How does reservation optional trains in the Europe work?
I have a 2nd class Eurail pass. I am looking for a train from Interlaken to Paris. And in the Eurail site, part of the journey is Reservation optional and another part is Reservation mandatory. I know it seems obvious, but I want to confirm. In the reservation optional part of the journey, do I just go and sit on any seat in the train?
EDIT
The reservation optional train is IC 1058 INTERCITY from Interlaken to Basel SBB
Best Answer
Yes, for a reservation-optional train you can sit anywhere that
- is in the right class, and
- has not been reserved by someone else.
It varies from railway to railway how easy it is to tell whether a seat has been reserved, or for which part of the route of the train. Sometimes that are little paper reservation markers you can look for. Others have electronic reservation displays for each seat, which may be of varying helpfulness (for example, in Danish IC trains the displays appear to default to MIGHT BE RESERVED for all seats that are not definitely reserved, but at least one can avoid the ones that do show a reservation).
In general the worst that can happen is that someone who has a reservation for the seat you've chosen shows up, at which point you'll have to give it up (and might have to stand if all the other seats are taken by then).
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How do I reserve a seat on rail Europe?
Access your ticket details by pressing the pink button with 'Ticket details' jumping out at you. If the relevant train operator lets you book a preference, this is where you will see the choice of 'window', 'table' and so on*. Take the tickets you want and add them to your basket. You will not be charged at this stage.Do you have to reserve seats on trains?
But most trains don't require reservations, and the vast majority of trains usually have more than enough seating \u2014 so don't make the mistake of over-reserving.What does mandatory reservation mean on a train ticket?
Mandatory seat reservationsHaving a seat reservation not only determines where you will be sitting on the train but also binds you to a particular train. Tickets for these trains will always be sold with a reservation.Can I sit in a reserved seat on a train?
You are allowed to sit in reserved seats that are not occupied. If you speak to a conductor on a busy train they will tell you to do this. It's usually obvious a few minutes after departure that the person who made the reservation is not coming. But the problem is there is no sign that tells you to do this.European train seat reservations explained - How to travel by train in Europe
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