Keep in mind that if you purchase point-to-point tickets or you are traveling using a Rail Pass, the ticket only covers the journey and not an actual seat on the train.  For trains requiring a seat reservation, it must be purchased independently of your ticket or pass.

If you are traveling on any of the following, you should make an actual seat reservation even if you journey is covered by a rail pass.

• Eurostar - Services between London and Paris/Brussels
• TGV - France's international and domestic high-speed trains
• Thalys - Brussels high-speed trains
• Nightjet - Austria's international night trains
• Specialty Trains - Trains such as scenic tourist and special routes may require a reservation

To Reserve or Not to Reserve

If a seat reservation is compulsory (required), you must make it.

For most trains, especially short route city trains it's not even possible to make a reservation.  Most trains will have sufficient seating so you don't have to worry.  If you are unable to find a seat, at different stops people will depart while others board.  Once a seat becomes available, simply sit down and it's yours until you get off the train.

On trains where reservations are possible, use your best judgment.  If the journey is longer, it's during a local holiday or it's peak travel season and you are concerned about standing the entire ride, you may want to consider purchasing a reservation.

Keep in mind that when you reserve a seat, you loose flexibility in your schedule as you will be tied to a specific train.  You can of course choose a different train but you will loose what you paid to reserve your seat on the train you did not take.

When to Reserve

Once you have decided that you would like to make a reservation and you have narrowed it down to the exact date, time and train, make it as soon as possible.

Trains can sell out during the peak travel season or during regional holidays.  Don't risk having the seats sold out for a train you know you want to take by waiting to reserve your seats at a later date closer to your departure time.

Depending on where you book, some sites will email your ticket while others send you an actual ticket in the mail and that can take days. 

Checking Set Reservation Requirements

There are several different websites to check such as Bahn and Eurail that allow you to search your desired route on a date and time and then select a specific train to view the details and reservation requirements.

	One of the best websites to check trains for required reservations is the Bahn website.  Simply search your desired route and click the details for the train you want to take.  See the example below showing that a reservation is required: Subject to compulsory reservation https://www.bahn.de/en/view/index.shtml

City Trains

On typical city trains, reservations are not possible.  Think of these trains like a city bus of the subway.  You get on and find a open seat if one is available, otherwise you stand holding on to something.

High-Speed Trains

High-Speed trains usually travel greater distances for longer periods of time and may be regional and/or international such as the TGV trains in France.  These types of trains usually always require a seat reservation.

A seat reservation will be for a specific train, so you must be on that train to guarantee your seat.  If someone is sitting in your seat, they must move for you to sit down.

If you miss a train or want to change to a different train and you have purchased a seat reservation, you may be able to have it transferred to another train by visiting the Rail Station Ticket Office.  Reservations may have restrictions so it may not always be possible, but it may be worth checking.

Rail Europe Seat Reservation Example

www.raileurope.com

• Enter the From and To locations
• Enter the Departure Date and Time (we did not select a return)
• We selected 1 Adult
• Checked that we have a Rail Pass (this will flag the system that you only want a reservation and not an actual journey ticket)
• Complete your Rail Pass information (Eurail Two-Country Select Pass, 2nd Class for France and Switzerland)

When we selected 'Search', we got several results and two are listed below showing the seat reservation to be $14/Adult.  Click on the fare you are interested and proceed with adding it to your shopping cart and continue the checkout process.

Rail Europe charges an additional $18 to physically mail the reservations to you, so consider this when purchasing and be sure there is enough time to receive them before your departure.

Another location to search is www.eurail.com/en.