How to use Eurail and InterRail on day trains in 15 popular countries

This guide will tell you how Eurail and InterRail passes can be used on DAYTIME trains in the countries most travelled by rail pass users; so more will be added soon.
Info on other countries is available on the Eurail and InterRail websites.

Click on the country names on the content menu to discover whether you have to pay reservation fees or not, on both domestic AND international daytime trains from/to each country.
Or if you're travelling throughout Europe it will take you around 15 mins to scroll through the entire page.

When reservation fees are payable we show how much they are AND direct you to how you can book them at the cheapest possible price.

(1) Rail pass users ALWAYS have to reserve before travelling on any night train - more information about this.

(2) The same reservation fees apply to both Eurail and InterRail pass users.

(3) If you will be travelling with a 1st class pass you have to book 1st class reservations.

(4) Similarly on day trains; if you have a 2nd class you cannot book 2nd class reservations.

(5) On trains that require reservations the USUAL rule is that children aged 5 and over must also have a reserved seat - and the reservation fees are fixed, so there is no discount for children

(6) The reservation prices on this guide DON'T include booking fees because more often than not there are means of avoiding booking fees, ShowMeTheJourney explains how to do this whenever it's an option.

When booking the majority of Eurail and InterRail passes you can now opt to use a paper version of the pass or a mobile version.
The paper version of the pass is in effect a ticket, so you'll need to take it with you on every journey and write the details of the journeys you will be taking on a pass.
The mobile version is stored within your phone.
Mobile and paper versions have numbers which are unique to the pass you have been issued with.

Whether you book a paper or mobile pass you will have access to the Eurail/InterRail Rail Planner, which you can use to see which trains/routes will be available between your destinations; and it will also flag which trains require mandatory and optional reservations.

Whether you opt for the mobile or paper pass you'll also have access to the Eurail/InterRail reservations service, which you can use to book most* mandatory or optional reservations, though when using this service you will be charged a booking fee of €2 per reservation, per person.
*Non-Eurostar trains in Great Britain, plus trains in Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Serbia and Turkey are among the exceptions.

Regardless of whether you opt for the mobile or paper passes you can often avoid paying this €2 fee, but on some of the these options, including booking reservations online with B-Europe, you can only use the type of number issued with paper passes.
So Eurail and InterRail have come up with a number generator, which purchases of mobile passes can use to create a 'paper pass number' when required.
Eurail mobile pass purchasers can use this pass number generation service; InterRail mobile pass purchasers can use this pass number generation service; you enter your mobile pass number, so that you'll also then have a paper pass number.

So when using a mobile pass, if a third party service tells you that you have used an invalid number, you can use these number generator links to obtain an alternative paper pass code, which should then work.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes in Austria:

For journeys within Austria, rail pass users can hop on any daytime train managed by national rail operator OBB including the Railjets - and on the Westbahn trains, which provide an alternative to the Railjets on the Salzburg - Vienna route.

The OPTIONAL rail pass seat reservation fee to travel on a Railjet or an IC train, if booked online with OBB or at a station in Austria is €3; whether you have a 1st or 2nd class pass.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes on trains from Austria:

International train journeys from Austria on which rail pass reservations ARE NOT required:

• EC trains to Germany, Hungary and Switzerland
• Journeys by Railjet train to Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Switzerland and The Czech Republic. Though if you will be traveling between Austria and Germany, Hungary and Switzerland during the summer, we recommend making reservations for these trains in advance, particularly if you have a 2nd class pass.
• ICE trains to Germany; ShowMeTheJourney also recommends making reservations on these trains.

International DAYTIME train journeys from Austria on which rail pass reservations ARE required:

• EC trains to Slovenia and Croatia: 1st and 2nd class = €3
• EC trains to Poland: 1st and 2nd class = €3
• Railjet trains to Italy 1st class = €15 and 2nd class = €10
  How to avoid these fees when travelling from Wien/Vienna to Venice/Venezia.
• EC trains to Italy: 1st class = €20.90; 2nd class = €14.50 (see below)
  How to avoid these fees when travelling from Innsbruck

Booking these rail pass reservations:

You have four options:

(1) Whether you have a mobile or paper pass you can book these optional and compulsory reservations online without booking fees on the OBB, Austrian national railways, website before arriving in Austria.
You can usually book reservations for journeys within Austria and for journeys to Germany up to 6 months ahead and on most other international trains up to 3 months ahead.

How to book day train reservations follow the step-by-step instructions
And there are also step-by-step instructions for booking the reservations on the night trains.

*2) RailEurope now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

(3) Or you can book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service - though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.

(4) You can also book these rail pass reservations at Reisezentrum travel desks at major Austrian stations without booking fees; and when you book in person for the EC and Railjet trains to Italy you can pay the full charge, the seat reservation AND the journey supplement.
If the Reisezentrum desk is open when you first arrive somewhere, a tip is to book your reservations before you exit the station.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes in Belgium:

Rail pass users can hop on any daytime train for journeys within Belgium.

Reservations aren't available for domestic journeys on any train operated by Belgium's national rail company NMBS/SNCB.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes on trains from Belgium

International journeys from Belgium on which rail pass reservations ARE NOT required:

• Journeys by Intercity Brussels trains - so these trains are a much cheaper alternative for rail pass users to Thalys trains for journeys between Belgium and The Netherlands.
• on IC trains to Lille in France and Luxembourg.
• journeys by ICE train between Belgium and Germany (except mid-June to mid-August) - so these trains are a much cheaper alternative for rail pass users to Thalys trains for journeys between Belgium and Germany.

More info is available on the detailed guide

International journeys on which rail pass reservations ARE required:

• Journeys by Eurostar train to the UK 1st class = €38; 2nd class = €30
  A limited number of reservations are available to rail pass users, so booking at the earliest opportunity is highly recommended, the most popular departures can 'sell out' more than a week in advance.
• Journeys by TGV (Bruxelles - France) trains to destinations other than Paris: 1st class = €30; 2nd class = €20
• Journeys by ICE train between Belgium and Germany from mid-June to mid-August = 1st class = €6.50; 2nd class = €5.20.
• On Eurostar formerly Thalys trains to Paris, Germany and The Netherlands:

Reserving for journeys by the Eurostar formerly Thalys trains.

1st class pass users to travel in Comfort Class:
Belgium <> Netherlands = €27
Belgium <> Paris = €32
Belgium <> Germany = €32

2nd class pass users:
Belgium <> Netherlands = €22
Belgium <> Paris = €27
Belgium <> Germany = €27

You can avoid these Eurostar formerly Thalys reservation fees by making indirect journeys with multiple changes of train.
But if you do want to travel on a Eurostar formerly Thalys service, book in advance to maximise your choice of departures, because rail pass reservations can sell out on the most popular trains, particularly in the summer.

Booking these rail pass reservations:

Avoid booking reservations at stations in Belgium, you will have to pay booking fees.

RailEurope now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

Or you can book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.
Book in advance to maximise your choice of departures, rail pass reservations can sell out on the most popular trains, particularly in the summer.
It also seems that the rail pass reservations can be permanently sold out on certain TGV trains between Bruxelles and France, so if you encounter this situation contact Eurail or Interrail.
Rail pass reservations for these TGV trains to and from Bruxelles can no longer be booked with B-Europe.

