Train reservations are baffling me!

Have you downloaded and tried the Eurail Rail Planning App? This is what our granddaughter used last summer with her Eurail Global Pass to sort out when and how to buy reservations when needed for her 7 week multi country trip.

https://www.eurail.com/en/plan-your-trip/rail-planner-app

Mona,
Thanks for the fast reply! Yes, I’m using the Rail Planner app. It won’t allow me to purchase reservations there and telling me to get them elsewhere or at the station. I’m wondering if we’re able to ride the train without reservations. We need to make a connections at specific times so this concerns me.

Another question.
We purchased First Class Global passes. I noticed that reservations are also First or Second Class.
How is it an advantage with First Class passes when you can get a First Class seat with Second Class passes when reserving?

You can probably reserve 1st class reservations with a 2nd class pass, but the conductor will not let you stay in 1st. Mostly it seems best to go to the country's rail site for reservations. I've gotten most of mine via the DB website. We are taking one ride on a Eurostar train and I was able to get that reservation from the Eurail website. I've found the best advice from the man in seat 61 website - https://www.seat61.com.

The Spanish trains shouldn't require reservations, but check yourself at renfe.com to make sure. ETA: Obviously my brain is compromised.

Barcelona to Stuttgart? No idea. I assume you're changing only in Paris. I'd use raileurope.com to see which carrier(s) is/are operating the trains.

Stuttgart to Zurich, the carrier is probably Deutsche Bahn, but check with raileurope.com to verify.

The Eurail app is quite accurate in telling you which of your routes will require seat reservations. It's typically useless selling them to you IME. Bottom line: buy your seat reservations from the carrier, or from raileurope.com (the latter will add a booking fee, but it's pretty minimal).

The unlimited 3-month 1st class passes have been terrific for us on this summer's "Mr and Mrs jphbucks' Grand Tour of Europe." But the value of a pass is extremely dependent on which pass one purchases and how one uses it. Looks to me as though you might have made a good choice.

All the Spanish high speed trains require reservations as does Barcelona to Stuttgart because that is on 2 different French TGV services.

Stuttgart to Zurich does not require reservations.

This is the Man in Seat 61 page about seat reservations with a pass in Spain- in summary somewhere between very difficult and near impossible- https://www.seat61.com/interrail-and-eurail-reservations.htm#Spain. They cost €7 to 13 on each sector booked, 3 sectors for you.

Point to point tickets may possibly have been preferable in Spain- the 6 October train seems not to be available yet to buy.

Madrid to Santiago on your date and time is €55.40.

Doing that would also mean point to point for Barcelona to Stuttgart (€233 in 2nd class, 254 in 1st) and Stuttgart to Zurich as well (about €35.99)

Stuttgart to Zurich may be DB but I know it is also MAV, the Hungarian train.

MAV has a route that departs from Zurich to Budapest , the terminus, which does stop in Stuttgart and Vienna, the route I wanted to take , ie Stuttgart to Vienna last summer on the date I chose but 2nd class reservations I was told for that date (in the summer) at night were all sold out.

I use the Global Senior Pass 15 days/2 months, 2nd class...very practical and convenient, above for taking long rides and night trains, which contrary to some notions do sell out, happened to me 3-4 times.

Stuttgart to Zurich may be DB but I know it is also MAV, the Hungarian
train. MAV has a route that departs from Zurich to Budapest , the
terminus, which does stop in Stuttgart and Vienna, the route I wanted
to take , ie Stuttgart to Vienna last summer on the date I chose but
2nd class reservations I was told for that date (in the summer) at
night were all sold out

Sorrty, but there is a lot wrong here. DB does not operated trains outside of Germany. MAV does not operate outside of Hungary.
That you see a route on a particular railway's website does not imply that they operate the train. All the central European railways basically link in the same timetable database. That is why you can look up for example Vienna to Zurich on DB or, ÖBB or MAV, or NMBS, or NS or SBB and get the same train times each time...

The Zurich to Budapest train btw. does not go anywhere near Stuttgart.

International trains are typically operated jointly by multiple operators. Eg. the above mentiones Zurich to Budapest train will be a SBB train till the Swiss border, with Swiss staff, a Swiss driver, and Swiss ticketting rules applying (so you can take it with any Swiss Domestic ticket or Pass). It becomes an Austrian train in Buchs, as the crew is changed, and then again gets a crew change at the Hungarian border where it becomes a MAV train. The actualy physical trainset used to operate the service is owned by the Austrians though.

