I'm heading to Europe in a few weeks and I've just been reading conflicting information. We're going to have a global pass and I know we have to make reservations for night trains but do we have to pay a small reservation fee or the entire fee? I've heard somewhere it's small and then I've heard that the pass just doesn't work for it at all.
Please help.
~Adam
So even if I don't want to sleep in a bed....just want the transportation, I still have to pay more?
Yes. Many of the trains in Europe require reservations, which are additional costs over and above the price you paid for your pass.
Just like on a premium train, like Thalys, etc, you have to reserve some sort of seat/bunk/bed on a night train. A reservaton for just a 2nd class seat on a train in Germany is €4,50. The additional €5,50 for a night train seat is probably because it's a better seat.
For the CNL train from Amsterdam to Munich, with any rail pass (1st or 2nd cl., the extra, Aufpreis, for a seat/couchette-6/couchette-4/double sleeper/single sleeper is €10/€20/€30/€60/€100.
The complete ticket, transportation plus accommodations, is €140/€150/€160/€190/€230.
However, there are a limited number of advance purchase, non-refundable tickets at a reduced rate, €69/€79/€89/€119/€159.
So, in essence, with a rail pass, versus a full fare, the pass is worth €130, but it is only worth €59 vs. the discounted fare.
