My daughter is in Europe and having trouble using her Eurorail pass! she had to buy airline tickets to get around because she can't get in touch with a
nyone at Eurorail or can't make reservations because everything is full. Is there a US phone # Help!
She is in Barcelona now heading to Rome in a couple of days and wanting to go to Croatia and Greece!
Thanks!
She can try using the Rail Europe (USA) chat line at https://www.raileurope.com/us/shopping/contact_us.htm
Another advertisement for the Eurail Pass.
Which country or countries is she travelling in?
Different railway companies have totally different policies as to whether reservations are required, recommended or not even possible. And some routes have quotas for pass holders (French TGV trains for example).
More details please and then perhaps the people on this forum can help.
Buying a flight sounds drastic. Did she try going to the ticket sales desk at the station and asking them? Trains rarely sell out (they just get more expensive), and even if full there is often another 1 hour later.
There may be a Eurail boutique if she's in a large city. She can stop by, make reservations, get tickets printed if needed.
According to the Eurail website there is a "Eurail Aid Office" in the Barcelona Sants train station.
https://www.eurail.com/en/plan-your-trip/travel-resources/eurail-aid-offices
Spain and France both can limit the number of reservations for Eurail pass holders on fast trains. For a quick route from Barcelona to Rome, we would have recommended flying, if asked in advance, versus a 20-hour train ride. But it's possible that the Eurail Aid office can help her find slower trains that don't require reservations or less popular departure times that still have reservations available, especially if breaking the trip over a couple of days. Of course, this is high season along the south coast of France and not many trains per day cover the whole distance to Nice or the Italian border.
Part of Eurail's mobile app is intended to help identify which trains don't require reservations, but I don't believe that it sells reservations or shows availability.
The situation will not be the same for trains in Italy, Croatia, or Greece (although Greece has very few trains) as these don't limit the places for pass holders and some don't require reservations. However, the separate countries can be more easily connected by flights, depending on the desired route and the time available. The pass does still cover ferries from Ancona or Bari to Patras, Greece, plus a port fee and sleeper fee (if desired).
She can contact them at [email protected]. or check these links.
https://www.raileurope.com/rail-help/
https://www.eurail.com/en/help