Though you can still make reservations for the Eurostar and Thalys trains on B-Europe.
Eurostar reservations can normally be booked up to 330 days ahead and Thalys reservations can usually be booked up to 4 months ahead.
Though in effect you will be paying a €4 fee for using B-Europe, as it only sells rail pass reservations as 'mobile tickets', so that you can download the reservations and store it on your phone, but it applies a surcharge for booking these.
So it's more expensive than using the reservation services provided by Eurail and InterRail, but reservations can be available to book on B-Europe for specific departures, when the Eurail and InterRail reservation services doesn't have them, particularly for Eurostar departures.

B-Europe will ask for pass numbers when booking, but it only accepts the numbers issued with paper passes.
If you have a mobile Eurail pass you can use this pass number generation service and InterRail mobile pass purchasers can use this pass number generation service; you enter your mobile pass number. so that you'll also then have a paper number.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys within The Czech Republic:

CD, České dráhy, is the national rail operator in Czechia (The Czech Republic) and rail pass users can hop on any of its train services EXCEPT for its 'Supercity' trains on the Prague - Ostrava route, but those trains are easily avoided.
Though the reservation fees for journeys on those SuperCity (SC) trains are less than the equivalent of €4 - and they can be booked without additional fees on the CD website, how to do this is explained here.

If you wish to wish to reserve seats on Regional, EC*, Ex, IC, or RJ services, you can also book those OPTIONAL reservations on the CD website and the cost of doing so is 35 CZK (under €2).
* for journeys by EC train within Czechia.

However, be aware that not all trains in Czechia are operated by CD, (České dráhy).
Leo Express and RegioJet compete with CD's trains on the most popular express train routes in Czechia, but Eurail and InterRail passes ARE now valid on the Leo Express and Regiojet trains.
Some local and regio services in north-west Czechia are operated by GW and rail passes are not valid on those services.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys FROM Czechia:

International journeys on which rail pass reservations are available but NOT required:

• On the Railjets and Regiojets to Austria
• EC Metropolitan trains to Hungary, Germany and Slovakia
  Opting to make a reservation on these EC trains to Germany is recommended if you will be travelling with a 2nd class pass, particularly on Friday - Sunday, these can be busy trains.

International journeys on which reservations are not available, but rail passes are valid, so just hop on board:

• The ALX trains to Germany
• Regional trains to Linz in Austria

International DAYTIME journeys on which rail pass reservations ARE required:

The EC trains to Poland: 1st AND 2nd class = €4

Booking the reservations

Whether you have a mobile or paper pass, these mandatory and optional reservations for these trains

• these EC trains
• the Railjets
• the EC trains to Germany, Hungary and Slovakia
• the SuperCity trains (and the IC and Ex trains within Czechia)
• and the night trains from and to Czechia
  can be booked online from 2 months ahead, with no booking fees, on the CD website - how to do this (it's the same process as adding a reservation when booking tickets).

You can also book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.

Note that the CD booking service understandably does not sell reservations for the Regiojet or Leo Express stations, so if you want to travel by these trains it's best to either arrange them at the station, or seek out the train conductor when you first board the train.
Rail pass users can also reserve on the RegioJet trains to Bratislava and Wien/Vienna and the Leo Express services to Krakow, either book them at the respective ticket desks (not at CD ticket desks), or seek out the conductor when you first board the train.

Using Eurail & InterRail Rail Passes for train journeys in Denmark:

Rail pass users can hop on any daytime train for journeys within Denmark.
Although reservations are recommended if you want to travel on Lyn train services and have a 2nd class pass.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys FROM Denmark:

International journeys on which rail pass reservations ARE NOT required:

• On the Øresundståg trains to Sweden:
• On the EC/IC trains to Germany; but only if you WON'T be travelling between June 18th and August 21st.
  Though we strongly recommend reserving on these EC/IC trains whenever you will be travelling.

International journeys on which rail pass reservations ARE required:

• On the EC trains to Germany between June 18th and August 21st: 1st class = €5.30; 2nd class = €4.
• On the Snabbtåg trains to Sweden*: 1st class = €17; 2nd class = €7
  Or avoid the fees by taking an alternative routing when travelling from Copenhagen/Kobenhavn to Stockholm.

Booking these rail pass reservations:

Rail pass reservations for the trains between Denmark and Germany can be booked through the DSB website (the tech is provided by the B-Europe reservation system).
The German national rail operator is also once again selling these reservations on the the DB website

For the Snabbtåg trains to Sweden*.
Book on the SJ (Swedish Railways) website as these reservations can't be booked on the DSB (Danish Railways) website.
Booking ahead is highly recommended, seats on the most popular trains can sell out days in advance, bookings usually open around 3 months ahead
*You have to take the Øresundståg trains on journeys to Malmo.

RailEurope also now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys in France

Rail passes are NOT valid for journeys by Ouigo trains.

Trains services in France on which rail pass reservations ARE NOT required:

• Local trains; except for RER trains in Paris, rail passes are not valid on the RER trains
• Some journeys by Intercités (IC trains) particularly the routes winch don't serve Paris
• Most, but not all, journeys by TER regional trains

More info is available on the detailed guide

The train services in France on which rail pass reservations ARE required:

• (1) Any journey by TGV (inOui) train: 1st class AND 2nd class = €10 OR €20 (*see note below)
• (2) Journeys by Intercites (IC trains): 1st class AND 2nd class = €10 OR €20 (*see note below) on these routes:
• Paris – Limoges – Brive la Galliarde – Toulouse
• Bordeaux – Toulouse – Narbonne – Nimes – Montpellier – Marseille
• Paris – Nevers – Vichy – Clermont Ferrand
  *Limited numbers of reservations are available on some departures at the €10 rate, but when they sell out/aren't available the price is €20.
  First Class passes required for reservations in First Class.
  (3) On the TER trains between Paris and both Hauts-de-France and Normandy; can only be booked at station ticket counters.

Note that rail pass reservations may not be available at all on particularly busy trains; though if an alternative involves a change of train, only one reservation fee will be charged.

Booking these rail pass reservations for journeys within France:

Reservations can be booked online 3 to months ahead of the travel date, depending on the time of year - it's best to book at least 10 days ahead to obtain the €10 price.

Journeys by TGV train within France can be booked with B-Europe and you can check the real-time availability and costs of the reservations prior to buying a pass - you need a pass number to make the booking, but not to see the info.

You can book also reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service - though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.

RailEurope](https://www.raileurope.com/) now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

If you wait until you're at the station in France, the SNCF Travel Boutiques will sell reservations for advance travel and the ticket counters will sell reservations for that day.
Rail pass reservations are also available for journeys within France from the newer type of white ticket machines.
Though inevitably if you wait until you are in France to book, you're more likely to find that the €10 reservations have sold out and will be asked to pay the €20 fee - you may also discover that reservations on some departures have sold out completely.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys FROM France

International train journeys from France on which rail pass reservations are NOT required:

The only train journeys from and to France on which rail pass reservation fees don't have to be paid are the:

• IC trains from/to Lille (and Liege).
• TER trains to Luxembourg, Basel and Geneve in Switzerland and Port Bou in Spain
• local cross border trains including those to/from Offenburg and Ventimille / Ventimiglia in Italy.

International DAYTIME train journeys from France on which rail pass reservations ARE required:

Eurostar
InterRail AND Eurail passes can be used on Eurostar if you pay the reservation fee prior to boarding.
Reservation fees - By Eurostar train to Belgium and France AND now The Netherlands; 1st class = €38 or €43; 2nd class = €30, €35 or €38.
Seems expensive though these fees can be more than four times cheaper than using tickets.
A limited number of reservations are available to rail pass users, so booking at the earliest opportunity is highly recommended!

