My husband and I are trying to make train reservation from Bern, Switzerland to Paris, France. As we understand from the Rick Steves website this should cost approximately $25 to make the reservation with a 4 country rail pass. However, as we have tried to make a reservation on the Rail Europe website it is charging us $62/person for 2nd class and $112/person for 1st class. Are others finding the same pricing? Or are we doing something wrong?
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19264 posts
Rick's website is giving the price for reservations if you purchase them at a ticket counter in Europe. RailEurope is not a ticket counter, it is a travel agency that marks up reservations for a profit. German Rail sells seat reservations for any reservable train for 4,50€ (about $6). RailEurope sells those same reservations for $12 or $14 per seat. Frankfurt to Munich from the Bahn, ~$6; from RailEuroe, $12.
Even worse, a reservation from German Rail covers up to two trains in one direction. If you book reservations for Köln (Cologne) to Munich with a change of trains in Mannheim, on DB it's on reservation charge of about $6 (4,50€). RailEurope charges a separate reservation fee for each train, or $28 for the trip.
Can it get any worse? Yes it can! Say you are a family of four (2 adults and 2 children, aged 7 and 10). The Bahn will sell you a family reservation for both trains for 9€ (a little more than $12). RailEuroe's price for the same reservations is $112!
On both sites, the reservation fees are independent of class.
Understand, also, that there are reservations and there are reservations. Reservations in Germany, except for the rare ICE Sprinter, are for a seat. In some countries, it is a supplement for a premium train, which has only reserved seats. So you get a seat reservation, but you are paying extra for using the premium train. And in some countries (not Germany) reservation for pass holders are limit in number on any train, so they might not sell you a reservation for a train on which regular tickets are still available.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
The France-Switzerland TGV Lyria reservation rates went up this year; it was kind of unbelievable news and I hoped it would be "corrected," since rules and rates can change at any time. RE shows $50 for the direct Bern-Paris departure at 9:00. If you choose a train that has a connection at Basel, then the $62 price means you're paying for a separate reservation on the first leg, which does not need it. You can just reserve the TGV train departing Basel, also $50; I would not pay more for the 1st-class option, even though you have a 1st-class pass.
Or if you're willing to make an connection, then you can reserve a TGV Est departing Strasbourg or Mulhouse for $14. Total travel time is 5 hours with fast connections, but you might want to give yourself more connection time.
You could email [email protected] to see if they can book it cheaper, however, in the back of my mind I have some recent news that their ability to book French trains through DB (German rail is their source) is much reduced this year.
Lee's comments apply to German trains, but don't apply to the French TGV. We don't recommend making optional German reservations before you go, nor optional reservations for most trains within Switzerland.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19264 posts
I used German Rail ptices as an example of how badly RE inflates the prices of reservations. I would expect it to be true of other country's reservations, as well.
If Euraide can book your reservations, they charge you exactly what the tickets and reservations cost. They also add a $30 charge for S&H, regardless of the number of tickets and reservations, and they might also charge a "consulting fee".