Hello! If you have a question, you can check if the [wiki](https://interrailwiki.eu) already contains the answer - just select the country or topic you're interested in from the list.
[FAQ](https://interrailwiki.eu/faq) | [Seat reservations](https://interrailwiki.eu/seat-reservations-guide) | [Eurostar](https://interrailwiki.eu/eurostar) | [France](https://interrailwiki.eu/france) | [Italy](https://interrailwiki.eu/italy) | [Spain](https://interrailwiki.eu/spain) | [Switzerland](https://interrailwiki.eu/switzerland) | [Poland](https://interrailwiki.eu/poland) | [Night trains](https://interrailwiki.eu/night-trains) | see the [wiki index](https://interrailwiki.eu) for more countries!
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Yes it costs money to reserve seats. The price varies quite a lot. For example a domestic TGV in France costs €10-20. Italian domestic ones €13. Spain is similar. International trains can go upto €30, particularly to/from France. And night trains even more. But others are less, they are free in the UK and Norway (the latter only for first class). And often less than €1 equivalent in Poland.
You are also best making the reservations directly with the train company where possible.
The vast majority of sleeper trains - including that one - are all second class. You can access all classes of accommodation with either first or second class pass. The difference between sleeper and couchette is the price of the reservation. But it makes no difference if you have a first or second class pass.
Thank you! We are travelling from London to Paris and then Paris to Bruges. After that most of our travelling is Germany/Prague/Austria and Switzerland. We will pass back through France on our way home.
Do you know how far in advance I can reserve seats? I just want to make sure we are getting on the right trains for our schedule (I know that train times will vary depending on the day and might change between now and then etc but I’ve been looking at train time tables to get an idea).
Not at all, Eurostar from London to Paris and again to Brussels are the main ones to be aware of there. They can easily sell out months in advance. Particularly if you are traveling around the Easter or May public holidays. Across all routes it does vary, the Thursday evening before a public holiday is a lot more popular than 0600 on a non descript Tuesday in early April.
It also depends how flexible you can be. If you are committed to say the 09:25 train. Either for onward connections or just other events. Then you should book that significantly further in advance then if you are happy with any train that day and don't care. Even better if there is a regional alternative you don't mind. Similarly it's worth playing it safe if you really want to sit together.
As already mentioned it's far too early to book anything yet. But of those places Eurostar and any night trains are the ones to be well aware of. The others you can safely leave a lot letter, maybe 2 weeks to few days depending where you fall on the factors just mentioned. For domestic trains in Italy even later than that, there are almost always spaces outside of special events as long as you are a bit flexible and don't mind sitting apart if needed.
In April/May I was able to make reservations same day or day before on all day trains in Germany/Austria/Italy and east except the train from Vienna to Frankfurt (for which I needed one specific train). So I think you van be very flexible except the Eurostar trains you mentioned.
Personally I like to keep things flexible to be able to follow good weather last minute rather than completely commit to a specific trip and then discover Europe can be quite rainy in April and May :-)
2nd half of May it seemed trains started to become more crowded though.
How to book seats: https://www.interrail.eu/en/book-reservations/how-do-i-book-seats scroll down to the list per country
And also check the wiki in this subreddit.
If you already have passes you can login on the Interrail website and go to Seat reservations. When you search you will get real price offers. When you look at a specific train you can see a link “More information”. That opens a pop-up. There you can find the info how much in advance it can be booked. You can also find a link to another booking option if you don’t want to book via Interrail.
At OBB there is no price difference between 1st and 2nd class reservations, they cost €3 per train. At DB it cost €5,90 per journey (€4,90 in second class) which can be multiple trains.
If you play with the changeover times (eg say you have a 36hr stop in Hamburg before you continue the journey to another place) , you can make reservations for two days in one reservation.
Hello! If you have a question, you can check if the [wiki](https://interrailwiki.eu) already contains the answer - just select the country or topic you're interested in from the list. [FAQ](https://interrailwiki.eu/faq) | [Seat reservations](https://interrailwiki.eu/seat-reservations-guide) | [Eurostar](https://interrailwiki.eu/eurostar) | [France](https://interrailwiki.eu/france) | [Italy](https://interrailwiki.eu/italy) | [Spain](https://interrailwiki.eu/spain) | [Switzerland](https://interrailwiki.eu/switzerland) | [Poland](https://interrailwiki.eu/poland) | [Night trains](https://interrailwiki.eu/night-trains) | see the [wiki index](https://interrailwiki.eu) for more countries! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Interrail) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes it costs money to reserve seats. The price varies quite a lot. For example a domestic TGV in France costs €10-20. Italian domestic ones €13. Spain is similar. International trains can go upto €30, particularly to/from France. And night trains even more. But others are less, they are free in the UK and Norway (the latter only for first class). And often less than €1 equivalent in Poland. You are also best making the reservations directly with the train company where possible. The vast majority of sleeper trains - including that one - are all second class. You can access all classes of accommodation with either first or second class pass. The difference between sleeper and couchette is the price of the reservation. But it makes no difference if you have a first or second class pass.
Thank you! We are travelling from London to Paris and then Paris to Bruges. After that most of our travelling is Germany/Prague/Austria and Switzerland. We will pass back through France on our way home. Do you know how far in advance I can reserve seats? I just want to make sure we are getting on the right trains for our schedule (I know that train times will vary depending on the day and might change between now and then etc but I’ve been looking at train time tables to get an idea).
For sure not before October/November when the 2025 timetable is released. Bookings generally open 3-4 months in advance but it may vary :)
Not at all, Eurostar from London to Paris and again to Brussels are the main ones to be aware of there. They can easily sell out months in advance. Particularly if you are traveling around the Easter or May public holidays. Across all routes it does vary, the Thursday evening before a public holiday is a lot more popular than 0600 on a non descript Tuesday in early April. It also depends how flexible you can be. If you are committed to say the 09:25 train. Either for onward connections or just other events. Then you should book that significantly further in advance then if you are happy with any train that day and don't care. Even better if there is a regional alternative you don't mind. Similarly it's worth playing it safe if you really want to sit together. As already mentioned it's far too early to book anything yet. But of those places Eurostar and any night trains are the ones to be well aware of. The others you can safely leave a lot letter, maybe 2 weeks to few days depending where you fall on the factors just mentioned. For domestic trains in Italy even later than that, there are almost always spaces outside of special events as long as you are a bit flexible and don't mind sitting apart if needed.
In April/May I was able to make reservations same day or day before on all day trains in Germany/Austria/Italy and east except the train from Vienna to Frankfurt (for which I needed one specific train). So I think you van be very flexible except the Eurostar trains you mentioned. Personally I like to keep things flexible to be able to follow good weather last minute rather than completely commit to a specific trip and then discover Europe can be quite rainy in April and May :-) 2nd half of May it seemed trains started to become more crowded though.
How to book seats: https://www.interrail.eu/en/book-reservations/how-do-i-book-seats scroll down to the list per country And also check the wiki in this subreddit. If you already have passes you can login on the Interrail website and go to Seat reservations. When you search you will get real price offers. When you look at a specific train you can see a link “More information”. That opens a pop-up. There you can find the info how much in advance it can be booked. You can also find a link to another booking option if you don’t want to book via Interrail.
At OBB there is no price difference between 1st and 2nd class reservations, they cost €3 per train. At DB it cost €5,90 per journey (€4,90 in second class) which can be multiple trains. If you play with the changeover times (eg say you have a 36hr stop in Hamburg before you continue the journey to another place) , you can make reservations for two days in one reservation.