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Booking reservations for Paris-Interlaken, Interlaken-Innsbruck, Innsbruck-Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf-Amsterdam, Amsterdam-Paris, & Paris-London
I need help making reservations for my husband, myself and my daughter with our Eurail Global Passes. My husband and I have 15 day Saver 2 Global Pass and my daughter has a 3 month Global Pass. Do I have to activate it before I make seat reservations? We will not begin traveling until August 27, 2018.Our schedule is as follows1. PARIS GARE LYON-01:51 PM INTERLAKEN WEST2. INTERLAKEN WEST-02:11 PM INNSBRUCK HBF3. Night Jet - INNSBRUCK HBF-08:42 AM Düsseldorf HBF4. DUESSELDORF HBF-01:28 PM AMSTERDAM CENTRAAL5. AMSTERDAM CS-10:35 AM PARIS NORD6. PARIS NORD-02:39 PM LONDON ST-PANCRASI would like to start getting reservations made asap. In particular the Night Jet to Dusseldorf. Can any one help me please? Or is there a number I can call?
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Hi Kathryn,
For travel to that many countries, your most economical option would be the Eurail Global Pass. The Eurail Global Pass is the pass that covers travel in 28 different European countries, including France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and the Benelux (the Netherlands is included as a part of the 'Benelux').
There are no single rail passes that include the United Kingdom with any country on the mainland continent of Europe; however, the Eurail Global Pass would make you eligible to receive a 'passholder fare' for reservations on the Eurostar train to get you from Paris to London.
For the Eurail Global Pass, you would click here: http://www.raileurope.com/pass/eurail-global-pass-5880.
Paris to Interlaken (with a Eurail Global Pass)
The fastest/shortest connections from Paris to Interlaken take 5-6 hours in duration and involve changing trains once in Basel along the way. However, the TGV Lyria from Paris to Basel does not accept rail passes. Therefore, for your Eurail Global Pass to be valid, you would have to make this same connection via Lausanne instead. This would only about 20-45 minutes to your journey time for this trip.
The option via Lausanne takes about 6 hours and involves 2 train changes along the way; once in Lausanne and then in Bern.
The TGV Lyria trains from Paris to Lausanne do accept rail passes. On these trains, reservations would just be required as a supplement to the rail pass.
For travel with a rail pass, you would purchase reservations for a TGV Lyria from Paris to Lausanne by searching the route on our homepage (www.raileurope.com), checking the box that says ‘I have a rail pass’, and then indicating the type of rail pass with which you'll be traveling (i.e. a ‘Eurail Global Pass’). Generally, these trains can only be reserved once within 90 days of an intended departure date.
On trains from Lausanne to Bern and Bern to Interlaken, reservations are not necessary, so the Eurail Global Pass is all you would need to board.
For planning purposes, you can still use the route search feature under 'Book Train Tickets' on our homepage (www.raileurope.com) just to view schedules for the unreserved segments from Lausanne to Bern and Bern to Interlaken.
Interlaken to Innsbruck, via Bern (with a Eurail Global Pass)
From Interlaken to Innsbruck, you would actually have a couple different options. The fastest/shortest takes just over 5.5 hours in duration and involves 2 train changes along the way; once in Bern and then once in Zurich.
On trains from Interlaken to Bern and Bern to Zurich, reservations are not necessary, so the Eurail Global Pass is all you would need to board.
For planning purposes, you can still use the route search feature under 'Book Train Tickets' on our homepage (www.raileurope.com) just to view schedules for the unreserved segments from Interlaken to Bern and Bern to Zurich.
Trains from Zurich to Innsbruck are high-speed Railjet trains on which reservations are highly recommended as a supplement to the rail pass.
For travel with a rail pass, you would purchase reservations for a Railjet from Zurich to Innsbruck by searching the route on our homepage (www.raileurope.com), checking the box that says ‘I have a rail pass’, and then indicating the type of rail pass with which you'll be traveling (i.e. a ‘Eurail Global Pass’). Generally, these trains can only be reserved once within 90 days of an intended departure date.
