Zurich - Leipzig - Prague Sleeper: Interrail Couchette Reservations

[Nunners]

I'm planning to take this sleeper in January with a couchette with an Interrail ticket. I've tried to look at how to book it and I can't work it out. The Czech Railways website will let me buy a ticket but only a reservation in seat (not couchette). OEBB.at won't let me buy any kind of ticket or reservation for the train. Bahn.com will let me buy a seat reservation but not couchettes. The interrail website doesn't let you look without having bought an interrail pass (and I don't know exactly how long I'm going for yet). Does anyone know how to book this or have any information?

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[dutchflyer]

Again: there is a dedicated forum for that- community.eurail.com. Rian vdBorgt is very active there and also passes along here.
Most likely-but you did not give enough details for it, you just hit the śeat only´ button. That should have been done otherwise: as start to buy ticket and later on add the pass as ´discount form´.
In that forum also about anyone who comes along to start newbee questions will also be welcomed by anna b-she will add a long list of know-how-to and a link to how to make reservations via the various railways. In some cases though that may not be possible without the pass cover nr.

 

[ABB125]

I'm planning to take this sleeper in January with a couchette with an Interrail ticket. I've tried to look at how to book it and I can't work it out. The Czech Railways website will let me buy a ticket but only a reservation in seat (not couchette). OEBB.at won't let me buy any kind of ticket or reservation for the train. Bahn.com will let me buy a seat reservation but not couchettes. The interrail website doesn't let you look without having bought an interrail pass (and I don't know exactly how long I'm going for yet). Does anyone know how to book this or have any information?

Thanks in advance for any help

The advice we were given last time was to call OBB - does that work? (Though I don't know whether that'll work if the sleeper isn't NightJet - is it?)

 

[superalbs]

You need to make sure that you are selecting the EN train instead of the EC train on the list.

I see that cd.cz has had a terrible website update which seems to make everything a lot more confusing. What on earth was the point of that?

 

[DanielB]

It doesn't look like any Interrail reservations are available online however. The CD-website has no option to select them and at OeBB tickets do appear but selecting Interrail as a discount results in an error message "No offers available".

 

[rvdborgt]

It looks like the CD and ÖBB websites can't book the couchettes and sleepers yet, neither with nor without Interrail.
The SBB website can book them but they don't offer Interrail reservations online.
I'd call ÖBB or book the sleeper via Linz.

 

[AlbertBeale]

It looks like the CD and ÖBB websites can't book the couchettes and sleepers yet, neither with nor without Interrail.
The SBB website can book them but they don't offer Interrail reservations online.
I'd call ÖBB or book the sleeper via Linz.

When I used the Zurich - via Linz - Prague sleeper a few years back, it was bookable easily on the Czech railway website, and (I believe) cheaper than on the Austrian website.

 

[SeanG]

CD website has been updated recently and I can bo longer find the optio to ensure that two sleeper berths are in the same compartment

 

[rvdborgt]

CD website has been updated recently and I can bo longer find the optio to ensure that two sleeper berths are in the same compartment

I wasn't aware that option existed. You will be booked into the same compartment if possible. ÖBB will warn you (before payment) if you're in different compartments; I'm not sure what CD do in that case.

 

[30907]

!

It looks like the CD and ÖBB websites can't book the couchettes and sleepers yet, neither with nor without Interrail.
The SBB website can book them but they don't offer Interrail reservations online.
I'd call ÖBB or book the sleeper via Linz.

Testing this morning for a random date - CD offer tickets but not reservation-only (which is slightly odd). I didn't pursue the enquiry through - sometimes the offer of a sleeper is followed by a refusal in the next step.

CD website has been updated recently and I can bo longer find the optio to ensure that two sleeper berths are in the same compartment

I wasn't aware that option existed. You will be booked into the same compartment if possible. ÖBB will warn you (before payment) if you're in different compartments; I'm not sure what CD do in that case.