Reservations are currently available up to 330 days ahead and they can be booked for a fee of €2 per person on the Eurail/InterRail reservation service; the rail pass reservation link on the Eurostar website is now directed at the Eurail/InterRail reservation service.

Though RailEurope now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

Either side of the Christmas and Easter holidays and when travelling in July and August it's not unknown for some departures to sell out more than a month ahead; and it's the most poplar departures which will sell out soonest.
If you will need to travel by a specific Eurostar departure, you'll to check that rail pass reservations are available for the train you need to take prior to buying a pass, which can be done on B-Europe - and then book the reservations as soon as you have made a pass purchase and therefore have a pass number.

If you opt to use the paper version, or now the mobile* version, of the Eurail/Interrail pass, Eurostar reservations can also be booked B-Europe up to 4 months ahead of the travel date.
*= Using B-Europe's reservation service had only been an option for users of paper passes, as the type of numbers used for mobile pass users are rejected by B-Europe
But new online services have been launched which enable mobile pass users to obtain the necessary paper pass numbers.
Eurail mobile pass purchasers can use this pass number generation service and InterRail mobile pass purchasers can use this pass number generation service.

However, B-Europe will only sell the reservations a 'mobile tickets', which incur a €4 surcharge.
So booking with B-Europe is more expensive than using the Eurail and InterRail reservation services, but reservations can be available for a specific departure on B-Europe, when they are not available with Eurail or InterRail.

Eurostar formerly Thalys
On Eurostar formerly Thalys trains to Belgium Germany and The Netherlands:

1st class pass users to travel in Comfort Class:
Belgium <> Netherlands = €27
Paris <> Belgium = €32
Germany <> Belgium = €32
Paris <> Germany and Netherlands = €37

2nd class pass users:
Belgium <> Netherlands = €22
Paris <> Belgium = €27
Germany <> Belgium = €27
Paris <> Germany and Netherlands = €32

The reservations be booked for a fee of €2 per person on the Eurail/InterRail reservation service and bookings usually open up to 3 months ahead, so book in advance to maximise your choice of departures, rail pass reservations can sell out on the most popular trains, particularly in the summer.

Though RailEurope now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

You can also make reservations for journeys by Thalys trains on B-Europe.
Though in effect you will be paying a €4 fee for using B-Europe, as it only sells rail pass reservations as 'mobile tickets', so that you can download the reservations and store it on your phone, but it applies a surcharge for booking these.
So it's more expensive than using the reservation services provided by Eurail and InterRail, but reservations can be available to book on B-Europe for specific departures, when the Eurail and InterRail reservation services don't have them.

B-Europe will ask for pass numbers when booking, but it only accepts the numbers issued with paper passes.
If you have a mobile Eurail pass you can use this pass number generation service and InterRail mobile pass purchasers can use this pass number generation service; you enter your mobile pass number. so that you'll also then have a paper number.

How to avoid these Thalys reservation fees when travelling from Paris to Amsterdam or from Paris To Cologne/Koln.

TGVs from Brussels to France

On TGV trains from cities other than Paris to Belgium: 1st class = €30; 2nd class = €20

The reservations be booked for a fee of €2 per person on the Eurail/InterRail reservation service and bookings usually open up to 3 months ahead, so book in advance to maximise your choice of departures, rail pass reservations can sell out on the most popular trains, particularly in the summer.

Though RailEurope now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

It also seems that the rail pass reservations can be permanently sold out on certain departures, so if you encounter this situation contact Eurail or Interrail.

Rail pass reservations for these trains can no longer be booked with B-Europe.

The DB-SNCF trains

On DB-SNCF high speed services to and from Germany: 1st class = €30; 2nd class = €13

Can no longer be booked on the DB website; but you can book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service - though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.
Can be booked from six months ahead of the travel date.

Though RailEurope](https://www.raileurope.com/) now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

How to avoid these reservation fees when travelling from Paris to Berlin, or from Paris to Hamburg, or from Paris to Munich.

TGVs to Luxembourg

On TGV trains to Luxembourg: 1st class AND 2nd class = €6
Can be booked online as per the TGVs within France, see above.

Lyria services

On Lyria trains to Switzerland - our Lyria trains page has details of alternative routes that can be taken to avoid paying these fees.
Fees vary depending on the journey:
Paris - Basel, Geneva, Lausanne or Zurich: 1st class from €54; 2nd class from €21
On the Marseille - Avignon - Geneve route: 1st class from €26; 2nd class from €17

See our Using Rail Passes in France guide for more info on booking these reservations.

For journeys between Paris and Basel if you book reservations on a TGV between Paris and Mulhouse or Strasbourg, and then connect into local/regional trains to/from Switzerland, you can save up to more than €30; and some of these alternative connections aren't much slower than taking the direct trains.
Or to avoid the fees completely you can follow these alternative journey options from Paris to Basel and Zurich and from Paris to Interlaken.

TGV France-Italy

On TGV France-Italy trains: 1st class = €45; 2nd class = €31
The most heavily discounted tickets for these trains are similarly priced to these particularly expensive rail pass reservations fees.
So it can be a good idea to look up the journey on SNCF Connect before paying these fees; particularly if you will be using a pass valid for a fixed number of travel days.

You can book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service - though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.

The RENFE-SNCF services

On RENFE-SNCF trains on the Paris - Barcelona route:
Fees vary depending on the journey:
Paris to Barcelona: 1st class = €48; 2nd class = €34.

How to save money when using a rail pass to travel from Paris to Barcelona.
How to avoid paying additional fees when travelling to Barcelona from Lyon and from Marseille.

You can book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service from 6 months ahead - though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.
Though the number of reservations available to rail pass users on these trains are limited, they can sell out, despite tickets for non-pass users still being available.

More info is available on the detailed guide

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys in Germany; more info is available on this guide

Rail pass users can hop on any daytime train for journeys within Germany including journeys by ICE trains.
Though we recommend making the optional reservations for long-distance journeys by ICE train, particularly on Friday and Sunday afternoons and evenings!
The optional reservations for journeys by ICE and IC train = €6.50 in 1st class and €5.20 in 2nd class.

Booking these rail pass reservations for journeys within Germany

You can either book seat reservations online before you arrive in Germany, or book them at a station in Germany by using a Reisezentrum travel desk or a ticket machine,

(1) Online:
You can purchase seat reservations on the DB (German national railways) booking website - usually available up to 6 months ahead.
How to do this is explained here.

(2) At a station:
The major stations in Germany, the hauptbahnhofs, house Reisezentrum travel desks.
In the fairly unlikely event of seats being unavailable on your first choice of train, alternative options will always be available.

More info is available on the detailed guide

Using Eurail & InterRail Rail Passes for train journeys FROM Germany

Rail pass users can book reservations at Reisezentrum travel desks without paying booking fees, for any international train service from and to Germany.
They also sell rail pass reservations for the vast majority* of European trains, including those which DON'T travel from or to Germany.
*Thalys trains are one of the exceptions.

International train journeys from Germany on which rail pass reservations ARE NOT required:

• Journeys by ICE train to Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and The Netherlands - Reservations are now compulsory when travelling across borders during the summer season (June 17th till August 18th)
• Journeys by IC train to The Netherlands (and Switzerland)
• On Railjets to Austria and Hungary
• EC trains to Austria, Hungary, Switzerland and The Czech Republic
• EC trains to Denmark (but NOT between 12 June and 4 September)
• The ALX trains to The Czech Republic

International DAYTIME train journeys from Germany on which rail pass reservations ARE required:

(1) EC trains to Slovenia and Croatia: 1st and 2nd class under €5
Can be boked on the DB website with no booking fees up to 6 months ahead of the travel date
How to do this is explained here.

