Hello,
When I go to the UK in May, I plan on taking trains to York, Bath, etc... for day trips and was planning on purchasing tickets via NationalRail.co.uk using a Two Together Pass. (I'm assuming this is the only/best place to purchase train tickets via the internet)
A friend, who just went to the UK a year ago, warned me that he bought train tickets only to find out that he didn't have a seat reserved. I guess I'm a little confused why that was. He couldn't explain it either.
If you buy an 'advance' type ticket where you are locked into a particular service then you get a seat reservation automatically. You must sit in that seat and no other. There are a few services where advances are sold and the train does not have reservations where you may sit anywhere.
If you buy any other type of ticket the seat reservations are optional, if available. You can choose to have them or not.
Yes, that is the correct web site for booking tickets, and it will generally forward you to the operating train company to complete the purchase. Be sure to read the details online to know whether your ticket includes a seat assignment or not. It's not necessarily automatic, even when the ticket is date/time specific and cannot be used on a different departure.
