ColdPeppers

Hello,


I bought a youth EuroRail Select pass including France. I must travel with family on a particular Train from Paris to Nice and a few days later from Nice back to Paris, however there are no reservations available when I check on the EuroRail website.

Is it possible to just show up the day I must get on the train, and board the train without a reservation? I dont mind sitting in a hallway or standing if need be.


Thanks

greg

Why don't you gather the facts first to see if there is really a problem in the first place?

1. What is the URL of the site you looked at?
2. When is the date of travel?
3. What are the stations and the time of travel?

It can be the issue with the site you are using, the travel dates too far in future to have any availability posted, etc.

fmpden

It depends. First off, E Rail is not the best choice for info as they only list the trains they sell tickets for. Go to voyages-sncf.com and say you home is England to avoid being kicked to E Rail. Second, if the train requires a reservation then you will be subject to a huge fine for being on the train with no reservation. If reservation is optional you would be fine.

ColdPeppers

Hey,

I dont see where you can reserve seats on the voyages-sncf.com website?

I am looking to travel August 6th from Paris to Nice and Nice to paris on August 10th. On raileurope.com it says "This train requires the passholder to purchase a seat reservation; however the passholder fares are unavailable or sold out at this time, or your pass is not valid for the pass holder fares on this route. You can still travel on this train with a regular ticket. To book a regular ticket now, please click here." So whatever that means?...

What else can I do?

Thanks

greg

Ok, I see the better picture now. I don't think you have reliable low cost options irrespective of the Eurail pass restrictions.

1. 8/6-8/10 are smack in the middle of the French summer holiday season - count against you.
2. 8/6 is only 2 weeks away - another count against you.

I don't think the ticket inspector takes it kindly for someone who did not pay for reservation at all. I have seen a couple who got onto the wrong half of the TGV train and had to stand until they could get onto a platform at an intermediate station to move to the correct half of the train. I think they were allowed to do this without penalty because they did buy a reservation.

Unless someone has a miraculous solution, you have to choose what is important to you: ability to use your pass by traveling on a different train or pay full fare (there isn't any discount ticket left) to be on the same train but not necessarily sit with your family except perhaps in the dining car unless you can convince someone to switch a seat with you.

adrienne

From threads I've read on this board and from seat61.com you can only buy your seat reservation from RailEurope or at a train station in France (if you have a rail pass). If RailEurope cannot provide a seat reservation then you'll have to wait until you arrive in Paris (or any other French town) and but it then but there are limited seat reservations for pass holders.

http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-E...m#reservations or pay supplements with a railpass

adrienne

Are you using your rail pass only for the Paris-Nice-Paris trains? If so you might look into returning your rail pass, taking the penalty, and buying a ticket from SNCF. This might be cheaper as the seat reservation is included in the price.

ColdPeppers

Thanks for the advice so far everyone.

I am going to 4 different countries so I have the Select Pass.

It seems the best plan as of now would be to Wait Until I arrive at the CDG airport and immediately go to a train counter and attempt to book a reservation. If anyone else has any other ideas please share

greg

You know that you are unlikely to be able to make a reservation for your pass at CDG, unless the walk-up passholder quota is separate from the Raileurope quota. What you might have to buy is a full fare last minutes train ticket. Be sure you know what that is likely to be (you can get an idea at www.voyages-sncf.com) so you will not be dealing with a sticker shock at CDG. Also there is a possibility of not able to buy any ticket at any price on that particular train so think about a fall back plan on how you regroup at the destination.

GeoffHamer

The SNCF limits the number of tickets available on TGVs to rail pass holders. Once that allocation is booked, you have to pay the normal fare, and the rail pass is of no benefit. A rail pass is, therefore of limited use for France. Other countries honour rail passes.

If the TGVs to Nice are fully booked, try che

GeoffHamer

... If the TGVs to Nice are fully booked, try checking TGVs to Marseille or Toulon. There are local trains from there to Nice which do not require reservations. There is also an overnight train from Paris to Nice.

adrienne

I would call RailEurope and speak with an agent to see if it's possible to get a seat reservation.

ColdPeppers

Looks like to get there that day I have to buy a ticket at $185

Some of the reservation Fees seem Ridiculously high for other routes such as Paris to Interlaken. Im starting to think this RAIL pass is going to cost more than if I just bought my Tickets point to point.

Thanks for all the Help.
Its much appreciated

PalenQ

. A rail pass is, therefore of limited use for France>

only if you expect to just hop on any TGV train anytime and for the most part getting reservations on most trains is not a problem once in France but mainly on IME TGV lines Paris-Avignon-Nice and that is a real problem and to get on a direct train at this time may be impossible. You can try like Geoff says and get one to Marseille or Toulon or even to Lyon and then do a non-TGV train to Avignon and onto Nice but that would take a long time. There is also an overnight train you can take the night before and be in Nice early in the morning and chances of getting a berth there may be better - you'd have to pay for the sleeping option, pass pays for the train fare. One chance in U.S. is the folks at BETS (www.budgeteuropetravel.com) - I buy railpasses from Byron there for years and his agency is a RE agent - if anyone can get a passholder reservation on those trains in the U.S. it would be him IMO - but again I assume the alloted number is exhausted but give it a try IF it is crucial to your plans - also try the overnight train. another option book a TGV Paris to say Montpellier and get off at Avignon-TGV station and take the bus into town and then go via slower train to Nice.