Though RailEurope now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

(2) EC trains to Poland: 1st and 2nd class = €4
Note that rail pass reservations for these trains can no longer be booked through the DB website.
So you can book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.

Though RailEurope now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

(3) From June 17th till August 18th you must reserve for cross-border journeys on the ICE trains: 1st class = €6.50; 2nd class = €5.20.
Can be boked on the DB website with no booking fees up to 6 months ahead of the travel date
How to do this is explained here.

(4) From June 17th till August 18th you must reserve on the EC trains to Denmark: 1st class = €5.30; 2nd class = €4
These reservations can be booked with no booking fees booked through the DSB website (the tech is provided by the B-Europe reservation system) or the DB website

(5) EC trains to Italy, on the Munchen to Italy route: 1st class = €20.90; 2nd class = €14.50.
You can book online before arriving in Germany by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.

Or these reservations can be booked with OBB, Austrian national railways, website before arriving in Germany, you can avoid the €2 booking and save €2 on the total costs of the reservation.

How to book day train reservations is included in the guide to using the OBB booking service.

If you book reservations for these specific trains at a Reizesentrum travel desk in a hauptbahnhof, you won't be charged the full amount of the reservation and will therefore have to pay €10 to the conductor on the train.

An option is to avoid these costs completely by following alternative journey options when travelling from Munich to Bologna and Verona, or to Venice.

(5) EC trains to Italy, on the Frankfurt (Main) to Milano route: 1st class = €13; 2nd class = €11
Don't book the reservations for these EC trains to Italy on the DB website as the reservation fee won't include the 'supplement' for the journey to Italy.
Instead book them at the Reisezentrum travel desks at the hauptbahhof stations, or book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.

Eurostar formerly Thalys trains:

(6) On the Eurostar formerly Thalys trains to Belgium and Paris

1st class pass users to travel in Comfort Class:
Germany <> Belgium = €32
Germany <> Paris = €37

2nd class pass users:
Germany <> Belgium = €27
Germany <> Paris = €32

Avoid these fees for journeys between Germany and Belgium by taking the ICE trains instead.
When travelling to Paris you can avoid these fees by taking alternative trains from Cologne/Koln.

Thalys journey reservations cannot be booked onine with DB or at the Reisezentrum travel desks.
The reservations be booked for a fee of €2 per person on the Eurail/InterRail reservation service and bookings usually open up to 4 months ahead, so book in advance to maximise your choice of departures, rail pass reservations can sell out on the most popular trains, particularly in the summer.

Though RailEurope now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

You can also make reservations for journeys by Thalys trains on B-Europe.
Though in effect you will be paying a €4 fee for using B-Europe, as it only sells rail pass reservations as 'mobile tickets', so that you can download the reservations and store it on your phone, but it applies a surcharge for booking these.
So it's more expensive than using the reservation services provided by Eurail and InterRail, but reservations can be available to book on B-Europe for specific departures, when the Eurail and InterRail reservation services don't have them.

B-Europe will ask for pass numbers when booking, but it only accepts the numbers issued with paper passes.
If have a mobile Eurail pass you can use this pass number generation service and InterRail mobile pass purchasers can used this pass number generation service; you enter your mobile pass number. so that you'll also then have a paper number.

(7) On the DB-SNCF trains; Germany to France:

On the DB-SNCF high speed services to and from France: 1st class = €30; 2nd class = €13
However, reservations for these trains can no longer seemingly be booked on the DB website.
So instead book them at a Reisezentrum travel desk; or you can book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service - though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.

Though RailEurope now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

Or avoid having to pay these fees at all, by following alternative journey options when travelling to Paris from Berlin, or from Munchen/Munich.

More info is available on the detailed guide

Using Eurail & InterRail for train journeys within Great Britain (England/Scotland Wales) - non UK residents:

A significant tick in the box for using Eurail, InterRail (or BritRail) passes is that train ticketing in England, Scotland and Wales is complicated by the fact that multiple companies operate the train services.
In contrast, using Eurail and InterRail passes is Britain is comparatively simple, all of those companies allow pass users to take their trains with no mandatory additional charges, so in Britain you can just hop on and off the trains with a pass.

Also because of how British train tickets are priced, using Eurail and InterRail passes in Britain can be great value for money, particularly if long-distance day trips by train are on an itinerary.

If you want to use a rail pass to make a feasible day trip by train to a distant city, such as London to Bath, London to Bristol, London to Cardiff, London to Manchester, London to Liverpool or London to York, you could be saving more than £150 in each direction of travel compared to the price of Anytime tickets.

Seat Reservations:

The companies which offer a seat reservation facility to rail pass users are CrossCountry, East Midlands*, Grand Central, Great Western Railway*, Hull Trains, ScotRail*, TransPennine Express, LNER and Avanti West Coast (*=long distance routes only).
Find out which company operates the routes you will be taking.

Note that reservations are NOT mandatory when travelling with Avanti West Coast; CrossCountry, East Midlands, Grand Central, Hull Trains, Great Western Railway, LNER, ScotRail and TransPennine Express.
More info on the UK train operators guide

Seat reservations are not available when using Eurail or InterRail on trains operated by c2c, Chiltern Railways, Great Northern, Greater Anglia*, London NorthWestern Railway,Northern, Southern, Southeastern, South Western Railway and Thameslink.
*Reservations are usually available on the London <> Norwich route;

So when making journeys by these companies, if you want to increase your chances of having a seat, then avoid travelling into large cities between 07:30 and 09:30 and away from them between 16:30 and 19:00.
Also if you will be boarding a train at a station where it will be commencing its journey, be there 15 minutes before departure, so that you can then be among the first travellers joining the train.

Booking the reservations for journeys within Britain:

There is no charge for booking reservations; Great Britain is the only country in which optional seat reservations for rail pass users don't incur a fee!

There are three methods of arranging the reservations without being charged any booking fees, either:

(1) Arrange the reservations prior to departure at a staffed ticket counter, or at an Advance Travel office, if a station has this facility
However, on routes when reservations are an option, the cut off time prior to departure, at which reservations can be arranged varies according to which TOC will be operating the train you will be travelling by.

• When travelling by Great Western Railway; Hull Trains, TFW and Scotrail, you'll need to have requested a reservation around 2 - 3 hours ahead; though this isn't fixed.
• For journeys by Avanti West Coast; CrossCountry; EMR; Grand Central; LNER and TransPennine Express, the time limit for reservations will be between around 15 mins and an hour prior to departure.
  Check which company operates each route.

OR

(2) Contact the company (TOC) operating the trains you will be taking on its social media channels a minimum of the day before your journey, with Facebook messenger being a good option
Reservations are particularly recommended if you will be travelling on Fridays, Sunday afternoons, when arriving in London before 10:30 and departing from London between 16:00 and 19:00.

(3) They can also now be booked online on the GWR website, regardless of whether the journey is by GWR's trains, the instructions on how to this, along with a stack of tips and other info, is included on the guide to using rail passes in Great Britain.

Note that reservations for national journeys within Britain cannot be booked online on the Eurail/InterRail reservation service.

Making sense of the train operating companies

You're now probably confused by these references to all those different train operating companies, but in Britain there isn't a national operator which operates the majority of the train services: there's no equivalent of DB (Germany), SNCF (France), RENFE (Spain) or Trenitalia (Italy).

