I am having problems with the two apps that Rail Europe uses. I bought a Eurail Global Flex Pass. As instructed I downloaded their Rail Planner app and am trying to select specific journeys between cities for my trip in August. But the app shows extremely limited options for some of the journeys. For example, the only option they show for a train journey from Paris to Amsterdam is a train to London and then back over to Amsterdam. The second problem is buy seat reservations when required. The Rail Planner app tells you to go back to Rail Europe app to buy seat reservations, but when I find the leg of the journey I want, there is no place to click to finally buy the seat reservation. In other places, it quotes the full price for the train as if I didn't have a Global Pass. Is any one having better luck, or can you suggest something to me.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5510 posts
Reason #38 why Rail Europe and Eurail passes are a bad idea.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14741 posts
Can you try this on the website instead of the app? That is dumb that it is routing you to London and back because that is on the more expensive Eurostar.
Posted by
Lake District, England
7892 posts
For Paris to Amsterdam it is too far out for Thalys to be open for booking (only open to 15 July) or maybe even timetables to have been issued, so the system wants to send you on Eurostar which is open for booking.
I'm actually looking at the Eurail website now and it says to book all seat reservations through their web and app site (or that countries web site in some cases), not through Rail Europe. Rail Europe are a third party consolidator, nothing to do with Eurail,
I can't replicate the process as you need to be logged in with your pass number etc.
The general issue, though, is likely that you are far too far ahead.
Posted by
San Francisco
14980 posts
I'm getting the Senior Eurail Global Pass too on-line from Eurail for the trip this summer.
I don't use apps, not necessary in my way of traveling; therefore, no need for the Rail Planner app.
I do the ride planning as to my essential rides using DB.de regarding price, schedule, routes, transfers, etc. Those rides involving regional trains in Germany and France I buy the tickets at the station, ticket machine or at a staffed counter or use the Deutschland Ticket.
Posted by
Wengen
2497 posts
The problem is that you are too impatient. August is ages away. You are not expected to want to book train travel that far in advance. The pass is anyway not meant to be used by people that nail everything down months in advance. You could quite easily get your reservations once you are here.
My impression is that 90% off all the issues non Europeans have with European trains stem from trying to book to early. Train travel is not like air travel. It is mass transit, and even though especially long distance and high speed trains have some airline style feature (unfortunately) trains are still mostly turn up and go. More like a commuter railroad (if that exists where you are) then Amtrak.
What you should do is forget about reserving for the moment. If you want to know how long it will take to get from A to B use www.bahn.de to plan your trips, and pick a date in the next week or so. Many train schedules for the summer have not been published yet, but train times do not vary a lot between schedules, so you can get an idea that way. Because not all trains for August are in the system yet you get those weird routings.
And the bahn.de planner will also show if a train has compulsory reservation or not. If a train does not have compulsory reservation you can just get on it on the day, and do not need to do anything but activate your pass for that day.