Reserving tickets with Rail Flexipass After leaving US

I'm afraid I can't help you with your question about obtaining the pass and shipping charges, but I want to warn you about The planning necessary to use a rail pass in France.

France limits the number of seats available to people who have rail passes. Therefore, there may be plenty of available seats, but none can be sold to someone with the rail pass. The solution to this is to book your reservations as soon as possible. This is particularly important on popular routes and popular travel days. Because of this policy, during the one trip on which I had a pass, I had to leave a segment of the pass unused and buy a full fare ticket to get to my destination– even though I tried to book the reservation several days ahead of traveling.

If you have a rail pass, then you need to use it. When you say that you bought tickets from Frankfurt to Paris and Paris to Avignon, do you mean tickets or pass holder seat reservations? It is very important to book well ahead for any pass holder seat reservations for faster trains in France. It is not important to book ahead in your other countries listed and most trains in those countries don't require reservations at all. In Europe, you buy reservations at the train stations, preferably a few days ahead. They are required for SJ-HighSpeed trains in Sweden.

DB online train schedules are the most comprehensive resource to know which train departures require reservations. Read also the info on the link above and all the info that came with the rail pass. This site also does sell (optional) seat reservations for trains within Germany.

Hi,

The France-German Pass is the one I use but I've never paid shipping charges. Ordering it early enough precludes that extra expense. Anyway, true about using the Pass in France since Passholders in France (not in Germany) are unfortunately limited to a number of seats. Still, when confronted with that, not all is lost. You still have a few options left. Say, you're going Paris-Frankfurt, reservation is mandatory, and for your departure as a Passholder no more seat reservations. At that point, ask at the ticket counter if that applies to 2nd class (assuming your Pass is 1st class) for that departure time too. I've had that happen, (twice as I can recall), tried to get a 2nd class reservation, was told not "possible, all sold out" (it was my fault in a way since this was literally the day before). But there was a seat reservation in 1st class, got it. That's one advantage of a 1st class Pass. If for Passholders both classes are filled, ask about another departure time, if the same applies. Last resort, what about the next day? (this depends on your itinerary schedule)

I see your trip is in the spring of 2015. My experiences with using the Pass and running into not getting seat reservation were all during high season in the summer. Still, if you are told that all trains going Frankfurt to Paris are sold out reservation wise, still there is an option w/o reservations going by regional trains in France, except it'll take a few hours longer. Take the ICE train Frankfurt to Offenburg using the Pass, take the S-Bahn to Strasbourg ( short ride), take the regional train Strasbourg to Paris. Regional trains don't take reservations...just board whether you find a seat or not. All possible depending upon what you're willing to put up/cope with. For what you have in mind, this route is shorter/better than going through Metz.

Thanks for the feedback.

MY pressing QUESTION was: Does anyone know if these longer segments of rail travel that do need to be made ahead can be made once in country WITH a pass (since I do already have one ;-) AND, if so, can those tickets be sent to an address in Europe after I arrive there? When I made the previous reservations, the only option shown online was to have them mailed to me. The options for e-ticket or station pick-up were greyed out and not available. ANYONE KNOW?

Just an FYI to Emily in Vienna. I do not share your vehemence. You did not have all the information you may have needed to make a more informed comment. My trip includes more than these few pieces that I have mentioned here, including a trip from Avignon to Stockholm in several stages that would have cost me two to three times the amount I paid for the pass. I definitely saved money with the pass and had excellent advice from advisors at Rick Steves' to determine that this was the best deal. I was under the assumption that especially in such an "off season" time, I would be able to make more spontaneous choices. I am learning there are still segments of my trip for which I CAN do that. I am also learning about the exceptions in France in particular, (thanks for the additinal info Sherry!) which is where much of my rail travel will be. I still have days with which I can be flexible with my "Flexipass" that involve local trains that I will NOT have to pay any fees for.

I am learning which ones I do need to make decisions about NOW and only wish I had simply locked in those travel days in my own plans before making any of my reservations so I could have made them all at once.
And yes, Laura, I did not purchase tickets. I am making reservations for using the pass (there is no way a ticket for Frankfurt to Paris would cost only $17!) and I did know when I bought the pass that there would be additional fees for some of the routes, particularly for the long distance fast trains.

And Fred, Thanks for the options suggestions. I will probably use those for the trip back to Frankfurt from Avignon and for other segments. The ones I had to reserve were to make sure I get to certain places by certain times to meet local transport that has limited availability on certain days and I did not want to miss those connections. Others are more flexible and can manage with the unreserved portions.

