Trains

[sponsormeisuck]

so i have this eastern european train pass that i bought from my local sta travel office.. anyways, i thought because i have this pass, i dont' have to pay for any tickets? If thats so then why did i have to pay for a reservation fee for my ticket from warsaw to krakow??? did i get ripped off? do i even need to show up to train stations ticket windows and get a ticket? or can i just get on the train between eastern european countries?

for example, i'm leaving krakow, sunday night for prague? can i just hop on the train with my pass or do i have to get a ticket from the ticket window at the train station?

[bluepea]

Someone may have to elaborate more, but as far as I know - you have to pay to make a reservation but you don't always need a reservation. I *think* (last time I had a rail pass, someone was doing all this for me!!) you can just hop on the train as long as it isn't "reservation obligatory" (night trains and such). The only time we had to make reservations was for night trains. So, no you didn't get ripped off, but I don't think you need to make a reservation for every train.

[ajb3000]

I didn't have a pass, and when travelling eastern europe I had to pay for the ticket, and then a further fee for a reservation, which was dependant on which cabin I wanted. A standard seat on an overnight train cost about €2, and a sleeper was about €10, but it varied quite a bit depending on which country I was travelling in. The only exception was Bosnia where I didn't need a reservation (and confirmed that with 2 cashiers as I didn't believe them).

[foofiter]

Reservation fees with passes are QUITE common. I paid quite a few in Europe this past summer. They do this to get more money and also to know how full each train is. It also prevents overbooking of trains. All high-speed and overnight trains are most likely going to require a reservation from the ticket window.

Have a look at Rick Steve's Train guide. He has the absolute best free guide I have found:

http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/rail_menu.htm

Hope this helps!

Foo

[insanediplomat]

Originally posted by sponsormeisuck@Oct 7 2005, 02:51 PM
so i have this eastern european train pass that i bought from my local sta travel office.. anyways, i thought because i have this pass, i dont' have to pay for any tickets?* If thats so then why did i have to pay for a reservation fee for my ticket from warsaw to krakow??? did i get ripped off?* do i even need to show up to train stations ticket windows and get a ticket? or can i just get on the train between eastern european countries?

for example, i'm leaving krakow, sunday night for prague? can i just hop on the train with my pass or do i have to get a ticket from the ticket window at the train station?

[snapback]80363[/snapback]

Although you have to pay extra, you really want that stupid reservation as I found out the hard way last night on a train from Rome to Venice. The train was packed and only those with reservations were seating in the cabins. Everyone else was hanging out in the walkways, either seating or standing on some pullout seats that the train had. I didn't know about this reservation thing until it was too late. Just pay the reservation fee to guarantee you have a seat. At least thats how I saw it happening in Italy. Now, I have traveled without reservations, but the trains weren't packed as it was last night. I'm not chancing it anymore. I don't recommend you do either.