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Eurorail select pass: Reservations?

My boyfriend and I are going to Europe for the first time in June for 3 weeks. We bought a select Eurorail pass already that is good for France, Germany, and Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). I have read all of the information about the seat reservations, but I am still confused and I am looking for some advice on our travel plans.

We are looking to go from London to Paris. I am pretty sure I need a ticket for this one since England is not part of the Eurorail. Ideas on the best place to look for those?

The other trips we are going to take are all in our 3 countries, so I am wondering if we need a seat reservation for them:
1. Round trip - Paris to Paris Disneyland - June 16th
2. One way - Paris to Amsterdam - June 17th
3. One way - Amsterdam to Lutherstadt Wittenberg - June 19th
4. One way - Lutherstadt Wittenberg to Berlin - June 25th

Posted by
21152 posts
  1. This is not part of Eurail either, in fact, it is a local Paris transit ticket. Zone 1 to 5. 7.60 EUR pp each way.
  2. Get a reservation from Rail Europe.
  3. Don't need a reservation.
  4. Although a reservation is not required, you are traveling at the conclusion of a major event and the trains will be packed, so get a reservation if you want a seat, otherwise you'll be standing for the 40 minute ride.
Posted by
5507 posts

You bought a pass for 5 rail trips, one of which is a regional journey. I think you just flushed some serious cash down the toilet.

Posted by
19274 posts

Not only is one a regional journey (Paris transit ticket), another one is a 38 euro Saving Fare trip (or a half hour longer 29 euro regional fare).

Posted by
21152 posts

Sunday, June 25 is the conclusion of week long Martin Luther festival in Lutherstadt-Wittenberg. The 38 EUR Sparpreis tickets are long gone.

Posted by
8889 posts

Buy your ticket from London to Paris ASAP before (more) of the cheaper tickets sell out. The website is: http://www.eurostar.com
You can get a "print-at-home" ticket.

Have you looked up times for your other trips?
Best place to look up times: https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml But you cannot buy your reservations on this site.
1) Doesn't count, as Sam says it is Paris RER (express métro) line A, just buy a ticket from the machine on the day. The station is called "Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy", and is the end of the line.
2) Paris to Amsterdam is a high speed train branded "Thalys". Reservations needed.
3) Amsterdam to Lutherstadt Wittenberg will involve changing trains and take 7-8 hours. Look it up on the site I listed above ("Amsterdam Centraal" to "Hauptbahnhof, Wittenberg"). Reservation would be a good idea.
4) .Wittenberg to Berlin takes ~1 hour, and some €15 tickets are still available.

Posted by
3439 posts

The Eurail website states that the "Eurostar high-speed train connecting London with France and Belgium is covered if you have a Eurail Global Pass, or any other Eurail Pass that includes France or the Benelux (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands).

A reservation is required for this train and can be made from 12 weeks in advance."

Call whoever you sold you the Eurail Pass and make reservations - they will also let you know whether or not you need reservations for your other train trip.

Have a great trip!

Posted by
7068 posts

"I think you just flushed some serious cash down the toilet."
Perhaps. Depends of course on the cost of your individual trips.

Current saver fare prices for 2 adults for 2 trips at DB Railways:
Trip 3 = €180
Trip 4 = €29

I suggest you research the other journeys to find the total cost of individual tickets. It looks like Disneyland wouldn't cost much:

http://parisbytrain.com/rer-train-paris-to-euro-disney/

A 5-day 3-country twin pass (for two) costs around $770. You could refund the pass (losing maybe 15% = $115) and probably still come out significantly ahead with the individual ticket strategy.