Interrail Reservations

[rg177]

Currently getting stuck into planning an Interrail for the summer and i'm hitting some rather large stumbling blocks.

I have multiple journeys planned using PKP Intercity and Pendolino services in 1st class, which have "reservations compulsory" slapped all over them. The only advice given is that reservations are free in Poland at ticket offices- all fine and well but I'm not going to be in Poland until the day I need to actually travel so this runs the risk of trains being full and completely wrecking my journey.

This seems to be the case for many companies- you can't just print yourself a reservation and go unlike on Thalys and ICE.

Is my only option, unless I want to risk simply not getting on a train, to fork out for the Interrail Reservation service? Does anywhere do reservations for countries like Poland?

This is for a 1st Class Interrail Global Pass.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not an answer to your question, but you don't need a reservation for ICEs unless you want one. DB is a walk-up railway with a fare structure very similar to the UK (except no off-peak walk-ups and slightly more reasonable "Anytime" fares).

I think you'd need to either use the InterRail reservation service or look around for a travel agent that will do it. The Man in Seat 61 may be able to advise, perhaps Tweet him?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Oh, by the way, there is a fee of about a tenner as well as a reservation required for the EIP (Pendolino) services:

https://www.intercity.pl/en/site/fo...ail/jak-korzystac-z-biletu-przewodnik-en.html refers

 

[MarcVD]

In Belgium you can get such reservations in any station open to international traffic. This summer I'll go to Zagreb and back on Interrail and will probably make all my reservations at the Brussels South international counter. Have already done that to go to Oslo, Athens, Istanbul...

 

[DaiGog]

ICEs on the Paris - Frankfurt/Stuttgart/Munich axis are compulsory reservation for international journeys, although these can be purchased on board if you happen to find yourself on one without prior planning. These are the only ones though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

ICEs on the Paris - Frankfurt/Stuttgart/Munich axis are compulsory reservation for international journeys, although these can be purchased on board if you happen to find yourself on one without prior planning. These are the only ones though.

Ah, sorry, I forgot those. Due to some stupid agreement with SNCF, those are operationally TGVs (in terms of the on-board offering as well) even if they use actual Siemens ICE sets.

The ICE-Sprinters (a few morning and evening peak non-stop ICE services between big cities) used to be reservations compulsory but that changed a while back.

 

[SHD]

Ah, sorry, I forgot those. Due to some stupid agreement with SNCF, those are operationally TGVs (in terms of the on-board offering as well) even if they use actual Siemens ICE sets.

The ICE-Sprinters (a few morning and evening peak non-stop ICE services between big cities) used to be reservations compulsory but that changed a while back.

What you call a "stupid agreement with SNCF" is actually a joint-venture, a bit like Thalys was in its early days. In addition, FR-DE routes are also served by 2N2 TGV sets (all Frankfurt-Marseille trains, the majority for Paris-Munich, and 2 rotations for Paris-Frankfurt). The "actual" Siemens ICE made a pitiful début regarding reliability, especially for high-speed runs in France under 25 kV. Rest assured that DB is quite happy with the current structure and with this "Alleo" JV.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I care not about whether DB is happy with it. All I care about as a passenger is that the service, like everything else about the TGV, is inferior to the DB ICE service concept. At least you get a nicer train, though.

 

[SHD]

You find the 2N2 TGV to be a nicer train than the ICE!?
Well, for all the years I have read your writings (going back to uk.railway more than 10 years ago), I never ever thought I would see these words from you!

 

[Bletchleyite]

You find the 2N2 TGV to be a nicer train than the ICE!?

No, I meant you have to put up with the inferiority of the TGV service concept, i.e. compulsory reservations, non-clockface timetabling, no proper restaurant car etc, but at least you get a nicer train (an ICE).

 

[SHD]

Ah, for a second I thought you had seen the light...

 

[rg177]

I've managed to work out an itinerary that avoids reservations except where absolutely necessary (AVE in Spain, NSB service from Oslo to Stockholm and onwards via Sleeper to Copenhagen, and certain Italian services) as it seems that there's usually an alternative for a reservation free service except in Poland where almost everything PKP is compulsory reservation.

I just begrudge the daft cost that Interrail slap on them doing reservations for you.

 

[cactustwirly]

Not an answer to your question, but you don't need a reservation for ICEs unless you want one. DB is a walk-up railway with a fare structure very similar to the UK (except no off-peak walk-ups and slightly more reasonable "Anytime" fares).

I think you'd need to either use the InterRail reservation service or look around for a travel agent that will do it. The Man in Seat 61 may be able to advise, perhaps Tweet him?

Except you do need a reservation on the ICE's between Brussels - Cologne & Paris - Karlsruhe

 

[Capybara]

Except you do need a reservation on the ICE's between Brussels - Cologne & Paris - Karlsruhe

You don't need a reservation between Brussels and Cologne. I've used it a number of times. I didn't know you no longer need a reservation on the ICE Sprinter services, which is useful because it's not clear which are Sprinter services. I don't think the Interrail site has been updated to this effect. At least one of the services from Brussels becomes a Sprinter beyond Cologne.

 

[dutchflyer]

Back to the original Q: as for PKP-IC in 1st in midsummer, your fears are totally unneeded. The biznesmenny are not then there and normal Polish people find it far too expensive to sit there. Only vaguely possible candidate for ''full''ness are the morning out of WAW krakow and eve's back-for tipical EUrail-pass-holders thinking these are just short daytrips.
There since last year or so a feature on the intercity.pl-site to allow reservations without tickets, but I seem to recall from other fora that these are for now only possible when holding tickets issued in PL and their ticket-nr stored in ''the system''. Check again if it has changed-anyway, REServations are only possible from 30 days before trvael onward.
Only on IEP (=pendolino) trains you should never board without a real REServation-all other PKP-IC the conductor can also help you out and I've also seen a lot of reports that this is indeed possible and courteously done. In 1st you can always expect there to be some helpful other passenger speaking english if the conductors don't.