Instead multiple companies provide the train services, though rarely over the same routes, and each company manages how it sells tickets for the services and routes it operates - and included within that, is whether a company will or won't offer reservations, on all, some or none of its routes.

So if you DO want to make optional seat reservations, what's worth knowing is which company operates the trains on the routes between the cities that you want to travel to and from

However, if you DON'T want to reserve, you don't need to know which company is providing the train service you will be travelling by = another reason why using a rail pass can be simpler than buying tickets for British train journeys.

When boarding British express trains, which seats are available and which have been reserved is usually clearly indicated.

Using Rail Passes on Eurostar services:

Journeys by Eurostar train from and to the UK have mandatory rail pass reservation fees; 1st class = €38-43; 2nd class = €30-38, which seems expensive, but ticket prices can be more than four times as expensive

Therefore the allocation of reservations for specific departures can sell out months in advance, particularly for trains which have good connections in Brussels, Lille and Paris with other services to and from more distant destinations.

Reservations are usually available up to 330 days ahead and they can be booked for a fee of €2 per person on the Eurail/InterRail reservation service; the rail pass reservation link on the Eurostar website is now directed at the Eurail/InterRail reservation service.

You can also make reservations for Eurostar departures on B-Europe.
Though in effect you will be paying a €4 fee for using B-Europe, as it only sells rail pass reservations as 'mobile tickets', so that you can download the reservations and store it on your phone, but it applies a surcharge for booking these.
So it's more expensive than using the reservation services provided by Eurail and InterRail, but reservations can be available to book on B-Europe for specific departures, when the Eurail and InterRail reservation services don't have them.

B-Europe will ask for pass numbers when booking, but it only accepts the numbers issued with paper passes.
If you have a mobile Eurail pass you can use this pass number generation service and InterRail mobile pass purchasers can use this pass number generation service; you enter your mobile pass number. so that you'll also then have a paper number.

The B-Europe reservation service is pretty much straightforward to use, except for the one quirky feature illustrated above.

This may be to do with SMTJ's settings on the PC, but we had to enter the county of residency manually, B-Europe initially pre-populated it, but it wouldn't stick.

UK residents should also note that Eurostar reservations will only be valid when making one outward journey and return journey from and to the UK.
So if you were to follow an itinerary which involves heading back to the UK and then, for example, heading off later for a few days to travel around The Netherlands, you would have to choose between:

• not using the pass on the Eurostars travelling from and to the UK on the second trip to the Netherlands, or
• travelling back to the UK by Eurostar at the end of the first trip and then on the Eurostar when travelling to the Netherlands.

Either side of the Christmas and Easter holidays and when travelling in July and August it's not unknown for the rail pass reservations on some departures to sell out more than a month ahead; and it's the most poplar departures which will sell out soonest.
If you will need to travel by a specific Eurostar departure, you'll to check that rail pass reservations are available for the train you need to take prior to buying a pass, which can be done on B-Europe - and then book the reservations as soon as you have made a pass purchase and therefore have a pass number.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys within Hungary:

Rail pass users can hop any train in Hungary EXCEPT for journeys by the IC trains AND for journeys WITHIN Hungary by EC and Railjet trains.
The reservations required for these trains can be booked on MAV (Hungarian Railways) yellow ticket machines, which have excellent English translations.
The price is the equivalent of less than €2 per reservation.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys FROM Hungary:

International train journeys from Hungary on which rail pass reservations ARE NOT required:

• On Railjets to Austria, Germany and Switzerland
• EC Metropolitan trains to Germany, Slovakia and The Czech Republic.
• EC trains to Austria

International train journeys from Hungary on which rail pass reservations ARE required:

• EC trains** to Poland: 1st AND 2nd class = €4
• EC trains to Slovenia and Croatia: 1st AND 2nd class = €4
  These reservations can be booked at the international travel desks at Keleti and Nyugati stations in Budapest.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys WITHIN Italy

Rail passes are NOT valid for journeys by Italo trains.

Italian train journeys on which rail pass reservations ARE NOT required:

• Any journey by Regionale train *
• Any journey by Regionale Veloce train
  Regionale Veloce trains operate on some long distance routes, including;
  Milano - Bologna
  Rome - Florence/Firenze
  Venice/Venezia - Verona

Rail passes can also be used on the equivalent of Regionale and Regionale Veloce train services in northern Italy which are operated by Trenord.

On Intercity (IC) trains: Reservations are available, but are optional from October to April (except on and around national holidays) and and cost €3 in 1st and 2nd class.
Making a reservation when travelling long-distance is highly recommended!
First Class passes are required when booking reservations in First Class.

More info is available on the detailed guide.

Italian DAYTIME train journeys on which rail pass reservations ARE required:

• On Frecciabianca trains: 1st class AND 2nd class = €13
• On Frecciargento trains: 1st class AND 2nd class = €13
• On Frecciariossa trains: 1st class AND 2nd class = €13
• On Frecciariossa 1000 trains: 1st class AND 2nd class = €13
• On Intercity trains from the beginning of May to the end of September and around national holidays: 1st class AND 2nd class = €3

Travel with a 1st class pass on Frecciarossa and Frecciarossa 1000 trains and your seats will be in the rather fabulous Executive class.

These €13 fees also apply when making domestic journeys within Italy by EC trains which will be between Italy and both Austria and Switzerland.

Booking rail pass reservations for train journeys within Italy

When you have arrived in Italy rail pass reservations can be purchased from:
(1) Trenitalia ticket counters; with mobile or paper passes; though you will now be charged a booking fee of €2 per reservation
(2) Trenitalia branded ticket machines.
The ticket machines will ask for pass numbers when using them to make a booking, but they will only accept the numbers issued with paper passes.
If have a mobile Eurail pass you can use pass number generation service; InterRail pass purchasers can this pass number generation service; you enter your mobile pass number. so that you'll also then have a paper number, which the machines should accept.
Generating this number before you get to the station and then having it with you so it can be easily accessed when using a machine, is the way to go.

Though what's new is the info on the InterRail website and Eurail website that 'reservations made locally are 80% refundable prior to departure'.
Meaning that, presumably before your travel date if you purchase a reservation at an Italian station, from a ticket machine or staffed ticket desk*, you can then take it to a travel desk prior to boarding, to have 80% of the purchase price returned to you.

Booking reservations for Italian journeys prior to arriving in Italy

Or whether you opt for mobile or paper passes, you can book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service but you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.

Though RailEurope now sells rail pass reservations without charging any booking fees.

Those €2 booking fees can now also be avoided if you use the OBB, Austrian Railways, online booking service to book the mandatory reservations on Italian day trains.
SMTJ isn't going to question the logic behind this highly useful service, particularly as the bookings can be made irrespective of whether you have a mobile or paper pass.
Though the process is very much less than obvious, hence a step-by-step booking guide for the rail pass reservations, being included on SMTJ's instructions for using the OBB website.

Rail pass reservations are no longer sold on the Trenitalia website.

More information is available here.

Train journeys from Italy on which rail pass reservations ARE NOT required:

• Swiss IR trains which connect Domodossola to Switzerland via Brig
• The spectacular F.A.R.T line which links Domodossola with Locarno
• Local trains connect Ventimiglia with Nice and other destinations on the Cote D'Azur.
• Regionale trains to Brennero, by the Austrian border from Bolzano, Trento and Verona.
• Regionale trains, branded 'Ticino' link Milano and Como to Lugano, Bellinzona and Locarno in Switzerland; take these trains and you can avoid the reservations fees charged on the EC trains
• Regionale trains which connect Udine to Villach in Austria.

