I have a Eurorail Pass - Should I reserve train tickets Online or book at the station?

Question

There seems to be a significant booking fee (on top of the reseravation fee and supplement) associated with reserving tickets online. I have a Eurorail Pass - is it better to reserve tickets Online or book at the station before we go? We will be doing a number of shorter day trips and 2 overnight trips Lucenre to Venice and Naples to Nice. Is it possible to book all reservations in advance at one station? is it chepaer to book online? We are travelling in September are trains likely to book out (1st Class) if we do not book 60 days in advance?

Advice appreciated.

Answer 1

Do not book anything online, if you do it at the station you only need to pay the reservation fee and supplement.  You most definitely do not need to book 60 days in advance, that is ridiculous.  For the shorter day trips you probably won't need to make a reservation at all . . . you can just hop on the train, no extra fee required, and the conductor will come round and check your pass.  You can tell which trains need a reservation by looking at the timetable that comes with your pass, they will be marked with an r.  The overnight trains you will need to book and pay a supplement, the price of which will vary from country to country.  In the high season it is a good idea to do this a day or two in advance.  You will not be able to book all your reservations in advance at one station . . . you can only make reservations for trains leaving from the country that you are in.  My advice would be to when you arrive in a particular station make a reservation for when you are leaving while you are at the station.