The path of the Railjet from Zurich to Innsbruck will have you traveling along a renowned scenic stretch of railway called the 'Arlberg Railway'. This stretch of railway starts in Bludenz right after you cross the border into Austria and goes until Innsbruck.
Interlaken to Innsbruck, via Lucerne (with a Eurail Global Pass)
If you do not mind adding about 1.5 hours to your journey time for this trip, you could go with an option that would have you traversing over another famed scenic route for part of the way. With this option, you would travel from Interlaken to Zurich by way of Lucerne, instead of Bern. This option takes just over 7 hours in duration and involves 2 train changes along the way; once in Lucerne and then once again in Zurich.
From Interlaken to Lucerne represents a segment of the GoldenPass scenic route. All trains on this segment have panoramic windows for gazing out at the scenery. On these trains, reservations are possible but not necessary.
Trains from Lucerne to Zurich do not accept reservations, so the Eurail Global Pass is all you would need to board.
For planning purposes, you can still use the route search feature on our homepage just to view schedules for the segments from Interlaken to Lucerne and Lucerne to Zurich. Just be sure to break up this part of the search in Lucerne by doing one search from Interlaken to Lucerne and then another search for connecting trains from Lucerne to Zurich.
From Zurich to Innsbruck, you would still take the high-speed Railjet over the Arlberg Railway. Once again, reservations are highly recommended on these trains in addition to the rail pass.
For travel with a rail pass, you would purchase reservations for a Railjet from Zurich to Innsbruck by searching the route on our homepage (www.raileurope.com), checking the box that says ‘I have a rail pass’, and then indicating the type of rail pass with which you'll be traveling (i.e. a ‘Eurail Global Pass’). Generally, these trains can only be reserved once within 90 days of an intended departure date.
Innsbruck to Düsseldorf, overnight train (with a Eurail Global Pass)
The Nightjet train from Innsbruck to Düsseldorf does require reservations as a supplement to the rail pass; however, it is currently the case that this train is not able to be reserved on our website. Instead, to purchase reservations for this train you would have to call us. We can be reached at 1-800-622-8600. Our current hours are 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM CT Monday to Friday and 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM CT on Saturdays. Generally, these trains can only be reserved once within 90 days of an intended departure date. Night trains can sell out quickly, so it is recommended that you purchase these reservations as soon as it becomes possible.
Düsseldorf to Amsterdam (with a Eurail Global Pass)
From Düsseldorf to Amsterdam, you would take a high-speed ICE (InterCity Express). The ride only takes about 2hr15min.
On these trains, reservations are highly recommended as a supplement to the rail pass. For travel with a rail pass, you would purchase reservations for an ICE from Düsseldorf to Amsterdam by searching the route on our homepage (www.raileurope.com), checking the box that says ‘I have a rail pass’, and then indicating the type of rail pass with which you'll be traveling (i.e. a ‘Eurail Global Pass’). Generally, these trains can only be reserved once within 90 days of an intended departure date.
Amsterdam to Paris (with a Eurail Global Pass)
The trains from Amsterdam to Paris are high-speed Thalys trains. The ride takes just under 3.5 hours.
Thalys trains require reservations as a supplement to a rail pass. For travel with a rail pass, you would purchase reservations for a Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris by searching the route on our homepage (www.raileurope.com), checking the box that says ‘I have a rail pass’, and then indicating the type of rail pass with which you'll be traveling (i.e. a ‘Eurail Global Pass’). Generally, these trains can only be reserved once within 90 days of an intended departure date. Thalys trains can sell out quickly, so it is recommended that you purchase these reservations as soon as it becomes possible.
Paris to London (with a Eurail Global Pass)
From Paris to London, you would take a high-speed Eurostar train. The ride takes about 2.5 hours. As I alluded to above, the Eurail Global Pass does cover these trains; you would just have to purchase the reservations.