More info is available on the detailed guide.

DAYTIME train journeys from Italy on which rail pass reservations ARE required:

(1) EC trains to Switzerland: 1st class = €13; 2nd class = €11
These fees are also payable if you take these trains between Milan and towns in northern Italy, so avoid them for journeys within Italy by taking the Regionale trains instead.
Or avoid paying the fees by taking these alternative journey options when travelling from Milan to Basel, or to Geneva, or to Interlaken, or to Zurich.

These reservations for EC trains between Italy and Switzerland can be booked on the OBB, Austrian Railways, online booking service irrespective of whether you have a mobile or paper pass; and you won't be charged booking fees.
Though the process is very much less than obvious, hence a step-by-step booking guide for the rail pass reservations, being included on SMTJ's instructions for using the OBB website.

Another option is using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service, but you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation; bookings will be available from 2 - 4 months ahead.

These reservations can't be booked on the Trenitalia website, but they can be booked at Trenitalia ticket desks at Italian stations - though booking fees are now charged

(2) Railjet trains to Austria 1st class =€15 and 2nd class - €10.

If you book online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service - you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.
However, SMTJ's understanding is that if you use these services you will also be assigned a seat reservation; but seat reservations are otherwise separate to the supplement on these Railjet services.

So if you pay the supplement at a Trenitalia ticket desk, you will also have to request a seat reservation at a cost of €3.50 as per the info on this page.

Also if you book a seat reservation on the OBB (Austrian Railways ) website - the instructions are here, the price you will initially see is the supplement, to which you also need to add the seat reservation.

Or avoid paying these fees by taking an alternative journey option when travelling from Venice/Venezia to Wien/Vienna.

(3) Supplements are required on the EC trains (€15 in 1st and €10 in 2nd class) on the Bologna/Verona/Venezia - Bolzano - Brennero <> Innsbruck - Munchen/Munich route.
The supplement can also be purchased from the conductor on board the train for an additional booking fee of €5 per person.
Though what is unusual is that these fees seemingly do not include seat reservations, which cost an extra €6* in both 1st and 2nd class.
*= The OBB online seat reservation service will charge €3 for the seat reservation.
Also note that the DB website can sell the seat reservations online, but not the supplement, but the OBB website will also sell the supplement,
So if you want to avoid paying the additional €5 fee on board, you will need to purchase the supplement in advance of boarding you need to purchase it from:

• the OBB website, or
• a Reisezentrum travel desk at a station in Austria or Germany
• a staffed ticket desk at station in Italy*
• the Eurail/InterRail reservation service*.
  *= will also charge a €2 booking fee.

Or avoid paying these fees, by taking alternative journey options when travelling to Austria or Germany from Bologna, or from Venice/Venezia. ite.

(4) On TGV France-Italy trains: 1st class = €45; 2nd class = €31
The most heavily discounted tickets for these trains are similarly priced
Look up the journey on SNCF Connect before paying these fees.
Reservations for these TGV France-Italy trains are NOT sold by Trenitalia ticket desks.

More info is available on the detailed guide.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys within Norway

Seven Things Worth Knowing About Using Rail Passes in Norway:

(1) Reservations are required on all long-distance services (day or night) and on most regional services including all those operated by SJ NORD, but be aware that all those travelling with journey tickets will have had their seats assigned; hence reserving as soon as possible is particularly recommended on the Oslo ↔ Bergen and Oslo ↔ Trondheim routes.

(2) Seat and bed reservations are usually available up to 90 days in advance

(3) You can book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.

(4) Though this €2 fee can now be avoided by using the Entur rail pass reservation service.

(5) Reservations can be arranged at the Entur ticket desks in stations

(6) For travel on the Sove night trains, regardless of operator, the reservation fees are the same for both first and second class pass users.
The rail pass reservation fee for the sleeping cabins is a flat rate of NOK 1000 (approx €100) so if you are travelling solo you will have the cabin to yourself, but couples /pairs can pay the one fee, but then double occupancy.
Seat reservations are the same as the day trains, except for on the Oslo - Stavanger route operated by Go Ahead, on which reclining seats are also available, but they can only be booked at the Entur travel desks in Norway.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys FROM Norway:

International train journeys from Norway on which rail pass reservations ARE NOT required:
No reservation fees are required on the Regiontog trains between Oslo and Gothenburg.

International train journeys from Norway on which rail pass reservations ARE required:
On the IC and Snabbtåg trains from Oslo to Stockholm: 1st class = €16; 2nd class = €7
Book from 3 months ahead of the travel date, on the SJ (Swedish Railways) website - these reservations can't be booked on the NSB (Norwegian Railways) website.

Using Eurail & InterRail Rail Passes for train journeys within Poland:

The express trains within Poland are the EIP and EIC and IC and TLK services.
Rail pass users need to obtain reservations before boarding any departure by these trains, and they can be arranged at ticket desks in Polish stations, without paying any additional booking fees.

They can booked up to 15 mins before the departure time of the train you wish to take, but it's best to book them when you first arrive at a station in Poland
Doing that not only takes the pressure off making the train in time, it also lessens the chances of being told that no seats are available on your first choice of departure.

Or if you have opted to use a paper pass when booking your Eurail or InterRail pass, you can book them on the PKP Intercity (Polish express trains) website.
On the PKP website for the EIP trains the discount type is called 'Interrail/Eurail/NRT/EWT/FIP/OSJD - seat reservation (supplement incl.)', for the other trains it's called 'Seasonal/network/international ticket - reservation'.
This is also explained on the PKP reservation homepage.

Whether you have a mobile or paper pass you can also book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.

Travelling on the EIC and IC and TLK services:

If you want to travel by these trains, you will need obtain reservations at a ticket desk or online (see above) but you won't be charged for them.
Of these three services, the EIC trains are the fastest and they also tend to be the smartest too.

On the majority the routes taken by the EIC trains, there will be a choice of taking an EIC service or a slower IC or TLK service.
As there's no charge, no matter which of these services you take, the best option will usually be targeting the EIC departures.

Travelling on the EIP trains:

Booking reservations for the premium EIP train services is different, whether you have a 1st or 2nd class rail pass, you need to buy a supplement which is separate to the seat reservation fee.
Both the supplement and the seat reservation cost PLN 43 (approx €10),
If you have a 1st class pass, your reservation will include the complimentary drinks and light meals, which are served to 1st class ticket holders on the EIP trains.

Buy your supplement online on the PKP Intercity website and the seat reservation will be complimentary.
It has also published a how to reserve guide for Eurail and InterRail users.

Or you can purchase these EIP supplement at a ticket desk at a Polish station, at least 15 mins before your train is due to depart.
Although there is a small risk, that by the time you arrive in Poland, seats will be sold out on your first choice of departure.
Though if you book at the station you will receive a complimentary seat reservation.

You can also purchase the supplement and reservations for the EIP trains before you arrive in Poland with the Eurail or InterRail reservation service, though the cost will be €20 + a €2 booking fee.

Travelling on other trains:

The local and regional train services in most of Poland are provided by a separate entity named Polregio.
Its services are branded 'Regio' and 'InterRegio' - they don't travel such long-distances as the PKP InterCity trains, but its semi-fast trains travel between regions linking the towns and cities.

