We will be departing a river cruise in Antwerp taking a train to the Mosel River region in Germany. Because we don't know point the riverboat will release us that morning and how long it will take us to get to the train station on Tuesday, May 2nd, Is it a bad idea to not have advance train reservations?

should have asked if it is necessary to have train reservations

The quickest way Antwerp to Cochem takes about 5 hours - take train to Brussels Midi then either Thalys or ICE trains to Cologne then train to Koblenz and change there for Cochem.

Thalys trains demand advance reservations before boarding but that comes with your ticket - if you take ICE trains no seat reservations are mandated on any train on the route.

As trains leave hourly on the way route you should have no problem getting on trains- anyway for lots of good info on trains and ticketing check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

You can always board trains that do not demand reservations and usually find seats -especially in first class IME.

check www.thalys.com for fares Antwerp to Cologne via Thalys trains;

www.bahn.de/en for connections via ICE Brussels to Cologne and to Cochem -check Antwerp to Cochem.

I used www.bahn.de/en for schedules - German Railways site with schedules for all European trains.

All very helpful advice which will save me a lot of time researching. THANK YOU!!!

Book Thalys as far as possible in advance for the lowest fares. You are tied to the train you book; if you miss it you will have to buy another ticket (unless on an expensive flexible fare).

No reservations or advance booking necessary on regular trains. There are no seat reservations here. These are the Intercity trains. They will take longer but are usually cheaper. Not always though, if you get an early Thalys ticket.

www.belgianrail.be is the site for Belgian railways, but you can use the German one as well of course.
The belgianrail site shows you all the options - including a very cheap 29 euros by bus to Dusseldorf and onwards by train. The fastest is just over 5 hours with Thalys and Ice - but with 3 changes - at 54 euro. Cheaper than the Intercity. If you check the fares for tomorrow, you'll see that it's more expensive to book last minute on Thalys or Ice.

If your boat in Antwerp docks in the center, where I usually see them, it's a 15 minute walk to central station. Take some time at the station, it's beautiful. Take a taxi if you have too much luggage.

You may also travel via Brussels - Luxemburg. Takes 6 1/2 hrs. No reservation needed. Trains every hr.

check ABS Any Belgian Station fares for Thalys -lets you travel on any train within 24 hours to Brussels for your Thalys train - great if you want to stopover in Brussels.

You may also travel via Brussels - Luxembourg. Takes 6 1/2 hrs. No reservation needed. Trains every hr.>

Yes just buy a thru ticket on www.bahn.de/en Antwerp-Brussels-Cochem via Luxembourg at Belgian Railways or German site above- and just hop on the train - does not guarantee a seat but usually no problem - pay extra for first class and rarely not have empty seats - often many.

This is a different route - a bit more scenic as it goes via the Ardennes to Luxembourg and lets you stop off for a few hours there to see one of Europe's most physically gorgeous city - a deep gorge divides it.

You can always always buy tickets for this route even on day of travel as no trains on it demand seat reservations before boarding. Thalys trains do sell out.

If you go via Cologne where you have to change trains most likely (always on Thalys trains)-put your bags in a station luggage storage and bop over to the great Gothic cathedral right smack next door to the main train station- a couple of hours there and wondering the spiffy pedestrian shopping zone or along walking paths along the Rhine would make a neat break from a fairly long trip.

If booking in advance schedule about a 2-hour layover on www.bahn.de/en for Cologne!

Take some time at the (Antwerp Central) station, it's beautiful>

Yes indeed a sight to behold in itself - the 'railway cathedral' as one Belgian told me in a post:

https://www.google.com/search?q=antw...HUQ-B4MQsAQIHA

Thanks, all. Here is am embarrassing question, but: What does "Thalys" mean as opposed to "Ice" and "local" or "regular"? Or, where could I find these explained?

We start in Antwerp and depart the train in Germany.

Will take a _______ train from Antwerp to Luxembourg and and may have to get off before Cochem to get a rental car as they seems hard to arrange there ... they are 25 miles or so from the Cochem train station. Am I wrong about that?
We will be getting in fairly late, depending on any stopping along the way.

The Thalys and Ice trains are special high-speed trains, that are not part of the regular commuter train network. You need a separate ticket and seat reservation. For these trains, booking early means getting a lower fare. The local trains are what commuters use; you buy a ticket and get on. No seat reservations, no advantage to purchasing in advance.
Some local trains stop at every station along the way, some (like Intercity trains) only stop at the main stations. This makes a huge difference in travel time.

There are several options for getting to Cochem, som using intercity trains via Luxemburg, or ICE or Thalys trains via Cologne. Different travel times, some require more changes than others.

I don't know Cochem at all. If you are getting to Cochem late, pick the car up the next day.

www.rome2rio.com is a handy site for figuring out how to get from A to B.

Just to add; Thalys tickets are valid for a specific train. Miss that, and you'll have to buy a new ticket, just like with an airline ticket. An intercity of local train ticket is valid for any train that day. You just get one when you are ready to travel, or buy it online.

I have purchased advance tickets from Amsterdam to Koblenz and return. I chose 2nd class, but does that mean I have no seat reservation? Can I get one now after the ticket is already purchased? That's a long time to stand even through the connections I chose take under 4 hours. If the trip begins in Amsterdam would I have a good chance of a seat without a reservation?

Thanks for any help!

There are no direct trains I believe Amsterdam to Koblenz? Maybe one change of trains in Cologne - so two reservations -no seat reservations do not come with tickets TMK -easy to book online howeverat www.bahn.de/en.

But you are unlikely to stand if at all very long as folks will get on and off and many do not reserve seats.

If you can't reserve online for some reason you can easily do so at any German train station - like in Cologne take time to see the world-famous cathedral plump next to the main train station and make a seat reservation when getting to Cologne (may be able to reserve Cologne-Koblenz train in Netherlands at stations but though they can they may demer IME if not involving Dutch trains.

I don't think it's possible to reserve a seat on Dutch Intercity trains. Try to avoid rush hour trains. Nobody has a reserved seat, but even if all seats are taken in Amsterdam, people will get off and vacate seats. It will not be a direct train, you'll have some changes (maybe Utrecht and Koln).

I don't think it's possible to reserve a seat on Dutch Intercity trains>

But I think they can if a German train - ICE -at least I saw seats reserved on them from Amsterdam.

www.bahn.de/en -German Railways says "please reserve" for ICE trains Amsterdam to Cologne and onto Frankfurt. 'please' means possible not that it is really necessary.