train reservations

Germany is one of the few countries that does not require a surcharge for riding most of their high speed trains (there is something called an ICE sprinter that does require a surcharge, but I have never seen one.) The RailJet is an Austrian Rail train, but it's in Germany, so I guess German train rules apply. If you wanted a seat only reservation, it would cost €4,50 in second class, €5,50 in first. You can purchase it online or at a counter for that price. Frank, the passholder fee required for the Bahn bus to Prague is a rare exception to the rule.

Hi, To answer your question about whether a reservation is needed in order to ride the RJ between Munich and Salzburg, the answer is no. With that Pass you can just hop on. Even between Munich and Budapest on the RJ you don't need a reservation. In that case you have to get a ticket covering the Hungarian portion of the ride. I'm assuming your Pass includes Austria, if it doesn't, then a ticket to cover Austria is needed too.

To go to Salzburg with a Eurail pass, you would have have Austria as one of your countries (or buy a p2p ticket from Freilassing, Germany to Salzburg for €2,10). However, a German Rail pass, which he apparently has, is valid into (the Hbf but not "in") Salzburg. According to the AustrianRail website, the RailJet goes on to Budapest. In Hungary they "request" ( bitten) a seat reservation.

Sorry to disagree with anyone. I am absolutely certain, having not long ago RailJet-ed myself, that normal First Class and Second Class require no reservations. They also have a super First Class which I'm fairly sure (never having the available funds to go super-First) does either require or prefer a reservation. As far as normal travel RJ does not require reservations.

Yes, that's correct and has been my experience too. In July I took the RJ from Linz to Vienna, no rerservation needed nor asked. In 2009 I took the RJ from Vienna to Budapest...no reservation needed nor asked by either the Austrian or Hungarian controllers...same thing on the return ride since it was a day trip to Budapest.

The only reason they say "reservation requested" is that the train is often filled, and you should reserve to be sure of not having to stand.

Last September I traveled from Vienna to Salzburg to Vienna to Budapest, and back to Vienna on a first class, 5-day, railpass (that I bought through the RS website), all without reservation. I had no problem, at all, staying seated in first class until my return to Vienna from Budapest. An American couple told me I was sitting in their assigned seat; they produced a reservation to prove their claim. I had not made a reservation for any trip on the pass. So I moved across the aisle and returned to Vienna without further bother. May your trip go without interference.