Rail Reservations

Thanks Steve, I knew to validate my Eurail Pass but I read in one of Rick Steves books that I needed to validate my reservation voucher. However, as I said before,I could not read anywhere on the ticket or attached info anything about validating the voucher,

Jackie

There are yellow boxes located near the train lines and you can insert the reservation card there to "validate". I don't know if you have to do that if you have a validated Eurail Pass, but it won't hurt (I do it). I do know that it's required to validate the point to point tickets.
Have a great trip.

Thanks Mary K _ I will ck this out.

Jackie

Just to say that the "yellow boxes" for validating train tickets are a specifically French thing - you have to do it if you are boarding a train in France but not necessarily elsewhere.

Thanks Philip, That is good to know - I could not remember having to validate reservations in the past. We will only be in France on an international train when we leave Paris for Frankfurt.

Jackie

To "validate" a Eurail ticket, you have to take it to the ticket counter, with your passport, and they will stamp it with that date. After that, to "validate" it for a day of travel, print the date (in European format, dd/mm/yy). Note the the European 1 looks much like our 7 with a droopy crossbar. If you print a 7, make sure you put a bar through the middle 7 so the conductor will know it's a 7, not a 1, and won't think you used it already, six days earlier.

"the "yellow boxes" for validating train tickets are a specifically French thing"

I'm not positive about the color, but I think it is also yellow, but boxes for validating train tickets, for all trains, not just municipal transit, are also used in Italy.