I am trying to purchase online tickets for the City Night Line from Amsterdam to Prague through the Bahn website. The date that I need the tickets for is 13April 2014. I have registered and filled out all the questions and responses, but after I hit "purchase", I keep receiving an "error...please try again" response. The only thing that I can think of that could be the problem is that it is too far in advance. I can't find anything on their website that indicates how far in advance tickets can be purchased. Does anyone know if that it the problem here, or is it some other issue, possibly?
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
I don't think you are trying to purchase too far in advance. When you do that, the Bahn website usually says right at the beginning, Sale from 'date' possible.
I don't see that here. And I also can get as far as inputting my credit card number (which I'm not going to do). I don't know why you are getting that message, but I suggest you try later.
You might also try checking with your bank to see if there is a problem with using your credit card for this purchase.
It used to be that you couldn't book a train from outside Germany (Amsterdam) to outside Germany (Prague), but they seem to have fixed that for CNL.
Posted by
white plains, ny, usa
4140 posts
Donna , In addition to the fine advice Lee has provided , a great source of essential information for European rail travel is the " man in seat 61 " website . Consider it a primer on how to become familiar with the basics of rail travel in Europe . Don't think that you can spend a few minutes ( or even a few hours ) with it and get it all . A little time over a protracted period ( several days or preferably weeks ) will enable you to more fully grasp how things work in Europe . When you combine those principles with the more specific information posted by skilled travelers here ,it will all come together . Rail travel is a joy ,best wishes !!
Posted by
white plains, ny, usa
4140 posts
I am quite curious about this and just tried dummy running this too . I also can get to the point of entering the purchase information . Just a thought ; there is a great deal of internet traffic now due to the impending holiday . That might be a factor in completing your transaction ( I had a similar experience this afternoon between NYC and a business located in Minneapolis ) .
Posted by
white plains, ny, usa
4140 posts
Donna , I checked your ticket this morning using Czech Railways and they do not sell this ticket yet ( too early ) . The furthest out one can go is March 23 , 2014 . I purchased tickets on Czech Rail for Prague to Budapest for my trip this past fall ,and it too was 90 days up front .
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
That train is run by CityNightLine (CNL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bahn, so I would expect the Bahn website to have the best access for purchasing tickets. There is also a CNL website, but it links to the Bahn site for booking night trains.
If you got to the Bahn website, I wouldn't expect holiday traffic on the Internet to be the reason for your problem, but maybe the Bahn is checking your card information and the higher traffic on those sites due to holiday buying is what's creating the problem.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8139 posts
Another issue in the States has been the problem with hackers getting into Target Dept. Stores' credit card info.
Some credit card issuers have limited charges for the time being.
It's causing problems during the Christmas rush to purchase presents--and credit cards are being turned down.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
The Target situation could also be the problem. I suggest you contact you bank or card company to see if they are denying card approval.