Nor was I - I can only see the option of a Double which is, of course, more expensive.

 

[AlbertBeale]

!

Testing this morning for a random date - CD offer tickets but not reservation-only (which is slightly odd). I didn't pursue the enquiry through - sometimes the offer of a sleeper is followed by a refusal in the next step.


Nor was I - I can only see the option of a Double which is, of course, more expensive.

I don't understand the problem - of course the double is more expensive if you want it to yourself, but not if it's for two people. Surely if you want to share a compartment with a specific person, then you book a double and put both those people on the same bookng? I've never had a problem with that on any booking system including the Czech one.

 

[30907]

I don't understand the problem - of course the double is more expensive if you want it to yourself, but not if it's for two people. Surely if you want to share a compartment with a specific person, then you book a double and put both those people on the same bookng? I've never had a problem with that on any booking system including the Czech one.

I was assuming that SeanG wanted to book 2 berths (same-sex, obviously) in a 3-berth compartment for economy's sake but didn't want to be separated from his fellow-traveller - perhaps a rather niche demand, but I can imagine the two friends of mine who went Interrailing in the mid 70s doing that if they were tired of overnights on the seats.

 

[AlbertBeale]

I was assuming that SeanG wanted to book 2 berths (same-sex, obviously) in a 3-berth compartment for economy's sake but didn't want to be separated from his fellow-traveller - perhaps a rather niche demand, but I can imagine the two friends of mine who went Interrailing in the mid 70s doing that if they were tired of overnights on the seats.

Aha - I see what you mean. But is the whole of a two-berth sleeper much more expensive per person than each person's berth in a 3-berth sleeper? I think it's usually only about 10% to 20% more.

 

[30907]

Aha - I see what you mean. But is the whole of a two-berth sleeper much more expensive per person than each person's berth in a 3-berth sleeper? I think it's usually only about 10% to 20% more.

It varies. In traditional (not "global") pricing, though, you pay 3 berth supplements so +50%.

 

[SeanG]

I was assuming that SeanG wanted to book 2 berths (same-sex, obviously) in a 3-berth compartment for economy's sake but didn't want to be separated from his fellow-traveller - perhaps a rather niche demand, but I can imagine the two friends of mine who went Interrailing in the mid 70s doing that if they were tired of overnights on the seats.

Not quite -
I was trying to book a double compartment for two travellers (I tried it both as two men and one man/one woman) but every time I tried it, the system put each person in a separate compartment for some reason.
I checked the berth numbers (aware that it isn't consecutive etc) and it was putting each traveller in different compartments. I'm not sure why.

When I booked 2x doubles for 4 people last March, I was able to tick a box that ensured we were in the same compartment before I bought it.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Not quite -
I was trying to book a double compartment for two travellers (I tried it both as two men and one man/one woman) but every time I tried it, the system put each person in a separate compartment for some reason.
I checked the berth numbers (aware that it isn't consecutive etc) and it was putting each traveller in different compartments. I'm not sure why.

When I booked 2x doubles for 4 people last March, I was able to tick a box that ensured we were in the same compartment before I bought it.

I'm sure in the past I've booked a double sleeper as one booking, rather that booking it as individual passengers, with the two people therefore inevitably in that one compartment. However, if you already have a travel ticket - eg Interail or whatever - and just want to pay the sleeper booking supplement, then I can see it might be harder. But can't you adjust the berth booking from the one you're allocated afterwards, as with seats on many systems?

 

[SeanG]

Hmm could be an option.
I also thought that perhaps the train was fully booked apart from those two berths. So I'll have to do some playing around.
Of course its somewhat harder to book ahead until the new post December timetable is fully released.

 

[30907]

Hmm could be an option.
I also thought that perhaps the train was fully booked apart from those two berths. So I'll have to do some playing around.
Of course its somewhat harder to book ahead until the new post December timetable is fully released.

Typically CD only book sleepers the traditional 60 or perhaps 90 days ahead.