How far in advance do tickets on Czech Railways become available near the yearly timetable change?
I would like to buy tickets for the night train from Zurich to Prague around Christmas time. This train is listed as number EN 50467 on the Austrian railways site and as EN 467 on the Czech railways site, and it is operated by the Czech rail service.
I currently cannot buy tickets on the Czech railways website since it says the date I want to travel is outside of the current window for their time tables, which at this moment (October 1st) only goes through December 9th. However, the train is listed on the Austrian railways website, it just says the ticket is unavailable when I try to purchase one.
Is there any way of knowing when tickets will become available for purchase, or of even buying a ticket through some other venue? I would like to go ahead and make hotel plans, but I'm worried I won't end up being able to get the train I am planning on.
Best Answer
The relevant information from the always excellent Man in Seat 61: https://www.seat61.com/Europe-when-do-train-bookings-open.htm :
Many central & eastern European countries still open ticket sales 2 months ahead, such as [...] Czech Republic [...]. Although the Czech Republic now manages 90 days on key international routes.
And [...] Czech Railways often don't open bookings for dates after that mid-December Saturday until late November or even early December, so the 60 or 90 days shrinks to as little as 10 days! But don't worry, no-one else can book either, the train won't sell out, and you'll still see cheap tickets when booking opens.
So the best advice is to keep checking twice a week or so. The tickets won't sell out that fast, so you're certain to get a place and probably even a cheap ticket.
There are companies that can do this checking for you, such as Treinreiswinkel and (I think) Loco2. Information about those can be found elsewhere on the Seat61 site.
So don't worry, you're certain to get the train ticket, and can book your accommodation now already.
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How far in advance do they release train tickets?
Typically, train companies release their Advance tickets 12 weeks before the departure date, although some go on sale as far as 24 weeks in advance!How far ahead can you book TGV?
TGV tickets can usually be booked up to 90 days in advance. Journeys with a connection to a TGV train in France can usually be booked up to 90 days in advance but this can vary. Journeys connecting to Thalys trains to France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany usually go on sale 120 days in advance but this can vary.How early should you buy train tickets in Europe?
As mentioned before, to get the best price on tickets, it's advisable to book at least one month in advance. Most National Rail Services start selling train tickets 60-90 days before the date of departure.Can I book train ticket before 3 months?
Essentially, passengers will be able to reserve train tickets up to four months in advance. \u201cMinistry of Railways has decided to increase the advance reservation period of all Specials notified from 30 days to 120 days,\u201d it said in a statement on Thursday.5 Tips for Using Trains in England! 🚂
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Answer 2
I'm writing from the Czech Republic. For regular trains (not sleeping cars) you can ALWAYS buy a train ticket on the day of departure without any problems. If I were you - I would just walk up to the ticket window in Zurich half an hour before departure and buy the ticket then.
Alternately, you could buy a ticket from Zurich to the border point (there is always a point on the border - either a real town/village or made up town just for the purpose of the train travel between countries)...and then find the person checking the tickets on the train and they will sell you a ticket on the train for the same price (with maybe an extra fee of just 1 Euro).
Either way will work. I travel on trains a lot and I would do option #1. Good luck! :-)
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