Fully booked trains for Eurail passholders??

You can try for 2nd class reservations.

Does your pass cover Italy?

Try Nice to Genoa - 3 hrs

Genoa to Interlaken - appx 5 hrs

Going through Italy is the fastest way anyway.

Hey, our Eurail passes are second class, so all the reservation requests are for second class. And yes our pass covers Italy. The difficulty is getting from Milan (or anywhere else I've tried) into Switzerland with the Eurail pass. Thanks, I will look at Genoa as well.

Are you saying your pass does not include Switzerland? I not, depending on what you want to do in Switzerland (as far as travel, mountain lifts etc) you may want to get Half Fare cards. 99% of trains in Switzerland do not have reservations. You'll just be passing through Genoa on the way to Milan. To get to Switzerland from Italy, you must pass through Milan.

We have a 4-country Select Eurail Pass for Spain, France, Switzerland, and Italy. So yes it covers Switzerland

The EC trains to Switzerland from Milan require reservations, but there are also Regionale trains to Domodossolo. Then it is Swiss nonreserved trains to Brig, Spiez, the Interlaken Ost. If you travel beyond Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, you have to buy tickets and get a 25% discount with the Eurail Pass.

That's great. Will I be fine planning to take the Regionale train from Milan to Domodossolo? Does that ever sell out? Do I just go in the station and show my Eurail pass to get on?

Regionale trains in Italy never sell out. Just get on and go. No seat -- stand till one is available.

Caleb,

As you're travelling on 28 May, that could explain why you're having problems. There was a post in another section of the forum which indicated that date is the end of a four-day holiday weekend (Ascension Day), and many trains may indeed be sold out. I assume you're aware that the trip from Nice to Interlaken is about 10 hours, with 3 or 4 changes. Is there any possibility that you could make an intermediate stop for at least one night to break up the trip? Stresa is one possibility you could look at.

If you're willing to tolerate a 10 hour trip, it should be possible. In Italy you must determine which type of train you'll be using for each segment, as seat reservations are compulsory on express trains (Freccia, Intercity). Even with a Railpass, if you're caught without valid reservations for the train you're riding on, you'll be subject to hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!

Ken, considering all the compulsory reservations I've looked at are booked, I think we're going to be taking regional and non-reservation trains (which will make that 10 hour trip even longer). So I think breaking the trip up is a good idea. We have a reservation to get us into Milan from Nice, so we will probably find a spot to stay in Switzerland on our way to Interlaken. Any suggestions that would get us close to interlaken from Milan? Or is Milan a long enough trip for that day?

Milan to Interlaken Ost is 3 hrs - what time does your train arrive in Milan?

Milano Centrale 17:23 3:05 2 EC, IC

Interlaken Ost 20:28

There are trains that depart Milan at 18:23 and 19:23 as well but have a bus ride - they are 3 hrs & 17 minutes

Are you on the EC train leaving Nice at 8:08? If so, might as well continue on to Interlaken.

Important:

Break the trip down into its separate components, as seen through DB schedules , and only request reservations for those portions that require them. If there's a leg by regional train which doesn't even offer reservations, it can mess up the total response in RE's shopping cart.

• TGV seat reservations in France (like Nice-Lyon or Nice-Geneve) can sell out due to the same seasonal traffic issues you've seen.
• There's no artificial limit on pass holder reservations for Trenitalia-operated trains.
• Passes do not cover Thello-operated trains, such as the direct Nice-Milan departure at 8:08, Train number EC 139. You can instead use your pass on departures that include a connection at Ventimiglia, such as departing at 9:21, then connecting to IC 745.
• Most trains within Switzerland don't require reservations.

P.S. If you did already book EC 139 for the price of $39, then that is a separate ticket and does not require use of the rail pass.

Hey thanks for all the help! We didn't book the EC 139 Thello train at 8:08. Right now we leave Nice at 11:59 and change trains in Ventimiglia. Arriving to Milan at 16:50. There are some earlier departures from Nice on Eurail trains like you mentioned, but what is the best way to get to Interlaken from Milan with all the TGV trains fully booked on reservations? If we decide to do it all in one day, then we will try to get a reservation on the IC 745 (leaving Nice at 9:21). But right now I'm not sure how long it will take to get to Interlaken from Milan. Christi - The Milan to Interlaken Ost trip leaving at 17:23 requires a train reservation that is already booked up unfortunately.

Trenitalia is showing 5 trains departing from Milan to Swtizerland on May 28 as either completely sold out or else just not for sale at this time. It surprises me if they're all really sold out in both classes of service, but they may be. They do have tickets for sale for the following day, if you want to spend a night in Milan. Or go back to the suggestion for a Regional train to Domodossola.

Note that you only book the train departing Milan at 17:23 as far as Brig or the 18:23 runs as far as Spiez (connection points recommended by DB schedule link). The additional connecting trains or buses within Switzerland don't need reservations. (The term TGV doesn't apply; that's within France.)

Thanks Laura, I will check back in a few days to see if those Trenitalia trains start selling some reservations into Brig or Spiez. Worst case I can just take regional and non-reservation trains up to Interlaken somehow, correct?

If departing from Domodossola after 19:00, the only trains that I see are the same EC 56 and EC 42 trains that left Milan earlier. However, they don't require a seat assignment on the Swiss side of the border, so even if they're still full, you could stand from that connection point. Or Domodossola is another option for spending the night.

Worst case I can just take regional and non-reservation trains up to Interlaken somehow, correct?

Caleb. Worst case, you can just take regional and non-reservation trains up to Brig (or the first change point in Switzerland). No reservations needed or possible in Switzerland.
There is one train daily direct TGV from Nice to Geneva (and Geneva to Interlaken is easy, hourly connections):

Nice Ville depart 10:55, TGV 9750/9751, Genève arrive 17:17

But, you have hit a holiday weekend, when everybody wants to travel. So they can easily fill up the train with full-fare paying passengers, and pass-holders get left behind. Sorry.

Great, I feel a lot better about the trip. Thanks everyone for the help and clarification!

If you arrive at Milano Centrale at 16:50, you can still get to Interlaken by 22:00

Regionale 2152 from Milano Centrale at 17:29 arriving Domodossola at 19:07
IR 10056 from Domodossola at 19:41 arriving Spiez at 20:51
ICE 373 from Spiez at 21:37 arriving Interlaken Ost at 21:57

These are all unreserved trains, but they might be crowded. However you are getting the first 2 at their point of origin, so you can be among the first people to get on the trains.

I think that should be the plan right now Sam, I'll download that itinerary and hope for some decent seats on those trains. Thanks!