Trains (General Inquiry)

Train travel has change a great deal in the era of the computer. Most trains now require a reservation that specific for a train car and seat. Rail passes are marginally useful if only if doing a lot of long distance travel. So even with a pass you have to make reservations and there are additional fees for the reservation. In Italy for example all trains except for Regionale require a reservation.
In France, sometimes the reservation fee is higher than a regular ticket. On the trains without reservations you stand till a seat becomes available. But that is rare. German trains tend to be mixed with some opening seat and some reserved.

The compartments are becoming a thing of the past but you may still find them from time to time. Most of the newer cars have row seats with all of the rows facing the middle of the car. That way the car can run in either direction and half of the passengers will be riding backwards. It will be 2x2 in second class and 1x2 in first class. However, iMO first class is rarely worth the difference.

Buying tickets is easy. Just have to know where you want to go. Use bahn.de if you want to see schedules and options for most of Europe. Buy ticket on the national rail sights for each country.

In addition to the fine information Frank has given , go to the " Man in Seat 61 " website , and begin studying it . This is essentially a primer on the techniques of using rail travel in Europe . The best way to start is to go to the " site map " page ( upper left on home page ) and then start in the upper left hand corner of the next page where it says " A guide to Train Travel in Europe " Time spent here will help you to understand the basics and will demystify what initially seems an arcane concept . http://www.seat61.com/index.html#.VOvwTLA5CUk

Kay,

In addition to the excellent Man In Seat 61 website, you may find it helpful to browse the RS Rail website. There's a lot of good information there.

It would help to have some idea where you'll be travelling, as the value of a Railpass varies a bit between countries. For example, in many cases a Railpass is not a good value for Italy as tickets are very reasonably priced (especially if purchased well in advance).

You asked this question twice, here and on the Poland forum. See my response on Poland.

Kay, regarding compartments…
We've only done one trip which involved a compartment (Italy) but it wasn't the least bit uncomfortable. Other than a few friendly courtesies with your companions, you're not required to interact at all: read a book, take pictures out the window, write in your journal…

We ended up with delightful compartment mates and had a lively conversation or two, and appreciated the extra room so that our luggage could be right there with us. So while not as common anymore, it's certainly nothing to feel anxious about.

Also note that many rail companies allot only a few seats for passholders, so even though there are empty seats, you may have to buy a full-fare ticket and reservation in order to board the train, making your pass useless for that journey.

Most express trains now have a mixture of "airline seating" (2+2 either in direction of travel or against it) and groups of four around tables, in an open carriage. Most railway companies have long abandoned compartments, but Germany and Austria have continued building carriages with a few. These are often nowadays reserved by large families or groups of people travelling together, but you may find yourself assigned to one.

The most pertinent answers do depend on what countries of travel you choose. You are focused on choosing a destination in "Eastern Europe," and the majority of those trains do not require reservations or limit the number of places for rail pass travelers, so a rail pass can give you more hop-on convenience then stopping in stations to buy tickets. Tickets are also relatively cheap to start with. If you have a rail pass covering Poland, then the fast trains there do require seat reservations, which are free to make at a train station and you could make several at one stop, such as when you have the pass activated. Most faster, newer trains have open-style seating, but many older trains have compartments. A rail pass allows unlimited travel until midnight of each counted travel day.

See also:
http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/using-your-rail-pass
http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/poland-rail-passes

Hi,

Certain trains in Germany and Austria still have compartments, 3 seats across facing each other. They have been electronically adapted to any electronic gear you might have. Other than that, these trains (IC) basically look like they did 40 years ago, except refurbished. Yes, you could be sitting 6 hours or more facing someone doing the same to you. Germans tend to stare much more than Americans and, I would also say, than other Europeans. Sitting with amongst complete strangers is the European way of train travel, sometimes it takes almost 10 hrs or so depending where you're going, such as Krakow to Berlin.

"...trains had seats just like a plane." That sounds like in Germany the ICE where it's general seating, sometimes sharing a table with 2 passengers in front of you.

In Germany you can still hop on with your Pass without a reservation. If you see no seats available, you either stand and wait for a seat or you move to the next coach in search for seat. People do this all the time, esp on regional trains. Reservations are not sold for regional trains in France, Germany, Austria. It's first come first served, same as in Poland. I find train traveling in Central and Eastern Europe a lot less restrictive than in the West such Belgium and France as regards to flexibility, hopping on. mandatory reservations or none,

And it's very evident when we encounter people (usually Americans) on trains who don't know how to use or read their tickets. We had 20 reserved seats on a train from Milan to Brig and encountered a group of Americans in our seat. They wouldn't get up because their tickets said those were their seats. Wrongo - they were on the wrong train. The train was packed and we had quite a verbal exchange before they actually got up and moved (into somebody else's seat who kicked them out again).

Yes, learn as much as you can about trains and tickets and reservations BEFORE you actually arrive in Europe. It will make travel much easier for EVERYBODY involved.