So for Stuttgart to Vienna you would just buy your ticket, and get your reservations from DB. And I find it unlikely that the train would be booked out, as that basically does not happen in this part of Europe.

Back Spain. I am sorry to read that you have already bought the Pass. An Eurail Pass is en expensive way to make travel more complicated where it comes to Spain. In fact, if you can return it for a refund, just do so.
Just book your tickets with RENFE. It is easier to get tickets than reservations. RENFE is by far the worst railway company in Europe. They spend billions on making trains faster, and then waste hours of your time with bad scheduling and inefficient procedures.

For Barcelona to Stuttgart I would just fly.

Re: nowhere near Stuttgart . Yes , it does, at least summer as a night train Stuttgart to Vienna, after checking my notes, it was EN 50237. That EN train began in Zurich. I wanted to board in Stuttgart when it departed at 20:29, ending up in Wien Hbf at 06:44...was told the EN was sold out in 2nd class reservations, so I took the another night dep at 21:43, IC 461 , arr 06:15 Wien Hbf.

Going to Vienna by night train, I'll take some other route in the future other than an EN train.

I have to disagree with the above criticism of Renfe. My experience with them a year ago was excellent.

Yes , it does, at least summer as a night train Stuttgart to Vienna, after checking my notes, it was EN 50237. That EN train began in Zurich.

We are getting bogged down here on the easiest of journeys, EN 50237 does not take a Zurich to Stuttgart to Vienna to Budapest route. EN 50237 starts in Stuttgart, and EN 40467 starts in Zurich. Cars are shunted off EN 50237 (which is Venice bound) at Salzburg and added to EN 40467 as through cars from Zurich to Vienna and Budapest, and separate through cars from Stuttgart to Vienna and Budapest.

EN 50237 has through cars for Budapest, Zagreb and Venice with the train divided in a complex shunting operation in the middle of the night at Salzburg. Likewise EN 40467 divides into sections at Salzburg.

Stuttgart to Zurich is an easy daytime journey, very, very unlikely to have MAV cars as a daytime journey. Even if it has it will be operated by DB to the border and then SBB. For that direction of journey book it with DB.

I have to disagree with the above criticism of Renfe. My experience
with them a year ago was excellent.

RENFE is the worst railway, with the best trains...

The trains are great. The problem is that they do not nearly run enough of them. They build a whole new High Speed Railway from Granada to Malaga. And they run only a handful of trains over that line. It is a complete waste of tax payer money to build a new railway if you are not planning to run at least a train every half hour over it.

And they have no idea of a train network. And try buying tickets. Pick two random stations in Spain, and see if RENFE will sell you a ticket. In most cases they won't. They do not sell tickets for routes with more than one change of trains, and only sell tickets for routes with connections in a few cases.

Want to go Santiago to Barcelona? They make you waste almost two hours in Madrid. And that for nothing, as they could book you on an earlier train to Barcelona. But they won't.
But then only if you can get tickets. Looking at Santiago Barcelona for next Wednesday for example I see that all trains are booked out already.
No wonder that Spaniards actually do not travel a lot by train. A Spaniard takes the bus, or drives, or flies... I really hope that the private operators that are now starting to build out their networks force RENFE to get its act together.

WengenK,
Thanks for your response. I’m thinking we have to fly to get around Spain. Our trip is in October and can’t book train tickets!

BTW, this topic has morphed into something quite different than my original request.
Thank you to those who answered me.

Thoughts on the following flights?

• Madrid to Santiago de Compostella
• Santiago de Compostella to Barcelona
• Barcelona to Stuttgart

They can be all direct, cheap fares but limit the baggage to 15 or 25 kg.

It doesn't make a lot of sense to fly from Madrid to Santiago de Compostela in my opinion, as far as I can see the train tickets for late September are for sale on Renfe's website.

Madrid to Santiago de Compostela is 3 hours on the 8am train. City centre to city centre air can not possibly beat that, including the time on check in/security at the airport. Nor, if you book soon, will air beat the train on cost when everything is costed out- cost to and from the airports, any baggage fees etc,