On these popular routes...
Warzawa <> Lodz
Poznan<> Wroclaw
Poznan <> Szczecin
Poznan <> Torun
Krakow <> Zakopane
Krakow <> Katowice
Gdansk > Sopron >Gdynia
...you will have a choice between taking Polregio services or boarding PKP InterCity services .

The Polregio services can be more frequent and they can come close to matching the journey times of the PKP InterCity trains.
The big tick in the box for rail pass users, is that seat reservations aren't available on the Polregio services, so as long as your pass is valid, you can just hop on board - though it's a good idea to check the departure times on the Polregio website before heading to the station.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys FROM Poland:

Rail pass users must pay reservation fees before boarding both the daytime express trains to and from Poland, the EC trains*, and on the international overnight trains.

*According to the Eurail and InterRail websites, the reservation fees still apply to international journeys by the EC trains, despite fees no longer being charged to travel by these DAY trains for domestic journeys within Poland' OR in the neighboring countries that they travel through.

These rail pass reservations for the INTERNATIONAL day and night trains cannot be booked on the PKP website, but they can be from 30 days ahead of the travel date at:

• stations in Poland.
• you can book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service - though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.
• at a Reisezentrum travel desk at a hauptbahnhof, the city centre stations in Germany.
• for journeys to/from Austria the day and night trains can be booked on the OBB website - how to do this.
• for journeys to/from Czechia – the day trains in both directions and the night trains FROM Czechia, can be booked on the CD website - how to do this.
• the EC trains to/from Germany can be booked on the DB website - how to do this.

Using Eurail & InterRail Rail Passes for train journeys within Spain:

Reservation fees are required on all high speed trains in Spain and all other express trains and most regional (MD) trains too.
A notable exception, on which fees DON'T have to be paid, are the regional trains on the Barcelona - Girona - Figueres - Port Bou - Cerbere and Barcelona - La Tour De Carol routes.

Reservation fees:

on the AVE trains
AVE trains: 1st class = €23.50 or €13*; 2nd class = €10
All of the fastest high speed trains between Madrid and Alicante, Barcelona, Malaga and Valencia are AVE trains
Most of the high speed trains between Madrid and Seville are AVE trains
*The €23.50 charge includes a light meal.

on the Euromed trains
Euromed trains: 1st class = €23.50 or €10*; 2nd class = €6:50
Euromed trains operate on the Barcelona - Valencia - Alicante route
*The €23.50 charge includes a light meal.

on the Alvia trains
Alvia trains 1st class = €10; 2nd class = €6:50
Alvia trains provide most of the services between Madrid and northern Spain,

on the Avant trains
Avant: 1st and 2nd class = €4 these short distance high speed trains are 2nd class only, so 1st class pass users need to pay the fee and travel 2nd class

on the Altaria trains:
Altaria and IC (Talgo): 1st class = €10; 2nd class = €6:50

on the MD trains
Media Distancia = 1st and 2nd class = €4 most of these trains are 2nd class only, so 1st class pass users need to pay the fee and travel 2nd class.

Booking the rail pass reservations for journeys within Spain

Spanish national rail operator RENFE does not sell rail pass reservations online, but reservations for journeys on the AVE, Alvia and Euromed trains are now available by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service.

The only option, other than booking them at a station in Spain, is to pre-reserve seats by calling Renfe phone sales: +34 91 232 03 20.

Pre-reserving a seat is possible up to 24 hours before a train's departure. You will receive a PNR code which you must use to pick up and pay for your reservation at a local station ticket office, making sure to show your Interrail Pass. You must collect your reservation within 72 hours. After this time the pre-reservation will expire.
Please note that a pre-reservation is not the same as a reservation. It only holds a seat for you for 72 hours.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys FROM Spain:

(1) On RENFE-SNCF trains on the Paris - Barcelona route:
Fees vary depending on the journey:
Barcelona to Paris: 1st class = €48; 2nd class = €34.

(2) On RENFE-SNCF trains from other cities in France to Spain including the Marseille to Madrid route:
Fees vary depending on the journey:
Madrid to Marseille: 1st class = €48; 2nd class = €34
Barcelona to Lyon: 1st class = €26; 2nd class = €19

When travelling from and to Spain you can use the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service, but you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation per person.
Though the number of reservations available to rail pass users on these trains are limited, they can sell out, despite tickets for non-pass users still being available.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys within and to/from Sweden:

Whether you need to make reservations for journeys within Sweden is dependent on the type of train service you travel by

(1) Travel by Snabbtåg services, the fastest trains in Sweden, and you MUST reserve prior to boarding
The fees are 1st class = €15.50; 2nd class = €7 (equivalent prices will be charged in Swedish krona)

These fees ALSO need to be paid in advance when taking these trains to Copenhagen and Oslo*.
Or you can avoid these fees by taking alternative routes when travelling from Stockholm to Copenhagen/Kobenhavn or from Stockholm to Oslo.
Booking in advance is recommended for the international services, seats can sell out days in advance; bookings typically open 6 months ahead.

*IC trains are currently being used instead of Snabbtåg trains on the Stockholm ↔ Olso route and rail pass reservations are also mandatory on those trains.

(2) Travel by SJ Intercity AND SJ Regional* trains and reservations are OPTIONAL for rail pass users.
The fees for both 1st and 2nd class pass users = the equivalent of €3
*There are fairly frequent Regional trains between Stockholm and Gothenburg.

All rail pass reservations can be booked without booking fees on the SJ (Swedish Railways) website - up to 6 months ahead of the travel date.
Using SJ's rail pass reservation service had only been an option for users of paper passes, as the type of numbers issued for paper passes are required when making a booking, so the numbers issued for mobile passes can't be used.
But new online services have been launched which enable mobile pass users to obtain the necessary pass numbers.
Eurail mobile pass purchasers can use this pass number generation service; InterRail pass purchasers can this pass number generation service.

Or you can book reservations online by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service but you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.

Using rail passes on other trains:

The two MAIN railway lines/networks not operated by SJ, on which Eurail and InterRail passes can be used are:

(1) The Inlandsbannan, which lives up to its name by providing train services on its lengthy north to south route in central Sweden, which serves many scenic destinations and ski-resorts that aren't served by SJ trains.
Interchange is available between SJ trains and the Inlandsbannan at several stations, from north to south they are - Gällivare; Östersund; Mora and Kristinehamn.

(2) the Smalsparet - though the attraction of this line is mainly for those who want to enjoy a nostalgic railway experience.

SJ also does not have a monopoly on long distance train travel in Sweden.
MTR Express operates trains between Stockholm and Gothenburg, but rail passes cannot be used on these trains.
Rail pass users can pay reservation fees on Snalltaget trains, which operate on the Stockholm - Malmo route, but prices are comparable with the faster and much more frequent Snabbtag trains.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys within Switzerland:

Eurail & InterRail pass users can hop on any mainline train in Switzerland, including the international trains such as Lyria and EC trains for journeys WITHIN Switzerland.
If you have a Eurail or InterRail pass you can also hop on and off the majority (but not all) of the independent railways in Switzerland.
These lines on which Eurail and InterRail pass users DON'T pay any additional charges include the longest and largest independent railways such as the FART; MGB; MOB; RhB and ZB railways.

The Glacier Express runs over the MGB and RhB lines and Eurail and InterRaill pass users now only have to pay the reservation fees to travel on these trains, so save around 65% of the total ticket price.

If you have an InterRail or Eurail pass you, can also obtain a discount on many other spectacular independent lines such as:

• RB = 50%
• PB = 50%
• BOB = 25%
• JB = 25%
• WAB = 25%
• TMR = 50% for InterRail, but free travel for Eurail.

