Interrail plan

[Gathursty]

I'm going to get an Interrail 7 days in 1 month pass to cover a week in July doing the following:

Wigan to Lieges.
Lieges to Luxembourg
Lieges to Dusseldorf (for Wuppertal Schwebebahn)
Lieges to Brussels/Amsterdam
Lieges to Wigan

I'm wondering if this is do-able or if I'm squeezing too much in? What extra reservation fees am I likely to need to pay for as well as the Eurostar? Which is better to visit for the day: Brussels or Amsterdam?

 

[30907]

I'm going to get an Interrail 7 days in 1 month pass to cover a week in July doing the following:

Wigan to Lieges.
Lieges to Luxembourg
Lieges to Dusseldorf (for Wuppertal Schwebebahn)
Lieges to Brussels/Amsterdam
Lieges to Wigan

I'm wondering if this is do-able or if I'm squeezing too much in?

You only need a 5-day pass for that! And it seems a very relaxed schedule by IR standards.

What extra reservation fees am I likely to need to pay for as well as the Eurostar?

Liege (no "s") to Cologne on the ICE will be compulsory reservation (or you could use the regional train to Aachen), as will a Eurostar to /from Amsterdam (expensive, but the Benelux IC doesn't need them).

Which is better to visit for the day: Brussels or Amsterdam?

Amsterdam is far more interesting from a non-rail viewpoint, and you could visit Brussels en route to/from home.

 

[Gathursty]

You only need a 5-day pass for that! And it seems a very relaxed schedule by IR standards.

Liege (no "s") to Cologne on the ICE will be compulsory reservation (or you could use the regional train to Aachen), as will a Eurostar to /from Amsterdam (expensive, but the Benelux IC doesn't need them).

Amsterdam is far more interesting from a non-rail viewpoint, and you could visit Brussels en route to/from home.

Thanks for the reply. My itinerary is tame compared to others but I'm booking relatively late going into Summer.

Hopefully next year I can book stuff earlier and give myself more options.

 

[The exile]

Hopefully next year I can book stuff earlier and give myself more options.

Can’t see what you need to book (other than the Eurostar legs and accommodation). Everything else has non compulsory-reservation options and given a Liege starting point shouldn’t cost you too much extra time.

 

[Gathursty]

Can’t see what you need to book (other than the Eurostar legs and accommodation). Everything else has non compulsory-reservation options and given a Liege starting point shouldn’t cost you too much extra time.

I was only thinking about the accommodation. Booking.com regularly says 80%+ of properties have gone so I assume I must be last to the party.

I've booked everything this morning however.

PS: Is there a direct service from Liege to Maastricht?

 

[The exile]

PS: Is there a direct service from Liege to Maastricht?

Certainly used to be.

 

[sh24]

I was only thinking about the accommodation. Booking.com regularly says 80%+ of properties have gone so I assume I must be last to the party.

For future reference - when booking.com says that it only means the rooms it has available to sell. lots of hotels hold rooms back and sell directly via their websites. Apart from Amsterdam none of your destinations are going to be that busy in the summer months as they aren't especially touristy.

 

[HST43257]

I believe ICEs require reservations this summer if you cross the border into Belgium or Netherlands (and others).

OBB can sell these reservations for €3

 

[Gathursty]

I believe ICEs require reservations this summer if you cross the border into Belgium or Netherlands (and others).

OBB can sell these reservations for €3

Could I buy them on the day if not do you have a website link?
I'm also happy to take slower trains to avoid reservation fees if you think these are a reasonable alternative for day trips to the places mentioned in this thread.

 

[DeverseSam]

Should consider flying Manchester to Charleroi or Köln

 

[30907]

Could I buy them on the day if not do you have a website link? I

Yes, but they are more expensive at the station (or anywhere else!)
www.oebb.at
As it saves you at least an hour, I would say it's worth it.

'm also happy to take slower trains to avoid reservation fees if you think these are a reasonable alternative for day trips to the places mentioned in this thread.

As I suggested upthread, the ordinary IC is good enough for Amsterdam, or (having now checked the timetable), regional train to Maastricht and IC thence is barely slower than via Brussels.

Should consider flying Manchester to Charleroi or Köln

I think the OP has booked to stay in Liege, so neither airport is desperately convenient - and I assume they have their Interrail already.

