We will travel throughout Europe April 28 to May 29, 2022 with Eurail passes. Two trains (Frankfurt-Brussels and Brussels-Amsterdam) require reservations. How do we add reservations to the pass? What if we hop onboard without reservations? Thanks!
Posted by
Land of La
9236 posts
Definitely do not hop on board without reservations.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
6985 posts
Frankfurt-Brussels: www.bahn.com (select your departure and choose "seat only"). The high speed trains Brussels-Amsterdam are operated by Thalys, www.thalys.com
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2598 posts
Have a read of this
https://www.seat61.com/how-to-use-a-eurail-pass.htm#how-to-make-reservations
Posted by
Chicago
8166 posts
Just curious do those Eurail passes spell out or come with rules and instructions on how to use them after they are purchased? Many travelers have trouble understanding how to use them.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19275 posts
There are very few trains that run entirely in Germany that require a seat reservation, so most of the time you can just get on a train without a reservation. However, there are many times when it would be advisable to have one. At many busy times, without a reservation you might have to stand for a while. My rule of thumb is that I'm willing to risk standing for up to an hour, but for longer trips, I will get a reservation.
Reservations are available for long distance trains in Germany (ICE/IC/EC) for a nominal charge. For most, if not all, regional trains, reservations are not available - you just get on and take your chances.
But Germany is more-or-less unusual in that respect. In some other countries, France and Italy, for sure, premier, high speed trains require what they call "reservations". Seat reservations are included with the price of a ticket if you purchase the tickets individually. For people using rail passes, the "reservation" fees are actually a surcharge because the country considers these trains to be too good for just a rail pass, and the fees are often substantial.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
From Brussels to Amsterdam, I’d avoid the Thalys with it’s more expensive seat reservation. IC trains don’t require them and depart about hourly at :45 after the hour (time point from Brussels Midi), taking 2h 50m.
Frankfurt-Brussels by direct ICE also doesn’t require reservations, but they only cost 4 euros through www.bahn.com.
Yes, Eurail does provide a long page of reservation instructions, often describing multiple options per country.