I will be leaving for Europe at the end of next week. I will by traveling with my 13 year old son. We fly into Brussels.
As soon as we land, we will catch a train first to Koln (stopping briefly) and then ending the day in Bacharach. Most of our trip will be spent in Germany, using the train.
I have decided not to buy a railpass, because point to point train travel (as I understand it) in Germany allows my son to ride for free when he travels with me. (We won't be separated at all.)
Several questions: 1) I have been reading on this graffiti wall about how booked trains can be. And the need for making reservations. How do I make reservations, and when? Getting to Koln from Brussels might be one of our most populated train rides, but I don't want to make a reservation from here in case the plane is delayed in landing or something.
2) What happens if you miss your train when you have purchased (earlier) the point to point destination ticket? I am assuming you will have to specify the time you will train.
3) Getting from Brussels to Koln will entail 2 countries train service. Will I be given the Germany discount for my child when purchasing the ticket in Brussels to get to Koln?
4) Similar question: We will end the trip by taking an overnight train from Munich to Brussels. How do I make that reservation? (We will be making that trip on the night of August 5.) Will my child's discount (free with parent) 'count' for the overnight ride? And, to what degree, since we will be crossing through Germany and ending up in Brussels.
Sorry for the lengthy question! Thanks for any help!