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Booking Germany-Paris TGV reservation with Interrail

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philjo

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I am looking how to book the compulsory reservation on the Stuttgart/Mannheim-Paris TGV services.
I will hold a 1st class Interrail pass for the relevant day. That day I will be travelling back to London from Munich.
The Seat61 site says that passholder reservation for these specific services cannot be booked online.
Can I book it by phone though the Bahn.de UK office or do I have to contact SNCF ?
All the other reservations I need for my trip can be done online through Bahn.de, OBB or Eurostar sites.
I will have some spare time about 10 days before the travel date in Cologne so can use the ticket office there if necessary. Though I need to know exactly which train I am booked on to Paris before I can book the Eurostar.
Thanks.
 
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30907

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I would try DB first.

As it happens I've been looking at Passholder fares on oui.sncf for Paris-Strasbourg; it looks as though they may difficult to get on the through Munich train (I imagine you're not using that?) but otherwise reasonably available.
 

Mag_seven

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I am looking how to book the compulsory reservation on the Stuttgart/Mannheim-Paris TGV services.
I will hold a 1st class Interrail pass for the relevant day. That day I will be travelling back to London from Munich.
The Seat61 site says that passholder reservation for these specific services cannot be booked online.
Can I book it by phone though the Bahn.de UK office or do I have to contact SNCF ?
All the other reservations I need for my trip can be done online through Bahn.de, OBB or Eurostar sites.
I will have some spare time about 10 days before the travel date in Cologne so can use the ticket office there if necessary. Though I need to know exactly which train I am booked on to Paris before I can book the Eurostar.
Thanks.

Have you tried booking through the Interrail website itself?
 

dutchflyer

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Thats also useless.
The best way around this and also saving (a lot of) Money is buy simply travelling before on other non-RES, hence local, trains from DE into Strasbourg and then (hope&pray) book 10€ RES on the oui.sncf.com site for the train you want.
in fact IN DE you can travel without RES on these trains (which are classified as ICE), but the in theory critical leg is from last stop in DE to Sb. Most likely that is from KArlsruhe, a fairly long sector with near garantee of checking all tickets.
The official way is to wait untill you are in DE and visit a DB-reisecenter and then hope the person is willing (well, mostly yes) and able (thats a gamble) to find the add-on fare. With a fair chance that the quotum for IR-users has been expired by then.
Or visit, and wait a few days for answer, the rail.cc special IR-related forum run by Peter&Flo from Austria.
 

30907

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Thats also useless.
The best way around this and also saving (a lot of) Money is buy simply travelling before on other non-RES, hence local, trains from DE into Strasbourg and then (hope&pray) book 10€ RES on the oui.sncf.com site for the train you want.
An economical solution to the problem if the OP has a couple of hours' leeway (changes at Karlsruhe and Offenburg are involved).
 

philjo

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Thanks for your suggestions. I am now looking at coming back via an overnight stop in Zurich instead of Munich. It is then fairly easy to get from Basel to Strasbourg.
 

30907

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Thanks for your suggestions. I am now looking at coming back via an overnight stop in Zurich instead of Munich. It is then fairly easy to get from Basel to Strasbourg.
Depending where you're coming from, the EC Munich-Zurich and EC Transalpin over the Arlberg both have panorama cars - highly recommended, especially the latter.
 
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The other option is to book a normal fare ticket from Karlsruhe, the last station in DE, to Strasbourg. Around EUR23 I think when I did this, but it can be done via the DB website and app so it is very easy. Ffestiniog travel I think can book the IR supplement, but will charge £10 cover fee for doing it.
The non-reserved option is via Offenburg (from the South) or Appenweier (from the North/East) on a stopping train operated by SWE. This is perfectly good as well, but takes c. 1 hour longer in practice as nothing quite connects with anything.
 

DEE-DE

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As you'll be in Germany before that journey you could a Bahn-Tix ticket which is essentially the German version of ticket-on-departure. Unfortunately, that bit of DB's website is only available in German. But the important bit is that you can:
Bahn-Tix-Tickets can either be bought by phone from the DB Travel Service, phone number +491806996633 (20 ct/call from German landlines, max 60 ct/call from German mobile phones or through your DB Travel Agent (pay on booking).
Travel Documents can be collected with your ID (BahnCard, BahnBonus Card or Credit Card) from any DB long distance ticket machine.
The explanation for collecting these tickets is available in English.
Not sure if DB UK count as a travel agent but I have previously called the DB Travel Service from the UK through Skype. Can't remember the rate but you pay per minute.
Another option to get Bahn-Tix without calling would be DB's Reisebuddy. Unfortunately, the website itself is only available in German. The way this works is that you enter your details, you communicate by text (not sure if this is a premium number but your mobile phone provider's rate would obviously apply). Payment is through PayPal. Not used it myself though.
 
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Thanks for your suggestions. I am now looking at coming back via an overnight stop in Zurich instead of Munich. It is then fairly easy to get from Basel to Strasbourg.

VERY easy..

Take any train you like to Basel SBB, walk round out around the corner, through the temporary relocated Douane checkpoint into the French station, Bâle SNCF and board an hourly TER200 (BB 26000 Sybic and some of the nicest refurbished Corail cars in all of France) up to Strasbourg for an internal TGV or one of the two recently reinstated direct Corail TER trains (4 hours) over the old classic line. You can also change at Mulhouse for a direct TER via Belfort on Ligne 4 (now bi-mode plastic units.. :frown: ) -No reservation required for last two options.
 
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