Pre-Purchasing Train Tickets
 

Hello all -

I will be embarking on a eurotrip this July and I am in the act of booking all of the lodging accommodations. I want to buy everything that I can buy before the trip so most to all of my money can be strictly spending money and I won't have to worry about budgeting myself. One of the things I've found difficulty in is buying train tickets ahead of time. Is there some sort of big memo I'm missing out on? I was told this was possible. Every website I've tried for any of my point-to-point connections tell me it is not possible to buy the ticket ahead of time. What do you guys do to buy tickets ahead of time? Or is this buying train tickets in advance thing simply a myth?

I have tried to buy all of these tickets but none have proved successful:
Amsterdam > Berlin (July 12)
Berlin > Prague (July 21)
Prague > Budapest (July 24)
Budapest > Zagreb (July 27)

Can anyone explain to me why it hasn't been working or provide a solution? Thank you.

This is not a trip report.

Unless you list the websites you've tried, we can't really help you. Some places have a 90 day prepurchase window so maybe you should just wait a few more days. You usually need to purchase from the departing country's website.

You'll need to give us some information before anyone can help you.

I just checked bahn.de and see tickets available for Amsterdam to Berlin and Berlin to Prague.

I've purchased advanced tickets on the German site before with no problems - 90 days in advance, I believe.

PS A trip report is something you write after you've take the trip. Lots of times people don't bother opening a thread if they don't want to read a trip report, especially one on buying train tickets. I'm asking to have the TR tag removed.

You do NOT need to purchase from the departing country website. One reason I don't is because using the Germanrail site can be so much easier. I recently bought tickets for a train from Paris to Munich on the Bahn.de site. Why? Because it was one hell of a lot easier to use than the SNCF site.

Dukey1 - isn't it only travel to and from Germany? I don't think bahn.de sells tickets for trips that begin and end elsewhere.

For a primer on buying train tickets see seat61.com.

you need to do it starting 92 days in advance, so you should be able to do your first ticket now

It is generally easier if your register on the ticket site. It is easy to do but be sure to notify your credit card company that these charges will be coming through. Use bahn to get your scheduling infor but you can only use bahn for trips beginning or ending in Germany. Tickets for trips outside of Germany need to be booked on the local train sites.

Sabradshaw- I just checked the www.Bahn.de website for 12 July and found there are 3 trains that leave Amsterdam around 10:30 AM and arrive in Berlin around 17:15.
The savings fare for a one change train in 2nd class is 198€ total for 2 adults, and it is 78€ for a 3 change trip. 1st class for the 3 change trip is 138€. As kybourbon, Adrienne, & bigtyke pointed out, I believe your original problem was trying to book too far in advance. I also think you have to use the departing countries national train website for your July 24 and 27 tickets. To quote from the Bahn website, "For connections outside of Germany, a special ticket is required. These offers are not bookable via the internet." You could also try to contact Byron or Linda at www.budgeteuropetravel.com- they have ben very helpful over the years...

Have a good trip-

((B))

<i>Pre-Purchasing Train Tickets
Posted by: sabradshaw on Apr 16, 14 at 9:38am Posted in: Europe Tagged: Germany
What do you guys do to buy tickets ahead of time? Or is this buying train tickets in advance thing simply a myth?
I have tried to buy all of these tickets but none have proved successful:
Amsterdam > Berlin (July 12)
Can anyone explain to me why it hasn't been working or provide a solution? Thank you.</i>

Others have explained why it hasn't been working. It's too far in the future and the German Rail does not sell tickets over the internet for trains originating outside Germany.

On the Netherlands rail site http://www.nshispeed.nl/en you could purchase a ticket on the CityNightLine when reservations for July 12 open. Right now tickets for the week prior are going for &euro;29 plus &euro;20 for a couchette bunk. That's a steal. You save a day of your trip and the cost of a hotel room on one end or the other. For an illustrated introduction to night trains in Europe see http://tinyurl.com/y57vft.

Just a note: it is counterproductive to double post the same or similar questions on Fodor's Forum. If you want more attention just reply "ttt" to your post get your Q "to the top" of the list.

spaarne - the OP posted twice because one thread was for Germany and one for the Netherlands. He/she apparently does not know about the control key.