Train Reservation Issue

I don’t know the intricacies of the Deutsche Bahn website. Have you tried to buy them at www.TheTrainline.com yet?

Which train did you want to book? I just tried it for EC 58, departing at 11:49, and it works at both DB and PKP web sites..

I am trying to book the 11:49 in first class! I have been trying for the last 36 hours. Obviously I'm doing something wrong.

No, you are doing nothing wrong. I tried to make a reservation and got the notice that no seats are available in first class.

I rode a DB train today from Vienna to Nuremberg. First class was nearly full most of the way.

PolishTrains.eu is a good alternative to the less-friendly PKP website - perhaps the PKP app is better.

As Frank says, the non-stop trains are basically full, so you may have to consider changes along the way. Going to the station may be the best option.

It looks like the 8:02 am direct train is bookable.

Thanks all. We booked something with one stop - I have no idea what I paid. Just call me the dumb American who procrastinates!

The problem may be that because of the compulsory reservation the system is not able to sell you a ticket when it cannot block a seat for you, and there it might run in to an issue because reservations are probably managed buy the Polish. Or there could be a temporary glitch.

Anyway, Krakow to Berlin should be booked with the Polish Railway, as that is where your trip starts. As last resort you could just go to the station. I would not assume that the train is full, or that you need to accept a less direct route because of that.

"the non-stop trains are basically full"
There are no non-stop trains on that route. All trains make several stops en route.

On Polrail.com I see that both direct trains are purchasable for tomorrow. And on bahn.de it appears you can book them too.

Remember: Trains do not sell out days in advance in countries that have a properly run railway. You probably would be fine to just buy the ticket at the station, even though that would be more expensive.

I am happy it worked out for you. Don’t feel special, just look at how many similar posts. Buying train tickets can be a pain in the ________. Some day maybe buying train tickets will become as convenient as buying airline tickets.

Sort of reinforces that tourists have different conditions than locals and so I am in the camp that says buy early if possible (less expensive and less likely to be sold out) and buy from a national company (the cheapest, not necessarily the departure company) and when there are connections my minimum is 15 minutes.

As for Direct vs Non-Stop. We know what was meant. Americans fly more than train and certain phrases are stuck in our vernacular.

Since you were all so kind to offer insights, I feel like I should wrap up the story. We finally were able to book tickets through Deutsche Bahn that had a transfer in Poznan - a 6-minute transfer which I knew was a total gamble. Yesterday (Friday), the trains and stations were crazy crowded - I didn't know there were that many people in Poland! Our trip to Poznan was fine except we arrived 40 minutes late and the next train was totally sold out. We were able to get seats on a 7:30 PM train (five hours later). Deciding to make lemonade out of lemons, we stored our luggage and then walked into Poznan's lovely old town square, strolled around and then found a lovely little cafe for a 4 PM lunch/dinner. It was a very long day and our Airbnb host in Berlin was a bit grumpy about our 11 PM arrival - but that's another story. Thank you again.

Blaze, the worst occurance are only as bad as you let them be. Well done! G-d Bless.

A lot of Atlanta Falcons fans in Poland? Or maybe Colts.

Tuesday, November 11 is Polish Independence day, concurrent with the end of of WW I. So I imagine it gets stretched into a 5-day long weekend.