More info is available on the detailed guide.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys FROM Switzerland:

Trains on which reservations are mandatory:
- all overnight trains from Switzerland,
- the Lyria trains to France,
- the EC trains to Italy (international journeys only)
- the ICE trains to/from Germany from mid June to mid August only

Be aware that reservations for these international trains can't be booked on SBB's online seat reservation service; and the Italian national rail company, Trenitalia, now no longer sells rail pass reservations for the EC trains between Switzerland and Italy online.
The reservations for direct journeys by these EC trains can booked, without paying any additional fees, on the website of Austria's national rail operator, OBB.
It's best not to question the logic of this and use the only option for booking reservations on these trains, without incurring any additional expense.
Though the steps to take on the OBB website aren't particularly obvious, hence this guide* to booking Eurail/InterRail reservations with OBB.
The OBB website will also sell reservations to InterRail and Eurail pass users for journeys by the overnight Nightjet services from and to Switzerland.

The other option for booking reservations on these EC and Nightjet trains before arriving in Switzerland, is to book reservations online, by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service but you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation.
These Eurail and InterRail reservation services are the only option for booking reservations online for the Lyria trains and the night trains from Switzerland that aren't Nightjets

However, if you wait until you are in Switzerland and book rail pass reservations for international trains at a Swiss station, you will charged a booking fee of more than 11-CHF per reservation.

OR if you will be travelling through Germany prior to arriving in Switzerland, you can pay for reservations for these trains at a Reisezentrum travel desk in any hauptbahnhof station - and won't be charged a booking fee at all.

EC trains to Italy: 1st class = €13; 2nd class = €11
Bookings open 3 months ahead of the travel date
How to avoid paying these fees when travelling to Milan or Venice from Basel, or from Geneve, or from Zurich.

On Lyria trains to France - fees vary depending on the journey

• On the Zurich - Basel - Dijon - Paris route: 1st class from €54; 2nd class from €21
• On the Geneve - Paris route: 1st class from €54; 2nd class from €21
• On the Geneve - Avignon - Marseille route: 1st class from €26; 2nd class from €17

How to avoid these fees when travelling from Basel and Zurich to Paris, or from Geneva to Paris.

More info is available on the detailed guide.

International train journeys from Switzerland on which rail pass reservations ARE NOT required:

• Journeys by ICE train to Germany (outside of mid-June to mid-August)
• Journeys by IC train to Germany
• On the Railjets to Austria and Hungary and Slovakia
• EC trains to Austria and Germany
• TER trains on two routes: Basel - Mulhouse - Colmar - Strasbourg and Geneva - Lyon.
• Trains from Erstfeld to Milano via Bellinzona and Lugano
• Swiss IC trains on the Basel - Bern - Brig - Domodossola route
• Local trains between Brig and Domodossolla
• FART trains from Locarno to Domodossola

There are Regionale trains, on which rail pass users also don't have to pay fees, from Domodossola to Milano.

More info is available on the detailed guide.

Using Rail Passes for train journeys within The Netherlands:

Rail pass users can hop on any train in The Netherlands.
That's because seat reservations aren't available on ANY train service operated by NS - the national rail company in The Netherlands.
If your rail pass won't open the ticket gates stop at a ticket office and pick up a 'key card'.

Using Eurail & InterRail Passes for train journeys FROM The Netherlands:

International train journeys from The Netherlands on which rail pass reservations ARE NOT required:

• Journeys by ICE train to Germany
• Journeys by IC train to Germany
• Journeys by Intercity Brussels trains - so these trains are a much cheaper alternative for rail pass users to Thalys trains for journeys The Netherlands and Belgium.

International train journeys from The Netherlands on which rail pass reservations ARE required:

(1) on Thalys trains.
A major recent change is that the rail pass reservation fees on the Thalys trains are now the same price, whether you will be using First or Second class passes.
Though users of Second Class passes will have to travel in Standard Class on the Thalys trains.

In contrast First Class pass users will be offered a choice of seating, depending on availability at the time of booking.
If Premium Class is still available then that will be offered, but if reservations are sold out in Premium Class you will be offered Comfort Class (1st class).
However, if Comfort Class is sold out and Standard Class reservations are still available, you will only be offered seats in Standard Class. despite having a First Class pass.

The new fees (in either direction) are:
Paris <> Rotterdam/Schiphol/Amsterdam= €30Bruxelles/Antwerpen <> Rottterdam/Schiphol/Amsterdam = €20

The reservations be booked for a fee of €2 per person on the Eurail/InterRail reservation service and bookings usually open up to 4 months ahead, so book in advance to maximise your choice of departures, rail pass reservations can sell out on the most popular trains, particularly in the summer.

You can also make reservations for journeys by Thalys trains on B-Europe.
Though in effect you will be paying a €4 fee for using B-Europe, as it only sells rail pass reservations as 'mobile tickets', so that you can download the reservations and store it on your phone, but it applies a surcharge for booking these.
So it's more expensive than using the reservation services provided by Eurail and InterRail, but reservations can be available to book on B-Europe for specific departures, when the Eurail and InterRail reservation services don't have them.

B-Europe will ask for pass numbers when booking, but it only accepts the numbers issued with paper passes.
If you have a mobile Eurail pass you can use this pass number generation service and InterRail mobile pass purchasers can use this pass number generation service; you enter your mobile pass number. so that you'll also then have a paper number.

Avoid booking rail pass reservations at Dutch stations, you will be charged a booking fee per reservation.

Or avoid paying the fees at all by following an alternative route from Amsterdam to Paris.

(2) on the Eurostar trains.
1st class = €43; 2nd class = €35
InterRail AND Eurail passes can be used on Eurostar if you pay the reservation fee prior to boarding.
Reservation fees - By Eurostar train to Belgium and France AND now The Netherlands; 1st class = €38 or €43; 2nd class = €30, €35 or €38.
Seems expensive though these fees can be more than four times cheaper than using tickets.
A limited number of reservations are available to rail pass users, so booking at the earliest opportunity is highly recommended, the most popular departures can 'sell out' more than a week in advance.

Reservations are usually available up to 6 months ahead and they can be booked for a fee of €2 per person on the Eurail/InterRail reservation service; the rail pass reservation link on the Eurostar website is now directed at the Eurail/InterRail reservation service.

If you opt to use the paper version, or now the mobile* version, of the Eurail/Interrail pass, Eurostar reservations can also be booked B-Europe up to 4 months ahead of the travel date.
*= Using B-Europe's reservation service had only been an option for users of paper passes, as the type of numbers used for mobile pass users are rejected by B-Europe
But new online services have been launched which enable mobile pass users to obtain the necessary paper pass numbers.
Eurail mobile pass purchasers can use this pass number generation service and InterRail mobile pass purchasers can this pass number generation service.

However, B-Europe will only sell the reservations a 'mobile tickets', which incur a €4 surcharge.
So booking with B-Europe is more expensive than using the Eurail and InterRail reservation services, but reservations can be available for a specific departure on B-Europe, when they are not available with Eurail or Eurail.

Either side of the Christmas and Easter holidays and when travelling in July and August it's not unknown for some departures to sell out more than a month ahead; and it's the most poplar departures which will sell out soonest.
If you will need to travel by a specific Eurostar departure, you'll to check that rail pass reservations are available for the train you need to take prior to buying a pass, which can be done on **B-Europe - and then book the reservations as soon as you have made a pass purchase and therefore have a pass number.

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