Hi,
I need to make quite a few train reservations before going to Europe and am overwhelmed with many different available agencies. Do you know an inexpensive, yet reliable agency that can make train reservations? I already have a select pass if it makes any difference.
Thanks!
We went for 8 weeks - 8 countries and did not make any "seat reservations" prior to leaving the states. We had a Eurail Pass and when entering a city we would make a seat reservation for our departure (if needed) before leaving the train station. Worked well and no problems.
There were several times when there would be perhaps 10 passengers in our car.
However, there were several times we purchased "seat reservations" when not required. The Munich to Salsburg train did not require seat reservations but we purched them anyway and was happy we did as 1st class was packed.
In my opinion, seat reservations are inexpensive.
"Seat" reservations are inexpensive, €5,50 1st class, €4,50 2nd class at the counter or online for German trains, €3,50 1st class, €2,50 2nd class when purchased with a ticket, online.
"I need to make quite a few train reservations before going to Europe" Probably not needed, but give us your itinerary. In 15 years of traveling to Europe and thousands of rail miles logged, I have bought reserve tickets exactly twice- once, leaving Russia (which was required for the visa at the time), and once traveling on the busy Thalys line during a holiday.
If you stay away from taking a TGV or Thalys train, you won't have to reserve. As pointed out above, making the seat reservation when you get there usually is enough, but I have also experienced that crossing back and forth between France and Germany on the particular train you want may not always work because it's all sold out. That was an experience particular to 2007.
Thanks everyone for all the advice.
Here is my situation. 1) I don't have much time, so TGV and other fast trains are necessary for me. 2) Since I'm traveling during a peak season, I was told to make reservations in advance. 3) I do agree that each reservation is not that expensive. However, most agencies in the states charge mark-up prices, which add up when making many reservations. Euraide, on the other hand, charges $60 for consulting and shipping & handling. As a student, I want to find the cheapest way possible.
Are the expenses unavoidable?
The cheapest way possible is to wait until you get to Europe and buy seat reservations only for trains that require them (like TGVs). However, since national rail companies limit the number of seats they allot to pass holders, you might find that those seats are gone for a particular train even though the train is not sold out and you could buy a full fare ticket on the spot.
Since you need many reservations, the cheapest way to buy them in advance and guarantee you will get a seat on the trains of your choice is to buy them from Euraide.
