Central Europe Triangle Pass

• Q. Does my train ticket include a seat reservation?

  A. Rail Europe tickets include a reservation whenever possible. To tell if you have a reservation, see if you received one or two travel documents for your trip. If you received two travel documents, you probably received an open ticket and a reservation. The reservation portion will show a train number, car number and seat number assigned to you personally.

  If you received only one document, you should also see if it indicates a seat number and car number. If so, your ticket includes a reservation.

  The only case where you may not have a reservation with your ticket is if you received an open ticket. With these tickets, you can simply hop on any non- reservable train that travels on the route for which you bought your ticket.

• Q. I'm looking to book a train on your site but I can't find it, why?

  A. We know it can be frustrating when what you’re looking for is not displaying, let us help, as there could be several reasons for this happening.

  1. It could be the case that it is too soon to book the train you wish to travel on. Typically, trains can be booked 3 months in advance. Of course, this can vary by carrier and time of year. Some trains have a longer booking horizon.

  2. The train or fare you are looking for is not available. Depending on the time of year, time of day, or train you are looking for, it could be the case that there are no available seats for booking. If your travel dates are flexible, you can select an alternate travel dates to see if the train you are looking for displays.

  3. Scheduled track work or maintenance could be scheduled for the day/time you are looking to travel. Carriers will close reservations for these scheduled dates, meaning they will not appear on our site to book.

  4. Some trains are private lines or operated by carriers that do not allow other distributors to offer them. In these cases, tickets will need to be secured locally at the station.

• Q. Can I get off the train and get back on later using my train ticket?

  A. In most cases, this is not possible. Train tickets that include a reservation are only valid for a single ride on the train for which the reservation was issued. While stepping off the train is possible if the train makes intermediary stops, you wouldn’t be allowed to resume your trip by boarding another train with the same ticket. Your train ticket is only valid on the train printed on it.

  Open train tickets may be the exception. They can allow you to hop off and back on another train on a given route to continue your itinerary, as long as that new train doesn’t require or offer reservations. Special conditions do apply for breaks on regional trains, so it’s a good idea to confirm locally.

  If you’re traveling with an open ticket and a reservation for your original train, you forfeit that reservation for the remaining part of your journey when you hop off. You may hop back on another train that doesn’t require a reservation, but you’d essentially be traveling with an open train ticket only and not have a reserved seat. Again, special conditions do apply for breaks on regional trains, so it is a good idea to confirm locally.

• Q. Why does my train ticket say “coach” if I bought a ticket in the First class or Premier Category?

  A. Don’t worry – the word “coach” on the ticket is another word for train car. It doesn’t mean you’ll be traveling in “coach” class.

• Q. Do restaurant cars cater to specific dietary needs like vegetarian, diabetic or kosher?

  A. Some European trains do offer special menu items. You can check the menu card found on board the train when you get on. Please keep in mind that you are also permitted to bring food on to the train, so if you have a specific dietary condition that requires special food, you can purchase before getting on the train and avoid any disappointment if the train you are on does not cater to your specific needs.

  On Eurostar a wide variety of meals can be arranged prior to your departure to Europe. They include vegetarian, kosher, halal, vegan, diabetic, low fat, low salt and gluten-free meals. For vegetarian meals, we require 24-hours notice in advance of travel. For all other meals we require 48-hours advance notice. If you need to arrange a special meal for your Eurostar journey, please contact us via our Contact Us page.

• Q. Are there lounges at the train station I can access with my Rail Europe tickets?

  A. Some of the main train stations in larger European cities offer lounges. Access to lounges depends on the type of train ticket you have; generally a First class ticket is needed.

  Trains that offer lounge access are:
  Eurostar
  Thalys
  TGV
  AVE
  TGV Est
  TGV International
  Virgin
  Alvia
  Euromed
  SJ High Speed
  Altaria
  Trenitalia International Night
  Spanish Night Trains

  To learn more about lounge access for any of the above trains, we encourage you to visit the product page for the train.

• Q. How can I ensure that my traveling party is seated together?

  A. In general, when you request fares and schedules for multiple travellers at once, we’ll always attempt to request that they be seated together. The best way to ensure this is to correctly indicate the number of travellers when you request your fares and schedules for your itinerary.

  Occasionally, it might not be possible to seat everyone together based on availability at the time of booking, in which case the travellers will be seated in the closest available seats.

  If the train you’ll be taking is non-reservable, all you have to do is board the train and sit in any available seat with the rest of your party.

• Q. What constitutes a group?

  A. Ten or more people traveling together constitutes a group.

• Q. Where can I find more information about European train stations?

  A. We offer valuable information on the most popular train stations in Europe. You can find a link to our Train Station page in the footer on any page on the website.

• Q. How long are train tickets valid for?

  A. It depends if you have a ticket with a reservation or a point to point train ticket.

  Point to point train tickets are valid within 15 days from the first day of validity printed on the ticket. You can travel with your train ticket on any date within the validity period (however, remember: separate reservations may be necessary, depending on the route).

  Tickets with reservations are only valid for the train for which the reservation was issued, on that specific travel date and time of travel.

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