I am hoPing for some advice to put my mind at ease. My husband, 4-year-old daughter and my pregnant self are heading to Germany next week. Our trip was moved due to my doctor putting travel restrictions on me. We will be taking the train(first time) with a pass from Frankfurt - Munich Munich - Verona Verona-Venice
Venice-Salzburg My husband seems to think we won't need reservations for any of these trips, but after reading all of the different tips I feel like we do need reservations. How hard is it to board a train and get three seats together without a reservation. I don't want to spend the extra money for reservations if we don't need them, but I also don't want to be worrying that we won't be able to board a train or not be able to sit together. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Frankfurt-Munich: The ICE trains on this route do not require reservations. If you want to have them to ensure that you will be able to sit together, you can buy them now on the German Rail site. They cost €4.50. Munich-Verona: The EC trains on this route do not require reservations. German Rail doesn't sell them online, but you could buy them when you arrive in Frankfurt. Verona-Venice: The IC trains on this route require reservations. Buy them when you arrive in Verona. Venice-Salzburg: Reservations are required on some of the legs on some of the possible routes. Buy them in Verona or Venice. FYI, I got this information from the German Rail site which has detailed timetables for nearly all of Europe.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, Washington, USA
7 posts
Thanks, that seems much more reasonable to book a reservation through the Bahn website. Since we will be there in a week, does anyone know if they will give me an e-ticket for my reservation? I am worried that we will be so tired and easily stressed that first day. I really just want to start the trip off well that first 24 hours. It will be easy to be more flexible after we get settled in Munich.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
You only say "Frankfurt", not Hbf or FRA, so I can't tell whether you are spending some time in Frankfurt before going from the Hbf to Munich (and can therefore be sure of making the designated train), or leaving from FRA right after arrival (and risk missing the train due to a late flight). If you are arriving at FRA and going immediately to Munich, understand that if the flight is late and your miss the reserved train, reservations are not transferable or refundable. But here, you are only risking a few Euro, maybe it's worth the risk to have reservations in hand. A four year old travels free on German Rail, but if you want to reserve a seat for her, it's still adult price. Tim mistakenly said reservations are €4,50. That's 2nd class. Since you obviously have a 1st class Eurail pass, you probably want reservations in 1st class. Those are €5,50 per seat. However, the Bahn has family reservations (up to 2 adults plus 3 children) for €11 in 1st class if you reserve online. That family reservation price is probably a discount for purchasing online. That gives you a little extra incentive to book ahead, online, for €11, instead of €16,50 at the airport.