For travel with the Eurail Global Pass, you would purchase reservations for a Eurostar from Paris to London by searching the route on our homepage (www.raileurope.com), checking the box that says ‘I have a rail pass’, and then indicating the type of rail pass with which you'll be traveling (i.e. a ‘Eurail Global Pass’). Generally, the Eurostar can be booked 6 to 9 months in advance of a departure. Eurostar trains can sell out quickly, so it is also recommended that you purchase these reservations as soon as possible. -
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The 'Paris Pass' covers entry to over 60 top attractions, as well as public transportation on the Métro, RER, and buses in central Paris. You would purchase the 'Paris Pass' here: http://www.raileurope.com/activities/activity?code=2036PARIS&destId=479&catId=
The 'Paris Visite' just covers local transportation in Paris, which includes the Métro and RER networks, as well as city buses. You would purchase the 'Paris Visite' here: http://www.raileurope.com/pass/paris-visite-pass-8339
There is also the 'Paris Museum Pass', which does not cover any transportation, but it does cover entry to over 60 museums and historic sites around Paris. You would purchase the 'Paris Museum Pass' here: http://www.raileurope.com/pass/paris-museum-pass-8335
Various other city passes and tours for Paris can be found here: http://www.raileurope.com/train-tickets/activities/?countries=France&cities=cities-479
Popular for any stay in Interlaken are also the nearby 'Mountain Top' excursions to Mount Schilthorn, Harder Kulm, Grindelwald-First, and the Schynige Platte.
Jungfraujoch Top of Europe
The gateway to Jungfraujoch is Interlaken. With a Eurail Global Pass, you would be eligible to receive a discount of about 25% on the excursion from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch. To receive this discount, you would purchase the 'JUNGFRAUJOCH/TOP OF EUROPE Interlaken to Jungfraujoch Eurail Pass Holder' (Low season, Mid-season, or High-season depending on when you'll be taking the trip) option of a pass called the 'Jungfraujoch Top of Europe'. For this pass, you would click here: http://www.raileurope.com/pass/jungfraujoch-top-of-europe-8315.
This pass covers the 2 routes up to Jungfraujoch. These routes are as follows:
The Grindelwald route would look like this:
-Train from Interlaken to Grindelwald on the ‘Bernese Oberland Railway’
-Train from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg on the ‘Wengernalp Railway’
-Train from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch on the ‘Jungfrau Railway’ (the highest railway in Europe)
The Lauterbrunnen/Wengen route would look like this:
-Train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen on the ‘Bernese Oberland Railway’
-Train from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg on the ‘Wengernalp Railway’ (Wengen is a stop along this rail line)
-Train from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch on the ‘Jungfrau Railway’ (the highest railway in Europe)
On the 'Jungfrau Railway' between Kleine Scheidegg and Jungfraujoch, reservations are highly recommended for travel between the months of May and October. The reservations are a small cost in addition to the 'Jungfraujoch Top of Europe' and have to be made locally at the stations in either Interlaken (Interlaken Ost), Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, and Wengen.
Expect stunning views throughout the entire trek between Interlaken and Jungfraujoch, whether you take the route via Grindelwald or the one via Lauterbrunnen/Wengen. To get the most of your Jungfraujoch experience, you might want to consider making your ascent one way and your descent the other. The ‘Jungfrau Railway’ itself runs mostly through a tunnel (the ‘Jungfrau Tunnel’), but there are two ‘sightseeing stops’ in the tunnel (‘Eigerwand’ and ‘Eismeer’) where passengers can exit their train and take in the views through windows built into the side of the mountain.
At the Jungfraujoch Top of Europe station, you have access to the Sphinx Observation Terrace and the Aletsch Glacier (Great Aletsch Glacier). The Jungfraujoch station (Top of Europe) is the highest rail station in Europe, the Sphinx Observation Terrace is one of the highest astronomical observatories in the world, and the Aletsch Glacier (Great Aletsch Glacier) is the longest glacier in Europe.
Mount Schilthorn
There are 2 different routes you can take to get from Interlaken to Mount Schilthorn; one via Grütschalp and the other via Stechelberg.
