I am leading a group of 12 people to England this summer. I have Britrail passes for 4 days of our trip, and I am trying to figure out how to obtain seat reservations for the trains and times on our itinerary. I have looked around on the National Rail site, but am having trouble determining the steps I need to take to secure seats before hand. Any advice would be appreciated.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
You don't need a reservation on most trains. But some trains at busy times can be standing room only.
However I imagine as a group of 12 you want to sit together.
If you can't get an success from the National Rail site, try the site of the company actually running the trains, and look up their helpline phone number, and try ringing that.
Alternative, don't buy a Britrail pass, instead buy group travel ticketes from the National Rail site or direct from the Train Operating Company. You might get a good discount that way.
Enjoy your trip.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Pass holders get seat reservations in person, for free at train stations, at least one day in advance of travel. These are optional; without them, you can still board the train. But of course they would be helpful to get 12 people seated together.
Sleepers can be reserved through 1-866 BTRITRAIL and they may have an option to sell group seat reservations, or Rail Europe's group department may be able to do the same.