Do you have to reserve seats on European trains?

You will need a seat reservation for most high-speed trains and all night trains in Europe. Reservations are often required in France, Italy and Spain. Trains in these countries are popular and will quickly get full, especially during the summer months.



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In most circumstances, you must purchase a ticket before you board a train. Most trains require reservations and you should not board reserved trains without a reservation. Passengers who do so are not guaranteed a seat and may be instructed to get off the train at the next station stop.

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When you buy a train ticket with us, in many cases you will be offered the chance to choose a seating preference. Window, aisle, table seats and, in some cases, upper deck or lower deck.

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If you do not purchase a seat assignment, one will be randomly assigned free of charge. However, your party may be separated.

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Skipping seat selection doesn't mean you won't get a seat on the flight. You might get stuck in the middle seat if you don't pay for one. Even if seat selection is free, you might want to skip it if only lousy seats are available (see the upgrade hack” below).

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Advance tickets can be an especially smart buy for popular high-speed trains (such as France's TGV trains and Italy's Le Frecce trains), which frequently sell out.

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Yes, seat selection is available on Acela and in Business Class on select routes. However, not all trains offer seat selection, and some seats may be assigned at check-in.

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To find trains that don't require reservations you can use our Rail Planner app on a mobile device. Make sure to tick the 'No reservation needed' box when searching for trains. In some cases, reservations can't be avoided simply because no other options are available.

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Because some trains are more expensive than others, or historically have received less income from Eurail/Interrail to cover the large amount of passholders making use of those trains (Spain and France mainly). Reservations are usually a fraction of the cost of regular 1st class tickets, with some exceptions.

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If you miss your connecting train In Europe, international rail travel is protected by CIV rules. This means you'll usually be permitted to travel on the next available train free of charge if your first train is delayed. They do not entitle you to a full refund of your order.

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Emphatically, no. You will likely get assigned a seat during check-in (though you should still skip it if the airline tries to tack on a fee) or, at the very least, at the gate. Again: You don't have to select a seat in order to get a seat.

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