When to book my train ticket

Every sentence that starts with “Europeans don’t…” or “Europeans do…” is wrong because there is no one-size-fits-all European behavior.
Also I can’t remember any post on this forum in which someone is told not to book a train ticket in advance for the sole reason that Europeans don’t. There can however be other reasons why there is no need to book in advance. In certain countries, the Netherlands and Belgium for instance, trains are mass transit, like the subway in NY. Trains have free seating and can never sell out. If you want to travel from Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam central station, you simply tap your credit/debit card or phone at the reader at the train station at Schiphol and you tap again when you leave the train station in Amsterdam. The price you pay is exactly the same as when you would have bought a ticket a month in advance. So why buy a ticket in advance for this simple journey? Tickets are not refundable, so if your plans change the money is lost. However if you want to train from Amsterdam to Paris, you should definitely book ahead. These trains don’t have free seating and they therefore do sell out. Also the cheapest fares are the first to sell out. On the website of the Dutch national railway company for international train travel www.nsinternational.nl you can set an alarm to alert you when the tickets for your particular day go on sale. I (a European!!) used that alarm when I wanted to buy my train tickets to and from Paris for the Olympics last year. Thanks to the alert, I managed to get my tickets 4 months in advance for the lowest fare possible.

Well, I do recall a few. But rather than this becoming a ______ match on that issue I edited the post so that its more about when the price comes down.

So does Deutsche Bahn and OBB have some sort of notificaton system for cheap tickets?

When to book? For me as early as is convenient after I have my hotel
and airline set. After all for travelers like me flexibility isnt a
function of the train ticket, its the airline and the hotel. Then
there is the concern that the train will sell out or maybe just the
cheap tickets will sell out; and the number of seats to select from
might be an issue. I am no expert on every rail line and I hate
surprises.

As you found out there is rarely a need to book more than a month out. If you were to try to book half a year out you would probably even run in to issues. Which is why I advise against that.

In most of Europe trains do not sell out. It is only in places where trains are not considered an essential mode of transportation that they sometimes do. But cheap tickets do indeed exhaust. However, it is still train travel, not a Taylor Swift concert...

Tailored who?

WengenK, you are correct. But, sometimes when you are planning that big trip, you want everything chiseled in stone so you can start counting days. I have a fishing trip to Montenegro coming up in May, and I won't sleep well till every connection is booked. Needless to do this early, but for peace of mind. So I get the 90 day out folks.

Every sentence that starts with “Europeans don’t…” or “Europeans do…” is wrong because there is no one-size-fits-all European behavior.

Dutch, exactly!

Tailored who?

There is a phenomenon I witness on travel fora that I call "seat anxiety". It is often exhibited by people who have little experience with train travel.

These people go on line on SNCF Connect every day, in order to be able to buy a ticket as soon as it goes on sale. Because, you know, they might sell out, and we would be stranded. :-)

As if it was a Taylor Swift concert where all tickets get sold out within minutes.

Tailored who?

I just asumed that you were joking, and intended to write "Taylor who?" but autocorrect messed up the joke :-)

Just because you like to book even everything in advance doesn’t mean that’s the only way to go. It also doesn’t mean that if someone who suggests that you don’t need to buy certain train tickets in advance is wrong or unhelpful. Also there are other factors at play than just price.
There is a thread on the France forum right now which gives a great example as to why booking ahead for things that don’t need booking ahead can work against you. In the thread the OP explains that on a previous trip to Paris, they had bought both their train tickets from Paris to Giverny and the entry tickets to Monet’s Garden ahead of time. Neither of which sell out, so that wasn’t necessary. On the day in question it was pooring down with rain, but because of the prebought tickets they were locked in and had to go. Due to the rain, it wasn’t a great experience so they now wish to go again.

My point is that it can be great advice to tell someone that you really don’t need to book ahead. Likewise it can be excellent advice to tell people to definitely book ahead. It all depends on the situation and there is no one size fits all.

My point is that it can be great advice to tell someone that you
really don’t need to book ahead. Likewise it can be excellent advice
to tell people to definitely book ahead. It all depends on the
situation and there is no one size fits all.

I dont think there was any assumption that one size fits all. Or even advice. Notice I said, this is what I do. I was acutually careful not to tell someone else what to do. I see 3 themes up above in the post and in the comments: 1) cost, 2) sell out fear 3) planning anexiety; none of which is universal to everyone. Now we can add 4) flxibility for changing conditions.

But is the nervous traveler who buys in advance losing money if he throws away tickets and buys new for a rain day? Mayby, maybe not. Depends on how much he saved by buying his entire trip in advance vs on the spot. Might still come out ahead, or break even or lose only a few euro if he has to toss one set of tickets. On that example you cited, I would have bought new tickets. I would have lost 9 euro on the advance train ticket, dont know about the Monet ticket? 15 euro? And how do I know what sells out and what doesnt sell out? I live in Texas.

And why is Tailor so fast? Who is this guy? A new RS guide?

“ And how do I kbow what sells out and what doesnt sell out? I live in Texas.”

That’s exactly what forums like this are for. The locals that answer questions here know. Or the non-local that has experience with this particular train journey or sight knows.
On the example of Monet’s Garden, the price for both the train and the entry remains the same no matter when you buy So if you buy ahead and don’t go, you lose all that you paid.

There are indeed different factors at play. The local who tells someone that you really don’t need to buy ahead, may have flexibility in mind. Whereas the person that asks the question has fear of missing out. It doesn’t mean that either is wrong.

“And how do I know what sells out and what doesn’t sell out? I live in Texas.”

That’s exactly what forums like this are for. The locals that answer
questions here know. Or the non-local that has experience with this
particular train journey or sight knows.

At least half the threads are one person telling another that they are wrong about something. I don’t know you and I just spent $3,750 on a RT ticket to see the garden. There is this guy Mr. E and half of what he says is wrong. So, I just use what I read as the basis for research …. for that its very good. Then do what feels most comfortable for my “type”.

On the example of Monet’s Garden, the price for both the train and the
entry remains the same no matter when you buy ….

SNCF says tomorrow the train ticket is 17,20 euro. SNCF says 14 May the train ticket is 9,00 euro of course I may be doing something wrong, but that’s part of being a tourist. And I booked the entire trip in advance saving 217 euro so I can afford to throw away the 9 euro ticket and buy a 17,20 euro ticket. The replacement 15 euro for the Monet is fine too.

But if you are the type that feels better buying the day of the event, that’s good too. My 217 euro savings (well, 185 euro after the Monet debacle) really isn’t significant vs the 9.450 euro total cost of the trip.

No right, no wrong.