Lots of good advice here!
Glad I posted. Wish I had done so earlier!
Lora

Yes, you can make seat reservations once in Europe. Go to a ticket window at a train station and they can either do it for you or send you to the right window. In such cases, they'll just give you the reservation ticket, no need to forward it to an address.

Hi,

You're welcome. As to the cheapest fare Frankfurt-Paris, if your trip were 92 days from today, that leg is 39 Euro, 2nd class. But you are locked in to that date of dep and that particular dep hour. There are substantial savings if you're willing to sacrifice flexibility for savings. For some that is an important consideration. For others that's not of paramount importance, or it's not worth it. That on line ticket (39 Euro) you print at home, using an US credit card to pay, and you show that very card to the controller when the ticket is checked. The purpose is for the controller to check against fraud by comparing the last digits on your print out with the card itself.

Any deviation from that, ie, wrong date, wrong time of departure, wrong credit card, got on the wrong train, etc, you lose. Your discount ticket is not accepted. The good thing is the DB controller carries this "apparatus" which accepts an US credit card for payment since you have buy a new ticket or get off at the next stop.

On the return from Avignon...see if you can go through Lyon, then to Frankfurt via Strasbourg.

Good morning. To make an informed comment, I would love to know what you paid for the pass and your itinerary.

My point is that the Rick Steves company sells rail passes at a profit, so, of course, they will promote them to those that don't know any better. For comparison costs, they also use the most expensive, fully flexible fares - not a fair comparison, really. That train fare map? For example, the price listed for Salzburg to Vienna is $65, which is total rubbish. You can buy a ticket on the train for this route at 24 euro, which is about $27.

Did you read any unbiased information before purchasing your pass? I highly recommend this site :

http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm#Should%20you%20buy%20a%20railpass%20or%20pay-as-you-go

Thanks, Emily,
Yes I did read some of the advice on other sites.
For this trip, in which I need to be at particular places at particular times when certain people I am getting together with will be available, and in order to take advantage of a ridiculously cheap flight across the Atlantic, it made the most sense to me. I do realize the people at Rick Steves' are in business to make money. They also were able to shw me in a very short period of time how to access a great deal of information that would have taken me many more hours of searching on my own, after I had already done so and found much on my own.
At this point, I have when I have and am moving forward with it. WOuld I do it exactly the same again? probably not, but I am still learning and the trip will be great and cost me a fraction of what I would have spent without the pass and much advice.

Next I am trying to figure out exactly where the train station in Stockholm is and how to get from the train to accomodations and then to the airport the next day. Google maps has it a 35 minute bus ride out of town and that is atypical of most European cities.
Onward ever onward,
Lora

Lora,

" I am trying to figure out exactly where the train station in Stockholm is and how to get from the train to accommodations"

I assume the station you'll be looking for is Stockholm Central which appears to be right in the centre of the city. How to get from the station to your hotel will depend on where you'll be staying, but you should have a good choice of Taxi, Metro or Bus. If you could list the hotel name here, one of the group may be able to provide more specific directions.

"and then to the airport the next day"

That one should be relatively easy as all the airport transport options are listed on the airport website. Travel time on the high speed train is only 20 minutes.

I am learning all the time!.
Here on the http://www.eurail.com/plan-your-trip/guide-eurail-train-reservations site i found this way to get a reservation rather than trying to find my way through an internet maze!

Booking period: from 3 months to 1 week before departure
Delivered to you within 5 business days by post

The Deutsche Bahn Booking Center operated by the German railways, can make reservations for most of Europe’s trains. Here’s how it works: You can call the Deutsche Bahn booking center on: +49 1806 996 633 (open 24/7). When you call, you’ll hear a German menu. Select extension ‘9’ for an English menu, then ‘1’ for train information and bookings.

The reservation service is free and you only pay for the reservation fee per person, per train. The cost to deliver your reservations is 3.50 euros to all countries. You can also pick up your reservations at a larger German train station. Just take your order number to a ticket window or a self-service machine at the station.

Lines can be busy during evenings (CET) and at weekends so you may have to wait a while to get through. Mention that you will travel with a Eurail pass, so that you only pay the reservation fee and not the full fare.