Railpasses are not necessarily of limited use in France but if taking TGVs south from paris it is wise to pay a little extra and make the mandated seat reservation when you buy your pass as you just may not be able to do it once there in busy periods - and this is a complaint I have heard many times on Fodors and personally have encountered as well.

ira

Hi CP,

>Im starting to think this RAIL pass is going to cost more than if I just bought my Tickets point to point.<

It often is.

You could check the prices for point to point tickets at the national rail websites.

You can cash in your RailPass for about 80% of the cost if you haven't used it.

PalenQ

>Im starting to think this RAIL pass is going to cost more than if I just bought my Tickets point to point.<

It often is.>

such blanket statements are IMO not helpful - OP says he/she is going to 'four different countries' and international travel on trains of several days or more usually involves lengthy trips and makes a pass in that situation often a great deal - especially if one wants the flexibility in many countries just to hop any train anytime - now in France on a very few TGV routes we have this problem so folks say to throw the baby out with the bathwater. But for international trips involving several countries a railpass is often a good deal inspite of the Fodor's mantra that they are often a bad idea.

So IMO ignore this misinformation IMO (but this is not to say that a railpass is always a bad idea - if you want to scour web sites of several national railways and lock yourself in weeks in advance to non-changeble non-refundable tickets and are traveling a handful of times then a pass is often a bad idea - but you lose any flexibility and have to be on that train at that time, etc. There is more to a railpass than dollars and sense as well.

PalenQ

And the Eurail Select Pass the OP has bought - a Youthpass costs currently the following:

$402 for 5 days of unlimited travel of choosing over a 2-month period

$436 for 6 days

$503 for 8 days
$567 for 10 days

so let's say he has an 8 day pass that would cost $503 or about $63 a day or about 42 euros a day.

Now Ira and others who say these passes are 'often more expensive than buying regular tickets' please show me for a 4-country trip where you can get a day's unlimited travel for 42 euros a day - in fact the cheapest online discounts, which must be booked far in advance to get and cannot usually be changed rarely cost less than 39 euros and often more and may not even be available for the train OP wants.

So for say a Paris to Nice to Florence to Rome to Venice to Munich to say Switzerland - 6 days of train travel how Ira is 42 euros a day a rip-off - and also for, except for Paris to Nice fully flexible travel - I have had passes for years and never had a problem getting required reservations anywhere but a few times on Paris to south France TGVs and then I could alter my plans by changing and do it.

OP has made a smart choice as he/she will find if they think that 'buying individual tickets as they go' will be cheaper than 42 euros a day - even with the seat reservation fees in Italy and France - this pass for OP plans - 4 countries is an absolute bargain and to say it is not is simply poor advice that could cost the OP hudnreds of bucks - the recommendation to refund the pass is especially poor because then the OP would pay a penalty of $80 and then still have to buy regular tickets in Europe - that advice would literally cost the4 OP hundreds of dollars.

PalenQ

and the beauty of a Flexipass like OP has for youths especially is the 7pm rule for overnight trains - like if you leave Rome on an overnight train to Munich after 7pm you put the next day's date as your unlimited travel day - traveling gratis from 7pm to midnight in effect and then you could travel anywhere the whole next day as your pass would be valid for the whole calendar day and only use one day total on your flexipass. thus you could take an overnight train Rome to Munich and then easily end up in say Berlin, Prague or Amsterdam the next evening with your total fare Rome to Amsterdam being just 42 euros (you would have to pay for any optional sleeping berths however but you would also save paying a night in a hotel or hostel. Eurail Youthpasses for travel in several countries = a great great travel bargain - OP should realize that and that is my mission in light of the fodor's mantra that railpasses are often more expensive than buying tickets as you go along - really bad advice IMO that is.

Underhill

If you are traveling on a TGV, you MUST have a seat reservation.

PalenQ

Well there are or have been Sur Reservation seats on TGVs where in expectation of no shows some people are indeed allowed on without a seat reservation and sit in folding seats between cars and then if no shows happen go sit in regular seating.

Now when I travel on TGVs I often notice that folks are sitting in the folding seats at times and I assume these are the 'sur reservation' folks allowed on and were not enough no shows and had to remain there.

And the TGV Paris to Lille I believe on certain runs may not require seat reservations - this was true a few years back but I have not heard an update - it was to appease locals who day tripped to Paris and did not want to set a return time in stone I believe.

But I think those are the only two exceptions to what Underhill says and they may not be current anymore but were last I knew.

In a pinch ask for a 'sur reservation' place on the TGV - not sure I have the spelling or term correct though.