Help! Train reservations

Where will you be traveling? Will you be buying point-to-point tickets or using a railpass? The timetables on the bahn.de site will show you which trains, if any, on your routes require reservations.

We'll have a rail pass. We'll start using it from Paris to Interlaken, then Venice, Cinq Terre then Rome. I'd also like to put off buying the pass for now. How many months ahead is it safe to buy your pass, eurostar res., and make reservations? I notice they don't even have price yet for that far out.

Reserve seats/etc. through RailEurope's website after buying your pass through Rick's website. His folks will send you a good package with your pass(es) that explains a lot of the procedures, rules, etc (for example the passes have to be used within 6 mos).
We, also, are too early to reserve seats/sleepers (max 90days in advance/some 60days)but REurope has a system where you can choose your reservations, trains, sleepers, etc., and they will notify you by email when you can book.
They'll also answer by email any questions you may have; excellent, prompt service as is Rick's. Use the Bahn site to check train schedules only.

Thank you so much! That clarifies a lot.

Are you only travelling from Paris to Interlaken, then Venice, then Cinque Terre, then to Rome by train? If so, a railpass probably isn't worth it. Point to point tickets to/from all those locations can be easily purchased over the internet with two advantages....you can get cheap fares by reserving well in advance, and you get whatever reservations are necessary without having to resort to RailEurope's over-priced tariffs (RailEurope, BTW, doesn't list all trains available). This goes for any overnight trains you may want to take as well. Check some point to point prices at voyages-sncf.com (The French national rail site, currently undergoing some revision and, as yet, only completely navigable in French) and at the Italian national railway site, www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

Thank you Norm but I've already researched the point-to point cost vs. the pass. The pass is still more economical and you get first class travel

Wow, you must be doing a lot of rail travelling! As Tim mentioned, check bahn.de to get an idea which trains will need reservations...they're marked with a little red R. Paris-Interlaken you can reserve by calling the SNCF at 011-33-8-92-35-3539..you'll still come out ahead of RailEurope. For Interlaken-Italy, you'll likely have to reserve thru RailEurope, unless someone else has had better luck with a Swiss contact number. For journeys in Italy requiring reservations, simply book them a couple of days in advance...you can always do them all at your first Italian destination.

You can make reservations through RailEurope, but they are expensive. If you will need to make MANY reservations, it might be cheaper to do it through EurAide. You pay an inclusive processing fee of $50 for up to five people, but you get each reservation at the in-Europe price. See here: http://tinyurl.com/2lsqgw.

I don't mean to sound picky, but what sources did you use for your fare comparison between a railpass and point-to-point tickets? RailEurope's fares are inflated. Railsaver.com only compares the cost of full-fare tickets to the cost of a railpass and doesn't factor in the discount fares you can get by booking on national rail sites.

I didn't do an analysis of your routes, but based on my experience, I would guess that a Swiss pass could be a good deal; but point-to-point tickets for France to Switzerland, Switzerland to Italy, and certainly within Italy would be cheaper than a multi-country pass.

Hi Tim. Thank you for your reply. Norm pointed this out to me when I sent him the prices I got from RailEurope but also from Rick Steve's little map in his book. It makes me wonder why Rick doesn't mention any of this? I would never have know that RailEurope is inflated! Could you clarify for me where to find the national sites? Do you then go to each country's site and book a fare? More info please. I have to re think all my previous planning.
Thanks so much

Just thought of something else. Without a pass, I won't get the passholder discount for the Eurostar from London to Paris. How and where do I get the best deal for that?

Book your Eurostar ticket at www.eurostar.com. You can book up to 180 days in advance and the cheapest single (one-way) fare is $98 US.

Rick does acknowledge that buying point-to-point tickets in Europe can be cheaper than a pass and booking in advance on national rail sites can be cheaper yet. However, this information is kind of buried amid all the details about how railpasses work. See here: www.ricksteves.com/rail/comparetickets.htm.

Compare the costs and benefits of a Swiss Pass, a Swiss Flexipass. a Swiss Card and a Swiss Transfer Ticket here: www.ricksteves.com/rail/ausswitz.htm.

French national rail: www.voyages-sncf.com. Swiss national rail: www.sbb.ch/en. Italian national rail: www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html.

Be aware that the SNCF site has been revised. If you try to book in English, you are now bumped to the RailEurope site. If you want help booking in French, let me know.