The Grütschalp route would look like this:
-Train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen on the ‘Bernese Oberland Railway’
-'Grütschalpbahn' cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp
-'Mürrenbahn' train from Grütschalp to Mürren
-‘Schilthornbahn' cable cars from Mürren to Birg and Birg to Schilthorn
The Stechelberg route would look like this:
-Train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen on the ‘Bernese Oberland Railway’
-Bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg
-'Schilthornbahn’ cable cars from Stechelberg to Gimmelwald, Gimmelwald to Mürren, Mürren to Birg, and Birg to Schilthorn
With the Eurail Global Pass, you would be able to receive a discount of about 25% on either of these routes between Interlaken and Schilthorn. To receive this discount, you would purchase the 'Mountain Tops: Schilthorn Interlaken to Schilthorn Eurail Pass Holder' option of the pass for ‘Mount Schilthorn’ here: http://www.raileurope.com/pass/mount-schithorn.
Harder Kulm (Harderbahn)
A Eurail Global Pass would also enable you to receive a 25% discount on the Harderbahn funicular in Interlaken. The Harderbahn takes you to a viewing platform at the ‘Two Lakes Bridge’ (Zweiseensteg) for spectacular views of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz below, as well as incredible panoramas of the surrounding Alps; including Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. There is also the Harder Kulm Panorama restaurant offering more stunning views.
To receive the 25% discount, you would purchase the ‘Mountain Tops: Harder Kulm Interlaken to Harder Kulm for Eurail Pass Holder’ option (Low season, Mid-season, or High-season depending on when you'll be taking the trip) of the pass for ‘Harder Kulm’ here: http://www.raileurope.com/pass/harder-kulm-8178.
Grindelwald-First (Firstbahn)
The Firstbahn departs from its base station in the nearby village of Grindelwald. To reach Grindelwald, you would have to take a train along the famed ‘Bernese Oberland Railway’ from Interlaken. The ascent consists of a cable car from the base station in Grindelwald to Bort, another cable car from Bort to Schreckfeld, and then another cable car from Schreckfeld to the summit station of First. Once you’ve ascended to the First summit station, you would have access to the 'First Cliff Walk (by Tissot)', a 131 ft long suspension bridge leading to an observation platform that offers spectacular panoramic views of the valley below and the surrounding mountains.
The Eurail Global Pass would enable you to receive a 25% discount on the ‘Bernese Oberland Railway’ (Interlaken-Grindelwald) and the Firstbahn cable cars. To receive this discount, you would purchase the ‘Mountain Tops: Grindelwald-First Interlaken to First for Eurail Pass Holder’ option of the pass for ‘Grindelwald-First’ here: http://www.raileurope.com/pass/grindelwald-first.
Schynige Platte
From May 26th to October 28th of 2018, the nostalgic ‘Schynige Platte Railway’ runs from the nearby village of Wilderswil to the Schynige Platte station. Wilderswil is only a 4-minute train ride from Interlaken on the ‘Bernese Oberland Railway’.
The Eurail Global Pass enables you to receive a discount of about 25% to take this excursion. To receive this 25% discount, you would purchase the ‘Mountain Tops: Schynige Platte Interlaken to Schynige Platte for Eurail Pass Holder’ option of the pass for ‘Schynige Platte’ here: http://www.raileurope.com/pass/schynige-platte-8312.
From Schynige Platte, you’ll have more amazing views of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, as well as Niesen, Stockhorn and Jura. By the station is also Switzerland’s only Alpine Botanical Garden and the Schynige Platte Panorama Restaurant.
If you plan on spending any time in Düsseldorf, you can view city passes and tours here: http://www.raileurope.com/train-tickets/activities/?countries=undefined&cities=cities-5631
City passes and tours for time spent in Amsterdam can be viewed here: http://www.raileurope.com/train-tickets/activities/?countries=Netherlands&cities=cities-525
To purchase the 'London Travel Card' you would click here: http://www.raileurope.com/pass/london-travel-card-8327
To purchase the 'Visitor Oyster Card' you would click here: http://www.raileurope.com/pass/visitor-oyster-card-8331
To browse other city passes for a stay in London, you would click here: http://www.raileurope.com/train-tickets/activities/?countries=England&cities=cities-737