• Please note that the DB Booking Center can't book any Thalys and TGV trains.*****

The following booking centers can also make reservations for most European high-speed trains and night trains:
(etc./usw)
***** this is key as these are the trains i need to make the connections I have planned. So I either need to alter my plans or pay the online fees for the convenience they offer. It is all a trade off.

In a perfect world, I would have flown in to one end of my itinerary and out from the other. However the availability of the family and friends I am making this trip to see precluded that option and so I am going from one end of the continent to the other and back again. The pass made this possible, as did the super cheap (under $500 Round trip from the western US! Non stop!) airfare. Thank you Norwegian air! I was also able to get the pass discounted more than the amount I am paying in additional reservation fees, so it is still a wash.

Point to point tickets purchased in advance, online are exactly meant for people with specific plans. I am certain the point to point would have been a fraction of what you paid for you rail pass. 100%. I guess it seems that you are a budget minded traveler, so paying the Rick Steves company to do something that is easy to do yourself seems contradictory. So you got a deal on Norwegian and then blow the wad on a rail pass?

Emily - It's done. Now she's making lemonade.

So, Lora, what segments do you still want or need to get reservations for?

Are you on a youth pass (2nd class) or adult (1st class)? Unless you are required reservations - like France - if you are in First Class it will be much less crowded than 2nd.

Are any of your legs passing through a country not covered by your pass?

Thanks, Nigel,

I am still needing to purchase segments for returning to Frankfurt from Avignon. I have less urgency about the length of time. Only a preference for which days to arrive for ease of relatives picking me up.

I also need to purchase segments within Germany enroute to Denmark, also flexible and can be done there. My final leg, to return to Stockholm from Copenhagen is the remaining time sensitive one. I am also trying to track down accurate information about exactly where the Stockholm train station is located and where the best lodging might be to enjoy one day in Stockholm before flying home. I know the airport is well outside of town and have information for how to get to it. Only not sure about the ways to get from train station to overnight accommodations convenient for walking the next day.

My pass is a senior first class pass. ALL of my travel is in countries covered by the pass unless my hosts and I decide to take a day to go into Spain or Italy from France, in which case we will pay for those local pieces on the spot.

By the way, Emily, I am not only making lemonade, I have saved BUNDLES of money. I did independently research the costs of rail tickets between Avignon, Paris, Frankfurt back and forth plus Frankfurt to Stockholm, all of these segments allowing me a rare and very special opportunity to combine visiting several friends and relatives I have either never met or have not seen in a very long time. Without detailing all the prices I found for your viewing pleasure, suffice it to say they would have cost easily three times as much as I am paying for the pass PLUS fees even if I had manipulated my schedule to travel only on the best discounted days I could have spent hours of precious planning time ferreting out.

I would never have been able to afford this trip, nor found my way to as many far flung favorite people without BOTH the super cheap Norwegian flight AND the bargain on the rail pass. I am happy with the results, simply trying to tweak some of the final bits and pieces before I go. Thanks to all who have offerred real useful advice that addresses my questions instead of merely ridiculing my choices.

I hope you don't waste other peoples time prowling these forums for the sole purpose of dissing the services Rick Steves provides.

P.S. FYI
I am using my pass for the expensive lengthy fast train segments and paying as I go for the shorter segments I can purchase on a daily basis as my plans for shirt hops develop while there. I have visited the pages suggested here and dealt with those decisions. I feel no need to justify and explain my choises and the details of my trip to strangers who have no knowledge of my personal life or the nature of my trip. My question was limited to specifics and I appreciate the responses that are not wasting my time with off topic discussion not focused on the question I asked. That's all I am going to say about that anymore, boss.

Hi,

The strategy on using a Pass is exactly that...use the Pass for lengthy rides, such as Avignon to Lyon, Lyon to Frankfurt. Both legs on the TGV. Buy point to point tickets rides on regional trains, unless the regional train is continuing the ride started on a TGV. The same applies in Germany: if you're going from A to C requiring a change at B, use the Pass if either leg is on the ICE.esp, if that ICE ride is 3-4 hrs. If both legs are on the ICE, ie, A to B, B to C, total time 3- 4 hrs, I'd definitely use a Pass day. Unlike in France, you can hop on an ICE w/o reservations, whereas the reservation is mandatory on a TGV.

Please have a great trip heinsight. I am sorry if you took offense to my comments - but I stand by them as I am trying to provide a balance to this heavily biased site.

If you ever travel to Austria, I would be happy to provide you with helpful information, as I have done hundreds of times on this site (and received repeated thanks).