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Berlin to Prague Train Ticket--Help

So I thought I was purchasing a ticket from Berlin to Prague at the end of July with a 40-hour stopover in Dresden. I was pleasantly surprised how inexpensive the tickets were. However, I realized I only purchased "seat reservations" and didn't actually purchase the train ticket. I purchased these through the Bahn DE website.

However, when I try to purchase the exact same tickets, when I click to get the pricing (i have to enter my age), I get an error saying this: "We are sorry, but we cannot sell your requested journey online. Please find further information in our contact details.
Alternatively, we are happy to offer you the Interrail Pass for the most flexible travel experience in Europe."

But I don't need an interrail pass as I just need to get from Berlin to Prague (one way) with a stop in Dresden. Should I buy my tickets elsewhere and not through Bahn DE?

I like the train options for the seats that I reserved. My question is...if I buy the tickets separately, do my seat reservations still work?

I looked on Rail Europe and it will only give me the same train options if I purchase as individual tickets (Berlin-Dresden, and Dresden-Prague). When I try to to a layover, I get some of the same train options but not the one for which I have a seat reserved. So I'm willing to buy two one way tickets if that's what I need to do.

Any help or suggestions on how to navigate this? I'm still more than a month out but since it's high season, and I have seat reservations, I want to lock down the tickets now (assuming my seat reservation will still work).

Posted by
3171 posts

Just buy Berlin - Dresden and Dresden - Prague for the trains you want to take.

Your reservations are fine. Reservations and tickets exist in different dimensions, and are not linked.
But are you sure you only got a reservation? Normally DB defaults to tickets without reservation. To get a reservation alone you would have explicitly asked for just a reservation, and that you should have noticed.

Posted by
4 posts

Yes. I definitely only got a seat reservation as the cost for both was only 13 euros! I think I mistakenly selected Seat Reservation thinking that was the option for ticket and seat on the home page.

Is it odd that I can't purchase the ticket on Bahn DE? And on Rail Europe I can only purchase two individual tickets, as my reserved seat trains don't come up as options when I select Dresden as a 40 hour layover. But individually, the Berlin to Dresden and the Dresden to Berlin ticket both show up.

Posted by
4 posts

I know it's odd. The Bahn DE website prompts me for birthday and and discount codes (which I leave blank. Then It says I can't purchase this ticket online and have to buy an Interail pass.

Berlin - Dresden 29 Jul 0915
Dresden- Prague 21 July 0910

When I try booking the same train / layover on RailEurope, the above trains aren't options. They only come up as individual tickets. I can buy the two tickets just thought it might be cheaper to buy Berlin to Prague with just under a 48 hour layover.

Posted by
22283 posts

I am thinking that the 40 hour stopover is too long a stopover. As was suggested, just buy separate tickets, Berlin-Dresden and Dresden-Prague for you dates and times you have reservations for.

Posted by
4 posts

So I played around with options and it looks like the maximum stopover in Dresden allowed is under 33 hours. The website prices out the trains with a stopover under that...anything over that it requires an international pass to purchase. So it looks like the only option is to buy two separate train tickets (Berlin-Dresden, Dresden-Berlin).

I had read online that up to 48 hours was allowed for stopovers...but it doesn't seem that is the case, at least for this route. 33 is the magic number.

Posted by
3171 posts

I think it is not that 33 is the magic number. It is probably that anything above 33 becomes about 48, as trains do not run all night...

So yes, just buy two tickets. Often you have to accept that you cannot squeeze every last cent out of the system...

Posted by
2567 posts

Quoting https://int.bahn.de/en/faq/stopover-flexible-fare-europe

The flexible fare Europe allows you to interrupt your journey and continue it later under the following conditions:
The outward and return journeys must be made within the validity period of two days stated on the ticket.
The validity period of your ticket must not be exceeded.
The departure and destination stations must not change

If your dates are set, I'd book two separate saver fare tickets.