Europe by train is a picturesque ride. But what if you could ensure a cozy seat as you traverse these pretty scenes? All the more better, right? That’s what a train seat reservation will guarantee.
What is an Interrail seat reservation?
If you have an Interrail Pass, you can get on board most trains in Europe. However, they do not guarantee you a seat, as it works on a first come first serve basis. An Interrail seat reservation is an extra ticket that supplements your Interrail Pass and gets you a seat on the train no matter how crowded it is. Interrail seat reservations come at a small extra cost.
Purchasing seat reservations can sometimes be mandatory and sometimes, optional. The more important question you need to ask yourself is, do you want to leave it up to chance to get a seat or book your seats ahead and relax on your ride? Here, we breakdown everything you need to know about Interrail seat reservations, including tips to avoid them. Let's get right into it and eliminate needless Interrail Pass travel concerns.
Interrail seat reservation- the why, when & how?
Why should I make a seat reservation?
Interrail Pass accords great flexibility to travel via Europe's rail network, as most trains do not require prior seat reservations. For example, many local, regional & suburban trains do not need seat reservations. There are also trains where you can choose to reserve seats if you want to. However, in some cases, it is mandatory to do so. Yes, reserving seats do come at the cost of flexibility as it ties you to a particular train and departure time but it can be quite beneficial in many circumstances, which we will talk about further down the line.
When is it mandatory to reserve seats with Interrail Pass?
The trains that ask for mandatory reservations often come with great onboard amenities like wifi and charging points and also take you to your destination in the quickest manner. Mandatory Interrail seat reservations depend on the type of train, country, and the time of the day you are traveling.
- High-speed trains: Typically, seat reservations are necessary for high-speed trains in numerous European nations.
- Night trains: An extra seat reservation is always necessary for overnight trains.
- Certain countries: Spain, France, and Italy are three countries where prior seat reservation is mandated for most trains.
When is it optional to reserve seats?
You can choose to reserve a seat on certain trains if you want to travel more comfortably.
- Intercity, & regional trains: The extensive network of intercity and regional commuter trains that connect European cities, including small towns in rural areas offer optional reservations, meaning you can book a seat if you want to.
Other factors that determine Interrail seat reservation
You need to consider your travel preferences to decide if you want assured train seats.
- Comfort needs: If you need a seat for sure, given you might be tired, get a seat reserved. If you are adventurous and do not mind standing, you needn’t make a reservation in non-mandatory trains.
- No. of people traveling: If you are part of a big group, try getting your seats booked as you can all hang out together.
- Age of the travelers: If you have toddlers or older people traveling with you, it's better to reserve seats as the idea of unassured seats can cause needless stress.
- Duration of your journey: If the journey is long, ensure comfort by getting a seat booked.
- Season of travel: If it's tourist season in Europe, we highly recommend booking train seats much in advance as trains can get crowded and even sold out.
- Availability of time & budget: If you are in a hurry, get your seats reserved on the high-speed trains, which is often mandatory. If you are budget-conscious, try the slower trains that often do not require reservation.
Quick Tip: Now you know about Interrail seat reservations and which situations warrant them. But you might still be wondering which specific trains need them compulsorily. If you have a mobile Interrail Pass, you will be using the Rail Planner App to add your journeys, which will mention if the selected train requires a reservation. You can also check train timings and reservation information online.
When should I reserve my seats?
- Availability: Typically, day trains are open for booking three months before departure, and night trains, six months ahead.
- Peak tourist season: Get your seats reserved well in advance if you are traveling in the peak tourist season of April to September.
- High-demand trains: Certain trains, like the Thalys trains from Paris to Belgium, the TGV trains connecting Italy and France and few others tend to sell out quickly during peak season, so we recommend booking seats on them early.
Quick tip: Railway companies can sometimes change optional reservations to mandatory during high tourist season, so be sure to cross-check the reservation requirement of the train you intend to take before travel.
How to book seats with an Interrail Pass?
Requirements: Interrail Pass number
Reserving a seat can be done in multiple ways such as:
- Interrail Reservation website: You can reserve seats via the Interrail reservation website for 95% of all European train journeys.
- Railway carriers' websites: Go to the railway company websites like ÖBB (Austrian railways), Westbahn (Private Railway), ČD (Czech railways), DB (German railways), and others for Interrail seat reservation.
- Call booking centers: In countries like Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and others, you can call the railway carrier booking centers to reserve seats.
- Email booking centers: In Estonia, you can book train seats by emailing the booking centers.
- Local train stations: All 33 countries support Interrail seat reservation at local train stations in that country. In some countries like Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Serbia, Turkey, and others, you can only make reservations this way.
Quick tip: You need not activate your pass to make reservations.
Can I avoid seat reservations?
Seat reservations go a long way to make your journey comfortable especially if you are traveling during busy season. However, that being said, you can still easily navigate your way through Europe without Interrail seat reservations. This can be particularly useful if you are a budget traveler, as Interrail Pass and seat reservation costs combined can sometimes be a little pricy. We suggest the following hacks to make this a reality:
- Local/Regional trains: Choose these frequent but slower local or regional trains to hop from city to city over high-speed trains. They do not usually need reservations. These will work just fine for you if you are not time-constrained.
- Off-season trip: Consider off-season trips as higher is the chance of landing a seat owing to less crowded trains.
- Rail Planner App: You can easily filter out trains that require reservations on your Rail Planner App by ticking the 'No reservation needed' box when looking for trains.
Quick Tip: In some countries, seat reservation tickets are E-tickets and will be processed quickly. But other countries may support only paper tickets which need to be sent out. So set aside ample leeway while reserving your seats so that you get your tickets in time.
Frequently asked questions
Interrail seat reservation prices fluctuate with the type of train and country of travel. On average Domestic (high-speed) trains cost about €10, International high-speed trains come to €15, and International night trains might come to about €20. Please keep in mind that these are not fixed rates.
No, seat reservations are not included in your Interrail Pass. You need to make these reservations separately at an additional cost.
Train seat reservations are open for booking up to 6 to 3 months in advance. We recommend you book as early as you can. This holds especially true for peak tourist season and popular trains.
Unfortunately, most reservations are non-refundable. Please go through the railway carrier’s refund policy to see if you are eligible for a refund.
Yes, most European trains permit optional seat reservation. You can rest easy with an assured seat if you do so. You should definitely consider seat reservations if it is peak tourist season, or a popular train.
