://www.ice-fansite.de/galerie/ca....php?cat_id=11

Ira - see the photos - you cannot raise any arm rests between seats in the compartments - they are individual seats - when you say bench style you are dating yourself - most newer trains like TGV, ICE, AVE, etc simply have no benches - all individual seats IME

the old benches you are talking about were the rule years ago and yes you could lift the armrests to form a bed, something i would do at night when i was younger.

Hi trav and pal,

The link shows, on P1, the seating in a <b>1 cl </B> compartment.
You are correct, they are stand-alone seats.
Thank you for the update.
I shall have to go 1 cl more often. :)

On P 4, pic 2, you will see the bench-style seating in the "Mutter-Kind-Abteil" compartment, which is what I think the OP is after.

((I))

Yes it does but the pictures to the right and left of it look like they are in the same type compartments and they are folding seats

Bench type seating is seen less and less - only in one picture out of dozens shown.

I'll have to look more carefully next time.

Cheers