 

[HST43257]

Could I buy them on the day if not do you have a website link?
I'm also happy to take slower trains to avoid reservation fees if you think these are a reasonable alternative for day trips to the places mentioned in this thread.

Actually might only be available through DB, as I’m getting error messages with OBB. int.bahn.de/en or DB Navigator app will do it for €4.9

Alternatively you can get a regional train to Aachen (no reservation) then travel with no reservations on the German side.

 

[30907]

Actually might only be available through DB, as I’m getting error messages with OBB. int.bahn.de/en or DB Navigator app will do it for €4.90

Works for me, but you have to use "Seat reservation only" rather than "Buy ticket - add discount".

 

[43096]

Works for me, but you have to use "Seat reservation only" rather than "Buy ticket - add discount".

Same here. I’ve booked Copenhagen-Hamburg and Hannover-Amsterdam reservations for an upcoming trip with no problems using the ÖBB website.

 

[DeverseSam]

I believe ICEs require reservations this summer if you cross the border into Belgium or Netherlands (and others).

OBB can sell these reservations for €3

On which trains is reservation compulsory with the flexible fare Europe?

int.bahn.de

Just for Poland / Italy / Sweden / France apparently

 

[jeremyjh]

Could I buy them on the day if not do you have a website link?
I'm also happy to take slower trains to avoid reservation fees if you think these are a reasonable alternative for day trips to the places mentioned in this thread.

High demand on cross-border ICE services means waiting until the day of travel to make a reservation is unlikely to be a good idea.

On which trains is reservation compulsory with the flexible fare Europe?

int.bahn.de

Just for Poland / Italy / Sweden / France apparently

Understandable why you might infer that from the URL given but sadly incorrect - seat reservations will be compulsory during the OP's expected travel dates. Here's detailed info for the Netherlands:

Seat reservation for ICE and Intercity Berlin | NS International

Want to be sure of a seat? You can buy an additional seat reservation for ICE and Intercity Berlin, which are trains running between the Netherlands and Germany. Reserve your seat with NS International.

www.nsinternational.com

And for Belgium:

Info about international rail tickets | SNCB International

Find an answer to all your questions about buying and booking international rail tickets. All the information you need on one page.

www.b-europe.com

 

[DeverseSam]

Understandable why you might infer that from the URL given but sadly incorrect - seat reservations will be compulsory during the OP's expected travel dates. Here's detailed info for the Netherlands

Thanks for this. Hopefully the bahn website will be updated as I wouldn’t expect people to look on ns or sncb websites about an ICE train.

 

[DeverseSam]

It looks like ICE10 for example only has the reservation tag between Aachen and Liège so you can go between Liège and Bruxelles without issue.

 

[30907]

Thanks for this. Hopefully the bahn website will be updated as I wouldn’t expect people to look on ns or sncb websites about an ICE train.

It is mentioned under "further information" for this ticket type (and all others), and of course in the journey planner itself which is where one would normally look.

 

[DeverseSam]

The FAQ in German should probably be the golden source, screenshot attached, and nothing about NL / Belgium, with less than a week to go!

 

[Mainline421]

I was only thinking about the accommodation. Booking.com regularly says 80%+ of properties have gone so I assume I must be last to the party.

I've booked everything this morning however.

PS: Is there a direct service from Liege to Maastricht?

It's still well over a month away, the furthest in advance I booked anything in 2022/3 was weeks (mostly a day or two). Messages like that tend to be false or misleading to encourage pressure sales (this has received media coverage in the past https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47141538), flexibility is one of the main benefits of Interrail.

 

[peteb]

If you're planning to do Liège to Luxembourg for a day trip you need to carefully check the relevant websites as there's engineering works planned and buses for part of that route starting soon, but not sure how long they last.

If scenery is your thing you might do as well to change at Troisvierges and use the Luxembourg Railways double decker loco hauled/shoved trains. The recently introduced 3 car emus between Liège and Luxembourg leave a lot to be desired including poor seat to window spacing.

If the direct route is problematic, plan to travel via Namur, a pleasant route and still doable as a day return.

 

[Gathursty]

Thanks for all the advice. I've had a bad bout of food poisoning but will catch up on the thread over the weekend.